Strange, What's That Weird Smell?

Sasuke was stunned.

Was Naruto really this strong?

He had instantly killed two formidable Chunin in one go!

Having witnessed the changes in Naruto's strength over the past few days, Sasuke felt a massive sense of disparity, which had driven him to beg Kakashi to teach him a more powerful jutsu—the Chidori.

However, this self-created jutsu of Kakashi was not easy to master.

It was not something that could be learned in a day or two.

If one lacked the aptitude, failing halfway through was perfectly normal.

But Sasuke still had his own trump cards, such as shurikenjutsu and Fire Style: Great Fireball.

Even though he was only a Genin, some of his methods were in no way inferior to a Chunin.

Coupled with his Kekkei Genkai, the Sharingan, he could arguably face the Demon Brothers and, even if he couldn't kill them, he would at least have the ability to protect himself!

But what about Naruto?

Naruto had killed two Chunin on the spot!

Was this the gap between him and a true powerhouse?

The immense sense of disparity made Sasuke feel deeply unbalanced.

He slammed his fist hard against the trunk of a nearby tree.

Damn it! Is this really the Naruto I used to know? Just how many more cards does this guy have hidden up his sleeve?

What level has his strength actually reached by now?

Sakura Haruno's lips trembled as she looked at Naruto.

It was as if, at this moment, Naruto had become the pillar of her heart, the backbone of her spirit!

Although she didn't want to admit it out loud, she had clearly accepted Naruto's position in her heart.

Having seen blood for the first time, Sakura Haruno spoke with a hint of a sob.

"Naruto... Naruto-kun, isn't that a bit excessive?"

Naruto glanced at Sakura Haruno as if she were an idiot.

What a saint.

Are women's brains always this peculiar?

Someone is trying to kill you, and you're worried about the enemy's life?

Naruto didn't answer Sakura Haruno; after all, asking such a question was simply too stupid.

He really didn't know what was going on inside her head.

Although Naruto didn't answer, Kakashi, who jumped down from the treetop, answered Sakura Haruno's question.

"Naruto did well. Once you go out into the world and encounter professional assassin ninjas, you cannot afford to be merciful."

"Because it is either them or you; only one side can survive."

"Sakura, you still have a lot to learn from Naruto in this regard."

Naruto wasn't particularly surprised to see Kakashi.

The corpse of Kakashi over there had turned into a wooden log at some point.

It turned out that the one killed earlier was merely a substitution for Kakashi.

Just kidding.

If a Konoha elite Jonin were to die at the hands of two trashy, cannon-fodder ninjas, the author could just put down his pen and stop drawing.

Sasuke, perhaps having expected this all along, only showed a flash of surprise upon seeing Kakashi walk over safe and sound.

His expression quickly returned to normal.

Sitting on the ground, Sakura Haruno's eyes widened, her pretty face filled with shock and confusion.

"Kakashi-sensei, are you alright?"

She paused, then burst into tears of joy, her eyes brimming with moisture.

"Waaah... I thought you were dead."

Kakashi instinctively rubbed his nose.

He had just stepped away to observe from the shadows, wanting to see how the three of them would react when faced with a sudden, dangerous situation.

How would each of them respond?

After all, when people are faced with a life-or-death trial.

They might do things they would never dream of doing under normal circumstances!

For instance, abandoning their companions halfway to flee alone.

Or perhaps choosing to stay and fight side-by-side with their comrades.

And even worse, selling out their teammates in the middle of a fight.

Fortunately, the character of all three was decent enough.

Kakashi felt quite relieved; on the other hand, he also wanted to observe the combat level of this small team.

But who could have imagined that the moment Naruto made his move, he would directly kill two Chunin who were by no means weak!

Good grief!

He had the same flair I did back when I was on missions in the Anbu!

Kakashi smiled, walked over to Sakura Haruno, and reached out to gently ruffle her hair.

"It's my fault for making you worry, sorry!"

Look at how scared the child is.

Kakashi didn't say "you all."

After all, did Naruto and Sasuke look like they had been scared?

Not in the slightest!

As for the danger, Kakashi had been watching from the sidelines, ready to step in and kill the Demon Brothers at any moment.

Ensuring the safety of everyone in Team 7.

It was safe to say it was a close call, but nothing more.

Kakashi quickly withdrew his hand and gave two dry coughs to ease the awkwardness.

At this moment, Naruto suddenly frowned.

"Strange, why is there a weird smell?"

His five senses were now countless times stronger than those of his peers!

Even some elite Jonin who excelled in their sense of smell.

Couldn't compare to Naruto.

"Hm? Is there?"

Kakashi didn't smell anything because he was wearing a mask.

Sasuke and Tazuna certainly couldn't have.

Tazuna reeked entirely of alcohol.

And Sasuke's sense of smell wasn't as sharp as Naruto's.

Sakura Haruno's face turned bright red in an instant, and she squeezed her legs together.

The tears on her face stopped.

She wanted to die on the spot!

Fortunately, only Naruto noticed something was off with her.

The others didn't know.

Otherwise, she definitely wouldn't be able to go on living.

Kakashi glanced at Naruto, unable to stop the murmurs in his heart.

As expected of the teacher's son, he remains calm in the face of danger on the battlefield, and he was able to unleash two Rasengan in one breath.

Usually, a ninja of this age wouldn't have such a massive amount of chakra in their body; perhaps it's because of the Nine-Tails?

As for Naruto's situation, it wasn't the most important thing right now.

What mattered was why a low-level C-rank escort mission.

Would have Kirigakure assassin ninjas ambush them halfway?

The forehead protectors on the corpses were from Kirigakure!

This Tazuna definitely had secrets.

He had concealed something during the mission briefing, failing to clarify the details when they first accepted the task.

Kakashi walked up to him.

Staring coldly at Tazuna with his single exposed eye, his tone was frigid.

"There is a problem with the mission you commissioned. I don't need to say much more; I believe you are aware of it yourself."

"If you do not tell us the truth from here on out, we can abandon your mission halfway, and you can return to the Land of Waves on your own."

Tazuna's drunkenness vanished, and he met Kakashi's scrutinizing gaze.

He knew that if he continued to hide the truth, the man before him would absolutely do exactly as he said.

And so, Tazuna took a deep breath.

"It happened like this..."

He dared not hold anything back any longer.

He recounted the entire sequence of events and the outcome, detailing every single thing to them.