The Effeminate Man

"It seems coming alone to erase my presence was a mistake." The Otogakure ninja spoke, his aura wilting.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye, leaving even Sakura present unable to react in time.

A faint sneer curled at the corner of Sasuke's mouth, and he thought to himself: "These Otogakure guys are really ridiculous. Out of the three of us, they had to pick Naruto, the strongest, as their target. Getting kicked flying like that—they had it coming."

Just as Naruto leaned down, about to search the fallen Otogakure ninja for the scroll, a sudden change shattered the brief calm.

Without any warning, a cluster of gleaming kunai burst from the dense grass behind Naruto, hurtling straight toward him with killing intent.

Sakura's sharp eyes caught the sudden crisis first. Her eyes widened in terror, and her scream cut through the air: "Naruto, watch out behind you!"

As for Sasuke, though a flicker of tension flashed in his eyes at first, he soon breathed a sigh of relief.

His Sharingan keenly tracked the flight paths of those kunai. To his astonishment, the blades that should have pierced Naruto's back came to a bizarre halt just millimeters away, as if held back by an invisible barrier.

At the same time, the kunai that weren't "intercepted" struck the Otogakure ninja with deadly precision, turning him into a sieve. Blood splattered everywhere, the scene gruesome. It all happened so fast that the sharp whistle of the kunai cutting through the air still lingered.

Sasuke marveled inwardly. This wasn't the first time he'd seen Naruto's ability, but the density of the kunai this time and the visual effect it created were nothing short of stunning.

Then, with a cold and eerie round of applause, an effeminate man from Otogakure slowly stepped onto the battlefield. His presence seemed to bring an ominous aura to the area.

The man's face was pale and delicate, a chilling smile tugging at his lips. His eyes gleamed with fervor and excitement, as if everything before him was a long-awaited feast.

"A Bloodline Limit? You've given me quite the surprise," he said softly, each word dripping with barely concealed excitement. "So there are children like this in the world. For a moment, I didn't know how to choose. What a delightful dilemma."

Faced with this sudden threat, Naruto's eyes grew serious for the first time.

Without a moment's hesitation, he spun around and barked at Sasuke and Sakura in a low voice: "Quick, get behind me!" Sakura obeyed at once, ducking behind Naruto's back. Sasuke, sensing the effeminate man's aura, offered no objection either.

Naruto fixed his gaze on the effeminate man. Behind his sunglasses, the Six Eyes easily pierced through the man's exterior, directly observing the flow of Chakra within his body. He couldn't help but be startled—the man's Chakra reserves were astonishingly vast, far surpassing those of their instructor Kakashi. Moreover, the aura contained in that Chakra was evil and deep, unmistakably signaling an extremely powerful enemy.

The effeminate man felt Naruto's stare and curled his lips into an amused smile. He raised a hand lightly, as if savoring the sensation of being watched, and said slowly: "What remarkable eyes. Standing before you, I get the strange feeling of being seen through. How very interesting." His voice was low and magnetic, yet carried a faint, imperceptible chill.

He paused, his fervent eyes sweeping back and forth across the three of them, as if weighing something. Then he added: "But that doesn't matter. I happen to have a scroll on me as well. Either I take yours, or you come take mine—how about it?" As he spoke, he deliberately gave the scroll in his hand a little shake, as if showing off or provoking them.

Before the three could react, the effeminate man suddenly did something jaw-dropping.

Like a sly snake, he opened his mouth and swallowed the entire scroll whole.

This act sent a chill down Sasuke's and Sakura's spines. Just one look, one move from the effeminate man, and Sakura and Sasuke found their bodies frozen in place.

"Is it killing intent?" Sasuke muttered, eyes wide.

Then Sasuke looked at Naruto in front of him. To his surprise, he saw excitement in Naruto's eyes—no fear at all, just the thrill of fighting a strong opponent.

Naruto's state completely spurred Sasuke on. He screamed in his mind: "Move! Move! My body, move!" Gradually, Sasuke's body began to regain sensation.

Feeling Sasuke's movement, Naruto felt a hint of relief. This scene reminded him of his disciple from before his rebirth—Fushiguro Megumi.