"Say, Naruto... are you okay?"
Sako asked, concerned.
"I'm fine." Naruto, still wearing his glasses, nodded, his eyes back to blue.
"What that guy said is bothering me..."
Kurama wasn't surprised that Naruto had defeated those small fry.
With part of his power and Naruto's training in Yang Release, failing to do so would've been shameful.
"It's just the usual villain speech."
Naruto replied inwardly to Kurama.
After five or six minutes of walking toward Konoha, they reached the forest.
Suddenly, Naruto stopped.
"What is it?" Sako asked.
"Movement ahead..."
Naruto raised his hand to stop her.
Behind the bushes, human breathing could be heard, and the scent of blood lingered in the air.
An enemy?
Naruto grabbed a branch and pushed the foliage aside.
"Uzumaki... Naruto..."
A teenager with deep dark circles was sitting against a tree.
His breathing was shallow, his body soaked in sweat, face pale but filled with unyielding resolve.
"Yūgao's 青梅竹马... Hayate Gekkō..."
Naruto's expression changed in an instant, becoming more naïve.
Seeing his hand pressed against his abdomen, where blood flowed nonstop, Naruto understood.
Hayate Gekkō... had been torn to shreds again.
A few minutes later...
"Listen to me, Uzumaki Naruto... the enemy is nearby..."
Hayate scanned the surroundings warily.
Meanwhile, Sako tore off a sleeve of her jacket to make a makeshift bandage.
She had mastered the basics of first aid.
Watching this Konoha ninja talk to Naruto as if they were old friends made Sako even more intrigued.
"Naruto knows a village ninja..."
That was strange. Normally, with such an age gap, they shouldn't be so close.
And yet, they seemed to have known each other for years.
In truth, this was their first official meeting.
Before this, Hayate had crossed paths with Naruto during missions in his role as a protector, only exchanging brief glances.
"If I'm not mistaken, the enemy used a large-scale illusion... the Kitsune no Kokoro no Jutsu..."
This C-rank genjutsu caused spatial disorientation—like a phantom maze.
Sako, recalling her lessons, asked: "Can't you break it?"
Hayate shook his head.
"The enemy is..."
He thought better than to mention Zabuza Momochi's name—it would only terrify them needlessly.
"Anyway, Yūgao went to get reinforcements. We just need to hold out a bit longer..."
Don't move.
This genjutsu will only drain us pointlessly.
Sako, puzzled, wondered:
If Naruto and I came here to hunt, why are he and this Yūgao here?
Are they tracking enemies?
"Stop talking."
Naruto reached out and pressed on Hayate's wound.
Hayate spasmed in pain before passing out.
"Naruto, what are you doing?!" Sako cried, horrified.
"The enemy is coming."
Without answering, Naruto stared at the thickening mist.
The real enemy was approaching.
Hayate was a Tokubetsu Jōnin, even possessing a kekkei genkai: the Tōton (Transparency Release).
If he was wounded this badly, the enemy had to be at least a jōnin—or even an Elite Jōnin like Baki, Gaara's sensei.
---
Zzzzt!
A whistling sound cut through the air.
Shurikens flew straight toward Naruto.
Such a basic attack should've been easy to dodge.
But when combined with the Silent Mist Technique, it became deadly: an impenetrable darkness—then suddenly, weapons coming from nowhere.
From Sasuko's point of view, the projectiles seemed to materialize directly out of the fog.
And their target... was Naruto.
Recognizing the fighting style, Naruto knew he was facing the same enemy from earlier.
He shifted slightly, moving his body just enough to avoid the projectiles.
"Oh?"
A mocking male voice echoed through the mist.
"How about this?"
Three more shurikens were thrown, forming a triangle pattern.
But more importantly... they were followed by three explosive tags! And they were aimed at Sako!
If she was hit directly, she'd be blown to pieces.
"Huh...?"
Sako stared, paralyzed.
To protect her, Naruto shoved her out of the way.
Yet... the tags didn't explode.
They burned slowly, leaving only ashes behind.
— The explosive tags were fake.
"I thought so... As soon as I go for your comrade, you react..."
A figure emerged from the mist.
For two kids, his adult frame seemed enormous.
"..."
Naruto narrowed his eyes, trying to make out the blurry image in the fog.
That stance... that massive sword... Could it be...?
"You bastard!!!"
Humiliated, Sako threw some shurikens, but the man dodged them with ease.
"I'll deal with you later."
He spoke to Sako with contempt.
"First, I'll take down the yellow-haired brat who's protecting you..."