I Reincarnated as Naruto Uzumaki With a System?

The heavy brush tore apart. Three figures stumbled out of the darkness and collapsed onto the dirt road. The metallic scent of fresh blood hit the air instantly.

A young man in torn civilian clothes scrambled to his knees. He pulled a standard iron kunai from his belt. His hands shook violently. He pointed the weapon blindly into the shadows of the cart.

"Who is there?" the young man demanded. His voice cracked with sheer terror.

Two young women lay on the ground behind him. The older girl, perhaps twenty years old, was desperately pressing a wad of torn fabric against the youngest girl's shoulder. The youngest girl looked barely eighteen. Her right arm was completely gone just below the elbow. Dark blood soaked her clothes and pooled in the dirt. She was pale and completely unresponsive.

Itachi glanced at Naruto. Naruto sat perfectly still in the back of the cart. His face was a mask of total apathy. He looked completely disinterested in the bloody scene unfolding a few feet away.

Itachi raised his hands slowly and stepped out of the shadows. He kept his movements smooth and non-threatening.

"We are just travelers," Itachi said gently. "We did not start a fire. We were afraid the light would attract bandits."

Hideki peered over the edge of the wooden cart. The official turned completely white when he saw the severed arm and the pool of blood. He pressed his back against the wooden planks and covered his mouth, looking sick.

The young man lowered his kunai slightly. He looked at Itachi, then at Kinoe sitting quietly on the driver's bench. The tension in his shoulders finally dropped. He dropped the weapon and turned back to help the older girl apply pressure to the horrific wound.

"What happened to you?" Itachi asked. He walked closer and knelt beside them.

"Bandits," the older girl cried. Tears streamed down her dirt-streaked face. "They ambushed our camp a few miles east of here. We barely got away."

She looked up and locked eyes with Hideki in the back of the cart. She gave the official a desperate, pleading look. "Please. Are you the guardian of these boys? We need help."

Hideki swallowed hard. He looked at the girl's tearful eyes and completely dropped his guard. He felt a sudden surge of protective instinct.

"We can help you," Hideki said quickly. "We are heading north to the border of the Hot Water..."

Itachi stepped neatly between the girl and the cart. He cut Hideki off with a very polite bow.

"We are merchants returning from a long trade route," Itachi said smoothly. He completely ignored Hideki's slip. "We have a few basic medical supplies. We are heading in the same general direction."

The older girl let out a massive sigh of relief. She looked back at Hideki and offered a weak, grateful smile. Hideki blushed slightly and sat up straighter.

"Could we travel with you?" the girl asked Hideki directly. "My sister cannot walk. She will bleed to death if we carry her all the way to the next town."

Hideki looked at the amputated arm. He nodded firmly. "Of course. Put her in the back with the boys. We have enough room."

The young man and the older girl carefully lifted the unconscious teenager. They placed her gently on the wooden floorboards next to Naruto. The older girl climbed in and sat beside her. The young man took a seat on the edge of the cart near Kinoe.

Throughout the entire frantic exchange, Naruto did not say a single word. He rested his chin on his palm and stared directly at the severely wounded girl. His blue eyes were cold and analytical. He watched the way her chest rose and fell. He watched the blood seeping through the crude bandages.

Itachi climbed back onto the bench. He glanced over his shoulder. He noticed Naruto's intense, unwavering stare. Itachi wondered why the boy was so hyper-focused on an unconscious, dying civilian.

The group spent the rest of the night in total silence.

The sun rose a few hours later. Kinoe snapped the reins. The heavy wooden cart resumed its slow journey down the dirt road. The morning light made the forest feel less oppressive. The thick tension from the previous night slowly faded.

Even Itachi seemed to drop his guard. The young Uchiha slouched on the bench and watched the trees pass by with heavy eyelids.

The older girl wiped the dirt from her face. She looked much prettier in the daylight. She smiled at Hideki and engaged the official in light conversation. She talked about the weather, the poor state of the roads, and the high cost of silk. Hideki eagerly matched her energy. He was clearly smitten with her.

She turned her attention to the back of the cart. She noticed Naruto still staring blankly at her injured sister.

"Your boy is very quiet," the girl said to Hideki.

She leaned closer to Naruto. "Are you worried about her? Do not worry. She is strong. She will not die as long as we reach the next town."

Naruto completely ignored her. He did not blink. He just kept his eyes fixed on the severed stump wrapped in bloody cloth. The girl gave a nervous little laugh and went back to talking to Hideki.

***

Late in the afternoon, the road narrowed significantly. Kinoe pulled back on the reins, bringing the horses to a sudden halt.

A massive, fallen tree blocked the path completely.

Five men stepped out from the dense brush. They carried rusted swords and heavy iron clubs. They wore mismatched armor and leather vests: Bandits.

Hideki gasped loudly. He shrank back into the cart and clenched his leather briefcase tightly against his chest. His knuckles turned completely white.

The older girl gasped as well. She threw her hands over her mouth in fear. She shrank back next to Hideki.

Naruto watched her carefully. He saw her eyes dart down to the leather briefcase in Hideki's lap. The sheer terror on her face vanished for a fraction of a second. A very faint, highly satisfied smile pulled at the corner of her lips. She masked it instantly, returning to her frightened act.

Naruto memorized the micro-expression.

Kinoe stood up on the driver's bench. He hunched his shoulders and bowed repeatedly.

"Please, good sirs," Kinoe begged. His voice was perfectly pitched to sound pathetic and weak. "We are just humble travelers. We have a severely wounded girl in the back. We need to reach a doctor. Please let us pass."

The lead bandit sneered. He walked up to the side of the cart and peered into the back. He looked at the bloody bandages, then his eyes landed on the older girl. He licked his lips.

He gave a sharp hand signal to his boss standing near the fallen tree.

The boss stepped forward. He tapped his iron club against the wooden wheel. "The road is closed. You want to pass, you pay a toll. Everything you have."

Itachi stood up. He reached into his gray cloak with violently shaking hands. He pulled out a heavy pouch of coins. He kept his head down and handed it to the boss. He played the role of a terrified teenager perfectly.

The boss weighed the pouch in his hand. He laughed loudly. "Smart kid."

He looked at the older girl in the back. "Shame we are in a hurry. That one in the back looks hot enough to warm my bed for a week."

Hideki looked horrified. The bandits laughed again. They grabbed the ropes tied to the fallen tree and dragged it off the dirt path. Kinoe whipped the reins, and the cart hurried away from the thieves.

***

The sun vanished behind the trees a few hours later. They pulled the cart off the road and set up camp. They did not start a fire.

