Sasuke's goal now was no longer to surpass Naruto, the dead last. If he couldn't overcome the towering obstacle that was Akira, then what was the point of surpassing Naruto at all?
On Sakura's side, she was already starting to grasp the trick. She had also noticed the disappointment in Kakashi's eyes.
She was secretly shocked. Akira's learning speed back then must have been terrifying… otherwise Sensei wouldn't react like that.
That kind of talent is just despair-inducing… even Sasuke-kun can't compare?
And he kept it hidden for six whole years without a word… that's some serious depth.
Sakura understood clearly—without comparison, there was no harm. It was precisely because Akira was so exceptional that they all seemed so ordinary.
That stark contrast made her more curious than ever about that quiet, reserved boy.
They had been classmates for six years, yet they'd exchanged fewer words than they had today.
Who could've guessed that the background extra in class was actually a hidden final boss?
---
Not long after Kakashi left, on a hill several hundred meters away, Haku was observing the area through a telescope.
Lowering it, his eyes sharpened slightly. "That troublesome jōnin is finally gone… but those three together won't be easy to deal with either. I'll have to wait for the girl to be alone."
"If there's no opportunity… I'll just have to take her by force."
Haku had confidence in his abilities, but he also didn't want to drag things out and risk reinforcements arriving.
---
Back at Tazuna's house, Akira sat on the wooden veranda, gazing absentmindedly at the sea.
Beside him sat Tsunami, Tazuna's daughter, quietly studying him with curiosity.
She had heard her father praise this boy endlessly, but she didn't quite believe it—Akira looked far too young, like a child who hadn't fully grown up.
But after chatting for a bit, she found him surprisingly pleasant and easy to talk to, with a good sense of tact.
When Kakashi returned, he happened to see this scene.
Akira turned and smiled. "Well? Did those three idiots learn it yet?"
Kakashi plopped down beside him and sighed. "Not even close. There's only one Akira in this world. Learning it in one glance—that's not human, that's a monster."
Akira shrugged without comment.
Tsunami stood up, dusting off her skirt. "Alright, time to make dinner. Akira-kun, what would you like to eat?"
Akira paused for a moment, then replied casually, "Anything's fine. I'm not picky."
After Tsunami went into the kitchen with a smile, Kakashi smirked. "You two seemed pretty chatty. What were you talking about?"
Akira replied calmly, "Listening to her talk about her past… her husband, old stories. She needed someone to vent to—I was just the trash can."
Kakashi nodded, a hint of sympathy in his eyes. That woman had it rough—just when life started improving, her husband was gone.
"Once the bridge is finished, the country's economy will recover. Their lives should get better too," Kakashi said with a sigh.
Akira, however, showed little interest. Matters like that didn't concern him.
---
Night fell.
Just as the two were about to head to the dining room—
Bang!
The door was slammed open violently.
Sasuke and Naruto rushed in, drenched in sweat. "Sensei! Akira! Something's wrong—Sakura's gone!"
The atmosphere froze instantly.
Kakashi frowned. "When did this happen?"
Sasuke forced himself to stay calm. "She mastered tree climbing first and left about an hour earlier. We found this on the way back."
He handed over a letter.
Akira glanced at it, raising an eyebrow. "Kidnapping?"
Kakashi took the letter, his expression darkening immediately.
"It says we have to kill Tazuna-san and bring his head in exchange for Sakura's life."
Tsunami, who had just come out carrying dishes, trembled. The plate slipped from her hands and shattered on the floor.
Everyone's eyes turned toward her.
She was shaking uncontrollably as she crawled toward Akira, pleading through tears, "Akira-kun… please, don't kill my father!"
Among everyone present, the one she trusted most was Akira—the one who had just been talking with her.
Her young son rushed out as well, spreading his arms in front of his grandfather. "No one's allowed to touch my grandpa!"
Despite the pitiful sight, Akira's expression remained calm.
