Sasuke's Eyes Awaken

One must remember that, on the surface, Sunagakure still maintained diplomatic relations with Konoha.

Although Konoha had a new leader, Rasa had no idea what this new Hokage was truly like.

If asked whether he coveted the territory of the Land of Fire, Rasa would have to admit to himself that he would love nothing more than to claim those vast, fertile lands for his own.

However, Sunagakure was not the only village eyeing the Land of Fire; other hidden villages were also waiting for the right moment to seize it.

If they were to tear off the mask of diplomacy now, they might only end up benefiting those other villages.

Furthermore, it remained to be seen whether they could even defeat Konoha in the first place.

His decision to harbor the Sarutobi Clan was merely to see if they held any utility—nothing more.

When Sarutobi Asuma's informants learned of Rasa's decision, their expressions darkened further.

"Since Rasa refuses to act, we will deal with those damned ninjas ourselves," Sarutobi Asuma said, rising to his feet, his eyes brimming with hatred.

"Shall we still take them out at the border of the Land of Fire?"

Sarutobi Asuma shook his head. "No. Since Rasa won't cooperate, we'll send him a gift. As soon as they cross the border into the Land of Wind, we strike!"

"Understood!"

The next day.

Uchiha Yu had set out with Sasuke, Naruto, and six Konoha ninjas.

Five of them were trusted subordinates of the Uchiha Clan, their strength merely that of Chunin.

The strongest among them, Hyuga Tokuma, was actually only a Special Jonin, and his usual duties were limited to scouting.

In terms of raw power, he was only slightly stronger than the five Chunin.

Uchiha Yu, however, felt no pressure at all.

They were unlikely to encounter many enemies along the way.

As long as Sasuke and Naruto were safe, it would be fine; for some reason, the two of them seemed to be at each other's throats the moment they met.

They were constantly bickering.

"Second Brother, when are you going to kick this guy out? He's so annoying!" Sasuke pointed at Uzumaki Naruto, his face flushed with anger.

Uchiha Yu turned his head to see Uzumaki Naruto creating five or six Shadow Clones to surround Sasuke and make faces at him.

That was just Uzumaki Naruto for you; if it had been five Morino Ibikis...

Sasuke probably would have been traumatized for life.

Uzumaki Naruto suddenly stopped and asked, "Why do you call my Big Brother 'Second Brother'?"

Uchiha Sasuke was stunned. "Uchiha Itachi is my Big Brother, so doesn't that make him my Second Brother?"

"Then does that mean I should call Uchiha Yu 'Second Brother' too?"

"..." Uchiha Sasuke fell silent for a moment, counting on his fingers.

"Then you have to call me Third Brother."

"What the hell? Why?"

"Just look at your height; it's obvious I'm older than you, isn't it?"

Uchiha Yu watched the two of them from behind and sighed helplessly.

Although he had used the excuse of taking them on a mission to lure Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto out, he hadn't mentioned a single word about the payment.

"Bear with it! I'll just consider those four hundred thousand ryo as compensation for my mental anguish!" Uchiha Yu let out a long sigh.

He wore an expression of profound, weary compassion.

"Young Master, we have crossed the border into the Land of Wind," one of the Chunin said to Uchiha Yu.

As a trusted subordinate groomed by the Uchiha Clan, he addressed Uchiha Yu as "Young Master."

Uchiha Yu nodded, looking at the desert in the distance and the nearby border marker of the Land of Wind. They were perhaps only a day or two away from Sunagakure.

"There shouldn't be much food in the desert, right?" Uchiha Yu asked, turning his head.

The Chunin was taken aback, nodded, and then immediately added, "But we have brought plenty of Military Ration Pills!"

Military Ration Pills? Uchiha Yu's face turned green.

That stuff tasted like medicine and was incredibly cloying.

A single pill could indeed fill one's stomach, but it was absolutely wretched to eat.

"Forget it. While we're still in the forest, I'll go hunt a couple of wild wolves to improve our meal," Uchiha Yu said, heading deeper into the woods.

In this area, finding a few wild wolves or boars was quite simple.

Hyuga Tokuma nodded, trusting in Uchiha Yu's strength. "Then I shall stay here and protect Young Master Sasuke and Naruto."

With five Chunin and one Special Jonin, their strength was sufficient, so Uchiha Yu went off to hunt for game with peace of mind.

Half an hour passed, and the group still had not seen a trace of Uchiha Yu.

Uzumaki Naruto sat on the ground, watching Uchiha Sasuke fiddle with a shuriken beside him, and asked, "Why hasn't Second Brother come back from hunting wild wolves yet?"

Uchiha Sasuke rolled his eyes at Uzumaki Naruto and replied impatiently, "Maybe it's because the wild wolves don't like him."

"..."

Suddenly, a rustling sound came from the forest not far away.

"Second Brother is back!" Uzumaki Naruto stood up, his face full of excitement.

Could they finally improve their meal?

However, Uchiha Sasuke immediately scrambled to his feet, a hint of tension on his face.

Hyuga Tokuma also looked up, saying nervously, "There is more than one person in the woods! It shouldn't be Uchiha Yu!"

Sure enough, several ninjas dressed in black darted out from the shadows and surrounded them directly.

"Seven ninjas! They are wearing Konoha headbands and black clothes; their exact strength is unclear." Uchiha Sasuke gritted his teeth while raising the kunai in his hand.

"Are they Sarutobi Asuma's subordinates? To want us dead within the borders of the Land of Wind, this is truly interesting." Hyuga Tokuma let out a cold snort.

"I was wondering who it was; so it's a team led by Hyuga Tokuma." One of the ninjas sneered.

Uchiha Sasuke looked tense, while Uzumaki Naruto looked completely bewildered, having no idea what was happening.

What the hell, aren't we here for a vacation?

Why are we fighting?

I can't win this!

Uchiha Sasuke handed a kunai to Uzumaki Naruto, his expression cold and stern. "Don't die here; it would be a huge problem."

Indeed, if the Nine-Tails jinchuriki were to die here, the entire Ninja World might fall into chaos.

However, Uchiha Sasuke did not know this yet.

Uzumaki Naruto took the kunai, his legs trembling slightly.

This was his first time facing a battle of this level.

Even though the opponents were only a few Chunin.

"Fire Style: Great Flame Technique!"

The seven ninjas simultaneously spat out large mouthfuls of flame, which converged into one.

The Great Flame Technique was a secret technique passed down through generations of the Sarutobi Clan, and its power was even greater than the Great Fireball!

At this moment, the seven Great Flame Techniques erupted with a terrifying power that could almost destroy everything!

"Water Style: Water Formation Wall!"

Five Chunin hurriedly formed hand seals and slammed their hands onto the ground, preparing to use Water Style to block the Great Flame Technique.

Water and fire collided, instantly whipping up a massive cloud of white mist.

Within the white mist, Uchiha Sasuke kept turning his head, trying to locate his opponents, only to see a spray of blood splatter onto his cheek.

"That position is... Naruto?" Uchiha Sasuke widened his eyes, touching the blood on his cheek as his heart pounded wildly.

Did Naruto die?

The blood had indeed sprayed from the direction of Uzumaki Naruto. Uchiha Sasuke reached out to grab him, but grasped only empty air.

Pale-faced, Uchiha Sasuke shouted urgently:

"Naruto!"

Following that heart-wrenching cry, a flash of scarlet appeared in Uchiha Sasuke's eyes.

Single Tomoe Sharingan, awakened!