Blade in the Dark

Within Konoha, beside a fairly wide river.

Five sturdy gray wolves crouched there. The lead wolf was extraordinarily large, more than a full size bigger than the other four, and its fur was glossier and more vibrant.

"Strange. I've been here more than once, and I know the surrounding area pretty well." Uchiha Kai's voice came from the treetop nearby.

"How could wild wolves this fierce have left no traces at all? Why have I never seen them before?" The boy looked puzzled as he watched the pack drinking and resting by the river.

As a reserve ninja who had studied at the Ninja Academy for several years, Uchiha Kai naturally knew plenty about surviving in the wilderness, including how to scout for the habitats of wild animals.

To him, this place had nothing in common with a wolf's habitat. The wolves seemed to have appeared out of thin air. Bizarre.

"Forget it. I don't have time to dwell on this. That wolf's sense of smell is too sharp. If I wait any longer, it might discover me." The boy pushed aside his doubts and focused entirely on the pack before him.

And just as he had expected, the huge gray wolf in the lead seemed to notice something. It began sniffing the air, its savage eyes sweeping the area as its ears twitched.

"Whimper—"

The Alpha Wolf suddenly let out a low whine. It had clearly sensed something was wrong and was about to warn its companions.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

But it was too late. A faint sound cut through the night—the unmistakable rush of sharp weapons slicing through the air.

"Awooo..." "Yelp..."

Black Shuriken arced through the air. Two gray wolves failed to dodge in time and were struck head-on, letting out pained howls.

"Heh, quite a haul."

Moonlight fell over Uchiha Kai, but most of his body was hidden in shadow, making him look a little menacing.

"Grr—Awoooo! (An enemy! Surround him!)"

Faced with the Uninvited Guest who had shown up unannounced, the furious Alpha Wolf roared. Its jaws gaped wide, releasing a strange, sweetish, bloody stench.

The two uninjured gray wolves quickly reacted, moving to flank the boy on either side of the Alpha Wolf and trap him.

But Uchiha Kai wasn't a mindless beast like them. He swept his gaze over the three wolves and ignored their attempt to surround him.

Instead, he darted to one side, drew his short blade, and charged at the two injured wolves.

"Awooo! (Stop that hairless monkey!)" The Alpha Wolf hurriedly gave an order, trying to stop the boy from picking them off one by one.

"Grr!" "Grr!" The two wolves roared and lunged at Uchiha Kai, abandoning their formation as they tried to slow him down.

There was no denying how terrifyingly strong the two wolves were. Despite starting a step behind, their explosive speed brought them to within a step of Uchiha Kai.

Fangs and claws closed in, danger at his back. A sense of crisis crept into the boy's heart, making his scalp tingle.

In an instant, the boy twisted around and somehow slipped between the two wolves as they closed in. As they brushed past each other, a humanlike look of shock appeared on the gray wolves' faces.

"Too bad."

The boy sneered as he drew his short blade and swept it along the injured wolf's neck.

"Squirt—"

Blood spurted from the cut. Already wounded, the wolf's legs gave way, and it collapsed onto the grass, staining it red.

"Whimper..." With its windpipe severed, the wolf could only gurgle as blood rushed back down its throat. It was clearly dying.

After landing his strike, the boy immediately fled without pressing his advantage, leaping up into a tree in a flash.

"Whoa, what's with these wolves? Why are they so tough? I can understand the Shuriken not doing much damage, but..." The boy steadied himself in the tree and shook the blood from his blade, looking puzzled.

"My Ninja Blade almost couldn't cut through its neck. That's ridiculous."

Uchiha Kai's astonishment was understandable. These wolves were far too strange. The short blade he held was one of the few keepsakes his parents had left him.

It wasn't made of Chakra Metal, but it was forged from first-rate steel. A single strike could snap a wooden post of ordinary thickness, yet he'd nearly come off worse against a wild wolf...

"I can't let my guard down..." The boy's lips curled into a smile.

He reached into his ninja tool pouch, gripped several Shuriken, and threw them out in quick succession.

But this time, he no longer had the element of surprise. The gray wolves were ready and dodged with their powerful bodies. Only the already injured wolf failed to evade completely, taking a slash to its left leg.

Seeing another of its subordinates hurt, the Alpha Wolf lost its temper. With a roar, it sprang forward, moving like a gust of wind.

"Awooo! (You two stay here. I'll kill him!)"

Before the sound had even faded, the Alpha Wolf's massive body was already close. It slammed its broad shoulder into the tree where Uchiha Kai stood, making it shake violently.

"Hmph." With a push off his toes, he leaped to another tree and flicked his hand.

Three more Shuriken flew out, aimed at the two gray wolves guarding the injured one.

The two wolves seemed not to expect the boy to change targets so suddenly. They reacted a beat too slowly and were both hit.

"Awooooo!!"

The Alpha Wolf, which had been led around several times, finally snapped. It had clearly realized how serious the situation was.

That hairless monkey before it was downright bizarre. Though small, he seemed to have invisible claws. Every now and then, he would wave an arm and one of its companions would be wounded. The Alpha Wolf felt as if its whole understanding of the world was falling apart.

It couldn't let this drag on. As the leader of the pack, it knew exactly what was happening. This was just like the way they hunted.

Using their agility, they would inflict wound after wound on their prey, putting it under both physical and mental pressure.

Then they would wait for time to slowly take the prey's life, before enjoying the spoils without lifting a finger or risking much themselves.

But now the roles had reversed. They were the prey, and their enemy was the hunter.

At this thought, the Alpha Wolf's eyes darted about as its small brain began to work.

The next moment, it started slamming into the tree again, like a mindless beast. But somehow... it seemed to be moving a little slower?

"Thud!" Another muffled impact rang out. The tree shook again, and Uchiha Kai smoothly leaped toward a nearby tree.

Just then, the Alpha Wolf paused and abruptly turned around, a cunning glint in its eyes.

It pushed off with both legs, kicking up a cloud of dust. The wolf leaped forward, rapidly closing in on Uchiha Kai, who couldn't turn in midair.

Its jaws gaped open, eager to bite down. The stench of its breath stirred the boy's eyelids. It seemed there was no way to dodge.

"Thud!"

Amid the dust, iron teeth snapped shut, brutally biting through what was in its mouth.

But unfortunately for the wolf, it wasn't the boy's body.

It was a section of deadwood, lying behind the wolves.

The blade plunged brutally into the injured wolf's throat. Its pupils shuddered as its neck was twisted by the blow. Then its eyes rolled back, and it died in agony.

"!"

The Alpha Wolf turned around in terror, staring at the terrifying figure that had suddenly appeared behind its companion. Fear of the unknown crept into its heart, and an icy chill spread across its back.

That was right. They were only beasts. No matter how cunning they were, they could never match human intelligence, much less understand—

what ninjutsu was.

The boy drew his blade and stood up with practiced ease. He glanced to either side, still finding time to mutter to himself.

"Good thing I spent the most time practicing the Three Basic Ninjutsu Techniques. You can never have too many simple, practical lifesaving tricks..." As he spoke, the boy whipped out a kick.

His heel slammed into the belly of the gray wolf lunging at him, making it howl in pain.

"If I'd gotten bitten just now... I'd probably have to pay only half price for meals for the rest of my life..."