Ninja.
And not just any ninja.
But ninjas of Konoha Village.
Even though they appeared to be nothing more than two very young teenagers.
The moment the remaining people saw the forehead protectors on their foreheads, and then looked at their bodies drenched in blood—
Especially when they sensed the terrifying aura radiating from Naruto and Sasuke—
The dozens of survivors standing before them were instantly swallowed by despair.
"Puff!"
"Keng! Keng!"
"Ding! Ding! Ding!"
"Ahhhhhhh—!"
Cruel.
Savage.
Extremely bloody.
By the time the situation had developed to this point, there was no longer any possibility of stopping.
Once awakened, there was only one outcome.
If Naruto and Sasuke had faced over two hundred people from the very beginning, their lack of experience and unstable mental states would have plunged them into chaos, possibly allowing many bandits to escape and even causing injuries to themselves. But now, everything was different. Only fifty or sixty survivors remained, and both Naruto and Sasuke had completely entered a state of killing.
For these people, only one destiny remained.
Death.
"Damn it! Hold them back! You run first!"
The bandits who saw the Konoha forehead protectors clearly understood the reality before them.
There was no chance of victory.
No room for resistance.
The only remaining hope was that some of the stronger men could stall these two ninjas for a few moments—
Long enough for their families to escape.
A ninja was a ninja.
The most terrifying existence in this world.
It was utterly impossible for ordinary people to fight against them.
However.
Such thoughts were nothing more than extravagant wishes.
"Don't even think about escaping!"
An extremely fierce and murderous gleam flashed deep within Naruto's eyes.
"Whoosh!"
"Swish!"
"Puff!"
"What—!?"
"Puff!"
Like harvesting wheat.
Naruto and Sasuke alternated between offense and movement, weaving through the remaining crowd as they continuously reaped lives. The sound of metal slicing through flesh, the warm blood splashing directly onto their bodies—it was all painfully vivid. Yet at this moment, neither Naruto nor Sasuke reacted in the slightest.
Their emotions had already been shut down.
They were no longer thinking as humans.
Rather—
They had become machines.
Cold.
Efficient.
Relentlessly harvesting lives.
For Naruto and Sasuke.
There was only one thought left in their minds.
Eliminate everyone.
This was the mission.
This was the order they had to complete.
"Die… die… die!"
Sasuke continued to slaughter those before him under the cover of darkness.
At this moment, it was as if he had been dragged back into that blood-soaked night five years ago—the same cruelty, the same despair, but with reversed roles.
The contrast was overwhelming.
As lives were continuously taken, the scarlet color in Uchiha Sasuke's pupils became increasingly vivid.
"Puff!"
As the blood on his hands grew thicker.
As the spiritual stimulation intensified.
The faint tomoe within his eyes became unmistakably clear.
"Thump…"
"Wha—…"
Piercing screams.
The cruel sounds of combat.
Bodies collapsing one after another.
The murderous intent seemed to permeate the very air itself.
"Kill… kill everything… yes… that's it… kill everything standing in your way!"
Kunai slashed through the darkness.
Cold light blossomed repeatedly.
As Naruto moved, killing bandits, women, and even infants, a deep voice echoed constantly within his heart.
Like the whisper of a demon.
Within Naruto's blue pupils, stained by thick blood, a vertical fox-like slit faintly appeared once more.
The crimson chakra deep within his body surged briefly before disappearing again.
Naruto's mental state grew increasingly unstable.
"Puff!"
When Naruto's kunai precisely pierced through the chest of the last woman—
"Thump."
Her body collapsed to the ground in terror.
At that moment.
Within the entire settlement.
Only two living breaths remained.
Blood flowed everywhere.
The air was saturated with an overpowering stench of iron.
Corpses lay scattered like a hellish landscape.
At the very end.
Naruto and Sasuke both felt an overwhelming emptiness surge from the depths of their hearts. They stared blankly at the horrifying scene before them. Almost simultaneously, they seemed to finally return to themselves, their faces contorting with pain as if something were lodged in their throats.
Nausea surged violently.
They wanted to vomit.
Is this… the job of a ninja?
Is this what "missions" really mean?
Staring at the scene before him.
Naruto suddenly felt like laughing.
This world was insane.
Far crazier than any era he had known in his previous life.
Warmth?
Peace?
Passion?
Friendship?
Love?
Justice?
The ideals he once admired felt unbearably mocking.
This world had always been filled with darkness and cruelty.
Yet people still insisted on painting it with bright and passionate colors.
"It's really… laughable."
Naruto whispered, his pupils filled with disgust and bitter sarcasm.
"I want to live. Live properly. Then… change this world. I need power."
Naruto took a deep breath, clenched his fists tightly, and swore silently to himself.
And it wasn't just Naruto.
At this moment.
A similar resolve was taking root in Sasuke's heart.
Their gazes lifted.
They met each other's eyes.
No words were necessary.
A silent understanding passed between them.
A realm only they could comprehend.
Naruto's gaze lingered briefly on the clearly defined tomoe spinning in Sasuke's crimson pupils.
"So… that's the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan?"
Naruto said casually, genuine curiosity in his voice.
Sasuke frowned slightly. During the slaughter, he hadn't even noticed that his eyes had changed.
"…Sharingan?"
He lightly touched his eyes, clenching his right fist tightly as a cold sneer appeared on his face.
"So I'm one step closer… to that man."
"Test subject? Hah…"
"Itachi Uchiha… wait for me. I'll come for you soon."
Sasuke said nothing more.
But the meaning was clear.
Raising his eyes again.
Looking at Naruto, who resembled an Asura standing amid corpses.
Sasuke revealed a rare smile.
"You and I are the same, Naruto."
"We're the same."
Naruto raised an eyebrow slightly, looked straight into Sasuke's scarlet eyes, and chuckled softly.
"…Maybe."
He replied with a deliberately ambiguous whisper.
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