"Naruto-kun…"
Sasuke clicked his tongue and looked away.
"Forget it. We can't stop that guy anyway. Besides, he's right. Team 7 is already strong. We don't need complicated tactics and strategies."
"Only the weak rely on those," he added coldly.
Hinata hesitated for a moment, then nodded gently.
"…Alright. Then let's go together."
Naruto strode forward confidently. Hinata and Sasuke followed closely behind him—one on the left, one on the right. Their formation was loose, but the pressure they gave off was overwhelming.
In a few swift movements, Team 7 leapt onto the branches of three towering trees, gazing down at the team below like predators watching cornered prey.
Naruto crossed his arms and shouted loudly, his voice echoing through the forest.
"Hey! Hand over your scroll quietly!"
"Otherwise—"
"Don't blame us for being rude!"
The opposing team immediately panicked.
"Is… is that Team 7 from Konoha?!"
"The elite squad that killed Zabuza Momochi?!"
"We can't beat them!"
"Should we run?!"
But it was already too late.
Team 7 had perfectly sealed off all three escape routes. There was nowhere to go.
One of the enemy ninja swallowed hard and raised his hands.
"W-we'll give you the scroll! If it's not the same type as yours, we'll hand it over immediately!"
"But… if it is the same kind—could you please let us go?!"
Naruto froze for a moment.
He hadn't expected them to surrender so easily.
So this is what reputation feels like…
Just standing there, without fighting, was enough to crush the enemy's will.
Defeating opponents without even lifting a finger.
For the first time, Naruto clearly felt it—the presence of true strength radiating from within himself.
He glanced at Sasuke and Hinata.
They both nodded.
Naruto smiled brightly.
"Alright!"
The three opposing ninja immediately breathed a sigh of relief. They hastily tore out a scroll and tossed it toward Naruto.
But—
Just as Naruto reached out to grab it—
"Naruto-kun! Watch out!" Hinata shouted urgently.
Naruto reacted instantly, kicking forward without hesitation.
The scroll was knocked into the air.
Buzz—
BOOM!
A violent explosion erupted midair!
"Damn it—an explosive tag?!"
Only then did Team 7 realize the truth.
The enemy had pretended to surrender, hiding an explosive tag inside a fake scroll. The moment Naruto grabbed it, it would have detonated at point-blank range!
If not for Hinata's Byakugan discovering it in time, Naruto could have been seriously injured.
Naruto's expression darkened instantly.
His anger surged.
It had been a long time since he'd felt proud—and he had nearly been tricked!
They had tried to blow him up.
"You bastards!" Naruto roared.
"You refused a toast, so you chose to drink a forfeit!"
"Don't blame us for being ruthless!"
"Hinata! Sasuke! Let's go!"
"Hm!"
"Hmph."
Hinata was still shaken, but her eyes were cold now. She hated deceit more than anything.
Sasuke's expression was equally grim.
He had been fooled too.
That alone was unforgivable.
Team 7 erupted in fury, instantly crushing the morale of Team Takigakure.
To be honest, they never stood a chance.
Naruto leapt down from the tree, chakra roaring through his body.
"Great Konoha Tornado!"
The team captain crossed his arms desperately to block.
But how could he withstand a taijutsu technique inherited from Might Guy and powered by Naruto's terrifying strength?!
BANG!
With a deafening crash, the bones in his arms shattered, and his body was sent flying.
Naruto didn't stop.
He chased forward and unleashed his killing move for the second time.
"Wind Release: Hurricane Punch!"
BOOM!
Chakra-reinforced wind wrapped around Naruto's fist as it slammed straight into the man's chest.
A bloodcurdling scream rang out.
The body smashed violently into a massive tree.
CRACK—
The trunk snapped in half.
The captain lost consciousness instantly and collapsed motionless.
On the other side—
Sasuke and Hinata showed no hesitation.
A flawless Fireball Jutsu erupted, forcing one opponent into retreat.
Before he could recover, Hinata appeared in front of him.
"Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Palm!"
Clean. Precise. Merciless.
The remaining two ninja were completely incapacitated within seconds.
Team Takigakure was utterly defeated.
Naruto, still irritated, walked over and kicked the unconscious captain once more.
Hinata quickly searched the three of them and soon found the real scroll.
Unfortunately—
Just like Team 7's, it was also a Heaven Scroll.
Naruto clenched his teeth.
"You despicable people! If you'd really handed over an Earth Scroll, I would've let you go!"
"But why did you have to pull such tricks?!"
"This is the result!"
Hinata frowned slightly.
"The earlier tactic might have worked. Why did you do something like that?"
One of the Takigakure ninja, sprawled on the ground, coughed weakly.
"B-because…"
"We weren't sure you'd keep your word…"
"In the Forest of Death, everyone is an enemy. Whether the scrolls matched or not, what if you took ours and still beat us up?"
"We'd be completely helpless…"
Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata exchanged looks.
They couldn't deny it.
Naruto would have kept his promise—but that didn't mean others would.
Still, understanding the reason didn't make Naruto feel any better.
"Hmph. Stay here and deal with it yourselves!"
"Let's go!"
After a moment's thought, he still took their Heaven Scroll.
Since they had judged him with the mindset of villains, he would simply act accordingly.
Not long after Team 7 left, fireworks exploded in the sky behind them.
It was a retreat signal.
"Hinata," Naruto said quietly, "thanks for warning me…"
Hinata shook her head gently.
"It's nothing… If anything, I should have discovered their plan earlier."
Naruto gritted his teeth.
"Damn it. Just like I thought—there are no good people in the Forest of Death."
"We can't be careless anymore!"
Sasuke snorted.
"Aren't you the careless one? Saying things like 'we're the strongest, tactics are for the weak'?"
Naruto paused.
"…Didn't you agree too?!"
Hinata smiled helplessly.
"Alright, Naruto-kun, Sasuke… we were all careless."
"From now on, we need to be more cautious."
"…Yeah."
Meanwhile—
Across the Forest of Death, hidden currents surged beneath the surface.
Danger lurked everywhere.
Sakura Haruno's Team 8 had a natural advantage in this environment, thanks to Inuzuka Kiba's keen sense of smell and Shino Aburame's insect techniques.
Along the way, they had proven this advantage time and again.
Avoid the strong. Oppress the weak.
Yet despite that, they still hadn't found the scroll they needed.
But their real misfortune—
Was encountering the only team even more terrifying than Team 7.
The Sunagakure Trio.
After witnessing Gaara's merciless slaughter of the Hidden Rain Village genin, Sakura, Kiba, and Shino were completely stunned.
The three Rain ninja—Shigure, Baiu, and Midare—unleashed their secret technique.
"Ninja Art: Senbon Shower!"
Umbrellas shot into the sky.
Then—
Thousands of senbon rained down like a storm, dense enough to turn anyone into a hedgehog.
But Gaara didn't move.
Arms crossed. Eyes cold.
The sand around him moved on its own, forming a perfect defensive shield.
No matter how many senbon fell, not a single one reached him.
Then—
Gaara's eyes changed.
Wild. Twisted. Terrifying.
He slowly raised one hand.
A massive torrent of sand erupted, swallowing the three Rain ninja whole.
"Sand Burial."
The crushing pressure pulverized their bodies instantly.
Blood and flesh scattered across the ground.
It was hell.
Sakura, Kiba, and Shino stood frozen.
"What… what kind of monster is that…?"
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)