The One Who Hid the Truth

"Understood, my lord." Zabuza obeyed without question and didn't ask for a reason.

Shadow then walked over and stared at Su, who was radiating a chill. He said coldly, "If you can't prove your worth, I can shape you with my own hands—and destroy you with them, too."

Su's expression was earnest. "I won't disappoint you, my lord. I'll kill that impostor with my own hands."

"Good. The time has come to test you. Prove everything in battle!"

Shadow vanished without a trace.

Su was an ordinary girl. When she was very young, a landslide struck her village, and none of her family escaped. Just as she was about to starve to death, Zabuza saved her.

Su had resolved to stay by Zabuza's side forever. Her obedience had won her the favor of the respected lord Zabuza served, and the little girl had gained unparalleled power.

"Why does my lord care so much about that blond boy?" Su had long, straight black hair and a beauty mark between her brows.

Zabuza sneered. "My lord told me to test him, but I clearly felt the killing intent he let slip. I'll show my lord that I'm the strongest blade in his hands."

Su also believed Zabuza was the strongest. "Zabuza, what should we do with the Demon Brothers?"

"Have them lead the attack. They only need to kill Tazuna. They're no more than Chunin, and my lord doesn't think much of them," Zabuza said.

Su sneered. "Their disguises deserve some praise."

Konoha.

The gate.

Naruto stretched lazily, his gaze lingering for a moment on old man Tazuna.

Tazuna had finished his liquor and spent the night sleeping in an open area of the park. The smell of alcohol had faded, and he was once again a sober, quiet bridge-building expert.

"Naruto, a bird just flew by." Hinata was full of energy.

Sakura Haruno had packed supplies for the trip in her backpack. Seeing Naruto empty-handed, she chuckled to herself. Naruto really has no experience. We'll definitely camp outdoors. Let's see what he does then.

Kakashi stood behind them. "Everyone's here, and the weather's perfect. Let's go!"

"Yay!" Sakura Haruno jumped for joy.

The group crossed mountains and valleys, gradually nearing the border of the Land of Fire.

Sakura Haruno was curious about everything and kept asking Kakashi, "Kakashi-sensei, what's the world outside like?"

Kakashi first called out to Naruto, "Naruto, don't wander too far from us."

"Sakura, there are Five Great Nations in this world: Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, and Lightning. Many smaller countries lie between them. These countries are remote, but they can serve as buffer zones for the Five Great Nations. The great nations keep watch on one another, and that's what allows the smaller countries to exist."

"Do all those countries have ninja?" Sakura asked.

Tazuna cut in, "The Land of Waves doesn't have any ninja."

Kakashi added, "It's hard for small countries to have ninja, because training them takes a lot of resources. Only the great nations have the means. For example, the Land of Fire has our Konoha, the Land of Water has Kirigakure, the Land of Earth has Iwagakure, the Land of Wind has Sunagakure, and the Land of Lightning has Kumogakure. Each village has a powerful Kage."

Sakura looked up to them. "I want to become a ninja as powerful as the Fourth Hokage, too."

Kakashi smiled. "Keep working at it, Sakura. The road from Genin to Kage is a long one."

Hinata applauded Kakashi. "That was wonderful, Kakashi-sensei! It's much more interesting than reading about it in a book."

Tazuna took off his glasses and wiped them with a towel. The strongest person in this group should be this man named Kakashi. The two girls seemed kindhearted; I could persuade them. That boy was an unruly brat who'd run far ahead on his own. Did he really think they were out on a picnic?

Tazuna wondered how he could persuade Kakashi to deal with the despicable Gato.

Naruto had already reached the border. He hid behind a large tree, his gaze fixed on the two puddles in the road as he prepared to act. Then he reconsidered. This was still Kakashi-sensei's problem to handle. Besides, Kakashi-sensei seemed to want to give Sakura Haruno some training, so Naruto would stay hidden and watch the show.

A moment later,

Kakashi cheerfully stepped right through the puddles.

Hinata and Sakura Haruno followed behind him.

"Where did Naruto go?" Sakura Haruno asked Hinata. "Can't he walk with the rest of us?"

"He's waiting for us up ahead!" Hinata said.

Suddenly, the puddles by the roadside transformed into two black-clad ninja. Their iron claws struck at Kakashi in unison. "Nintaijutsu: Chain Combo!"

The claws pierced Kakashi's body without mercy.

The sudden attack left Hinata and Sakura Haruno stunned for a moment.

Kakashi-sensei is dead? How could that be?

Neither of them could believe what they were seeing.

Kakashi collapsed in a pool of blood.

The enemy sneered and used the same move to attack Sakura Haruno.

Terrified, Sakura Haruno's mind went blank. She forgot every method of fighting an enemy she had learned at the Ninja Academy.

Hinata immediately regained her composure. She activated her Byakugan and threw a shuriken with pinpoint accuracy to stop the enemy's attack. "Sakura, protect Tazuna! Kakashi-sensei can't be this weak!"

Hinata's words jolted Sakura Haruno into action. She leapt backward, narrowly avoiding the enemy's attack. "Hinata, why hasn't Naruto shown up yet?"

The Demon Brothers exchanged glances, their faces twisted with malice. The two Konoha Genin actually dared to fight them.

Hinata stood firm and assumed the stance for the Gentle Fist. "Naruto will show up. Even without relying on him, I can become a brave ninja."

"Hinata, they've killed people," Sakura Haruno said anxiously. "Why would Kakashi-sensei do this? How could we possibly beat enemies this strong?"

The Demon Brothers swung their iron claws at the same time, the stench of blood rising from them.

"Byakugan: Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!" Hinata shouted, firing two chakra shockwaves from her palms.

The claws were knocked back. The Demon Brothers were taken aback; they hadn't expected Konoha's Genin to have a technique that could threaten them. So they grabbed each other's hands, pushed off hard, and flew horizontally through the air.

"Nintaijutsu: Poison Demon Claw!"

The Demon Brothers spun at high speed. Their iron claws joined together, forming a terrifying green demon's head that charged at the three people ahead.

They intended to kill Hinata, Sakura Haruno, and Tazuna.

"Konoha Secret Technique: One Thousand Years of Death!"

Two Kakashis appeared behind the Demon Brothers, hands joined in the shape of a tiger seal as they thrust toward the brothers' anuses.

The devastating attack interrupted the Demon Brothers' assault.

The two brothers passed out from the pain.

Kakashi dispelled his clone. "Naruto, come out."

Naruto walked out of the woods. "Kakashi-sensei, it's not good to protect your students too much. They need to gain combat experience."

Kakashi grabbed Naruto and reprimanded him. "Nothing in this world is ever certain. If you step in as soon as you can, you won't have any regrets."