š HEAR YE, HEAR YE, BRAVE SOULS! šāØ
š„ Let's welcome our newest adventurerā¦ āļø Angel Zamora! āļø šā”ļø Our journey just leveled UP with their arrival!
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āļøš“ A Special Sale is Live Now on Patreon! šļøš„
Discount: 15%
Code: CBA84
Ending: 10/08/25
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The man's eyebrow twitched, and he paused, turning his sharp gaze back toward her. His blade remained hovering mid-air, ready to swing down at any moment.
Tsunami swallowed hard, her body trembling, but she stood her ground. Her voice cut through the tension like a blade, her trembling but unwavering resolve shocking even the thugs before her.
"If you lay a hand on that childā¦ I'll bite off my tongue and kill myself!"
The room fell into dead silence.
The man in the beanie frowned, his grip on his sword loosening slightly as he exchanged glances with his partner.
Tsunami's gaze burned with sheer desperation, but beneath it was an unshakable determinationāone that froze even the most hardened criminals for a moment.
"You want a hostage, right?... I will go with you."
Her words shifted the atmosphere.
The man with the eye patch sighed and finally lowered his blade, his amusement fading into mild irritation.
"Tch. Guess this works too."
The beanie-wearing thug smirked and glanced at Inari. "Thank your mom, kid."
Inari stared, his vision blurring with tears. His body felt frozen, unable to moveāunable to do anythingāas the men tied up his mother right before his eyes.
"Momā¦ I'm sorryā¦" Inari's voice cracked, barely above a whisper.
Tsunami turned back, offering him the gentlest of smiles despite her dire situation.
"Don't cry, Inariā¦" She whispered. "You have to be strong."
But her words only made it worse.
"I'm so sorry!" He sobbed.
The men dragged his bound mother toward the exit, her sandals scraping against the floor.
Inari collapsed onto his knees, his small fists clenching the wooden floorboards as his nails dug into the surface.
"I'm weak, so I can't protect youā¦" he choked out.
"I don't want to dieā¦ I'm scared!"
Inari's mind raced, the echoes of Naruto's words clashing with the painful memories of his father's bravery.
Heroes? That's just stupid! There's no such thing!
But Naruto wasn't lying.
Kakashi's words, Naruto's confidence, andāabove allāhis father's unyielding spirit burned into his heart.
He wiped his tears. His small body no longer trembled.
He stood up. His fists clenched.
His eyesāonce clouded with fearānow gleamed with fire.
"Can I also become strong?... Dad!"
Inari took a deep breath and turned toward the open door.
No.
There was no hesitation left, only resolve.
The damp air carried the scent of the sea as the two thugs led Tsunami away, her bound form stumbling with each forced step.
The man with the eye patch suddenly chuckled, tilting his head as he ran a finger across the edge of his blade.
"Looking at that beautiful skin of yoursā¦ makes me wanna cut you."
Tsunami's face paled, her breath hitching.
But before she could respond, the beanie-wearing thug yanked her forward, clearly irritated.
Tug!
"Hey, walk faster."
"WAIT!"
A voice shouted behind them.
The men turned and there stood Inari, breathing heavily. His eyes were blazing with determination.
"Inari!" Tsunami gasped.
The thug with the eye patch smirked. "Huh? Just that brat from before?"
"Getā¦ GET AWAY FROM MY MOM!" Inari roared, his small feet pounding against the dirt as he charged forward.
The beanie-wearing thug sighed. "Manā¦ this brat's hopeless."
"Let's just get this over with." The one-eyed man raised his sword.
But Inari didn't stop running.
He had no plan. He had no weapons.
But what he did haveāwas his father's spirit.
"AAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!"
A fierce cry erupted from his small lungs as he rushed forward on pure instinct and resolve.
Tsunami's eyes widened.
"If you do that, I'll bite off my tongue andā"
Whack!
The beanie-wearing thug slammed a hard chop to the back of her neck.
Tsunami collapsed.
"Shut up and go to sleep."
She instantly went limp.
Whoosh!
A ripple of space distorted in front of Tazuna's house, and a figure materialized out of thin air.
Naruto had used the Flying Thunder God Technique to arrive in an instant, his sharp gaze locking onto Inari, who was charging fearlessly at the two armed men.
No way I'd let that happen!
Without hesitation, Naruto vanished.
Fwip!
He reappeared behind Tsunami, lifting her with ease before flashing away once more.
Shing!
The two thugs swung their swordsā only to cleave through an afterimage that instantly dissolved into three pieces of a substitution log.
"The Substitution Jutsu?!"
The two men whipped their heads around, frantic.
Tsunami and Inari were gone.
Not too far away, Naruto gently set down Tsunami and Inari.
"Sorry, I was late," He said with a small grin, ruffling Inari's hair. "But you did great, Inari!"
Inari's eyes shone with admiration.
"Big bro, Narutoā¦" His voice trembled, brimming with emotions.
Naruto stood up, stretching his shoulders.
"Now leave these two to me."
His lips curled into a smirk as he cracked his knuckles, his eyes gleaming with a faint, sharp killing intent.
Deep in his mind, Kurama's voice rumbled in approval.
"Not bad. You've completely mastered the Fourth Hokage's techniqueā¦ even more proficient than that guy himself."
Naruto chuckled inwardly. "Well, what can I say? My understanding of space is far superior compared to Tobirama Senju and Minatoā¦"
The two thugs regained their composure.
"Well, if it ain't the no-good ninja that Tazuna hiredā¦"
"Let's take him out!"
With a synchronized movement, they rushed toward Naruto, swords gleaming in the light.
"Inari, stay back!" Tsunami shouted in alarm.
But before they could even swing their weapons, Naruto vanished.
Whoosh!
"W-what?!"
A sudden gust of wind erupted behind them.
"Too slow."
Naruto reappeared at their backs, his foot whipping through the air.
Bam!
A powerful roundhouse kick struck the temple of one thug, sending him crashing into the other.
Their skulls slammed together.
Crack!
They both collapsed like ragdolls, their bodies flung several meters away before splashing into the water beneath the wooden path.
"W-Wowā¦"
Inari stared, his mouth hanging open in shock.
"Big bro Naruto, you defeated them with one kick!"
Naruto smirked and turned to him, extending a fist.
"You're a strong kid, Inari," He said. "Having the guts to stand up against injustice and doing your best to protect your loved onesā¦ those are the signs of real strength."
Inari's lips quivered, tears forming in his eyes.
"Damn itā¦" He wiped his face aggressively. "You're gonna call me a crybaby again, aren't you?"
Naruto chuckled. "It's okay to cry when you're happy."
He ruffled Inari's hair again before turning away.
"Now then, I can leave everything to you, right?"
Inari sniffled but gave a determined nod. "Yeah!"
Naruto sighed dramatically.
"Man, it's tough being a heroā¦"
Poof!
A sudden burst of smokeāand Naruto vanished.
"That was a clone?!"
Inari stared in shock. Then, his eyes sparkled.
"Big bro Naruto, you're too cool!"
--- ā¦ ā¦ ā¦ ---
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