The young man sat on the grass near the horses. He looked at Kinoe. "We cross the border tomorrow. We will officially be in the Land of Hot Water. It should be safer there."

He waited for a response. Kinoe mirrored Naruto's behavior perfectly. He stared blankly into the dark woods and stayed completely silent. The young man gave up and joined Hideki and Itachi on the other side of the cart.

The older girl sat next to Hideki. She offered him a piece of dried fruit.

"You held onto that bag so tightly today," she said smoothly. She pointed to the leather briefcase resting near his boots. "What is inside? It must be very valuable."

Hideki rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Just contracts. Trade contracts for the merchant guild. Nothing a bandit would find useful."

It was a terrible lie. His voice pitched up, and he avoided her gaze. The girl smiled sweetly and nodded. She did not push the subject.

The next day passed without incident. They crossed the border marker at noon. The thick forests of the Fire Country gave way to the rocky, humid terrain of the Land of Hot Water. They were exactly two days away from the capital.

Night fell rapidly over the rocky landscape. They parked the cart near a small cluster of boulders. The air was thick and warm.

The young man stood up from the grass. He picked up an empty wooden canteen.

"I am going to find a stream," the young man announced to the group. "My sister needs fresh water to fight the fever."

He took a step toward the dark tree line.

"The Jashin cult, was it?"

The voice was perfectly calm and cold. It cut through the quiet camp like a physical blade.

Everyone froze.

The young man stopped mid-step. The older girl's hand hovered over her bag of dried fruit. Hideki looked around in total confusion. Even Itachi shifted his eyes slightly.

Naruto stood up in the back of the cart. He stepped over the unconscious girl and stood near the edge of the wooden planks. He looked directly at the young man holding the canteen. His blue eyes held absolutely zero emotion.

"The Jashin cult, was it?"

The words hung in the warm, heavy air. The young man holding the wooden canteen stopped in his tracks. He turned around slowly. Confusion washed over his dirt-streaked face. He blinked several times, looking at Naruto with wide, innocent eyes.

"I do not know what you are talking about," the young man said. His voice trembled slightly. "What cult? I am just going to get water for my sister."

Naruto did not blink: He did not say another word. His right hand moved in a sudden, violent blur. He reached beneath his baggy brown tunic and gripped the hilt of his hidden Kanto blade. The steel flashed brightly under the moonlight as he drew the weapon. He stepped over the wooden bench and swung the blade downward in a single, brutal arc.

The blade cut clean through the unconscious girl's neck.

Her head detached from her shoulders instantly. It hit the wooden floorboards of the cart with a heavy, wet thud and rolled to a stop right next to Hideki's boots. A massive fountain of dark blood erupted from the severed stump, spraying across the side of the cart and soaking the luggage.

Hideki scrambled backward in pure terror. He slammed his back against the wooden siding of the wagon. He stared at the decapitated head resting near his feet, his eyes bulging out of his skull.

"What did you do!" Hideki screamed. His voice cracked, completely broken by the sheer horror of the sudden execution.

The older girl sitting nearby shrieked. The sound tore through the quiet camp. Her face twisted into a mask of absolute rage and devastating grief.

"My sister!" she yelled. "You monster!"

She lunged forward, throwing her hands out to grab Naruto by the throat.

Naruto did not even raise his blade to defend himself. He simply shifted his gaze. He gave Kinoe a single, cold glance.

Kinoe moved without a fraction of hesitation. The Root operative drew his standard tantō from his back and leaped onto the edge of the cart. The older girl did not even see the strike coming. Kinoe swung his short blade with perfect, lethal precision. The blade sliced through her neck cleanly. Her head flew off her shoulders and bounced off the wooden side of the cart. Her headless body collapsed onto the floorboards right next to her sister. Blood pooled rapidly around Hideki, soaking the bottom of his silk robes.

Itachi snapped.

The young Uchiha drew his short sword instantly and pointed the sharp tip directly at Naruto's chest. His dark eyes were wide with shock and fury.

"What are you guys doing!" Itachi yelled loudly. He was genuinely angered. He looked at the two headless bodies bleeding out in the cart. He had sworn a shinobi oath to protect civilians. He had agreed to let these wounded people travel with them, and his own teammates had just slaughtered them in cold blood.

Naruto stood perfectly still amidst the carnage. He pulled a small piece of cloth from his pocket and calmly wiped the thick blood from his Kanto blade.

"I thought you were smarter than that," Naruto said simply. His blue eyes locked onto Itachi. They were entirely cold and completely devoid of emotion.

A low chuckle started near the tree line.

The young man holding the canteen dropped the wooden container to the rocky ground. The chuckle grew louder. It quickly escalated into a full, chest-heaving laugh. It was a diabolical, hysterical sound that did not belong to a terrified civilian. The young man threw his head back and laughed at the dark sky, his shoulders shaking violently.

***

To understand the cold apathy in Naruto's eyes, one had to look back to the exact moment the three bleeding travelers had stumbled out of the heavy brush two nights ago.

When the bloody trio had first appeared on the dirt road, Itachi had immediately dropped his guard to help them. Hideki had fallen for the older girl's sweet words and desperate tears. Kinoe had remained neutral, waiting for his lord to issue an order. Naruto had seen something else entirely.

The exact second the three strangers had entered the fifty-yard radius of their hidden camp, the transparent blue screen of the system had flashed violently inside Naruto's mind. The sterile grid had turned bright red, bathing his vision in a digital warning.

[System Alert: Three Hostile Presences Detected.]

[Target Identification: Priests of the Cult of Jashin.]

[Warning: Extreme Danger. Targets possess anomalous vitality and dark chakra signatures.]

Naruto had known the absolute truth from the very beginning. He had known the missing arm was a self-inflicted wound designed purely to sell their desperate act. He had sat in the back of the cart for two entire days, silently watching the cultists play their twisted game. He had watched the older girl eye the leather briefcase containing the map to their strongholds. He had watched them expertly manipulate Hideki. He had watched them fool a certified genius of the Uchiha clan.

He had simply waited for the perfect moment to strike. He waited until they were deep inside the Hot Water Country, far away from any public roads or Anbu border patrols, to eliminate the immediate threats inside the cart.

***

Back in the present, the hysterical laughter continued to ring out across the rocky terrain.

Itachi stared at the young man. The realization hit the Uchiha prodigy like a physical blow to the stomach. He slowly lowered his short sword. He had been completely fooled. He had let enemy combatants sleep inside their defensive perimeter. He had allowed them to sit inches away from the very client they were sworn to protect. He gritted his teeth, intensely angry at his own foolishness and lack of perception.