Kakashi quickly reassured them. "Don't worry—we won't do something like that. Right now, we need to figure out how to rescue her."
Akira casually waved the letter in his hand and said to Tsunami, "Relax. This is just a diversion."
Kakashi immediately caught on. "You mean… they're trying to lure us away from Tazuna?"
Akira sneered. "They're not stupid. They know we won't kill our client. But to save our teammate, someone will definitely leave to negotiate. And who would that be?"
"Either you or me. As long as one of us leaves, the remaining force won't be enough to protect Tazuna."
His analysis hit the mark.
Kakashi nodded. "It's an open scheme… but with a hostage involved, we have no choice. Someone has to go."
Even knowing it was a trap, they couldn't ignore it.
Akira suddenly stood up, straightening his clothes. "I'll go."
"Don't worry, Sensei. With your strength, guarding this place is more than enough. Even if Zabuza shows up again, he won't be able to do much against you."
Akira had already calculated things.
Zabuza and Kakashi were roughly evenly matched. Even if Haku joined in, with Sasuke and Naruto buying time, they could hold out until he returned.
After a moment of thought, Kakashi nodded. "Alright. Be careful. Don't get caught off guard."
The ninja world was treacherous—countless powerful Kage-level figures had fallen to assassinations and traps.
The Third Kazekage. The Fourth Kazekage. Both had died under mysterious circumstances.
Assassination was all about the element of surprise.
Akira nodded. "Relax, I've got this."
Before he left, Tsunami called out anxiously, "Akira-kun, please come back safely!"
Akira didn't turn around—he simply waved a hand behind him.
Tsunami's trust in him came entirely from their earlier conversation.
As for why Akira was going alone—it was simple. Kakashi had to remain as the pillar of defense. Sasuke and Naruto were far too inexperienced—they'd only be liabilities.
---
A few kilometers outside the village, deep within a dark, eerie forest—
Sakura was tied tightly to a large tree by two Kiri chūnin, bound like a wrapped dumpling.
All her ninja tools had been confiscated.
The surrounding environment was even more terrifying.
Hundreds of explosive tags were scattered all around her—at least several hundred.
Within a radius of dozens of meters, they were interwoven with countless razor-thin steel wires, sharp enough to slice through hair.
This wasn't just a trap—it was a meat grinder.
Even a jōnin would struggle to get through it unharmed—let alone anyone else.
The two captors didn't dare get too close, staying over a hundred meters away while guarding the detonation mechanism.
Sakura stared at the explosive tags fluttering in the wind and the glinting wires under the moonlight. Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.
For the first time, she truly felt the cold breath of death.
These bastards… they set up a death trap like this—they're trying to drag Sensei and Akira down with me!
She knew the only ones who could save her were those two.
But at this moment, she almost wished they wouldn't come.
This was a trap with no way out.
The night wind howled, and the distant cries of wild beasts echoed through the forest.
After over an hour of torment, her tears had run dry.
She didn't dare move an inch—the steel wires just a meter away could slice her to pieces.
The two Kiri chūnin lay on a distant hill, growing impatient.
"Damn it, why hasn't anything happened yet? Don't tell me they're too scared to come?"
"What, they're just gonna sacrifice the girl?"
"No way. The intel says they're close. They're probably hiding somewhere, waiting for an opening. Hah—dream on!"
Just as he finished speaking—
A ghostly voice suddenly sounded right beside their ears:
"Correct. Too bad there's no prize."
Both men stiffened instantly, cold sweat soaking their backs.
They'd been found.
Before they could even react—before they had so much as a chance to turn around—a sharp, crushing pain struck their chests.
Akira's blades were too fast—so fast that even their sense of pain lagged a beat behind.
In an instant, both blades pierced straight through their hearts. Blood burst forth, splattering across the ground beneath them, staining the soil crimson.
The two chūnin never even saw what their killer looked like before they died—just like that, they were sent off to the afterlife in utter confusion.
