"The goods you brought back last time were decent. You've been gone for over a week this time—you must've had your hands full. I get it. You'd better go inside." The bandit sneered with a smirk. Sasuke Uchiha gave a subtle nod.
Without a word, Sasuke acknowledged him and stepped into the stronghold.
As soon as he passed the entrance, Sasuke disappeared behind a tree in the courtyard.
"Bakudō #58: Kakushitsuijaku!"
Sasuke closed his eyes, extending his spiritual perception. In an instant, he sensed the concentration of life signatures clustered in one particular direction.
That must be the holding cells, Sasuke deduced.
He moved swiftly and silently toward the area he had pinpointed. When he arrived, he found a basement hidden beneath a disguised trapdoor. Without hesitation, Sasuke descended into the gloom.
None of the guards below stopped him—he still bore the illusionary disguise of one of their own.
In the dim, dank basement, rows of women were locked in cells. Most of them had hollow expressions, huddling together, quietly sobbing. From rooms nearby, muffled lecherous laughter and obscene noises echoed out.
Sasuke's eyes darkened. His hatred for these thugs deepened.
"Everyone! The chief gave the order—assemble at the village gate immediately! Anyone who's not there in three minutes will be hacked up and fed to the dogs!" Sasuke barked with authority.
A flurry of panicked shouts followed. The bandits scrambled out of the rooms, still adjusting their clothing.
Once the area was clear, Sasuke dropped the Transformation Jutsu. His form returned to normal, and he drew his blade—the Zanpakutō granted by the system.
"You bastard! Who the hell are you?! Trying to trick us—I'll kill you!" a burly bandit shouted, charging at Sasuke without a second thought.
"Scatter: Senbonzakura."
Sasuke muttered coldly. In that instant, his Zanpakutō dissolved into a thousand slender blades, glimmering like cherry blossoms under the flickering torchlight.
The petals shimmered for just a second before slicing cleanly through the attackers. Dozens of cuts opened across their bodies, thin lines of red tracing their skin. A moment later, blood streamed from their throats.
They collapsed before any could scream. The prisoners behind the bars screamed in shock and horror.
"Hadō #54: Haien."
Sasuke extended a hand, releasing a disk of violet flames that engulfed the corpses, reducing them to ash in seconds.
He then turned toward the cells, directing Senbonzakura's blades to cut through the locks with pinpoint precision.
The women inside stared in disbelief. Though shocked, their screams died down.
Sasuke didn't speak. He wasn't skilled at comforting others—he knew this. But so long as all enemies were eliminated, things would resolve themselves.
He turned and left the basement. On the way out, two more guards spotted him—but they were swiftly dispatched.
In under three minutes, Sasuke had wiped out every last bandit in the stronghold. After all, they were just common thugs. Compared to the boar he'd slain last night, their fighting strength was negligible.
The freed captives fled down the mountain, grateful but silent. Just as Sasuke prepared to descend as well, something unexpected happened.
The main hall of the stronghold was littered with corpses. Sasuke flicked the blood off his Zanpakutō, prepared to leave—
"Water Release: Wild Water Wave!"
A torrent of water surged from the side, barreling toward him.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed.
"Bakudō #39: Enkōsen!"
A spinning circular shield appeared, blocking the stream just in time.
From the shadows emerged five shinobi wearing Kusagakure forehead protectors. Sasuke instantly noticed the difference—these weren't ordinary bandits. When he used Kakushitsuijaku earlier, he had sensed life forces, but hadn't distinguished shinobi from civilians.
He observed the five grass-nin, confused. Why was Kusagakure operating here—and why had they attacked him?
He still wore his Konoha forehead protector. Normally, Grass ninja wouldn't dare challenge a Leaf shinobi without provocation. Yet these ones seemed unbothered.
"Are you insane?! Did you forget our mission?!" one Kusagakure ninja shouted at his comrade.
"Whether we complete it or not, we're dead men. But if we kill him, we might survive. We've already failed our objective." The ninja who had launched the Water Release stared coldly at Sasuke, kunai in hand, ready for battle.
Their conversation puzzled Sasuke. Mission? What mission?
"Forget it. If I don't understand, I won't waste time thinking. You... are enemies, right?" Sasuke asked flatly.
He already knew the answer. The moment they attacked, their fates were sealed.
The four others hesitated, but after hearing Sasuke's calm words, they burned with indignation. He was underestimating them—and that enraged them.
"Enemy?! Hah! Cocky little brat from Konoha. You're nothing but an insect to us—a bug we'll crush underfoot."
The most aggressive one stepped forward, eyes gleaming with cruelty. He lunged at Sasuke with terrifying speed, aiming to slit his throat.
But the moment the kunai was about to reach, Sasuke vanished.
The ninja felt a chill behind him. Cold sweat dripped down his spine as he gulped in fear.
Impossible… that speed…
"You said I was an insect? Let me return that favor."
Sasuke stood behind him, his blood-soaked blade slicing through the air.
The other four Kusagakure shinobi hadn't even reacted. In one stroke, Sasuke cleaved through the space the enemy had occupied. But—
A substitution.
Two chunks of split wood clattered to the ground.
Fast reflexes. Probably Chūnin-level. But pretending to be elite? Pathetic.
Sasuke turned toward the group. The would-be attacker had rejoined his comrades, visibly shaken.
"He's fast… I only just dodged that."
His gaze fell on Sasuke's Zanpakutō, dread building in his chest.
"Dodged? Then what about this?"
Sasuke raised his palm. A brilliant white glow gathered in it, crackling with raw destructive power.
The Grass-nin froze. Though they didn't recognize the spell, they instinctively felt the overwhelming danger it radiated.
"Hadō #88: Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō!"
A colossal beam of lightning surged forth from Sasuke's hand, engulfing the entire group in a blinding pillar of energy. The massive blast obliterated everything in its path—walls, beams, corpses—incinerating it all.
For a moment, the stronghold's roof looked as if it had vanished, as golden sunlight streamed in from above.