As Konoha settled down again, Naruto and Sakura's team was still short a member, so Shikamaru had to fill in for the time being.
Konoha's jonin all had assignments of their own, leaving Shikamaru, a chunin, to lead the three-person team on missions.
But looking at the C-rank mission before him, Naruto felt rather dissatisfied. He was hardly weak anymore, so why did he still have to take jobs like this?
"Shikamaru, can't we take a B-rank mission? Find this ferret and return it to the client's village-how is that any different from finding a kitten?"
Naruto grumbled. He and Shikamaru had graduated in the same class, yet Shikamaru was now a chunin while he and Sakura were still genin.
"There should be a difference... cats belong to the cat family, and ferrets belong to the weasel family? Weasels are more dangerous."
Shikamaru offered that dry reply. In truth, he hadn't wanted to lead a team on a mission at all, but the village's other ninja were all busy, leaving him, a chunin, to take charge.
He'd only found this mission after a good deal of searching: utterly harmless, yet time-consuming.
A job that was safe and let him slack off-what could be better?
Naruto paused at Shikamaru's words. He didn't know what the cat family or the weasel family meant, but this ferret certainly was aggressive.
"Stop! Don't move!"
Just then, Shikamaru, who was scouting ahead, abruptly raised his hand and barked a low warning.
His unprecedentedly grave tone instantly wiped away the team's relaxed mood.
Naruto blinked, scratching his head in confusion.
"Huh? What's wrong, Shikamaru?"
Sakura immediately tensed as well, instinctively clenching her hands and preparing for a fight.
"Are there enemies?"
Shikamaru's brows knitted tightly as his gaze swept over the faint outline of the village in the distance. His unease kept mounting.
"It's too quiet."
"That's the village we're headed for."
"But it's dead silent. Something's wrong. Very wrong."
As the smartest ninja in their class at Konoha, Shikamaru was far more perceptive than Naruto or Sakura.
He quickly assigned their roles, his voice steady.
"You two stay here and guard our way out. Put on your communication earpieces and stay in contact."
"I'll scout ahead alone. If anything happens, come back me up immediately."
"Understood!"
Naruto and Sakura nodded together, ready for anything.
Shikamaru darted away, his shadow slipping into the shade of the trees as he used the forest for cover and silently infiltrated the distant village.
What he saw upon entering only deepened his confusion.
Collapsed houses, shattered timber and stone, and broken old farming tools lay everywhere. The entire village was deserted.
Stranger still, there weren't even any bodies, let alone living people. Only wreckage remained, as though someone had emptied the place overnight.
Just as Shikamaru focused on examining the scene and assessing what had happened-
Clang!!!
The harsh scrape of heavy metal armor suddenly rang out!
A massive figure encased in black plate armor, carrying a hammer and with his face completely hidden by a helmet, burst from the shadows of a collapsed house!
The hammer whistled through the air, hurtling straight toward Shikamaru's head.
So fast!
Shikamaru's pupils contracted. Faced with imminent death, he instantly lunged sideways, narrowly avoiding the lethal blow.
Boom!
The heavy hammer smashed into the ground, instantly cracking the hard paving stones and sending fragments flying. Its force was terrifying!
Almost simultaneously, two more armored figures came hurtling through the forest on the village's outskirts.
Two other armored men attacked in tandem, one from each side, targeting Naruto and Sakura where they stood guard!
"Naruto! Sakura! Watch out! We've got enemies!"
Shikamaru's urgent warning came through their earpieces.
With the mission's ferret still tucked safely in his backpack, Naruto couldn't risk a head-on clash. He immediately kicked off the ground and retreated, nimbly putting distance between himself and the enemy as he shouted into his communicator.
"What the hell are these things?!"
Sakura also retreated swiftly, dodging her attacker's brute-force charge as she answered with a deep frown.
"I don't know!"
Elsewhere, Shikamaru delivered his assessment in a low voice.
"Unknown enemies. Their only advantage is extraordinary physical strength!"