The young man finally stopped laughing. He wiped a tear of mirth from his eye, leaving a streak of dirt across his pale face.

He raised his right hand and placed two fingers into his mouth. He blew hard. A massive, piercing whistle erupted from his lips. The shrill noise reverberated through the rocks, echoing far into the dark distance. It was a clear, undeniable signal to anyone waiting in the surrounding wilderness.

Hideki realized the absolute horror of the situation. The people he had pitied were actual monsters. The cultists had been riding in his cart the entire time, waiting for the right moment to slaughter them all. He clutched his leather briefcase and curled into a tight ball in the corner of the wagon. He was completely trapped. He was deep in enemy territory, and his only line of defense was three young boys. Panic completely consumed his mind. He began to hyperventilate.

"For the youngest, you are quite clever," the young man said. He looked directly at Naruto and grinned widely. His teeth looked unnaturally sharp in the pale moonlight. "You saw through our act completely. You are much sharper than the Uchiha kid. You did well."

The cultist spread his arms wide, welcoming the dark night. "Though, it is too late. In a few minutes, hundreds of armed mercenaries and my fellow cultists will surround this entire place. You have nowhere to run. Lord Jashin demands a massive sacrifice tonight."

Naruto did not react to the massive threat. He sheathed his Kanto blade slowly. His heart rate did not increase. He stood in the blood-soaked cart with perfect posture, completely unbothered by the promise of an approaching army.

A sickening, wet sound suddenly came from the floorboards.

Itachi snapped his head around. Hideki froze entirely, stopping his frantic breathing. Kinoe gripped his tantō tighter, stepping back defensively.

The severed head of the older girl twitched violently. Her dead eyes rolled back into her skull, then snapped forward to look directly at Itachi. Her pale lips curled into a massive, unnatural smile.

"He is smart indeed," the severed head spoke. The voice was raspy, wet, and heavily gurgling with thick blood.

The head of the youngest girl, resting near Hideki's boots, also began to move. Her jaw unhinged slightly, exposing bloody teeth. She started to giggle. The sound was high-pitched, echoing, and completely terrifying.

Hideki let out a whimpering sob and covered his ears. Itachi felt a terrible, freezing chill run straight down his spine. He had studied anatomy and lethal strikes for years. He had never seen a human survive a clean decapitation. This completely defied all logic, nature, and medical science. It was pure, twisted dark arts. Kinoe took a slow step backward, keeping his blade raised toward the laughing heads.

Only Naruto remained entirely unfazed. He looked down at the two severed heads laughing hysterically in the pool of blood. He wore the exact same detached, analytical expression he had worn for the last two days.

A few miles away from the dirt road, a massive group of men waited in a dry, rocky canyon.

The heat of the day had finally broken, but the night air remained thick and uncomfortable. Over sixty armed mercenaries sat scattered across the canyon floor. They rested against large boulders and sharpened their weapons. They were a rough, violent group. They wore mismatched armor, chainmail, and heavy leather boots. They carried broadswords, axes, and heavy iron maces.

Koji, the leader of the mercenary company, sat on a wooden crate near the center of the camp. He was a massive man with a thick beard and a deep scar running down his cheek. He aggressively ran a whetstone down the blade of his massive battleaxe. The metallic scraping sound echoed through the quiet canyon.

Koji stopped sharpening and looked to his right. A single cultist sat perfectly still on a flat rock nearby. The cultist wore a dark, heavy cloak that completely hid his features. A silver necklace hung over his chest. The pendant was a perfect triangle set inside a circular ring.

"How long are we supposed to wait like this?" Koji grumbled. He spat on the dusty ground. "We have been sitting in this miserable canyon for two entire days. The bugs are eating my men alive. The rations are getting stale. We were told this would be a quick ambush."

The cultist did not turn his head. He kept his face hidden in the shadows of his hood.

"Patience is a virtue required by the divine," the cultist replied. His voice was completely flat and devoid of any emotion. "The bait has been planted. We simply wait for the trap to snap shut."

Koji let out a harsh, barking laugh. "Does it matter? You freaks are paying us extremely well. I have never seen a religious group with so much raw gold to throw around. You can buy all the patience you want."

Koji stood up and swung his heavy axe through the air. The massive blade cut through the wind with a heavy swoosh.

"That is true," Koji continued, rolling his thick shoulders. "But my body is itching for a good fight. My men are getting restless. We are killers. We get paid to kill people. Sitting around playing in the dirt is bad for morale. I hope this target of yours puts up a decent struggle."

The cultist finally turned his head. "The target is a coward running with a stolen map. He will die screaming like all the rest."

A loud, piercing whistle suddenly echoed through the dark night. The high-pitched sound carried perfectly over the rocky terrain. It bounced off the canyon walls, signaling the exact location of the target.

The cultist stood up slowly. He pulled a long, jagged blade from beneath his dark cloak. "Ah. You did not have to wait that long after all."

Koji grinned widely. He raised his heavy battleaxe high into the air.

"On your feet!" Koji roared at his men. "The signal is sounded! We move out and slaughter everything breathing! Leave the official for the priests!"

Sixty heavily armed mercenaries roared in response. They scrambled to their feet, grabbing their weapons and adjusting their armor. They surged out of the canyon like a violent tide, completely eager to earn their gold.

***

Deep in the northern forest, miles away from the canyon, a completely different scene unfolded.

An ancient, abandoned stone shrine sat hidden beneath the thick canopy of trees. The stone walls were heavily overgrown with dark green moss. The floor was paved with cracked stone blocks. The entire area smelled heavily of rust and rotting meat.

Thirteen cultists stood in a perfect circle inside the ruined shrine. They all wore the same heavy dark cloaks. They all wore the exact same silver pendant around their necks. They were chanting a low, guttural prayer in perfect unison.

A massive symbol was painted on the stone floor in the center of their circle. It was a triangle inside a ring. The symbol was painted entirely with fresh human blood.

The High Priest of Jashin stood directly in the center of the bloody triangle. He was a tall, incredibly thin man. He held a long, black spear in his right hand. The spear had three separate, wicked prongs at the tip.

Three men were bound and gagged on the floor at the Priest's feet. They were mercenaries. They wore the exact same armor as Koji's men. The cult had hired them just a week ago.

The High Priest looked down at the terrified mercenaries. He smiled gently.

"Lord Jashin does not discriminate," the High Priest said softly. "He does not care if you wear a headband, a crown, or standard armor. He only requires your suffering. Your blood is just as holy as the blood of our enemies. Be grateful. Your pain will feed the divine."

