"The one he mentioned… was me."
Dozens of three-pronged kunai flew through the air, their sharp whistles cutting through the silence. One landed beside Sasuke and Sakura in a blink, while the rest embedded themselves deep within the bandit ranks.
Then came the golden flash.
Before anyone could react, the air itself seemed to twist — and a figure appeared amidst the chaos. The glow faded to reveal Naruto, a three-pronged kunai dripping crimson in his grasp.
For a heartbeat, no one moved. The clearing was silent, heavy. The scent of scorched earth and blood hung in the air.
Then came the screams.
Bandits clutched their throats, eyes wide in shock. Thin red lines blossomed across their necks, and blood erupted in violent bursts. One after another, they collapsed into the dirt — lifeless.
Even the hardened ones flinched at the sight of their comrades dying in perfect unison. The precision was unnatural. Surgical. Merciless.
"…The Yellow Flash," the bandit leader croaked, his throat tight. His gaze locked onto Naruto's golden hair, the trident kunai, the cold focus in his blue eyes. "No… it can't be… that's the Fourth Hokage's technique…"
He trembled. This was the legend — the jutsu that ended wars in a single night.
"You finally decided to show up," Sasuke muttered beside him, trying to sound annoyed but clearly relieved. With the Sharingan open, he could tell — Naruto had been nearby for a while now, just waiting.
Naruto grinned, a little too smug for someone who'd just ended a massacre. "You two looked busy. Didn't want to ruin your fun. Besides, that guy seemed to tick you off. If I jumped in earlier, I'd just be stealing your prey."
Sasuke scoffed. "You call that fun?"
"Let's save the banter," Naruto said lightly. "We still have one left."
He nodded toward the trembling bandit leader. Stepping forward, his expression shifted from playful to deadly calm. "Konoha's genin — Uzumaki Naruto. You're up next, old man. State your name."
"Y-Yamada… Yamada Tarō…" the man stammered instinctively. His voice cracked as he took in Naruto's golden hair and calm, merciless eyes. In his mind, the line between the Fourth Hokage and the boy before him blurred until they were one.
"Good," Naruto murmured.
A golden shimmer flashed — and he vanished.
In the next instant, Naruto stood behind Yamada Tarō. The trident kunai rested cold against the man's throat.
Too fast. None of the bandits even saw him move.
"I'm not like most shinobi," Naruto said quietly, voice cutting through the sound of the fire crackling nearby. "I don't toy with my enemies. I fight them head-on — even if they're weak."
His tone was soft, but the weight behind it was heavy. "Pretend to be a fool long enough, and you start to become one. Not really my style."
The kunai shifted slightly, glinting with the faint trace of chakra.
"W-wait—please!" Yamada Tarō's voice broke. Fear made him stumble over his words. "I'll give you anything! Money, women, treasures—anything!"
Naruto's eyes stayed cold. "Sorry. You're still the enemy."
The kunai slid across his neck in one clean motion.
A crimson spray burst outward. Naruto stepped back, expression unreadable, avoiding the arc of blood that followed. Yamada Tarō collapsed to his knees, clutching at his throat, gasping and choking — his voice lost in the flood.
He twitched a few times, then stilled. The forest fell silent again.
Naruto exhaled softly, spinning the kunai once before tucking it away. "You don't mind if I took your kill, right?" he said, glancing at Sasuke.
Sasuke crossed his arms, feigning irritation. "Tch. It was yours from the start. Don't forget you already called dibs."
Naruto smirked. "Sasuke."
"What?"
"You're arrogant."
A vein pulsed on Sasuke's forehead. "Say that again."
"Relax." Naruto shrugged, grinning. "Let's just clean up what's left."
He turned toward the remaining bandits — nearly two hundred of them — frozen in terror. The night air thickened again, charged with killing intent.
And then, from somewhere deep within Naruto's mind, a familiar divine voice echoed — sacred, mocking, and toneless.
[Rikudō Shingon: Observation complete. Host's mercy index: dangerously low.][Divine Comment: If you intend to purge them all, at least make it symmetrical.]
Naruto's eyebrow twitched. "You again…"
He tightened his grip on the kunai, the golden light beginning to rise once more.