Sasuke Awakens His Sharingan

After all, on the surface, Sunagakure was still on friendly terms with Konoha.

Although Konoha had a new master now, Rasa had no idea what this new Hokage was like.

If you asked Rasa whether he wanted the Land of Fire's territory, he'd honestly say he couldn't wait to claim all that fertile land around Konoha for himself.

But Sunagakure wasn't the only village coveting the Land of Fire. The other ninja villages were just waiting for a chance to seize it, too.

If they openly broke with Konoha now, the other villages might be the ones to profit in the end.

Besides, it was still an open question whether they could even defeat Konoha.

He had taken in the Sarutobi Clan only to see whether they could be of any use to him. That was all.

When Sarutobi Asuma's informant learned of Rasa's decision, his expression darkened further.

"If Rasa won't make a move, then we'll deal with those damn ninja ourselves." Sarutobi Asuma stood up, his eyes brimming with hatred.

"Are we still going to kill them at the Land of Fire's border?"

Sarutobi Asuma shook his head. "No. Since Rasa won't do it, let's give him a gift. The moment they cross the border into the Land of Wind, we strike!"

"Yes!"

The next day.

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

Five of them were trusted members of the Uchiha Clan, and their strength was only at the Chunin level.

The strongest of them, Hyuga Tokuma, was actually only a Special Jōnin. On ordinary missions, he served as a scout.

In terms of strength, he was only a little stronger than those five Chunin.

Uchiha Yu wasn't worried at all.

They probably wouldn't run into many enemies along the way.

As long as Sasuke and Naruto were all right, that was enough. For some reason, the two of them seemed to get on each other's nerves as soon as they met.

They were always bickering.

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

Uchiha Yu turned around to see Uzumaki Naruto making faces at Sasuke, surrounded by five or six Shadow Clones.

If it had been anyone else doing that—say, five Ibiki Morinos...

Sasuke probably would've been left infertile.

Uzumaki Naruto suddenly stopped and asked, "Why do you call my big brother your second brother?"

Uchiha Sasuke froze. "Uchiha Itachi is my big brother, so of course he's my second brother."

"Then should I call Uchiha Yu my second brother, too?"

"..." Uchiha Sasuke fell silent for a moment and counted on his fingers.

"Then you have to call me Third Brother."

"What the hell? Why?"

"Just look at how short you are. It's obvious I'm older than you, right?"

Uchiha Yu looked at the two behind him and sighed helplessly.

He'd used the excuse of taking them on a mission to trick Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto into coming along.

In reality, he hadn't said a single word about their pay.

Just hang in there! I'll consider these 400,000 ryō compensation for my emotional distress! Uchiha Yu let out a long sigh.

He looked as if he were burdened by the suffering of the world.

"Young Master, we've crossed the border into the Land of Wind," one of the Chunin told Uchiha Yu.

He was another trusted member of the Uchiha Clan, which was why he addressed Uchiha Yu as Young Master.

Uchiha Yu nodded and looked toward the distant desert and the Land of Wind's border marker. They were perhaps only a day or two away from reaching Sunagakure.

"There probably isn't anything to eat in the desert, is there?" Uchiha Yu asked, turning his head.

The Chunin froze, then nodded and quickly added, "But we brought plenty of Military Ration Pills!"

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

They tasted strongly of medicine and were terribly greasy.

One Military Ration Pill could fill your stomach, but it tasted awful.

"Forget it. We're still in the forest, so I'll go hunt a couple of wolves and improve our meals." Uchiha Yu headed deeper into the woods.

It was easy enough to find a few wolves or wild boars in this area.

Hyuga Tokuma nodded. He trusted Uchiha Yu's abilities. "Then I'll stay here and protect young masters Sasuke and Naruto."

Five Chunin and one Special Jōnin were more than enough to keep them safe, so Uchiha Yu went off in search of something to eat without worry.

Half an hour later, Uchiha Yu still hadn't returned.

Naruto sat on the ground and looked at Sasuke, who was fiddling with a Shuriken nearby. "Why hasn't Second Brother come back from hunting wolves?"

Sasuke shot Naruto a look and answered impatiently, "Maybe the wolves don't like him."

"..."

Suddenly, a rustling sound came from the forest nearby.

"Second Brother's back!" Uzumaki Naruto jumped to his feet, his face lighting up with excitement.

We can finally have a better meal!

But Sasuke immediately scrambled up, a hint of tension on his face.

Hyuga Tokuma also looked up and said tensely, "There's more than one person in the woods! It probably isn't Uchiha Yu!"

Sure enough, several ninja dressed in black burst out of the shadows and surrounded them.

"Seven ninja! They're wearing Konoha Forehead Protectors and black clothes. I can't tell how strong they are." Uchiha Sasuke gritted his teeth and raised the Kunai in his hand.

"Are they Sarutobi Asuma's men? They want us dead in the Land of Wind. This is interesting." Hyuga Tokuma sneered.

"I was wondering who it was. Turns out it's a team led by Hyuga Tokuma." One of the ninja sneered.

Sasuke looked tense, while Uzumaki Naruto was completely bewildered. He had no idea what was happening.

What the hell? Weren't we here on vacation?

Why do we have to fight?

I can't beat them!

Sasuke handed Uzumaki Naruto a Kunai and said coldly, "Don't die here. We'll be in serious trouble."

And he was right. If the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki died here, the entire Ninja World might be thrown into chaos.

But Sasuke didn't know that yet.

Naruto took the Kunai, his legs trembling slightly.

This was the first time he'd faced a battle of this caliber.

Even if his opponents were only a few Chunin.

"Fire Release: Great Flame Technique!"

The seven ninja unleashed a massive torrent of flames, which merged into one.

The Great Flame Technique was a secret art passed down through the Sarutobi Clan for generations, and it was even more powerful than the Great Fireball!

At that moment, the seven Great Flame Techniques erupted with terrifying power, enough to destroy almost anything!

"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"

The five Chunin hastily formed Hand Seals and slapped their hands against the ground, preparing to use Water Release to block the Great Flame Technique.

Water and fire collided, instantly raising a vast cloud of white mist.

Inside the mist, Sasuke kept turning his head, searching for his opponents. Then he saw blood spatter across his cheek.

"That was... Naruto?" Sasuke's eyes widened. He touched the blood on his cheek, his heart pounding.

Was Naruto dead?

The blood had indeed sprayed from Naruto's direction. Sasuke reached out to grab him, but his hand closed on empty air.

His face deathly pale, Sasuke cried out in a panic:

"Naruto!"

After the anguished cry, a crimson gleam appeared in Sasuke's eyes.

Single Tomoe Sharingan: awakened!