Before Yoruha could respond, Naruto grabbed him by the arm and dragged him out of the house.
"What are you still thinking about? Hurry up! This is a C-rank mission! How long would you have to wait in the village to get another chance like this?"
Although Kakashi's special treatment of Yoruha made Naruto feel a bit jealous, he didn't dislike him.
After all, Yoruha was one of the few people who had never shown disgust toward him before.
As Yoruha was pulled out of his house, he glanced back at Kakashi, puzzled as to why Kakashi suddenly wanted him to join this mission.
Kakashi had once said he'd only take Yoruha along after he reached jōnin-level strength.
Yoruha didn't believe Kakashi would go back on his word for no reason.
He wanted to know what was going on, and along the way, Naruto told him everything that had happened at the Hokage's office.
After listening, Yoruha understood why Kakashi had brought him along.
Knowing the situation, he didn't question it further — naturally, he wouldn't refuse Kakashi's goodwill.
When they arrived at Konoha's main gate, Tazuna saw Yoruha and chuckled,
"Now that's what a real ninja looks like. Not like that goofy kid over there."
The "goofy kid" he meant, of course, was Naruto.
Naruto clenched his teeth and glared at Tazuna, but remembering that the man was their escort target, he didn't cause a scene like he had back in the Hokage's office.
The group traveled in silence.
Only Naruto kept chattering nonstop.
Sasuke's eyes lingered on Yoruha, while Sakura watched him curiously.
Sasuke wanted to know just how strong Yoruha really was.
He knew full well how powerful Kakashi was, so for someone to earn Kakashi's trust like that, Yoruha's strength couldn't possibly be weak.
But how strong exactly? He wanted to find out.
After walking for quite a while, they passed through a forest.
Up ahead, there were two puddles of water.
Yoruha glanced at Kakashi.
Kakashi shook his head slightly, signaling him not to act rashly.
Yoruha had long since forgotten the events of the Land of Waves mission,
but he could clearly sense chakra fluctuations within those two puddles — there were ninjas hiding there.
And the fact that it was a bright sunny day, with the ground around them dry and hot while those puddles still hadn't evaporated, made them look all the more suspicious.
Both Kakashi and Yoruha noticed this but continued walking calmly as if nothing was wrong.
They had taken only about ten more steps when two figures suddenly burst out from the puddles.
Clang!
The sound of chains clashing rang out as several chain blades shot toward Kakashi, wrapping tightly around him.
By the time Yoruha and the others turned around, Kakashi's body had already been shredded into pieces.
Chunks of flesh and blood splattered across the ground, staining it crimson.
The horrifying sight froze everyone in place.
Even Yoruha, upon seeing the bloody mess, felt a chill run through him.
It was his first time witnessing something so gruesome.
Even though he knew Kakashi must have used a substitution technique,
the scene still made him feel sick.
If not for his strong mental fortitude, Yoruha might have thrown up on the spot.
Almost simultaneously, the two enemy ninjas, believing their ambush successful, turned toward the others and attacked.
Naruto was completely frozen in fear by the earlier scene.
Sasuke, on the other hand, reacted quickly.
The moment the chain blades came flying toward them, he threw several kunai.
Clang!
One of the kunai pinned the chain to a nearby tree.
But that attack was merely a feint — their true target was Tazuna.
The two moved swiftly, appearing right in front of Tazuna in an instant.
Realizing he'd been tricked, Sasuke shouted, "Sakura, watch out!"
He tried to rush in to help, but he was too far away — it was too late.
Sakura, though inexperienced and not yet skilled in ninjutsu, didn't freeze in fear.
She drew her kunai and stood protectively in front of Tazuna.
"Foolish girl," one of the enemy ninjas sneered.
They both looked down on her, clearly thinking she was no match for them.
But just as they appeared in front of Sakura —
They suddenly felt a crushing force slam into their chests.
Bang! Bang!
BOOM!
In an instant, the two were sent flying backward like cannonballs, crashing through several trees before finally coming to a stop.
Sakura stood there gripping her kunai tightly, staring in shock at Yoruha, who now stood in front of her.
His expression was calm and steady.
Everyone was stunned.
After a long silence, Sakura's voice trembled as she spoke,
"Y-Yoruha… thank you."
She hadn't even seen his movements, but it was clear that Yoruha had been the one who sent those enemies flying.
Behind her, Tazuna — who had thought for sure he was about to die — looked at Yoruha's back.
Even though he could only see his silhouette, he felt an overwhelming sense of safety.
Murmuring to himself, he said,
"I knew this young man looked reliable."
Sasuke, who had been desperate to see Yoruha's true strength, stared blankly at him,
utterly shocked.
"Even with my Sharingan, I couldn't see his movements… This guy… this guy's a monster!"
Sasuke was proud of his abilities, and though his Sharingan only had one tomoe,
he could usually follow most ninjas' movements easily.
But Yoruha's speed was terrifying — even his Sharingan couldn't keep up.
Hidden in the shadows, Kakashi, who had been observing the entire time, was just as astonished.
He had always known Yoruha was talented, capable of fighting at a chūnin's level,
but the strength Yoruha had just displayed was far beyond that.
Even though Yoruha had only used taijutsu — a pair of simple kicks — Kakashi could clearly sense that his physical power had grown several times stronger than when they last sparred.
Kakashi approached the two enemy ninjas who had been sent flying dozens of meters away.
Their chests were mangled, their bodies completely still.
Murmuring to himself, Kakashi said,
"How much strength did this kid use in that kick…? He turned them into mince."
The two attackers were both chūnin — and yet Yoruha had taken them out in an instant.
"Did he just instantly kill two chūnin-level opponents…?"
Kakashi could hardly believe it.
"His power is increasing too fast," he thought.
The last time he tested Yoruha, the boy had only been at a high chūnin level — strong, but still within that tier.
Now, however, Yoruha's display showed power on par with a jōnin.
And this was just from taijutsu alone.
Kakashi also knew Yoruha had learned the Chidori.
Though that night it seemed like he had failed to execute it, Kakashi had seen clearly — Yoruha had actually succeeded.
His chakra had merely gone out of control afterward, amplifying the technique's power.
Even if Yoruha still couldn't fully control his chakra, his taijutsu alone was already at the level of a jōnin.
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Currently at chapter 345 for advance chapters
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