The Priest raised the black spear high above his head. He drove the weapon downward with extreme force. The three prongs pierced the chest of the first mercenary. The man screamed through his gag, thrashing violently against his thick ropes. Blood rapidly pooled on the stone floor, adding to the painted symbol.

The High Priest closed his eyes. He tilted his head back and took a deep, shaking breath. He looked completely ecstatic. He was absorbing the pain of the sacrifice.

Suddenly, a massive flash of white light exploded inside his mind.

The Priest gasped loudly. He dropped the black spear. His knees buckled, and he collapsed onto the bloody stone floor. He grabbed his head with both hands.

A vision forced its way into his consciousness. It was vivid and terrifying. He saw a massive wave of destruction. He saw endless fire and deep, black water. Standing perfectly still in the center of the chaos was a young boy. The boy had long, bright blond hair blowing wildly in a violent wind. The boy slowly turned his head. He looked directly at the Priest with cold, emotionless blue eyes.

The vision ended instantly.

The High Priest stayed on his hands and knees, breathing heavily. Sweat poured down his face, mixing with the blood on the floor.

"My Lord," the Priest whispered in sheer awe. "A divine revelation. He has shown me the ultimate sacrifice."

The shrill, echoing sound of a loud whistle reached the ruined shrine. The signal cut through the guttural chanting of the thirteen zealots.

The High Priest stood up. He picked up his black spear. His eyes were wide with completely absolute fanaticism.

"The harvest is ready," the Priest announced to the circle. "Bring the holy weapons. We march to the signal. We will bathe this entire forest in divine blood."

The thirteen cultists stopped chanting. They drew a variety of strange, jagged weapons from their cloaks. They followed their Priest out of the ruined shrine and sprinted toward the dirt road.

*

*

*

Back at the wooden wagon, the situation had descended into absolute madness.

The severed head of the older girl rested in the pooling blood near Hideki's boots. The head of the youngest girl sat a few feet away. Both heads were laughing hysterically. The wet, gurgling sound of their twisted mirth filled the quiet camp.

The young man standing on the rocky ground dropped to both knees. He did not look at Naruto or Itachi. He pulled the silver pendant of Jashin from his pocket and pressed it tightly between his palms. He bowed his head and began to pray loudly.

"Lord Jashin," the young man shouted into the night sky. "We offer you these souls. We embrace the agony of the mortal flesh. We deliver the ultimate suffering to feed your eternal glory. Let thy bloody will be done upon this earth!"

The two severed heads stopped laughing. Their dead, pale lips began to move in perfect synchronization with the young man.

"We embrace the agony," the heads chanted from the floorboards. "Let thy bloody will be done."

Hideki squeezed his eyes shut. He curled into a tighter ball, desperately pressing his hands over his ears. He was a civilian official. He dealt with trade disputes and tax collection. The sight of decapitated, talking heads reciting religious prayers was completely shattering his mind.

Itachi stared at the kneeling cultist. He gripped the hilt of his short sword so tightly his knuckles turned entirely white. He had trained his entire life to kill normal humans. You cut the throat, you pierce the heart, or you sever the spine. The enemy dies. This was different. This was an enemy that ignored the fundamental rules of life and death. He needed a completely new strategy.

Naruto stood calmly in the blood. He looked over his shoulder at Kinoe. The Root operative was standing defensively on the driver's bench.

"Protect the client," Naruto ordered. His voice was calm and commanding.

Kinoe did not hesitate or ask questions. He understood the tactical priority. He dropped his tantō and slammed his hands together. He channeled his chakra rapidly.

"Wood Release: Wood Dome," Kinoe whispered.

Thick, heavy wooden pillars erupted directly from the floorboards of the wagon. They shot upward and curved inward, rapidly forming a solid wooden shell over the back half of the cart. The dome completely enclosed Kinoe and Hideki. Kinoe purposefully left thin, horizontal slits between the thick wooden planks. They were safely sealed inside an armored bunker, but they still had a clear view of the battlefield outside.

Naruto turned his attention back to Itachi. The young Uchiha was breathing steadily, preparing to launch a rapid assault against the kneeling cultist.

"Do not engage him in close combat," Naruto said clearly.

Itachi paused. He looked at Naruto. "He is distracted. I can end this quickly."

"You cannot kill him with a simple blade," Naruto explained. His tone was perfectly flat, completely devoid of the panic Itachi felt. "They use a specific blood ritual. If they cut you, even a minor scratch, they will ingest your blood. Once they taste your blood, their body becomes a living voodoo doll. Any damage they take is instantly transferred directly to you. They are immortal zealots. If he stabs himself in the heart, you will die instantly."

Itachi's eyes widened slightly. He looked down at the young man praying on the dirt. The cultist was carrying a concealed weapon. The entire act of playing a helpless civilian was designed to let them get close enough to secure a single drop of blood. It was a flawless assassination method.

The loud chanting abruptly stopped.

The young man on his knees stopped praying. He slowly lowered his hands. The severed head of the older girl stopped moving her lips. The head of the youngest girl went completely still.

The silence was sudden and heavy.

The young man tilted his head up. He looked directly at Naruto. The severed head near the boots rolled its eyes to look up at Naruto. The second head turned its face toward Naruto.

All three entities spoke at the exact same time. The voices blended together into a deeply unsettling, overlapping chorus of the living and the dead.

"Who are you?"

****A/N***
this is the last chapter of the mass release.
You can read one extra chapter for free on my Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/cw/ThierryScott

The question echoed in the sudden silence of the camp.

The three cultists stared at Naruto. They were genuinely disturbed. The Jashin ritual was an absolute secret. They operated in the shadows and left absolutely zero survivors. Every single person who witnessed their true power died screaming in a puddle of their own blood. The mechanics of the damage transfer and the blood ingestion were closely guarded secrets known only to the ordained priests of their god.

Yet, a small blond boy had just explained their deepest, darkest technique with perfect accuracy. It was impossible.

"Who are you?" the young man demanded again.

Naruto completely ignored the question. He tightened his grip on the hilt of his Kanto blade. He stepped over the edge of the wooden cart and dropped lightly onto the rocky ground. He stood a few feet away from the young man, his posture perfectly relaxed.

The young man glared at Naruto with pure hatred. He raised his arms in front of his chest. He grabbed his own left hand with his right hand. He pulled violently. A sickening sound of tearing flesh and popping joints echoed clearly. He ripped his hand and forearm away like a loose leather scabbard.

A long, rusted iron blade extended directly from his elbow joint. The metal was stained dark brown with old blood. He repeated the brutal process with his right arm, tossing the discarded flesh onto the dirt. He now had two wicked swords permanently attached to his arms.

