Everyone froze, forgetting even to breathe.
The Grass Shadow's pupils shrank to pinpoints. His entire body went cold as a chill crawled up his spine to the top of his head.
He had seen rogue ninja who killed without restraint and demons who massacred entire villages, but he had never seen anything this outrageous.
Killing enemies was nothing unusual, but killing so casually, so indifferently, like snuffing out a cigarette butt with one's fingers—this was no longer ruthlessness. This was madness.
Naruto crouched down and poked the still-rolling head with his fingertip, flicking it aside as if it were a pebble.
"I don't want spineless worms."
He dusted off his hands, though there was no dust on them, and stood up.
His gaze swept over the remaining Hidden Grass Village ninja who were forcing themselves to stand tall, and a cheap grin curled across his lips.
"I like chewing hard bones."
"The harder they are, the better they taste."
"Soft ones stick to your teeth and give you diarrhea."
The Grass Shadow nearly spat out blood.
Diarrhea?
Diarrhea my ass!
Who the hell wanted to be a bone for him to chew on?!
Zabuza sheathed his blade, the massive sword slicing through the air with a soft hiss.
He bowed slightly to Naruto, the hand hanging at his side still trembling faintly.
Not from fear, but reverence.
He had once thought himself to be the fiercest demon of the Hidden Mist. Only now did he realize that compared to the boy before him, he was at most an honest man who knew how to chop people.
The other members of the Heaven Organization held their breath. No one dared speak.
They finally understood why this teenager had managed to put them all in line within a single month.
This was