Uzumaki Kuming rested an arm lightly on the bandit leader's shoulder. The two companions he had thrown into Rin Nohara's Water Style had already been killed by Kakashi, and the other bandit who had been standing with him had also fallen face-first into a pool of blood.
The bandit leader hadn't even seen when his last companion was killed. But as a ninja, his nose was quite sharp. He could smell the faint scent of blood coming from the young man standing beside him.
The person who had killed his companions without making a sound was probably the red-haired young man now standing at his side.
"P-please, don't kill me!"
"I'm begging you, don't kill me!"
Feeling the pressure on his shoulder, the bandit leader didn't dare move a muscle as he pleaded. He understood the gap in strength between them all too well. This young man had appeared beside him without a sound, and could just as easily kill him without a sound. Faced with an enemy like this, the bandit leader had no heart left to resist.
"Don't panic. There's something I'm curious about. If you answer me honestly, I'll give you a chance to live."
The smile faded from Uzumaki Kuming's face as he studied the bandit.
"The Cursed Seals on those three men just now must have been Orochimaru's work."
"I couldn't mistake that trace of Natural Energy."
"But it seems Orochimaru hasn't perfected the Cursed Seal yet. Those who activated it when facing death couldn't fully use its power."
"They must be failed experiments."
"But this man seems to know what it is. That's why he threw his companion out as a shield."
As Uzumaki Kuming thought it over, he continued studying the bandit. But after a while, he still couldn't figure anything out. He