A fuse of fire wrapped around each Shuriken.
Like a shower of meteors, they shot toward the fleeing hired ninja!
The ninja scrambled to escape.
But even with Chunin-level strength, he couldn't escape his punishment!
Phoenix Sage Fire Technique might not have the power of the Great Fireball, but it could track its target and wouldn't stop until it killed them!
A muffled boom sounded behind the ninja!
First Sakura's Strength of a Hundred had left him badly injured, and then the Phoenix Sage Fire Technique had made things even worse.
In an instant, he spat out a mouthful of blood, doubled over, and fell to the ground. He twitched a few times, then went still.
Sasuke had killed four people in an instant. It had all happened in the blink of an eye.
When Sasuke looked their way, Naruto, Sakura, and Tazuna finally came out of their shock.
They knew perfectly well that everything that had just happened was real.
And yet, as if they'd only just woken from a dream, they still couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't real.
"So... so this is your real strength?.."
Naruto swallowed and stared at Sasuke, thinking to himself.
"Sasuke, even though I know you don't think much of me, I'll wait for you my whole life. I'll work hard for you my whole life, too, until you're willing to marry me. I'll never leave your side..."
Her beautiful eyes unfocused, Sakura clenched her fists and made a silent vow.
"Wait... Is this boy even stronger than Kakashi?"
"But how could that be?"
"Kakashi is an Elite Jonin, and this boy named Sasuke is so young. Could he be Kage Level?.."
"But how is that possible?"
"I'm going crazy! I must be going crazy..."
The more Tazuna thought about it, the wider his mouth fell open. His jaw dropped out of place, and he let out a cry before abruptly snapping back to his senses.
He thought to himself,
Maybe the times really have changed...
A sharp whistle split the air!
Naruto, Sakura, and Tazuna, still reeling from the shock, all tensed at once!
They'd thought another ninja had come to attack, but when they turned around, they saw Kakashi appear on the scene as if he'd come back from the dead, grinning cheekily and acting like some kind of gentleman.
The three of them stared for a few seconds, then understood. Kakashi had been fine the whole time—he'd just pretended to be dead as part of his strategy!
Sakura and Tazuna had nothing to say about it.
One was just glad to be alive, while the other had her mind entirely fixed on Sasuke's handsome face in the distance. She had no time to worry about anything else.
But Naruto wasn't going to let it go.
The moment he saw Kakashi grinning, his anger flared.
He stepped forward, pointed at Kakashi, and shouted:
"Hey! Kakashi-sensei! Do you really think pretending to be dead is funny?"
"Do you know that if Sasuke hadn't been there, we'd all have been killed just now?"
"And you still have the nerve to smile! Hmph!..."
Naruto even let out a little huff at the end, looking incredibly pouty.
"Uh... heh heh heh..."
Kakashi gave an awkward laugh and scratched his head, then slipped the copy of Icha Icha Paradise: Season 2 in his hand into his pocket.
At last, he replied, looking a little embarrassed:
"Well..."
"Of course I knew..."
"I did that to help Team 7 build a little teamwork."
"I just didn't expect this test to turn into another solo performance by Sasuke, just like the last one. Heh heh heh..."
"You!..."
Naruto was at a loss for words.
Kakashi had made himself perfectly clear.
If Sasuke had been in trouble, he would have stepped in at the crucial moment.
But Sasuke had taken on four Chunin by himself, and before Kakashi could even move, he'd already taken care of everything.
At this point, Naruto couldn't blame anyone else.
After all, Sasuke had been given his chance, and he'd really delivered!
When they turned back to Sasuke, Naruto and Kakashi finally moved on from the previous conversation.
But the moment they looked at him again, both their expressions changed.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
You couldn't get far in the Shinobi World without looting the bodies.
Sasuke held the Sword of Indra and moved among the four corpses.
Each time he passed one, he drove his sword into its chest to make sure they didn't come back to life.
Once he was sure the dust had settled, he confiscated all four men's money pouches and pocketed them.
Seeing this, Kakashi raised an eyebrow.
This kid's ruthless! He won't even spare the dead?...
But as soon as the thought crossed his mind, he reconsidered.
After a moment, Kakashi thought to himself:
Ah... maybe this isn't a bad thing.
The Shinobi World is cruel. Maybe only someone as decisive as Sasuke is truly suited to being a ninja...
Naruto's mouth twitched.
He'd already changed his opinion of Sasuke after learning about his past.
But seeing this, the attention-loving Naruto still couldn't help walking over to him. Looking a little awkward, he said:
"Sas... Sasuke, don't you think that's a little too cruel..."
"Greedy?..."
Sasuke waved Naruto back a little.
Then his hands moved through a series of seals, and as he spoke, a gigantic Great Fireball shot through the air and engulfed the four bodies lying on the ground.