He let out a feral roar and charged directly at Naruto.

The cultist swung his right blade in a wide, decapitating arc aimed straight at Naruto's neck. Naruto did not flinch. He raised his Kanto blade with a fluid, minimal movement. The metals clashed with a deafening ring. Bright sparks showered the dark ground.

Naruto parried the follow-up strike from the left blade by simply rotating his wrist. He deflected the heavy attacks effortlessly. The cultist was fast and aggressive, but Naruto possessed vastly superior strength and reaction speed. He stood his ground perfectly, not taking a single step backward.

Behind them, a truly horrific scene unfolded inside the blood-soaked cart.

The two headless bodies of the girls twitched violently. They stood up on shaky legs. They blindly reached down to the floorboards. Their fingers felt around the wet wood until they found their severed heads. They picked them up by the hair.

With their free hands, the headless bodies drew sharp daggers from their belts. They turned to face each other. Without a second of hesitation, the older girl plunged her dagger directly into the youngest girl's chest. The youngest girl simultaneously drove her blade into her sister's stomach.

They twisted the daggers brutally, drawing a massive amount of fresh, dark blood. It was a required sacrifice of pain to activate their dark gifts.

They immediately slammed their severed heads back onto their bloody neck stumps. The healing process was instant and terrifying. Veins, muscle fibers, and torn flesh rapidly knitted together like a swarm of moving worms. Within three seconds, the fatal wounds were completely gone. A thin, red line across their throats was the only proof they had ever been decapitated.

They pulled the daggers out of each other's bodies. They leaped over the side of the wooden wagon and landed softly on the ground near Itachi.

The older girl grinned maliciously. She swung her bloody dagger in a sharp arc. A spray of thick blood droplets launched through the air directly at the Uchiha.

Itachi activated his Sharingan instantly. His eyes bled into a deep crimson with spinning tomoe. The world around him slowed down. He saw dense, volatile chakra infused within the flying drops of blood. He dropped to the ground, rolling gracefully beneath the deadly spray.

The blood droplets hit the rocky earth exactly where Itachi had been standing. They exploded violently upon impact. The blast shattered the rocks and created a small crater, kicking up a cloud of thick dust.

The sisters laughed loudly. They raised their daggers and sliced deep into their own palms. Their dark blood flowed out rapidly, but it did not hit the ground. It defied gravity entirely. The liquid hardened instantly, forming long, jagged whips made of solid blood.

They lunged at Itachi. They swung the solid blood weapons with incredible speed. The whips cracked through the air, tearing deep gashes into the dirt.

Itachi evaded the strikes with perfect footwork. He bounded backward, creating distance. He rapidly wove hand signs. Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique," Itachi announced calmly.

He exhaled a massive, roaring sphere of intense flames. The incredible heat lit up the entire forest, turning the dark night into bright orange day. The fireball rushed forward, threatening to incinerate the two sisters completely.

They did not panic. They moved with terrifying agility: They leaped high into the air, completely clearing the massive blast of fire. The fireball crashed into a cluster of boulders behind them, scorching the stone black.

The youngest girl snapped her blood whip while she was airborne. The tip of the whip broke off, forming a tight cluster of sharp, explosive blood needles. She changed targets instantly. She threw the needles directly at Naruto's blind spot while he was busy fighting the young man.

Naruto did not even turn his head. He ducked smoothly under a heavy cross-slash from the young man's arm blades. The explosive blood needles flew right over his blond hair and detonated harmlessly against the wooden wheels of the cart.

Naruto deflected another furious strike from the young man. The cultist was panting heavily, sweat pouring down his pale face. He was throwing all of his weight into every attack. Naruto was not struggling at all. His breathing was perfectly even. He was simply analyzing the enemy's attack patterns and waiting for an opening.

Naruto shifted his focus slightly. He watched the older sister land on the ground near Itachi. She raised her hand, preparing to shape a massive spear out of her blood to impale the Uchiha.

Naruto moved his left hand smoothly to his ninja pouch. He pulled out a standard metal shuriken. He channeled his wind affinity directly into the cold metal. The shuriken began to hum rapidly, glowing with a sharp, invisible edge of cutting wind chakra.

He threw it effortlessly across the battlefield.

The wind-infused shuriken vanished from sight. It traveled much faster than a normal projectile. It cut through the air with a high-pitched screech.

The older girl took a step forward to attack Itachi. The wind shuriken sliced straight through her torso before she could even blink. The heavily compressed wind chakra cut cleanly through her flesh, spine, and organs with zero resistance.

Her upper body separated completely from her lower half. Her legs remained standing perfectly still for a brief second. Then, her torso slid off her waist and hit the dirt with a heavy thud. A massive pool of blood rapidly expanded around her bisected body.

The young man stopped his relentless assault. The youngest girl froze in place.

They stared at the bisected body in absolute shock. They looked at Naruto holding his sword. They looked at Itachi with his glowing red eyes. The horrific reality of their situation finally set in. These were not ordinary children. They were not simple, weak escorts hired by a desperate official. They possessed lethal precision, extreme speed, and powerful elemental jutsu.

The cultists were genuinely surprised by the sheer, overwhelming skill of their targets. They had vastly underestimated the danger.

The young man gritted his teeth. He raised his arm blades, preparing to launch a desperate, suicidal charge at Naruto.

The ground beneath their feet suddenly began to tremble.

The sound of heavy boots marching on the rocky terrain echoed loudly from all directions. The thick bushes surrounding the camp rustled violently. Torches flared to life deep within the dark tree line, casting long, flickering shadows over the blood-stained battlefield.

Dozens of heavily armed men poured out of the forest. They carried massive battleaxes, rusted broadswords, and heavy iron maces. The mercenaries had arrived. They rapidly formed a tight, unbreakable circle around the cart, completely trapping Naruto, Itachi, and the hidden client inside the Wood Dome.

More figures stepped out from the trees behind the wall of mercenaries. They wore dark, heavy cloaks. Silver pendants shaped like triangles inside rings gleamed in the torchlight. The High Priest and his followers had reached the signal.

The true battle was just beginning...

****A/N***

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The trap was fully closed. Dozens of flaming torches illuminated the rocky clearing, casting long, wavering shadows across the bloodstained dirt. The heat from the fire mixed with the heavy, humid air of the Hot Water Country. The sound of heavy boots, clanking iron armor, and the low, predatory murmurs of violent men filled the night.

