"Get lost, brat!"
"Hmph, you're just in time. I wasn't done killing! Now, die!"
The rogue ninjas paid no heed to Ooka Shin's age. One of them charged directly at him, malice in his eyes. Judging by the scratches on their forehead protectors, it was clear they were originally from Sunagakure, the Hidden Sand.
Over the past few months, Ooka Shin's strength had surged immensely.
With a sudden burst of speed, Shin's short blade flashed red. The charging rogue ninja fell dead before he even registered the strike.
Shin had already investigated this specific group of rogues. The strongest among them was only a Chunin, with the majority being Genin or even weaker wandering rōnin. Shin felt absolutely no fear.
"Damn, you're a ninja? What do you want, kid?"
Seeing Shin's clean, efficient kill, the remaining rogue ninjas grew apprehensive. They halted their advance, gripping their weapons tightly.
Shin casually flicked the blood off his short blade. He looked at the group calmly. "I want information on the Akatsuki Organization."
"Hahaha, is that all? You should have said so earlier. The Akatsuki is in the northern town... Attack!"
Mid-sentence, the leader of the rogues completely changed his tone and shouted an order. His subordinates attacked as one.
A massive barrage of shuriken and kunai flew through the air, turning Ooka Shin into a pincushion.
"We got him!" one cheered.
"Idiot, it's a Clone Jutsu! Be careful!" the leader barked.
Shin's clone dispersed into a puff of smoke, leaving the rogue ninjas frantically scanning their surroundings in high alert.
Initially, Kyosuke had learned his first proper ninjutsu from Minato Namikaze: the Shadow Clone Technique. Realizing its immense utility for combat, reconnaissance, and training multipliers, Kyosuke had shared it through the dreamscape, and Shin had eagerly mastered it.
At this moment, the real Ooka Shin was hidden securely in the treetops, observing the wary rogues. He was planning to capture just one of them to confirm the Akatsuki's location.
Although these rogues were cruel and deserved to die, Shin knew his own limits. He was currently hovering between Genin and Chunin in overall combat power, and taking on a dozen at once was suicidal. He didn't plan to play the hero.
Just then, a red-haired ninja casually approached the town from afar. Shin's eyes widened in great surprise.
Isn't that Sasori? Shin thought, holding his breath. What is he doing here? Could he be pursuing these Sand rogue ninjas on behalf of his village?
Although this version of Sasori was much younger and hadn't yet turned his own body into a puppet, his appearance was unmistakable. Shin recognized him immediately.
According to Chisuke's casual remarks in the dreamscape, Sasori was already a highly renowned and terrifyingly powerful elite Jonin at this point in the timeline.
Sasori stopped, took out a storage scroll, and unsealed it. With a puff of smoke, five mechanical puppets emerged.
These puppets were humanoid, covered head-to-toe in modified weaponry. They could cast various ninjutsu, fire volleys of poisoned senbon, and release toxic gas clouds.
Under Sasori's masterful control, the puppets displayed overwhelming combat power. They mowed down the rogue ninjas like wheat before a scythe. Moments later, the very last rogue fell dead to the dirt.
Shin remained completely frozen in the canopy, terrified of revealing his presence. If Sasori noticed him, he would undoubtedly be killed and added to a scroll.
After slaughtering everyone, Sasori did not leave immediately. Instead, he carefully inspected the corpses. He selected the bodies he was satisfied with, sealed them away into his scroll, and finally departed.
So, at this point in time, Sasori has already started researching his human puppet technology, Shin analyzed silently. I'll tell Chisuke tonight; this intelligence might be very useful.
Shin was unsure if Sasori had come here to complete an official mission or simply to harvest fresh test subjects, but it didn't concern him.
After Sasori had been gone for a long time, Shin finally prepared to leave his hiding spot. Suddenly, seven new figures approached the town from the horizon.
The Akatsuki Organization!
Seeing the distinct appearance of three individuals in the group, Shin instantly recognized their identities.