After a long while, when the four ninja had turned to ash and vanished without a trace, Sasuke turned around and looked at Naruto, who was staring in stunned disbelief. He spoke slowly:
"After this mission, how about we go to Ichiraku Ramen? My treat..."
As he spoke, Sasuke gave the money pouches he'd taken from the four ninja a shake.
Judging by how heavy they were, he must have made quite a haul...
"Uh, but Sasuke, don't you think that's a little..."
Naruto, suddenly in full nitpicking mode, was unmoved by Sasuke's bribe and still wanted to say something.
At that, Sasuke impatiently waved him off and cut him short:
"Eat as much ramen as you want, but these four dead guys are paying for it."
"What's this about cruelty? They tried to assassinate us and got killed instead. What did they expect?"
"I'm just legally collecting some interest."
"Now, there's all the ramen you can eat. So tell me, are you eating or not?..."
"Uh, well..."
After a pause, Naruto replied meekly:
"I'll eat..."
"Then we're good..."
Kakashi, Sakura, and Tazuna nearly keeled over from Naruto's ridiculous turnabout...
Time flew by.
Before they knew it, Team 7 had entered the Land of Waves with Tazuna.
Mist shrouded the river, making it seem like a fairyland.
The six of them sat around in the boat, with one more person rowing.
They were almost at the shore when Kakashi, seated across from Tazuna, suddenly asked in a grave voice:
"Mr. Tazuna, after everything that's happened, aren't you going to explain any of it to us?..."
At this, not only Tazuna but also the three members of Team 7 looked at Kakashi in confusion. His demeanor had changed so suddenly.
But in the next moment, Team 7's three members were astonished when Tazuna sighed and slowly began to speak:
"I'm sorry. I lied to you..."
"Lied? Senior Tazuna, don't say that. Our mission is to make sure you reach the Land of Waves safely, so it's really all right..."
Naruto had gotten along best with Tazuna during the journey. Seeing him like this, he didn't want Tazuna to look so upset.
"No, I'm sorry, Naruto. Kakashi-sensei is right. I lied to you..."
With his head lowered, Tazuna couldn't bring himself to look anyone in the eye. After a pause, he continued:
"I'm a bridge engineer from the Land of Waves."
"Many years ago, a group of ambitious men appeared in our country."
"They secretly monopolized all the major industries in the Land of Waves, leaving the people destitute. With no other way to make a living, they had no choice but to endure exploitation and oppression..."
"Gradually, some people of conscience in our country began to wake up. They decided to pool their money to build a bridge—the Mother Bridge—that could provide a livelihood for the people of the Land of Waves."
"The Mother Bridge would help our country develop again and give the people a way to build a better future..."
At this, not only the three members of Team 7 but even Kakashi nodded.
They all thought it was a good thing.
Making your own way instead of relying on others—there was hope for the future.
But then Tazuna's tone suddenly changed. Anger and sorrow filled his voice as he gritted his teeth and continued:
"But... but those monopolistic businessmen couldn't stand to see us succeed!..."
"They've spent huge sums hiring high-ranking ninja to assassinate me and intimidate our investors!"
"I think they were the ones who paid those ninja a fortune to kill me the other day!"
"They know that if I make it home safely this time, the Mother Bridge will definitely be completed, and their vile plan will be ruined!..."
They kept walking as he spoke.
Time had flown by, and by then, the three of them had already gotten off the boat.
Naruto asked in confusion:
"But if you're just building your bridge, why are those people doing everything they can to sabotage you?..."
Before Tazuna could answer, Kakashi folded his arms and explained in a quiet voice:
"Because they want to control everyone in the Land of Waves and make them work for them."
"Think about it. If everyone could live a prosperous life, who would be willing to risk their lives for those people?..."
"That's awful! Those people deserve to die!..."
Naruto might have been childish, but he wasn't stupid. At this, he gritted his teeth, sparks flashing in his blue eyes!...
Sakura clenched her fists, too. If things had gotten this bad, she could understand why everyone in the Land of Waves had risen up to fight back.
Unlike everyone else present, Sasuke furrowed his brows and fell into thought.
"Were those four really sent by the Land of Waves?"
"But they seemed to know in advance that Team 7 would be sent on a mission. What was that about?..."
Sasuke suddenly remembered what the four ninja had said earlier by accident:
"Too weak. A Jonin like Gekko Hayate, and that's all he's got?..."
It was a small detail, and everyone had been distracted by the danger at the time, so no one else had noticed.
But Sasuke had heard it loud and clear.
What did that mean?
It could be something big or nothing at all. Kakashi was supposed to be leading the team, yet the man had mentioned Gekko Hayate.
And Sasuke had trained in Konoha Style swordsmanship, which connected him to Gekko Hayate in countless ways.
That only made him more confused.
After all, how could a mere team of hired Chunin know the identity of a member of the Konoha Anbu?
Before you continue