---
After dealing with the guards, Akira stood on higher ground, looking down at Sakura a hundred meters away.
The girl was trembling like a leaf in the wind—clearly terrified out of her wits.
Akira frowned as he took in the layers upon layers of steel wire traps, dense as a spider's web.
"These bastards are ruthless… not just physical traps, they've packed in this many explosive tags too. The slightest vibration and Sakura's going to be blown sky-high."
He himself wasn't afraid—but this setup was a chained trigger system. Pull one thread and everything moved. Someone as fragile as Sakura wouldn't stand a chance.
Letting out a sigh, Akira shook his head. "Guess there's no saving effort here… I'll have to rely on my eyes."
In the next moment, his Mangekyō Sharingan activated silently. Thanks to the concealment barrier, no one outside could detect anything unusual.
His ocular power surged like a rising tide—
And his figure vanished instantly from where he stood, appearing right beside Sakura.
Sakura was on the verge of breaking down. Suddenly sensing someone beside her, she jerked her head up—and met Akira's calm gaze.
"Still alive?" he asked flatly.
At that moment, all her pent-up fear burst out. She wailed, tears streaming down her face.
"Akira! You finally came! I thought I'd never see you again!"
Akira quickly raised a finger to his lips. "Stop! Quit bawling! You're getting snot and tears everywhere—if you trigger a trap, we're both dead."
Startled, Sakura clamped her mouth shut and sniffled. "Y-you be careful… there are bombs everywhere around here… and… and they stuck a bunch on me too."
Akira circled behind her for a look.
Good grief—more than a dozen explosive tags were plastered densely across the back of her clothes.
And the placement was incredibly tricky—they were attached directly to the fabric fibers. Any slight tug would set them off.
Akira's frown deepened. "Now this is troublesome."
She was basically a walking human bomb. Removing them safely was practically impossible.
Seeing his expression, Sakura closed her eyes in despair. Tears streamed down again.
"Akira… just go. Leave me. I'm not going to survive this anyway."
She laughed miserably through her tears, convinced she was about to report to the Heaven.
Even if Kakashi-sensei were here, faced with a dead-end like this, he'd probably be helpless.
Akira carefully sensed her condition and confirmed none of the explosive tags had been embedded into her flesh. Only then did he relax slightly.
"Alright, cut the tragic act. I've got a way to save you. The Third Hokage gave me an S-rank jutsu before—perfect chance to test it out on you."
Just to be safe, he asked again, "Confirm this—nothing else hidden inside your body besides what's on your clothes?"
Sakura shook her head vigorously. She had no idea what Akira was planning, but the look in his eyes rekindled a faint hope.
Without another word, Akira placed his hand on her shoulder, leaving behind a Flying Raijin formula.
Seeing the sudden black markings appear on her shoulder, Sakura had a head full of questions—but didn't dare say anything.
The air around them seemed to freeze. The explosive tags felt like a countdown from the god of death.
Akira grabbed her wrist.
"Activate."
Space twisted in an instant.
In the next second, both of them vanished into thin air, reappearing beside a pre-marked kunai several hundred meters away.
But then—
An awkward situation occurred.
Because the explosive tags were attached to her clothes, when the Flying Raijin activated, Akira had no choice—for survival—to take the "person" with him… and leave the "source of danger," namely the clothes, behind.
Like a cicada shedding its shell.
The moment they landed, Akira reacted instantly, pulling out a large cloak from a scroll and throwing it over Sakura's head, wrapping her up completely.
Sakura hadn't even processed what happened—she just felt a chill, and then the cloak enveloped her.
When realization hit—
Her entire face flushed red like a boiled shrimp. She glared at Akira, both furious and mortified.
"Akira! You pervert! You bastard!"
But seeing his utterly calm expression—he was even helping adjust her collar—the words stuck in her throat.
Deep down, she knew… he did it to save her life. In that situation, there was no room to care about anything else.
