tkworld Chapter 144 Uncontrollable Protective Intent
Chapter 144 Uncontrollable Protective Intent
"The Land of Waves is just a small island nation, and it does not have its own ninja village."
Finally, the group gathered at the village entrance and officially set off. Not long after leaving Konoha Village, while traveling along a lush forest path, Kakashi noticed the unease hidden in Sakura's expression, so he took the initiative to explain the basic situation of the mission, trying to ease her tension.
"Because the Land of Waves does not have its own ninja force, when they encounter trouble and need to request missions, they can only travel to other countries, such as to our Konoha Village in the Land of Fire."
Kakashi continued in his usual slightly lazy tone, "Therefore, the enemies we might encounter on this trip are at most ordinary bandits or wandering samurai. That's why this mission is classified as C-rank. Remember, the theoretical premise of a C-rank mission is—no encounters with enemy ninjas."
Just as Kakashi was comforting Sakura in a relaxed tone, Tazuna, who was walking next to her, looked away with an uneasy and somewhat guilty gaze.
As Naruto listened to Kakashi's explanation, he also took in the surrounding environment. The weather was indeed excellent today; the air was fresh, birds were singing, and flowers were blooming—a scene of tranquility and peace.
However, he knew this tranquility would soon be shattered. According to the "plot," the storm would begin once he saw that unnatural puddle on the road.
Satsuki silently followed behind the group, her gaze mostly fixed on Naruto's back ahead. She longed to quicken her pace, walk up to Naruto, and chat with him casually as usual.
But when she noticed that Kakashi-sensei, who was usually so carefree and even engrossed in reading that frivolous "Make-Out Paradise" while walking, had unusually put the book away and was instead scanning the dense forest on both sides of the road from time to time, maintaining a vigilant posture, she couldn't help but feel a sense of loss and gave up the idea of going forward.
She understood that as a ninja, maintaining vigilance and focus was the most basic requirement whenever there was any potential danger involved.
Therefore, she could only forcefully suppress the desire to get close to Naruto and talk to him.
But... she herself didn't realize that these desires and dependencies, which had been forcibly suppressed time and time again, were quietly accumulating and fermenting in her heart. When these emotions could no longer be suppressed and finally erupted, what awaited Naruto would probably not be a gentle and tranquil scene, but a more turbulent and persistent torrent.
It's fair to say that Naruto himself was completely unaware that he had unknowingly gone a little too far in his "conquest".
Shortly after the group crossed a small bridge over a babbling brook, a puddle suddenly appeared in an inconspicuous low-lying area by the roadside.
Kakashi glanced casually at the puddle, but said nothing, maintaining his unhurried pace.
It seems... the Ghost Brothers are about to make their appearance.
Naruto understood. He knew perfectly well that these two guys were only slightly stronger than Mizuki from before, and with his and Sasuke's current strength, there was absolutely nothing to worry about.
Nevertheless, he remained secretly vigilant, prepared to respond at any moment. At any time, underestimating one's enemy is the most foolish thing to do.
Just after the group casually walked a few meters past the puddle...
Suddenly, the surface of the small puddle bulged! Two figures darted out, wielding chains connected to sharp claw hooks, aiming straight for the back of the most threatening Jonin in the group—Kakashi!
"later!"
Hearing the sudden sound of water breaking and the sharp gust of wind behind him, Naruto turned around instantly! Almost at the same moment, Satsuki also turned around abruptly!
Just a split second before the shrill chains were about to wrap around Kakashi's body!
"Earth Release: Great River of Earth!"
Naruto's hand seals were incredibly fast, almost completed the moment he turned around! The solid ground beneath one of the attackers' feet instantly softened and collapsed, turning into a raging, swirling mudslide!
The ninja cried out in alarm, his footing suddenly giving way. He panicked and sank into the ground, which had suddenly turned into a swamp. The more he struggled, the deeper he sank, until he was firmly trapped and unable to move.
The other attacker was in no better shape! His chain was deflected sharply by a shuriken that struck with pinpoint accuracy!
Just as he was hurriedly adjusting his posture, trying to dodge the other shuriken that were being fired in succession, he suddenly felt a tightness in his body!
