Sasuke looked up—and froze.
Naruto had transformed into a completely unrecognizable burly man. After putting on his cloak, Sasuke asked, confused:
"We're using Transformation Jutsu too?"
Naruto fastened his mask with ease.
"It's a matter of habit."
For some reason, Sasuke suddenly recalled that mysterious man he and Shisui had encountered outside the grove a few years ago.
That guy… was Naruto!
Realizing the truth, Sasuke didn't hesitate. He also formed a hand seal and altered his appearance. He had to stay just as cautious.
Naruto walked over and placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder.
"Bring your sword. There are a few things I need to make clear—we're tight on time. When we get to the bounty station, you'll pick your own mission."
"But if I think the mission you choose is inappropriate, I'll take you back immediately."
Without a word, Sasuke pulled the sword from the ground.
He understood exactly what Naruto meant—this wasn't a sparring session or training.
This was about earning money.
And Sasuke knew all too well that he was broke. He couldn't afford to mess this up.
Swoosh!
In the blink of an eye, the two appeared at the base of a thundering waterfall.
"Wait here. I'll pick you up once I've scouted the location."
And with that, Naruto vanished.
The roar of the waterfall made Sasuke instinctively glance upward.
That's when he saw the two massive statues.
"The Valley of the End…"
He recognized it.
He'd read about this place in textbooks at the Academy. Ever since he started training with Naruto, he'd made his clones spend hours studying Konoha's history in the library.
As he looked at the opposing hand seals formed by the statues, Sasuke felt a bitter irony.
The two clan leaders—Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara—had joined forces to create Konohagakure. The other four great nations had followed the Land of Fire's example, forming their own shinobi villages.
It was this alliance between the Uchiha and Senju that had ushered in an era of relative unity among the Five Great Nations.
And now?
The Senju were gone.
Aside from "that man," the Uchiha were down to only him...
Swoosh!
As soon as that thought crossed his mind, Naruto reappeared, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Let's go."
In a flash, they were standing at the base of some stone steps in front of a public restroom, surrounded by desolate wasteland.
"This is the bounty station?"
Naruto nodded and walked up the stairs. Sasuke gave the structure a cautious glance and followed him in.
As they pushed open the door and stepped inside, a middle-aged man in gold-rimmed glasses immediately approached them with a pleasant smile.
"You're here to take on missions, right?"
Naruto nodded.
"Let me see the mission list. Doesn't seem like you get much business here."
Including the man himself and the two of them, there were only nine people in the entire lobby.
The man handed over a thick booklet, looking slightly helpless.
"Sigh… That's how things are on the Fire Country side. It's all Iwagakure's fault."
Standing nearby, Sasuke took the booklet and began flipping through it himself.
Naruto raised an eyebrow.
"Iwagakure?"
The man adjusted his glasses.
"Yes. Since Iwa tried to start a war a year ago, the Fire Country increased troop deployment at key locations. That left fewer people available to take missions from this outpost."
As expected…
Naruto glanced at Sasuke, who was still reading, then asked:
"So does that mean there aren't any high-paying bounties left in the Fire Country?"
The man's eyes lit up—Could this guy be a big spender?
"No worries there, sir. We still have plenty of high-reward bounties available!"
Naruto feigned casual interest.
"Oh? Then I'll be sure to take a good look."
The man's smile brightened even more.
"In fact, our current highest bounty is 5 million ryō for a single Byakugan—taken from a Hyuga Clan member."
That made Sasuke pause briefly in his reading—but he soon resumed flipping pages.
Naruto, behind his mask, had a strange expression.
Five million ryō for a Byakugan?
That was more than the bounty on Asuma Sarutobi, the Third Hokage's son.
Naruto asked thoughtfully:
"The Byakugan is worth that much?"
The man's expression turned serious.
"Of course. You must know how invaluable it is in warfare. Back during the war, when Kirigakure got their hands on one Byakugan, it significantly boosted their entire village's strength."
Naruto chuckled.
"True. But snatching a Byakugan isn't exactly easy."
While the two chatted, Sasuke finished reading and handed the booklet back.
He had picked his mission.
The man glanced at Sasuke's choice, a flicker of doubt in his eyes.
Did I misjudge them?
Naruto and Sasuke exited the bounty station together. But when Naruto saw which mission Sasuke had selected, a curious expression flashed across his face.
The mission itself wasn't unusual.
Kill a bandit leader named "Daikokuten Zen."
Reward: 1 million ryō
What caught Naruto's interest was the location—
The Land of Waves.
Now that was interesting.
After leaving the bounty station, just like before, Naruto told Sasuke to wait.
Then he used Flying Thunder God to instantly teleport to the mission site in the Land of Waves.
While he was gone, Sasuke found a rock to sit on. He laid his sword flat across his thighs and pulled out a soft cloth to begin methodically polishing it.
Just as he finished his tenth pass, Naruto returned.
Sasuke looked up, surprised.
"That fast?"
Naruto responded coolly.
"I've been to the coast before. And the Land of Waves isn't that big."
Swoosh!
The two appeared in a dense forest.
"Come on. Your target is in that outpost ahead."
Sasuke turned to look and saw several scattered wooden buildings in the distance. He tightened his grip on his sword and launched forward.
As he approached the largest building, a group of rough-looking ronin armed with weapons rushed out.
One bald man with a fierce expression shouted:
"Who the hell are you?!"
Naruto strolled forward without a care.
"There aren't any shinobi inside. Get it done quickly."
Sasuke's foot slammed down, his blade flashed, and blood splattered midair.
The ronin collapsed almost simultaneously.
Naruto watched as Sasuke leapt onto the second floor, shaking his head slightly.
None of them are dead…
But that didn't matter. With those deep 20-centimeter gashes across their chests, they were as good as dead anyway.
Was Sasuke being merciful?
Or just cruel in a different way?
From above, screams rang out.
Naruto walked up to the front door. As he pushed it open—
Wham!
A massive axe came down diagonally.
A towering brute—even bigger than Naruto's transformed form—gripped the axe with both hands and roared:
"Die!!"
Naruto raised his right hand and caught the axe mid-swing—to the man's utter horror.
"I understand the despair of ordinary people."
Naruto's calm voice sealed the man's fate.
He flipped the axe—its weight meaningless in his hands—and cleaved downward into the man's chest.
"NO—!"
The man tried to beg for his life.
But his head was already flying from his shoulders, blood spraying across the walls.
Thud!
The headless corpse hit the ground with a crash, a pool of dark red quickly staining the floor.
Naruto planted the axe upright into the blood, sending two small splashes flying—
A grotesque scene, almost… poetic in its violence.
Clack, clack.
At the top of the stairs, Sasuke appeared.
"You done?"
Sasuke paused, then nodded.
"The body's been sealed."
Naruto stepped over the corpse and joined him.
"Perfect timing. That's your million ryō secured. If we hurry, we can still make it back in time for lunch."
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