Girl, You Won't Mind If I Cut Them Down, Right?

The three Sound Ninja instantly cowered, trembling like leaves. Their leader hurriedly said, "Yes! Yes! We have an Earth Scroll! I'll give it to you! I'll give you everything!"

In a fluster, he pulled out a scroll from his ninja tool pouch and handed it over. A vicious glint flashed through his eyes before he hurriedly put on a fawning expression. "Sir! Let me go! I know there are several other teams nearby! I'll take you to steal their scrolls! I know where they are!"

Naruto saw through his little scheme at a glance.

He merely wanted to lure Naruto over, either join forces with other teams to kill him, or find a chance to run away.

But so what?

Naruto sneered, took the scroll, and casually tossed it to Sakura behind him.

The Naruto of the original story had been a perpetual Genin his entire life. In this life, Naruto would seize every benefit he could get in his hands.

Rules, principles—before absolute strength, they were all bullshit.

Sasuke frowned. His Sharingan swept over the dense forest around them as he said gravely, "There are traps and enemies everywhere. Don't split up."

Naruto waved a hand, utterly unconcerned. "Relax. We'll be faster if we split into two groups. You go get the Heaven Scroll. I'll clear the area and pick up a few more scrolls as backups."

Sasuke's brow furrowed even tighter, and he couldn't help reminding him, "Don't get too reckless."

Naruto raised a brow and grinned, his tone full of carefree arrogance. "You aren't even afraid of a bunch of Genin. Why would I be?"

As soon as he finished speaking, his figure flashed and vanished into the dense forest, leaving only rustling leaves falling behind him.

Holding the scroll, Sakura looked helpless. "Sasuke-kun, Naruto, he..."

"It's fine." Sasuke withdrew his gaze, his Sharingan still spinning. There was a confidence in his voice that even he hadn't noticed. "He knows what he's doing. Let's go get the Heaven Scroll."

Deep in the forest, Naruto bulldozed his way forward.

Whether they were Hidden Mist assassination experts or ruthless fighters from Hidden Cloud, anyone who ran into him did not even get a chance to strike before being dropped with a single slash of the Nine-Life Demon Tail Blade.

The system notifications rang nonstop in his mind, his Darkness Value skyrocketed, and two Earth Scrolls fell into his hands.

Naruto brushed the dust off himself and was about to turn around to meet up with Sasuke and Sakura when he suddenly heard sharp curses and blows from a nearby ravine, along with a girl's stifled sobbing.

He paused, followed the sound, and hid behind a tree to take a look.

In the clearing of the ravine, three Genin from Hidden Grass Village were surrounding a red-haired girl.

Her arms were covered in old and fresh bite marks, a horrifying sight.

Two ninjas pinned her tightly to the ground. Her knees had struck sharp stones and bled, while her face was covered in tears and humiliation.

The leading Hidden Grass Village ninja stepped on her wrist and viciously ground his foot down, snarling, "What are you crying for? I'm doing you a favor by letting you heal my injuries! Hurry up! Otherwise, I'll kill you right now!"

"That's right! A useless piece of trash who can only heal, and you still dare put on an attitude?"

"Our captain said it already. In this exam, you're our mobile blood bag! If you don't obey, we'll throw you here to feed the beasts!"

Other passing teams watched from afar, but no one dared step forward.

This Hidden Grass Village team was vicious, and no one wanted to risk their lives for an unrelated girl.

The girl bit her lip, trembling all over, her eyes filled with inescapable despair.

Her name was Karin.

Ever since entering the Forest of Death, she had been treated as a tool by these three ninjas from her own village. Whenever they were injured, they forced her to use her ability to heal them. Whenever they were displeased, they beat and kicked her. She did not even have the strength to resist.

Just then, a lazy voice came from behind a tree.

"Hey."

The three Hidden Grass Village ninjas instantly turned around. Kunai slid into their hands as they warily stared toward the source of the voice.

Naruto slowly walked out from behind the tree, his hands in his pockets. The hilt of the Nine-Life Demon Tail Blade showed over his back. Sunlight filtered through the leaves and fell across him, yet carried not the slightest warmth as he coldly looked at them.

"What the hell is all this talk about dying? You think you're so damn tough? Let me tell you this: if she lives, you might get to die intact. If she dies, you'll be cut into eight pieces!"

The leading Hidden Grass Village ninja's face darkened as he shouted, "Who the hell are you?! Stop meddling in other people's business! This is Hidden Grass Village's affair!"

Naruto did not even look at him. His gaze fell on Karin, on the dense bite marks covering her arms, and a chill flashed through his eyes.

He had known about Karin's suffering in his past life. But back then, he had been bound by the so-called Will of Fire and could only watch her follow Sasuke and suffer for the rest of her life.

In this life, he had no such bullshit rules.

Naruto lifted his chin and looked at Karin. His tone was calm, but it carried an undeniable force. "Girl, you won't mind if I cut them down, right?"