A solid wall of over sixty mercenaries surrounded the small wooden cart and the newly formed Wood Dome. They stood shoulder to shoulder. They gripped their heavy battleaxes, rusted broadswords, and spiked iron maces with eager hands. Behind them stood the dark-cloaked figures of the Jashin cultists, their silver circular pendants reflecting the orange light of the torches.

Koji stood near the front of the mercenary line. He rested the heavy head of his massive battleaxe against the rocky ground. The veteran leader narrowed his eyes, squinting through the smoke and the flickering light to finally get a good look at the terrifying targets they had been hired to butcher.

He blinked once. He blinked twice. Complete confusion washed over his scarred face.

He saw a young boy with raven-black hair holding a short sword. He saw a smaller boy with long, bright blond hair standing calmly near a bisected corpse. He saw a dome made of solid wood.

That was it. There was no Anbu platoon. There were no elite jonin bodyguards.

Koji turned his head slowly to look at the dark-cloaked cultist who had guided them from the canyon. The mercenary leader let out a short, incredulous scoff. His thick shoulders shook with sudden amusement.

"Don't tell me you paid us this much just to deal with kids," Koji said. His tone was heavily irritated, but a harsh laugh quickly escaped his throat. "We sat in a miserable ditch for two days for a couple of academy dropouts?"

The laughter infected the men around him. The tense, murderous atmosphere of the mercenary circle broke into a chorus of deep, mocking chuckles.

"I brought my heavy armor for this!" a large mercenary shouted from the left flank, slapping his iron breastplate. "I could crush these two with my bare hands!"

"Hey boss, do we get double pay for babysitting?" another man yelled, pointing his rusted sword at Itachi. "I think the black-haired kid is going to cry!"

The dark-cloaked cultist completely ignored the taunts. He stepped away from Koji's side and walked purposefully toward the southern edge of the encirclement. The ranks of mercenaries parted slightly, allowing a new group to step forward.

The High Priest of Jashin had arrived. He wore a slightly more ornate cloak, and he held his three-pronged black spear loosely in his right hand.

The cultist fell to one knee in front of the High Priest, bowing his head respectfully. The High Priest simply nodded. The rest of the cultists broke their scattered positions among the mercenaries. They moved silently, grouping together behind their leader. The battlefield formation settled into a clear division. The immortal zealots held the southern block, while the sixty paid killers formed a thick, unbroken crescent around the remaining three sides.

Koji hoisted his battleaxe onto his shoulder and walked over to the High Priest. He did not like the religious fanatics, but they were holding the gold.

"Hey, Priest," Koji grunted, looking around the clearing. "Where is my second in command? Where is Goro and the men he took with him? I thought they were supposed to meet us at the rendezvous point before the assault."

The High Priest turned his head. His face was deeply unsettling. He wore a massive, genuine smile. The corners of his mouth stretched wide, and his eyes crinkled with absolute joy. It was the face of a man experiencing pure euphoria while standing on a battlefield.

"Goro has been given a different, highly important task," the High Priest lied smoothly. His voice was soft and melodic. "We received intelligence that Konoha might send border patrols to reinforce the official. Goro and his unit are currently securing our rear flanks to ensure we are not interrupted."

Koji snorted and spat on the ground. "Reinforcements? Look at what they sent. The Leaf Village clearly does not care about your runaway official. Let my boys have some fun, and we can all go home rich."

***

A few yards away, Itachi Uchiha stood near the center of the trap. He breathed in slowly through his nose, attempting to steady his racing heart.

His crimson Sharingan spun rapidly, analyzing every single detail of the surrounding army. The situation was entirely disastrous. The sheer mathematics of the battlefield offered absolutely zero chance of survival. He was surrounded by over sixty grown men carrying heavy, lethal weapons. Those men were purely physical threats. Behind them stood over a dozen cultists who possessed an unknown, unnatural immortality.

If Itachi fought perfectly, if he did not waste a single drop of chakra, he could perhaps kill twenty mercenaries. Kinoe was trapped inside the Wood Dome, forced to dedicate all his energy to maintaining the defensive structure and guarding the client. They had zero external support.

Itachi looked at the Wood Dome. It was sturdy, but it would not withstand a coordinated assault from sixty men hitting it with axes and maces. It would splinter and collapse within minutes. Hideki would be slaughtered. The mission was a total failure. Frustration and cold dread pooled in Itachi's stomach. He tightened his grip on his sword, preparing to sell his life as dearly as possible to buy the client a few more seconds.

Naruto turned his head. His bright blue eyes locked onto Itachi's spinning Sharingan.

"Don't try to protect the client," Naruto said. His voice was incredibly calm, cutting right through the noise of the laughing mercenaries. "Just protect yourself. Be extremely wary of the cultists and their blood techniques. The men with the axes are just meat shields for them."

Itachi stared at the younger boy in total shock. Naruto's expression had not changed a single fraction. He was surrounded by a literal army of killers, standing next to a decapitated body, and he looked as relaxed as someone taking a morning stroll through Konoha. There was no false bravado. There was no hidden panic. It was absolute, unwavering confidence.

***

Inside the claustrophobic darkness of the Wood Dome, Hideki was completely falling apart.

The air smelled strongly of fresh pine sap and the heavy sweat rolling off the official's forehead. Hideki sat huddled on the wooden floorboards, his arms wrapped tightly around his knees. He could hear the heavy boots marching outside. He could hear the harsh, booming laughter of the mercenaries. They were mocking his escorts. They were laughing because they knew it was going to be a slaughter.

Hideki squeezed his eyes shut, his entire body trembling violently. He was going to die. The Leaf Village had doomed him by sending children. Three kids could never fight off a private army. It was impossible.

A few feet away from the trembling man, Kinoe stood perfectly still with his hands locked in a steady tiger seal.

The Root operative kept his chakra flowing evenly into the wooden walls. He listened to the massive host of enemies outside. He knew the tactical disadvantage. Yet, Kinoe felt absolutely zero fear.

Deep within his mind, the spiritual connection of the silver link remained entirely stable. The link acted as a perfect mirror, reflecting the emotional state of his Lord directly into Kinoe's consciousness. If Naruto felt fear, Kinoe would feel it. If Naruto felt panic, Kinoe would know.

The link was projecting nothing but total, chilling tranquility.

Kinoe lowered his gaze and looked at the hyperventilating official.

"Calm yourself," Kinoe stated clearly. His voice carried absolute certainty. "As long as he is still standing, nothing will happen to you."

Hideki opened his eyes and stared at Kinoe. The official was completely dumbfounded. He thought the boy had lost his mind from the stress. Why was a trained Konoha shinobi putting such blind, absolute trust in a kid even younger than himself? It defied all rational logic.

