Kakashi Hatake's figure suddenly appeared beneath the blade.
However, as he twisted to kick the ninja sword away, the man holding Sakura Haruno suddenly extended a kunai and stabbed it into Kakashi's shoulder.
Slash!
As if that wasn't enough, the enemy carved a deep gash across Kakashi's shoulder, exposing bone and splattering blood everywhere. The so-called threat to kill Sakura had been a trap all along, and Kakashi had fallen for it completely.
"Just as I expected, Kakashi…" the leader said coldly, swinging his sword to point the tip at Kakashi. "After losing a comrade, you can never bear that pain again, can you? But a qualified ninja… has no need for useless emotions, nor for useless teammates."
"You are still far from being a true ninja, Kakashi! Even though you knew this was a trap, you still appeared without a second thought, wanting to change the outcome with your own strength. Have you lost your mind?"
"To know me so well…" Kakashi knelt weakly, clutching his wound. He sighed softly, "You must be someone very familiar to me."
"Still trying to gather intelligence on the brink of death?" The leader ignored Kakashi's darkening expression and waved to his subordinates. "Forget it. I don't want to waste time preaching here. Kill him!"
"Yes!"
Dozens of shuriken flew rapidly toward Kakashi. In the next moment, everything changed.
A flash of red blocked the path in front of Kakashi. The shuriken all slammed into her back. Sakura Haruno spat out a mouthful of blood.
Because Sakura's combat power was so low, the enemy who had restrained her hadn't paid her any mind. He just followed his superior's order to attack Kakashi, completely ignoring her… Now, the pink-haired girl had done the only thing she could do: shield her Jonin instructor from the attack.
The enemy leader looked back at Sakura in surprise, then shook his head calmly. "A useless sacrifice. Do you think this will change your fate?"
Sasuke Uchiha stood stunned. "Sakura…"
Kakashi's eyes widened. He reached out to support the falling Sakura, but the distance was too great. "Sakura, why did you do that…?"
"In the enemy's hands, I'll only be a burden to you…" Sakura struggled to open her eyes and looked up weakly. "Just let me die, Kakashi-sensei. This way, I won't be a drag on you anymore. You can escape with Sasuke…"
Kakashi's hand paused in mid-air. He began to forcefully tear his own clothes to create a simple bandage for his wound. "..."
He couldn't guarantee he could escape with Sasuke. As a Jonin who had carried out dangerous missions for years, Kakashi understood their situation. It was impossible to leave here with Sasuke. Right now, the only thing he could do was fight back and stall for time until Jiraiya defeated his own opponent and came to help.
"How boring…" The enemy leader understood the situation perfectly. He was used to scenes of life and death and had no interest in Sakura's words. He just waved his hand. "Kill Kakashi. Take Sasuke and leave. We still have to search for that brat, Naruto Uzumaki…"
"No need to search… Spiral Shockwave!"
A sudden blast of energy tore through the enemy's formation.
Naruto Uzumaki followed closely behind it, landing next to Kakashi and Sakura. A swirling orb of chakra was clenched in his fist, and he sent the surrounding enemies flying with a single punch.
"Spiral Punch!"
The surging chakra carried immense force, stirring up a hurricane. Under the attack, everything in its path—people and plants alike—was utterly destroyed. A deep trench was carved into the earth. One ninja's body exploded instantly from a direct hit, creating a cloud of blood mist. Even the other enemies caught in the blast fell to the ground, gushing blood, with no hope of survival.
With his arrival, Naruto had immediately turned a desperate situation around.
The enemy leader stared in horror at the orange figure, glancing around to see all of his subordinates down and out. In an instant, he had lost half of his men. The leader himself had been caught in the shockwave; his body was more robust, so he barely held on, but the mask on his face was shattered by the impact, revealing a face wrapped in bandages…
Danzo Shimura.
Kakashi didn't pay attention to him. Instead, he struggled to his feet and lowered his head. "You're a step late, Naruto… Hasn't Master Jiraiya arrived yet?"
"He's being held up by a guy named Orochimaru." Naruto shook out his hand and looked at Sakura, who was bleeding on the ground. He knelt beside her. "Sakura, Sakura… can you hold on?"
Sakura glanced at him groggily and slowly closed her eyes again. "Naruto… run, there are enemies…"
Hearing his teammate reply, Naruto finally breathed a sigh of relief. He looked over at Kakashi and Sasuke, who had rushed over, and spread his hands. "Luckily, it looks like Sakura isn't going to die just yet."
"..." Sasuke looked at the newly arrived Naruto with a confused expression and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "You idiot… can't you speak like a normal person for once!"
"Alright, Sasuke, you protect Sakura and check her injuries," Kakashi sighed. He tightened the bandage on his wound and looked at Danzo, who was regrouping his remaining men. "I was right," he said in a deep voice. "The only person in all of Konoha who would do something like this is you… Danzo Shimura!"
Even though they had dealt with each other years ago, and even though Kakashi knew what kind of person he was, seeing Danzo's face with his own eyes still surprised him.
The nerve of this guy is unbelievable.
Sasuke looked at the one-eyed old man, shocked beyond words. "Wait… Kakashi-sensei, that old man… isn't he a ninja from our village?"
"Don't be so surprised, Sasuke," Naruto said in a low voice, looking at the old man and the ninjas behind him. "We should have known all along. After all, Konoha is so big. Besides ninjas like me, it's inevitable that some shameless people will be raised here…"
Sasuke: "..."
Although at first glance what Naruto said made sense, Sasuke still felt like his teammate was implying something…
"Hey, hey, hey, this is not the time to brag about yourself!" Kakashi had lines on his forehead as he bonked Naruto on the head. He explained in a low voice, "The Third Hokage is a pacifist. It's because of this that he's tolerant of everyone in the village. Naturally, some people act unscrupulously because of his indulgence… In short, for now… Danzo Shimura is our enemy."
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Bonus:
Naruto Uzumaki: Konoha is so big, there are bound to be some shameless people…
Sasuke Uchiha: What's that supposed to mean?
Naruto Uzumaki: I didn't say it was you…
Sasuke Uchiha: You think I can't tell?
Naruto Uzumaki: I was talking about Danzo…
Sasuke Uchiha: Then why were you looking at me when you said that?
Naruto Uzumaki: Habit… just habit…