The next moment, a huge pulling force came, and he was completely unable to resist the force that lifted him off the ground and slammed him hard into a thick tree next to him, where he was tightly tied to the trunk!
Only then did he realize with horror that those seemingly ordinary shuriken were actually wrapped with chakra threads that were almost imperceptible to the naked eye! The other end of the threads was held in the hand of the black-haired girl with cold eyes.
Kakashi released the Substitution Jutsu hand seals he had prepared earlier with satisfaction. He watched as Naruto and Satsuki, who had almost instantly and swiftly subdued the two attackers, nodded approvingly.
"Very good, Naruto and Sasuke. Faced with the sudden attack, you made accurate judgments, reacted quickly, handled the situation appropriately, and cooperated very well. You performed exceptionally well."
His gaze finally shifted to the other side, looking at Sakura, whose face was a little pale but who was still tightly gripping her kunai and standing in front of the client Tazuna, and added.
"And Sakura, your first reaction was to protect the client, and your stance and judgment were also very correct."
After praising the students for their swift and efficient response, Kakashi turned his gaze to the two attackers who had been subdued. He carefully examined their attire.
"This attire... they are Chunin from Kirigakure, ninjas known as the 'Demon Brothers,' who are famous for using any means necessary to complete their missions." Kakashi pointed out the attackers' identities and the danger they posed.
"What...terrifying young people..."
Tazuna, who had witnessed the exchange, couldn't help but sigh, a mixture of lingering fear and barely perceptible guilt in his voice.
However, Kakashi ignored his words and instead turned his gaze to the person who had made the request. "Alright, Mr. Tazuna, now I need to determine who these two are targeting."
Kakashi's gaze sharpened. "If their target is indeed you, then I'm sorry... this goes far beyond the scope of a C-rank escort mission. This means you've concealed crucial mission information from Konoha, placing us in an unexpected and dangerous situation."
Kakashi's gaze swept over his three subordinates, finally settling on Tazuna's pale face. He offered his choice: "According to the Ninja Handbook, in cases where the client deliberately misrepresents the mission's level, Team 7 has the right to immediately terminate the mission and return to Konoha. What are your opinions?"
Tazner's forehead instantly broke out in a fine layer of cold sweat. He hadn't expected that his concealment of his mission level would be exposed so quickly and directly. He was momentarily at a loss for words.
Sakura wiped the cold sweat from her forehead. She looked at the subdued Kirigakure ninja on the ground, her heart filled with fear.
Engaging in a life-or-death battle with real ninjas... isn't that too early for us? Her instinct was to suggest returning to the village first, but when she looked at Naruto and Satsuki beside her, she swallowed her words and decided to listen to her teammates' opinions first.
However, when she looked at Zuoyue, she suddenly froze.
Satsuki...isn't something a little off?
All that could be seen was that Zuo Yue's originally jet-black eyes had turned into an ominous scarlet color at some point, with three jet-black tomoe slowly rotating within them.
She was staring intently at Tazna with an extremely terrifying gaze, as if she were looking at a dead man.
Tazuna, stared at by those Sharingan eyes, felt even more terrified than when he was attacked by the chains! A chilling, tangible killing intent enveloped him once more, making it almost impossible for him to breathe!
"Mr. Tazuna..." Satsuki's voice was devoid of warmth, "You don't seem surprised at all that there will be a ninja attack along the way."
Faced with this cold, pointed question, Tazna felt as if his throat was blocked, unable to utter a single word, only able to break out in a cold sweat.
So that's how it is… Zuo Yue instantly understood what had happened. This guy… deliberately lied about his mission level!
An uncontrollable rage instantly engulfed Zuo Yue's heart.
Unforgivable... To save that little bit of mission reward, they dared to drag Naruto into this dangerous situation where they knew beforehand that there would be a ninja battle to the death!
If the person who launched the sneak attack wasn't someone of this caliber... if their target was Naruto from the start...
If Naruto gets hurt because of your lie... or even...
Just thinking about these possibilities made Zuo Yue's killing intent become more solid and terrifying, and black flames seemed to burn in his scarlet Sharingan eyes.