At this time, the Akatsuki did not yet wear their iconic black cloaks with red clouds. Instead, they wore simple gray-black coats. Besides the founding trio—Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan—the other four members were completely unknown to Shin.
"What happened here? It looks like someone beat us to it and wiped these guys out."
Konan looked at the mutilated corpses strewn about, her face devoid of pity.
These rogue ninjas had been causing chaos across the region, and the Akatsuki had already set their sights on them. During their last clash, the Akatsuki had killed many of their ranks, and they had tracked the survivors here to finish the job.
Yahiko approached the bodies and crouched down to examine the unique, brutal wounds.
"Be careful," Konan reminded him softly.
After a moment of inspection, Yahiko stood up and smiled. "Judging by the precise killing methods and the weaponry used, it seems to be the work of Sand Ninjas. Likely hunter-nin."
The others also found various clues at the scene and shared their speculations.
"There are only rogue ninja corpses here. It seems the Sand Ninjas won flawlessly."
"That's fine; it saves us the trouble. They were originally traitors from the Sand Village anyway, so it's fitting their own people took care of them."
"Since we don't need to fight, let's head into the town. There might be survivors who need our help."
After a brief discussion confirming the area was safe, the group turned toward the burning buildings.
Suddenly, Nagato—who possessed the strongest sensory abilities in the group—looked sharply into the distance. He spoke for the first time.
"Be careful. Someone is here."
The group instantly snapped to attention, ready for battle. However, what emerged from the shadows was only a six or seven-year-old child.
A burly, bald man from the Akatsuki stepped forward, gripping a heavy iron staff. He asked sternly, "Who are you?"
In this chaotic, blood-soaked place, a lone child carrying a short blade had just appeared. And seeing so many corpses and armed strangers, the child remained perfectly calm. He even began walking toward them.
This was no ordinary civilian. This was definitely a ninja.
Yahiko patted the bald man's shoulder to calm him. "Daibutsu, don't be so tense. Since he's walking right up to us, he's probably not an enemy."
Standing in front of his team, Yahiko relaxed his guard and smiled warmly. "Who are you, little guy? You must be looking for us. What do you want?"
Both sides remained cautious during this first encounter. Shin stopped about ten meters away, maintaining a safe distance.
"I heard that the Akatsuki Organization has dealt with many evil ninjas and helped many ordinary people," Shin said clearly. "So, I want to join you."
"Hey, this is no place for kids to play around. You should go home," Daibutsu refused outright, seeing how young Shin was.
Shin didn't waste words on a sob story. "I have no home. My family was killed."
Hearing Shin's blunt words, Yahiko and the others fell into a sympathetic silence. However, they were constantly fighting and moving between warzones. Bringing a child along was highly unsuitable and would only put the boy in terrible danger.
Yahiko shook his head gently. "Leave. Live a good life. The future will get better."
"It seems I need to demonstrate my strength to earn your recognition."
Without warning, Shin drew his short blade and charged directly at Yahiko.
Yahiko didn't even move to defend himself. Daibutsu immediately intercepted, swinging his heavy iron staff to block the incoming blade.
Huh? This kid's not weak! Daibutsu thought, feeling the surprisingly heavy force transmitted through his weapon.
Unlike Kyosuke, who had to hide his true capabilities at the academy, Ooka Shin had no such restrictions here. To join the Akatsuki, he fully displayed his lethal swordsmanship, physical conditioning, and speed.
The sharp clash of metal rang out continuously. Shin's blade danced, his attacks surging forward relentlessly like ocean waves. Daibutsu moved his long staff skillfully, steadily blocking every strike of Shin's assault.
Seeing that pure kenjutsu was ineffective against the older man's defense, Shin suddenly leaped back and rapidly formed hand seals.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A massive sphere of rolling flames hurtled toward the group.
Daibutsu planted his iron staff firmly into the dirt and quickly wove his own signs.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
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