Akira turned around, tossing her a spare set of his clothes, facing away from her.
"I'll stand guard here. Hurry up and change. Don't dawdle."
His mind was completely calm—if anything, he found it a bit amusing. Sakura was only twelve, basically flat as a washboard—what improper thoughts could he possibly have?
Sakura, meanwhile, wished she could disappear into a crack in the ground. If she'd mastered monstrous strength, she'd have punched Akira flying by now.
After fumbling around for a full minute, she finally changed and stepped out awkwardly, her face still flushed.
"Y-you could've at least warned me beforehand!"
This was just too embarrassing. Even if it couldn't be helped, she was still a girl.
Akira turned back, utterly serious. "Miss, that was a life-or-death situation. You were about to die—who has time to worry about that?"
"Besides, you're still just a kid. Why think so much nonsense?"
That blunt, straight-man response left Sakura stomping her foot in frustration, unable to refute him.
Without Akira, she'd probably already be fertilizer in the forest.
Still, being told she was "just a kid" made her bristle.
"Y-you… don't look down on me! I'll grow up!"
Akira blinked, completely baffled. Where did that even come from?
"When did I look down on you? Didn't I just save your life? Not even a thank you?"
Sakura's face reddened again. Despite the embarrassment, Akira had saved her.
Lowering her head, she muttered in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz:
"Th-thank you, Akira…"
Akira waved it off with a grin. "Alright. It was an emergency—I crossed the line a bit. Sorry."
Better to apologize now than deal with trouble later.
Though still shy, Sakura's curiosity got the better of her.
"Akira… was that just now teleportation? That was amazing! Was it a space-time ninjutsu?"
Akira nodded. "Yeah. Flying Raijin Jutsu. I earned it on the last mission—the Third Hokage rewarded me."
Sakura's jaw dropped. A legendary jutsu like that actually existed.
"I've heard sensei mention it before—it's insanely hard to learn. I can't believe you mastered it."
"That feeling just now… changing locations in an instant—it was incredible."
Akira shrugged casually. "It's alright. The Second Hokage created it, the Fourth Hokage used it—now you can add me to the list."
Sakura was even more stunned. "So that means… only three people in the entire ninja world know it?"
"More or less. It's an S-rank forbidden jutsu. Took me over a week to fully master—pretty difficult."
Did that even count as human speech?
Sakura felt like she'd taken ten thousand points of emotional damage.
Most people struggled for half a month just to learn a C-rank jutsu. S-rank techniques were measured in years.
And he called mastering one in a week "pretty difficult"?
Even Sasuke trained for a month to learn Chidori. Naruto spent over a month just forming Rasengan.
And Flying Raijin was the pinnacle of S-rank jutsu!
Looking at Akira now, Sakura felt like she was staring at an alien. That level of talent was simply despair-inducing.
Akira, uninterested in dwelling on the topic, said casually, "Hard or not, it's useful. You saw that yourself."
At the mention of "saw," Sakura's mind immediately replayed what had just happened.
Her face flushed again instantly.
"Y-you… did you see everything just now?"
Akira sighed, exasperated. Was she really not going to let this go?
"I did. But like I said—we're only twelve. Don't make such a big deal out of it."
Even though he knew it was kind of awkward, he had to keep up the act of a proper gentleman.
Sakura stomped angrily. "How can you say that?! A girl's purity is important!"
Akira spread his hands. "I already said it wasn't intentional."
What really troubled Sakura, though, was something else entirely.
She felt like she'd somehow betrayed Sasuke.
Even though Sasuke knew nothing about it, in her girlish heart, it felt like she had "wronged" her crush.
In truth, she was overthinking it.
Akira had absolutely zero interest in her flat figure.
If it were the Hyūga clan's eldest daughter, Hinata—that might be worth a glance.
As for Sakura…
Well, let's just say she was exactly as advertised—no exaggeration needed.