Chapter 285 — Killing the Cubs
Although they were still young, the scars covering the women's bodies were enough to tell anyone what kind of inhuman suffering they had endured.
Naruto's fists clenched tightly.
They'd better not let me catch them…
The five moved past the stone chamber and reached the deepest part of the cave.
The dripping sound originated here.
A beam of light illuminated a stalactite hanging from the rock ceiling, droplets of water falling steadily into a shallow puddle below.
As the flashlights swept across the cavern—
They stopped.
Clusters of small green figures were curled up on the ground.
Their chests rose and fell faintly.
They were breathing.
Naruto stared, stunned.
"These are the green-skinned monsters…?"
He turned to Hyūga Jōhei, disbelief clear in his voice.
"They're way too small! How could they have dragged those women here?"
Hyūga Jōhei stared intently at the figures, a complicated expression flashing through his eyes.
"Yes," he said slowly.
"These are the rumored green-skinned creatures. But they're not the ones that committed the crimes."
He paused, then added:
"They're Goblins—the cubs."
"Goblins?" Sasuke repeated, raising an eyebrow.
"That's not a summoning race I've ever heard of."
There was no such name recorded among known ninja beasts.
Still, upon closer inspection, it was obvious—
These were children.
The goblin cubs stirred, awakened by the noise. One by one, they scrambled upright, huddling tightly together in the corner of the cave.
Dozens of green eyes reflected the flashlight beams, glowing eerily in the darkness.
"They look like wild animals," Naruto muttered.
His expression hardened.
"Then let's kill them."
Sasuke didn't reply.
He acted.
A kunai flashed through the air.
Thunk.
It pierced straight through a goblin cub's throat.
"Aaah—!!"
A shrill, piercing scream echoed through the cave.
The cub clawed desperately at the kunai, ripping it free as green blood sprayed out. It staggered a few steps, swaying like a drunk—
Then collapsed, limbs twitching.
The remaining goblin cubs recoiled in terror, shrinking further into the corner with nowhere left to retreat.
"Tch—Sasuke, you beat me to it," Naruto clicked his tongue.
His face turned cold.
He flung his own kunai.
Another scream.
Another body dropped.
"These pests," Uchiha Itachi said calmly, eyes devoid of hesitation.
"Wipe them out."
They had already seen dismembered human remains in this cave.
That alone was enough.
Even if these cubs hadn't personally taken part—
They would grow into the same monsters.
And their grotesque appearance only strengthened Itachi's resolve.
"Leave it to me, Itachi-nii-san."
Naruto grinned grimly.
Realizing the cubs posed no threat, he stepped forward directly, kunai in hand.
Stab.
One cub fell.
He grabbed it by the scruff and tossed it aside.
Then another.
And another.
In moments, a pile of small green bodies lay scattered across the cave floor.
Suddenly—
A kunai whistled past Naruto's cheek, missing him by mere millimeters.
Naruto spun around angrily.
"Sasuke! You almost hit me!"
Sasuke lowered his hand calmly.
"I calculated it. There was no chance I'd hit you," he said coolly.
"You should be thanking me."
Naruto glanced back.
The goblin cub Sasuke had struck lay frozen, still clutching a kunai it had somehow picked up—clearly planning to ambush him.
Naruto snorted.
He yanked the weapon from its hand and kicked the body away.
"Hmph. I didn't need saving."
"Yeah, yeah. You're amazing," Sasuke replied lazily, not bothering to argue.
Within minutes, every goblin cub lay dead.
Green blood flowed across the ground, trickling into the puddle beneath the stalactite and staining the clear water an unnatural shade.
Hyūga Jōhei quietly scanned the cave walls, searching for anything unusual—summoning arrays, space-time distortions, portals.
But without a flashlight, his vision was limited.
He saw nothing.
"These goblin cubs were ridiculously weak," Naruto said, squatting beside one and poking it with his kunai.
"Can things like this really grow up and attack villages?"
"I don't know," Hyūga Jōhei replied honestly.
"I've never seen the adults myself. Everything I know is secondhand."
That much was true.
Goblins varied wildly depending on the world.
"Itachi-nii-san," Naruto asked, standing up,
"what now? Do we wait for the goblins to come back?"
"It's goblins," Hyūga Jōhei corrected.
"Right—goblins," Naruto said impatiently.
"Should we wait?"
He wanted to soak in the hot springs—but leaving the real culprits alive sat wrong with him.
Uchiha Itachi fell silent in thought.
Then Naruto suddenly stiffened.
"They're back!"
His eyes lit up.
"My Shadow Clone spotted them—they've entered the cave!"
"Quiet," Itachi said sharply, raising a hand.
Naruto immediately lowered his voice.
"Good," Itachi said softly.
"We'll move forward. The blood scent here is strong—they may notice it."
With that, Uchiha Itachi took the lead, retreating soundlessly into the darkness like a shadow.
Naruto, Sasuke, and Yakushi Kabuto followed closely.
The flashlights were extinguished one by one.
Hyūga Jōhei followed behind them.
He wasn't as agile as the others.
Even though Naruto and Sasuke were still Genin—
Their true combat ability had already surpassed that of ordinary Chūnin.
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