Karin suddenly looked up, stunned.

She looked at the blond boy before her. There was no cheap sympathy in his azure eyes, no false pity—only an equal, even slightly indulgent certainty.

No one had ever spoken to her like that.

No one had ever asked her whether she wanted revenge on the people who bullied her.

Her tears surged even harder, but she clenched her teeth and nodded fiercely.

The three Hidden Grass Village ninjas immediately flew into a rage. Their leader cursed, "You little bastard! You're asking to die!"

All three charged at once, their chakra-wreathed kunai thrusting straight for Naruto's vital points!

Karin shut her eyes in fright. She thought the boy who had stood up for her was about to suffer.

But the next second, a sharp clang rang out, followed immediately by three miserable screams!

Karin abruptly opened her eyes, her pupils shrinking.

The three Hidden Grass Village ninjas who had rushed forward were all sprawled on the ground. The tendons in their hands and feet had been severed, and they rolled wildly in agony as blood stained the rocky ground of the ravine red.

Naruto sheathed his blade without even moving his feet, still standing where he had been as though he had merely waved his hand.

He slowly walked over to the three writhing ninjas, crouched down, and kept that gentle smile on his face. Yet his voice was cold enough to pierce bone. "Which hand did you use to hit her?"

The three ninjas hurt too badly to speak. Their eyes were full of terror as they looked at Naruto as if he were a demon crawling out of hell.

Naruto did not wait for an answer. He casually picked up a kunai from the ground. With several crisp cracks, he destroyed the hands they had used to beat her.

Their screams once again echoed through the ravine.

Naruto turned around, walked over to Karin, and held out a hand.

Karin was still frozen in place, trembling all over. Her eyes were filled with confusion and wariness as she looked at the boy before her.

She had been used by others for too long. She no longer dared believe anyone.

Naruto saw through her thoughts and did not force her. He withdrew his hand and casually said, "They're crippled. No one will force you anymore. If you want to leave, you can go now. If you want revenge, those three on the ground are yours to deal with."

Karin looked at the three men writhing in agony on the ground, then at Naruto. Her lips moved, and her voice was tearful and disbelieving. "You... why are you helping me?"

Naruto raised a brow and grinned, his tone straightforward and open. "No reason. I just don't like the look of it. A bunch of grown men bullying a little girl is pretty damn shameful."

He paused, then added with a hint of amusement, "Of course, there's another reason. Your ability is useful. Follow me, and no one will ever dare bully you again. It's a lot better than following this bunch of trash."

Karin's heart suddenly trembled.

She understood her own value all too well.

Everyone who approached her wanted her chakra, wanted her healing ability. They treated her like a tool, like a blood bag. No one had ever put a choice in front of her.

This boy clearly had the absolute strength to control her, yet he had laid everything out plainly and given her the right to leave or stay.

She looked into Naruto's azure eyes. There was no calculation there, no hypocrisy—only open arrogance and blunt sincerity.

Just then, the leading Hidden Grass Village ninja on the ground endured his pain and roared, "Karin! Don't believe him! He only wants to use you! You're from Hidden Grass Village! You dare betray the village?!"

Karin's body stiffened.

Naruto sneered, raised his foot, and stepped directly on the ninja's face, grinding down viciously. His tone was icy. "Shut up. You don't get to speak here."

He turned to Karin, his voice still calm. "The village? A village that treats you like a tool, and you still care about it? If you want to go back and keep being a blood bag, I won't stop you. If you follow me, no one will ever dare lay a finger on you again. Choose for yourself."

Karin looked at Naruto, and tears fell from her eyes again. This time, however, they were not tears of grievance or despair.

For the first time in all her life, someone treated her like a person rather than a tool.

She slowly raised a hand and wiped away her tears. Then she gave Naruto a deep bow.

"I'll go with you."

Her voice still trembled slightly, but it carried a determination she had never possessed before.

Naruto grinned and reached out, pulling her up from the ground.

Her palm was covered in sweat and unhealed wounds. When Naruto's fingertips touched it, she instinctively flinched, but she did not pull away.

Just then, Naruto suddenly raised a brow and looked toward the depths of the forest.

Karin instantly tensed as well. Her sensory ability was far beyond ordinary people's, and she immediately noticed—

No fewer than five squads were rapidly closing in from all directions!

The screams from earlier had drawn all the nearby desperadoes over!

Leading them was the Sound Ninja Naruto had nailed to a tree earlier, who had luckily escaped! More than a dozen people followed him, all Genin from different villages. Their eyes were vicious, and every ninja tool in their hands was aimed at Naruto!

The Sound Ninja pointed at Naruto and roared, "That's him! He stole our scrolls! He even killed our people! Everyone, attack together! Kill him! All the scrolls on him are ours!"

More than a dozen murderous auras instantly locked onto Naruto.