They followed Sasuke straight ahead. The three trailing behind felt a growing unease in their hearts. After all, there were only four of them, and this was Hidden Mist territory.
The squad of Mist ninjas they encountered earlier had already put the three on edge. Seeing a ninja squad patrolling freely on such a remote island was unusual. It suggested there was likely more than just one team present.
"Sasuke-sensei, the number of enemies here... it's likely quite high," Mitsuki commented.
Sasuke nodded. "That's right, quite high indeed. A rough estimate puts it at over a thousand, I'd say."
Hearing that number, the hearts of the three leaped into their throats. They instantly became more vigilant, scanning their surroundings.
Sasuke, however, continued walking forward as if nothing was wrong. Perhaps noticing the others slowing down, he glanced back at them. "What are you doing? Keep up!"
Sarada asked worriedly, "Sasuke-sensei, shouldn't we be more cautious of our surroundings? There are over a thousand enemies on this island!"
"Hm? What about it?" Sasuke seemed puzzled. "It's just over a thousand people. Is that supposed to be a big deal?"
Hearing Sasuke's apparent nonchalance left Sarada speechless. Over a thousand enemies! she thought. Does that number mean nothing to him?
"Sasuke-sensei, let's proceed more carefully!" Boruto urged. "Walking straight ahead so openly like this... we'll likely be discovered soon!"
Sasuke looked at Boruto. "So what if we're discovered?"
Boruto felt resigned. Sasuke truly didn't seem to regard these enemies as a threat at all.
As they spoke, a rustling sound arose, and another ninja squad emerged ahead. They had the same number of members as the last, but judging by their chakra fluctuations, this was a Chunin squad. Their chakra felt significantly stronger than the Genin squad they'd encountered at the island's edge.
The moment they saw Sasuke and the others, they reacted instantly.
"Intruders! Someone has infiltrated the island!"
"Quick, signal!"
A signal flare shot straight up, exploding high in the sky.
Sarada, Boruto, and Mitsuki watched the flare bloom in the sky. Their hearts pounded, blood rushing in their ears. They were completely stunned. We've been discovered! What do we do now?
Mitsuki looked confused. "Sasuke-sensei, why didn't you use genjutsu to immobilize them?"
Sasuke shook his head. "No need. You three seem quite afraid of the ninjas on this island. In that case, it's simpler to just eliminate all of them. Then you won't have anything to fear, right?"
Uh! What kind of logic is that? the genin thought. If you're afraid of the enemy, just kill them all? That... that idea is terrifying!
Sasuke cracked his neck lightly, glancing back at the three. "Want me to leave a few for you to practice on later?"
The three stared, stunned for a moment. Sarada was the first to shake her head. Leave some for practice? Forget it! In this situation, it's better to deal with the enemies quickly. There's absolutely no need for practice right now!
"Who are you?" one of the newly arrived Mist ninjas demanded.
"A Leaf headband... you're Leaf ninjas?"
"Damn Leaf ninjas! How did you find this place? Are you after the Nine-Tails too?"
"Konoha! Your ambition is too great! The Leaf Village already holds nine Tailed Beasts, and now you covet the Hidden Mist's Nine-Tails as well? You people are insatiably greedy!"
As they spoke, the Chunin squad prepared to attack. But in the next instant, shuriken appeared. Four shuriken, like streaks of silver light, simultaneously struck the foreheads of all four ninjas. In a spray of blood, all four instantly lost consciousness, their bodies collapsing.
Thump, thump, thump, thump!
Watching the four drop dead so suddenly, Boruto and the others behind Sasuke were completely stunned. Dead! Just like that! Chunin-level Mist ninjas... defeated so easily?
It seemed this was the first time they had witnessed death up close. Aside from Mitsuki, both Sarada and Boruto had distinctly unnatural expressions.
"First time seeing someone killed?" Sasuke asked.
Hearing his words, their faces turned even paler, almost ashen. They nodded silently.
Sasuke chuckled softly. "As ninjas, if you don't even have the resolve to kill, what kind of ninjas are you?"
Boruto looked like he wanted to argue. But before he could speak, Sasuke continued directly, "It doesn't matter what noble justifications you might have 'even if they're bad guys, you have no right to take a life' but when you reach the point where you can't hold back and decide to kill, their morality becomes irrelevant to your actions."
"As a ninja, don't make excuses for yourself. If you hesitate to act, that's simply hesitation. Killing is killing. Don't preach to me about 'justice'."
With that, Sasuke walked straight ahead again. His words struck Boruto and Sarada hard, children raised in a new era of peace and educated with its values. But Sasuke didn't even give them time to process, immediately heading deeper into the woods.
The signal flare had done its job; an alarming number of Mist ninjas were now converging on their location. Sasuke glanced at the open area before them, then looked back at the three. "Hide yourselves well!"
"Perfect timing. Sarada, I'll demonstrate the power of Thunder Breathing for you! Use your Sharingan and focus on copying it!"
The three quickly hid in a crevice between some rocks, peering through the gap at Sasuke, who stood in the center of the clearing beneath a large tree.
Soon, the sounds of movement in the surroundings grew louder and more distinct. Clearly, a large number of ninjas were converging on this spot. Swish, swish, swish! Dark figures began to emerge from the trees, their eyes fixed on Sasuke beneath the large tree.
"Who are you? How dare you trespass on this island! This belongs to the Hidden Mist Village. You'd better leave quickly!" one of them shouted.
Sasuke wasn't wearing his Leaf headband, so these ninjas naturally didn't know which village he belonged to. But just as the speaker finished his warning...
Thwip!
A single shuriken pierced his forehead.
Plop!
The man collapsed, motionless.
The surrounding Mist ninjas flinched involuntarily at the sight. So fast! they thought. When did he even throw the shuriken? To have such speed, and to hit his target so precisely... Especially considering the heavy fog shrouding the area, which significantly reduced visibility. To pinpoint someone's location so accurately in an instant... This person before them was clearly no pushover!
"Everyone, attack! Capture him! I want to see who dares to openly challenge the Hidden Mist Village!" another commanded. "You're courting death!"
With that, the surrounding Mist ninjas surged forward.
Sasuke subtly glanced towards Sarada's hiding spot, then his right hand slowly moved towards the hilt of the sword at his waist. He turned his gaze to the five Mist ninjas charging directly at him and let out a soft breath.
In that same instant, Sarada activated her Sharingan to its fullest potential. She noticed immediately: Sasuke's chakra flow seemed to momentarily merge, becoming one with nature itself.
Then, Sasuke began to draw his sword. The blade had barely cleared the scabbard by an inch when, in Sarada's Sharingan-enhanced vision, his chakra seemed to transform directly into crackling lightning.
'Thunder Breathing!'
'First Form!'
'Thunderclap and Flash... Sixfold...'
________________________________________
If you want more chapters, please consider supporting my page on Patreon. with 30 advanced chapters available on Patreon
patreon.com/Leanzin