"Stay alive first! Naruto, protect the ferret. Don't get drawn into a fight!"
Hearing that, Naruto stopped hesitating and withdrew from the battlefield with the ferret.
These armored men looked fierce, but their attacks were stiff and predictable. They only swung their hammers and charged with brute force, leaving huge openings.
Naruto lured his pursuer to a clearing outside the village.
A handful of crisp taijutsu strikes landed squarely on the gaps at the armored man's joints.
Thud, thud, thud!
After several heavy impacts, the armored man chasing Naruto lost his balance and toppled over, his armor shuddering. He could no longer move.
That's it? Other than being strong, he doesn't seem to have much going for him. Pretty average.
Naruto let out a relieved breath, grumbling inwardly. Thinking the danger had passed, he let his guard down completely.
But the instant he turned to find Sakura and Shikamaru-
Slash-!
A chilling flash of green sword light tore through the air.
A figure appeared, wielding an exquisite short sword, and drove its blade straight through Naruto's chest.
The next second.
Poof!
"What?"
Temujin recoiled in surprise.
The impaled Naruto instantly dissolved into a cloud of white smoke and vanished.
Shadow Clone!
High in a nearby tree, Naruto slowly revealed himself. Arms folded, a mocking gleam in his eyes, he looked down at Temujin as the boy emerged from the woods.
The boy was tall and slender, dressed in lightweight military armor, his face concealed by a helmet.
"A sneak attack?"
Naruto grinned, his voice brimming with confidence.
"I'm not the idiot who used to charge straight in without watching his back anymore."
"You're the real fighter hiding behind those armored grunts, aren't you?"
"Who are you? Why did you ambush Konoha ninja for no reason?"
Seeing Naruto reappear, Temujin offered no explanation. Silent and cold, he flourished his sword, then raised his free hand and gave Naruto a thumbs-up before turning his thumb downward.
The contempt behind the gesture needed no explanation.
Naruto was instantly furious. You think you're the only one who knows hand gestures?
He promptly stuck his middle finger up at Temujin, giving him a stinging response.
Temujin frowned. As one of Haido's strongest fighters, when had he ever suffered such humiliation?
Sword light flashed again. Temujin launched a furious assault on Naruto, going straight for the kill!
"Won't talk, huh? Then I'll beat you until you do!"
Fighting spirit flared in Naruto's eyes. Without another word, he leaped from the treetop and met him head-on!
The two immediately clashed again.
Temujin's short sword possessed a special power, allowing him to unleash long-range, arcing slashes with tremendous reach and strength.
But Temujin's weakness was glaring-he was severely lacking in combat experience. He'd only ever crushed weak opponents before and had learned nothing from it.
His weapon was his only advantage. In adaptability, the rhythm of offense and defense, and controlling distance, Naruto, who had survived repeated fights to the death, outclassed him completely.
Temujin was overwhelmed from start to finish, driven back step after step. He could only defend, unable to strike back at all.
He was forced back until a sheer cliff lay behind him, leaving nowhere else to retreat.
"It's over!"
Blue chakra gathered in Naruto's palm. A Rasengan formed in an instant, and he thrust it forward with tremendous force!
Bam!!!
It struck Temujin square in the chest!
The immense chakra impact blasted Temujin off his feet, sending him flying backward through the air and straight toward the mist-shrouded abyss below the cliff.
Naruto wouldn't hold back against an enemy who had attacked him outright.
But just as Temujin was about to disappear into the mist-
He swung his sword back in midair, unleashing an all-out slash!
Slash-!!!
The razor-sharp sword light slammed into the cliff face beneath Naruto's feet.
Rumble!!!
The solid rock wall instantly fractured, and a huge section collapsed!
The ground vanished beneath Naruto. Completely off balance, he plunged into the abyss along with the falling rubble.
Weightlessness swept through his body. Fierce wind howled in his face as his consciousness rapidly blurred...
"Damn it! I still let my guard down!"
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