The Demon Brothers did not even have time to scream before the raging fire dragon struck them head-on.
There was no suspense whatsoever.
The scorching flames swallowed both of them in an instant.
In less than two seconds, the flames dispersed.
Only two charred, coal-black corpses remained on the ground, giving off the pungent smell of roasted meat.
Even their chain of refined steel had melted into molten iron.
Dead silence fell over the scene.
A breeze swept past, stirring up a few fallen leaves.
Behind a nearby tree stood Kakashi, who had been about to release his Substitution Technique and step in to save them.
Now he stared dumbstruck at the two charred corpses.
His eyes were wide, and he did not even notice Icha Icha Paradise falling from his hand.
"Th-this is the Great Dragon Fire Technique?"
Kakashi sucked in a sharp breath, his mind in turmoil.
Even an elite Jonin specializing in Fire Style might not be able to produce something of this scale and temperature.
Just how terrifying is that kid Xin's chakra?
Naruto and Sakura were even more stunned.
They stared blankly at Uchiha Xin's calm profile, their minds utterly empty.
Then the overpowering stench of burned flesh filled their noses. They finally reacted, bending over by the roadside and vomiting violently.
It was their first time witnessing such a horrific killing.
Sasuke clenched his teeth, staring at Uchiha Xin with eyes full of resentment and shock.
Xin, who had once been utterly unremarkable at school, had actually become this powerful.
Uchiha Xin ignored their reactions. He turned around and fixed Tazuna with an icy stare.
"Mr. Tazuna, I think you owe us an explanation."
Uchiha Xin walked toward Tazuna step by step, his imposing presence leaving the old man struggling to breathe.
"A C-rank mission only involves guarding against wild animals and ordinary bandits. Why did we run into Chunin from Kirigakure?"
"What exactly have you been hiding?"
Tazuna collapsed onto his backside in fright, cold sweat pouring off him.
Under Uchiha Xin's intensely oppressive gaze, he finally cracked.
"I... I'll talk..."
Tazuna sighed helplessly and revealed the whole truth: Gato controlled the Land of Waves, and he could not afford the fee for a B-rank mission, so he had been forced to falsely report it as C-rank.
"If you abandon the mission now, the Land of Waves will be completely finished."
"I'll die too, and my poor grandson will cry himself blind..."
Tazuna began playing on their sympathies.
Sakura wiped the vomit from the corner of her mouth and spoke timidly.
"Kakashi-sensei, this mission is already beyond our abilities. We should go back to the village."
Kakashi emerged from behind the tree, his expression serious.
"According to the rules, if a mission's rank has been falsely reported, we have the right to terminate it at any time."
"Besides, Naruto and the others have too little combat experience. Continuing would be too dangerous."
"I'm not going back!"
Naruto abruptly raised his head. Though his face was still somewhat pale, his gaze was exceptionally firm.
"I'm going to become Hokage! How could I run away at the first sign of danger? I'm continuing the mission!"
Kakashi looked at Naruto, still somewhat hesitant.
Naruto was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, after all. Nothing could be allowed to happen to him.
"Kakashi-sensei, let's continue."
Uchiha Xin suddenly spoke.
He looked at Kakashi, his tone calm but filled with powerful confidence.
"With me here, keeping Tazuna alive won't be a problem."
"Besides, genuine life-and-death combat is the only way for them to grow quickly."
Kakashi looked into Uchiha Xin's deep eyes, recalling the terrifyingly powerful Great Dragon Fire Technique from earlier.
He fell silent for a moment, then finally nodded.
"All right. The mission continues."
The next stretch of their journey went surprisingly smoothly, without any scares or danger.
A day later, they passed through the thick mist by boat and finally reached the shores of the Land of Waves.
As they drew closer to their destination, Tazuna grew increasingly nervous, constantly looking around.
The group entered a dense forest.
Suddenly, Uchiha Xin stopped and looked up at the treetops to their right.
"Get down!" Kakashi shouted at the same time.
Whoosh-!
A piercing rush of air whistled over their heads.
An enormous sword the size of a door, carrying terrifying momentum.
It slammed viciously into a towering tree ahead.
The blade sank deep into the trunk, the tremendous impact shaking leaves down in showers.
A tall figure eerily appeared atop the sword's hilt.
His upper body was bare, thick bandages covered his face, and his gaze was as cold as a blade.
It was none other than the Demon of the Hidden Mist, Zabuza Momochi.
"I was wondering who killed those two useless Demon Brothers. So it was Kakashi of the Sharingan."
Standing on the sword's hilt, Zabuza looked down at the group, bloodthirsty excitement in his voice.
"Hand over that old man, and I might consider leaving your corpses intact."
At the sight, Naruto's blood surged. He drew a kunai and started to charge forward.
"You bastard! Don't get so full of yourself!"
Uchiha Xin caught Naruto by the shoulder and forcibly hauled him back.
"Don't throw your life away. You're no match for him."
Uchiha Xin turned to Kakashi, excitement gleaming in his eyes.
"Kakashi-sensei, leave this guy to me."
Kakashi froze for a moment, then frowned.
"Xin, he's a missing-nin from Kirigakure, a genuine Jonin. He's far stronger than the likes of the Demon Brothers."
"I know."
Uchiha Xin rolled his neck, his bones giving off a series of sharp cracks.
"It's precisely because he's a Jonin that he's worth fighting."
Kakashi looked at Uchiha Xin's utterly fearless face.
Recalling the Third Hokage's instructions, he hesitated for a moment.
"All right, you go first. Remember, the moment anything goes wrong, I'll step in."
The atmosphere in the forest instantly dropped to freezing.
Zabuza stood on the hilt of the Kubikiribōchō.
Looking down at Uchiha Xin as he walked forward alone, his gaze instantly turned extremely dark.
"Is this some kind of joke?"
Zabuza's voice barely contained his raging fury. He felt he had suffered an enormous insult.
"Kakashi, you're actually sending a brat who hasn't even grown any hair to fight me?"
"Do you have a death wish?!"
Uchiha Xin stopped, folded his arms across his chest, and gave a mocking smile.
"I'm more than enough to deal with a hairless old man like you."
"You're asking to die!"
Zabuza flew into a rage. Unable to contain his killing intent any longer, he instantly formed hand seals.
"Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Technique!"
A vast amount of chakra surged out, and the surrounding air instantly grew damp.
In less than two seconds, dense white mist rose out of nowhere, completely enveloping the forest.
Visibility instantly dropped to less than two meters.
Zabuza's figure vanished completely into the thick mist.
"Throat, spine, lungs, liver, carotid artery, subclavian artery, kidneys, heart..."
"Which vital point would you like me to attack?"