*

*

*

Outside the dome, the young man with the sword-blades for arms stepped forward. The youngest sister stood beside him, twirling her solid blood whip with a wicked smile.

The young man pointed his rusted arm-blade directly at Naruto. He was practically vibrating with ecstatic energy. He had an entire army backing him now. The element of surprise belonged to his god again.

"You ruined a perfect infiltration!" the young man yelled at Naruto. "You have completely sealed your own fate. Drop your weapon right now. Fall to your knees and beg me to let you stay alive. If you beg loud enough, I might make your sacrifice quick!"

The youngest sister looked at Itachi and giggled sharply. "You too, Uchiha! Beg for mercy, and I will only take one of your pretty red eyes for my collection!"

Naruto looked at the young man holding the arm-blades. He looked at the massive circle of heavily armed mercenaries. He looked at the High Priest smiling in the torchlight.

Naruto closed his eyes for a brief second. A low sound vibrated in his chest.

He started to laugh.

It was not a hysterical, broken laugh like the cultists used. It was a deep, resonant, and genuinely amused chuckle. It was the sound of a predator finding a particularly entertaining toy. The laugh carried across the silent clearing, completely silencing the jeering mercenaries.

Koji stopped smiling instantly. The mercenary leader felt a sudden, violent chill run down his spine. The thick hair on his arms stood straight up. He had survived years of brutal warfare by trusting his instincts. Right now, his instincts were screaming at him to turn around and run away as fast as possible. The boy's laugh was fundamentally wrong. It was the absolute absence of fear.

Several veteran mercenaries in the front row nervously shifted their grip on their weapons. The atmosphere of the clearing shifted drastically. The hunters suddenly felt a creeping suspicion that they had walked directly into a cage.

Naruto stopped laughing. He opened his blue eyes, and they seemed to glow faintly in the dark.

He ignored the cultists entirely. He turned his back to the enemy army and walked slowly toward the Wood Dome. Every single eye in the clearing followed his casual movements. Total silence gripped the battlefield, broken only by the crackling of the torches.

Naruto stopped in front of the curved wooden wall. He raised his right hand and placed his palm flat against the thick timber.

He opened his internal gates, reaching into the deep reservoir of his 'Soul energy'. He pulled a dense, concentrated stream of silver chakra to the surface. He pushed the energy directly from his palm into the structure of the dome.

The reaction was instantaneous.

A brilliant, metallic silver light pulsed outward from Naruto's hand, rapidly traveling across the entire surface of the Wood Dome. The dull brown bark and thick pine needles vanished. The wood absorbed the soul energy, instantly hardening and transforming. Within three seconds, the entire dome took on a smooth, reflective silver sheen. It looked like a solid structure of impenetrable, divine metal.

Koji took a slow, involuntary step backward. The High Priest stopped smiling, his eyes widening slightly as he stared at the glowing silver structure. Itachi watched the transformation with absolute awe, his Sharingan struggling to comprehend the density of the chakra being displayed.

Naruto lowered his hand from the metallic dome. He turned around slowly to face the encirclement of sixty mercenaries and thirteen immortal zealots.

He rested his hand casually on the hilt of his Kanto blade. His eyes swept across the terrified faces of the men who had come to kill him. The massive surge of silver chakra radiated off his small body, pressing down on the clearing like a heavy physical weight.

Naruto tilted his head slightly.

"Should we start now?"



****A/N***

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The silver glow of the Wood Dome illuminated the rocky clearing. The mercenaries held their heavy weapons tight, waiting for a command. The immortal cultists watched the blond boy with narrow, calculating eyes.

Naruto stood perfectly still. He lowered his hand from the hilt of his Kanto blade. He took a slow, deep breath.

He reached deep into the seal on his stomach. He grasped a fraction of the Nine-Tails' raw, burning malice and pulled it to the surface. He did not take the actual chakra. He only took the pure, unadulterated hatred of an ancient demon and perfectly blended it with his own refined Sakki.

He projected that heavy, suffocating Sakki outward in a massive, invisible wave.

The temperature in the clearing plummeted instantly. The air grew thick and incredibly heavy, pressing down on the lungs of every single person present. The sheer weight of the murderous intent was a physical force. It tasted like old copper and felt like freezing water rushing over bare skin.

Koji gasped loudly. The veteran mercenary leader felt his knees buckle. His hands began to tremble violently. He dropped his heavy battleaxe. The iron weapon hit the dirt with a dull thud. He looked at the small blond boy and saw a towering, monstrous shadow looming right behind him.


The High Priest of Jashin choked on his own breath. The fanatical smile vanished from his face. He took a wide, clumsy step backward, his silver pendant clinking loudly against his chest. Even the immortal zealots, men and women who embraced pain and death daily, felt absolute, primal terror grip their hearts. The young man with the rusted arm-blades started to shiver uncontrollably. His metal weapons rattled against each other.

Itachi stood a few yards away. His Sharingan spun rapidly as he analyzed the terrifying pressure. His chest tightened. He had felt the killing intent of elite Anbu captains and seasoned Uchiha warriors. He had never felt a murderous pressure this immense, this ancient, and this completely devoid of mercy. It was not something a human child could project.

Koji grabbed the hilt of his battleaxe and forced himself to stand straight. He realized his men were on the verge of dropping their weapons and fleeing into the dark forest. Panic was highly contagious.

"Kill him!" Koji screamed at the top of his lungs, his voice cracking with absolute desperation. "Attack him now!"

The spell of terror broke slightly. Ten heavily armored mercenaries standing in the front row roared in unison to mask their fear. They gripped their broadswords and spiked maces. They channeled raw, bluish chakra directly into their weapons, making the iron glow brightly in the dark. They charged blindly at Naruto, their faces twisted in violent rage.

Naruto moved.

He did not run. He simply vanished from his spot. He reappeared directly in the center of the ten charging mercenaries. The speed was completely terrifying. He drew his Kanto blade in a smooth, upward motion.

He infused his highly compressed wind chakra directly into the cold steel. The wind did not just sharpen the blade. It extended the cutting edge outward by a full three feet, creating a lethal, invisible extension of the sword.

Naruto spun on his heel and delivered a single, horizontal slash.

The invisible wind blade sheared through the heavy iron breastplates, the thick chainmail, and the flesh beneath without a single ounce of resistance. The ten charging men stopped dead in their tracks.

A second of total silence passed.

Then, all ten heads slid off their shoulders simultaneously. Ten geysers of dark blood erupted into the night air, raining down on the rocky earth. The headless bodies collapsed in a perfectly synchronized circle around Naruto.

