"Heh… two brats and a summon that can barely attack. This'll be easy."
One of the Iwa-nin sneered, drawing a kunai and casually pointing it at Wakaze.
The other two followed suit, their gazes filled with mockery as they sized up Nawaki and Katsuyu.
All three were shinobi from Iwagakure. Ever since receiving the assassination order, they had been secretly observing the Ninja Academy. At first, they'd been troubled over how to deal with Nawaki and Wakaze inside the school grounds.
Nawaki was protected by Academy instructors. Though those teachers weren't particularly strong, neither were the three Iwa-nin. Two were genin, and the third barely qualified as a chūnin. With strength like that, even one Academy instructor could potentially take them out. To infiltrate Konohagakure, they had to blend in like ordinary civilians—anything more and they'd be detected.
After all, Konoha had the Hyūga Clan and the Uchiha Clan. Under the watchful eyes of the Byakugan and Sharingan, a jōnin with substantial chakra would be exposed almost immediately. That was why other villages sent low-level genin as spies. They were close enough to civilians in chakra presence to avoid suspicion. The information they could gather was limited—but better than nothing.
Today, the three Iwa-nin had received the order to assassinate Nawaki. They'd been observing the Academy, waiting for an opportunity.
Unfortunately, they couldn't act within school grounds. And after classes, Nawaki was usually escorted by members of the Senju Clan.
Who would've thought that Nawaki would sneak out on his own?
Even better—he'd come to this deserted training ground.
If it weren't wartime, there might've been shinobi training here. But now, every capable ninja was on the battlefield.
Faced with such a perfect opportunity, the three Iwa-nin made their move.
⸻
Nawaki forced a bitter smile.
"Wakaze… I'm sorry. I dragged you into this."
Wakaze narrowed his eyes.
"Saying that now won't help. We need to think about how to survive."
From a distance, one Iwa-nin chuckled.
"Kid, you're what—five? Six? You think you can escape three ninja? Maybe ten-year-old Nawaki would be troublesome… but we have four."
As his words fell, he tightened his grip on his kunai and lunged at Wakaze.
Wakaze's eyes narrowed further as his sensory ability expanded outward.
In his perception, the charging Iwa-nin—who seemed fast to the naked eye—felt strangely slow.
He instinctively twisted aside and shouted,
"Katsuyu, watch out! Something's underground!"
The warning came just in time. Wakaze barely evaded the kunai.
The Iwa-nin's eyes flashed with surprise.
"A sensor type?"
The ground trembled faintly. Katsuyu, who had been about to assist, was intercepted as a brown pangolin burst from the earth.
It wasn't large—but clearly a summoned beast.
No wonder the Iwa-nin had gotten their intel so quickly. A summoning beast for reconnaissance.
While Wakaze was processing this, one of the Iwa-nin called out,
"Captain! Can we use ninjutsu?"
The other two were currently engaging Nawaki. Despite being only ten, and trained as a member of the Senju Clan, Nawaki was holding his own against two opponents.
Their captain dodged Nawaki's punch and barked back,
"Idiot! You want to draw Konoha shinobi here? No ninjutsu! If we cause a commotion, we're dead!"
The subordinate nodded and turned his gaze back to Wakaze.
"Even without ninjutsu… how long can a five-year-old last?"
He hurled his kunai, followed by three shuriken.
Wakaze's perception flared. He could clearly sense the trajectories slicing through the air.
Move!
His body reacted—but not fast enough.
Slash—!
The kunai scraped along his left arm, carving a deep gash.
Pain flared across Wakaze's face, mingled with fury.
He had sensed everything perfectly. The shuriken, the kunai—their paths were crystal clear. But his body couldn't keep up. He avoided the three shuriken, yet failed to fully dodge the kunai.
His body was still too weak.
The Iwa-nin sneered, drawing another kunai.
"Katsuyu's pinned down by the pangolin. Nawaki's impressive—holding off two at once. As for me, I'm the weakest of the three… but you're even weaker. Next attack, you die."
He twirled the kunai between his fingers, cruelty gleaming in his eyes, and rushed forward again.
Wakaze exhaled slowly.
"So… still using a kunai? Then I don't need to worry."
His gaze hardened as he looked at the blood flowing down his left arm.
This was the first time he'd been injured in battle.
How could he not be furious?
Yet that fury burned away his nervousness. Deep down, he had always known that a day like this would come.
His eyes turned cold.
The charging Iwa-nin grinned viciously.
"Die!"
At that instant, Wakaze murmured inwardly—
Release.
A puff of smoke burst forth. In his hand appeared a long katana.
Clang—!
A silver flash cut through the air.
The Iwa-nin froze, eyes wide.
"How is that possible—?!"
His kunai had been cleaved in two.
Along with his right arm.
"AAARGH—!!"
As he screamed in agony, Wakaze channeled chakra into his feet and dashed forward.
Slash—!
In a single stroke, the Iwa-nin was bisected at the waist.
Wakaze stood there, eyes cold and steady.
"Idiot… trying to block this blade with a kunai? That's suicide."
This katana came from the world of Swallowed Star—the very blade that had once pierced a corpse there. In that world, weapons were forged from Kro Alloy, crafted from monster remains and the lunar metal known as Blue Gold.
A material that surpassed diamond in hardness.
How could an ordinary Naruto-world kunai possibly withstand it?
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