Naruto did not pause to watch them fall. He gripped his Kanto blade tightly and sprinted directly into the thickest part of the enemy line.

Absolute slaughter commenced...

Naruto moved like a violent phantom through the ranks of terrified mercenaries. Every single swing of his wind-infused blade brought instant death. He ducked under a heavy axe swing and sliced the attacker cleanly in half from the waist down. He side-stepped a thrusting spear and decapitated three men standing behind the attacker with a flick of his wrist. Arms, legs, and heads flew through the air. Blood soaked the ground, turning the dry dirt into a slick, red mud.

The mercenaries quickly realized that engaging the boy in close combat was a guaranteed death sentence. Their armor was completely useless against the wind blade. They began to scramble backward in pure panic, dropping their heavy weapons to weave hand seals rapidly.

***

Watching from the center of the clearing, Itachi felt completely awestruck. He watched the blond boy dismantle an entire private army with clinical, terrifying precision. Itachi briefly thought of his younger brother, Sasuke. Sasuke was the exact same age as Naruto. Sasuke was currently struggling to hit a stationary target with a standard shuriken. This boy was casually slicing grown men in half. The gap in power was completely incomprehensible.

Itachi shook off his shock. He could not just stand there and watch. He rapidly wove hand seals.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique," Itachi declared. He exhaled a massive sphere of roaring orange flames directly into a cluster of mercenaries attempting to flank Naruto. The men screamed as the fire consumed them entirely.

The young man with the arm-blades and the girl with the solid blood whip noticed the Uchiha attacking. They were completely terrified of approaching the blond monster tearing through their meat shields. They decided to target the boy with the red eyes instead.

"Kill the Uchiha!" the young man yelled. He charged at Itachi, swinging his rusted arm-blades in a furious, cross-cutting pattern.

The girl followed closely behind. She snapped her solid blood whip through the air, aiming the jagged tip directly at Itachi's throat.

Itachi drew his short sword and engaged them simultaneously. His Sharingan tracked every twitch of their muscles. He parried the heavy arm-blades with absolute precision, deflecting the rusted metal away from his vital organs. He ducked under the cracking blood whip, feeling the wind from the strike ruffle his dark hair. The cultists were aggressive and utterly fearless in close combat, knowing their wounds would heal. Itachi danced around their strikes smoothly, looking for a way to incapacitate them without drawing their cursed blood.

***

On the southern edge of the battlefield, the High Priest stood perfectly still. He completely ignored the screams of the dying mercenaries. He ignored the smell of burning flesh and the heavy spray of blood.

His wide, unblinking eyes were fixed entirely on Naruto.

The High Priest watched the blond boy move through the chaos. He watched the effortless decapitations. He watched the absolute lack of emotion on the boy's face.

A violent shiver ran through the Priest's thin body. He remembered the vision he had received during the bloody ritual in the ruined shrine. He had seen a blond boy standing in the center of total destruction, bringing death to everything around him. The Priest had assumed the boy was the ultimate sacrifice Jashin desired.

He realized his mistake. He had severely misinterpreted the divine revelation.

"He is not the sacrifice," the High Priest whispered. Religious ecstasy flooded his veins, making his hands shake with joy. "Look at him. Death follows his every single footstep. The pain he inflicts is perfect. He is the incarnation. Lord Jashin walks among us in the flesh."

*

*

*

Across the clearing, Koji rallied a small group of his surviving men. Five veteran mercenaries stood shoulder to shoulder. They realized physical weapons were useless. They formed the exact same sequence of hand seals in perfect unison.

"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet!" the five men shouted together.

The ground beneath their feet rumbled violently. Five large heads made of solid rock erupted from the dirt. The stone dragons opened their heavy jaws and fired a massive, continuous barrage of dense mud projectiles directly at Naruto. The combined jutsu covered a massive area, completely cutting off his escape routes.

Naruto stopped moving. He sheathed his Kanto blade smoothly. He raised his right hand.

Wind chakra exploded from his palm. The sheer density of the energy created a loud, high-pitched screeching sound that physically hurt the ears of everyone in the clearing. The chakra spun wildly, rapidly forming a dense blue sphere. Four massive, razor-sharp blades of pure wind erupted from the center of the sphere, spinning like a giant shuriken.

"Wind Release: Rasenshuriken," Naruto stated coldly.

He threw the violently spinning mass of chakra forward. The Rasenshuriken tore through the air, completely obliterating the incoming barrage of earth bullets. The wind blades shredded the solid mud into fine dust instantly.

The Rasenshuriken slammed directly into the chest of the mercenary standing in the center of the five-man group.

The sphere expanded rapidly, forming a massive dome of microscopic wind blades. The five mercenaries were trapped inside the glowing dome. The noise was deafening, sounding like a thousand screeching birds. The men did not even have time to scream. The countless tiny wind blades cut through their armor, their skin, and their internal organs at a cellular level.

The wind dome collapsed, leaving absolutely nothing behind but a fine, red mist and shredded pieces of metal floating in the air.

The remaining mercenaries stopped fighting. They dropped their weapons entirely. They stared at the red mist settling on the ground. Complete and utter despair broke their spirits. They were fighting a literal god of war.

Naruto looked around the clearing. He was not finished.

He channeled a precise amount of wind chakra directly to the soles of his dark shinobi sandals. He stepped firmly onto the empty air. The wind chakra created a solid, invisible platform beneath his foot. He took another step upward. Then another.

He walked perfectly into the night sky, climbing an invisible staircase until he stood thirty feet above the bloody battlefield.

He looked down at the terrified survivors. His face was devoid of all mercy.


Naruto extended his right hand. He formed a sphere of heavily compressed chakra in his palm. The sphere spun rapidly, but this time, he did not add the cutting edge of wind. He poured his intense Fire affinity directly into the rotating core.


The sphere ignited instantly.

The dark night vanished completely. A blinding, intense light flooded the entire canyon. The sphere in Naruto's hand expanded rapidly, turning a deep, violent orange and yellow. The heat radiating from the jutsu was so intense that the rocks directly beneath him began to crack and pop. The air distorted and shimmered wildly.

He stood high above the world, looking exactly like a deity holding a miniature sun in his right hand.


"Katon: Rasen Ryūsei," (Fire Release: Spiraling Meteor) Naruto announced. The name of the technique echoed clearly over the crackling flames.

Koji fell to his knees. The harsh orange light illuminated the absolute horror on his scarred face. He looked up at the blond boy floating in the sky, holding the power of a dying star.

The mercenary leader lowered his head and murmured the only word that made sense.

"Monster."

****A/N***

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