Clanggg!
The man swung his sword without a hint of mercy, steel crashing down on his opponent.
The blade pierced straight through the chest.
A child.
A small kid, barely half the man's size, dressed fully in black with only his eyes visible. His tiny body was thrown across the ground like a ragdoll.
"Haha! That's what you get for messin' with me!" the man barked, grinning from ear to ear. Dozens of corpses, his own subordinates, lay scattered around them. But he didn't care. Seeing the brat who killed them fall was enough."I'm the master of the Royal Bushin Method! You stand no chance against"
"Ta daa!"
The boy suddenly stood up, completely unharmed, dusting himself off as if nothing happened. His tone was pure mockery.
"You little piece of—" The man roared and swung again, this time far faster. The boy didn't have time to parry with his sword, but it didn't matter.
Tch. He stepped aside and ducked under the slash, the attack skimming past him.
But the man wasn't done.
Not even close.
"Raaagh!" He changed posture mid swing, attacking again, and again, and again, each strike sharper, faster, more desperate.
Steel sliced through empty air every single time.
"Why… why can't I hit you?!" he shouted, veins bulging, breath ragged.
The boy let out a small chuckle. "Because," he said lightly, "I know martial arts."
"What the" The man froze for half a second, confused.
That half second was all the boy needed.
Thwack!
"Aghh!" The man screamed as the boy kicked his shin. Blood splattered. A sharp, hidden blade protruded from the boy's shoe, cutting deep into bone.
"Heh. I guess this is the end." The boy shrugged, voice filled with casual disappointment. "Shame. You were loud at least."
"W-wait!" The man's eyes widened, realising exactly what was coming. He tried to plead, to beg, to say something
But the boy's foot shot up, kicking his chin with brutal precision.
Crack.
The man twitched once… then collapsed beside his fallen comrades, joining them in silence.
The boy didn't flinch. Not even slightly.
Corpses didn't bother him, clearly showing this wasn't the first time.
Instead, he casually walked toward the pile of loot the bandits had gathered earlier.
"Oh? Zeni. Not bad." He sifted through the items with a satisfied hum. "Painting? Huh. Did they rob an artist? Or a merchant, maybe. Clothes too"
He suddenly froze.
His instincts screamed.
Without hesitation, he spun around and slashed.
Clang!
The blade of his sword struck something small. Thin metal skittered across the ground, ringing sharply.
He glanced down.
A peculiar dagger. No… not a dagger.
"A kunai?" he murmured, eyes narrowing.
The boy lifted his gaze to the new figure standing before him.
But instead of some hulking adult or secret bandit member, it was another child.
A kid around his own age.
Yet the moment their eyes met, he felt it.
An undeniable pressure, a quiet intensity.
This boy was strong.
Not normal strong. Like him.
"Cid Kagenou," the boy said, "I have come to bargain."
....
Sasuke POV
"Cid Kagenou, I have come to bargain."
The moment the words left my mouth, I noticed the slight shift in his eyes. He didn't expect his identity to be recognised. Understandable. Anyone would tense up if a stranger suddenly called out their real name and saw through their disguise.
Still, it doesn't really change anything. I'm pretty sure he'll hear me out.
There were a lot of choices for the travel ticket, but as I decided earlier, it's better to pick a world where I can train without dealing with constant high tier threats.
Eminence in Shadow fit that perfectly.
If I play my cards right, climbing to the top of this world will be effortless. And Zoro's progression alone will push me above anyone here.
I did consider choosing a timeline without Cid, building the Shadow Garden myself…
But starting an organisation from scratch while training would stretch me too thin. And the girls would still be too young, not ideal to leave everything to them while I disappear into the mountains to train.
The anime might have shown them as geniuses, but it never showed the whole picture. Just like it never showed my inner torment in the Naruto story.
I can't narrow my perspective like a fool.
"Who are you?" he asked at last. His tone was calm, but I could feel the alertness behind it.
He wasn't hostile, just careful. Honestly, that was a good trait.
"Uchiha Sasuke," I answered, watching closely to see his reaction. His eyes flickered, just for a moment.
Oh? So he recognises the name.
Does that mean Naruto manga existed in his past world too?
"I want you to teach me all your skills."
He frowned slightly, opening his mouth to speak. But before he could refuse or dodge the question, I decided to show my cards. I lifted my hand and formed a familiar sign.
Poof.
A shadow clone appeared beside me.
"And in return," I said calmly, "I'll teach you this."
His eyes widened, not dramatically, just the normal reaction of someone seeing something impossible.
I could practically see stars sparkling in his eyes as he shouted, "A clone!" He was already drooling as his imagination ran wild.
When the clone vanished with a small puff, it snapped him out of his daydream. He stared at me like a hungry wolf. Good thing I already know he's more obsessed with power than my body, because with that look he wasn't any less creepy than Orochimaru.
"Teach me!" He dashed right in front of me. Damn, he's fast. Well, not surprising. He's been training to be the strongest since birth, while I was just trying to be stronger than kids my age.
"Didn't I already say I would? If you teach me too." His expression shifted as realisation hit him. "Okay, I'll teach you. But tell me, what was that? I didn't sense any magic."
"Chakra. It's the supernatural energy that powers the jutsu I just used."
"Chakra… jutsu… I see. But I've never heard of that before."
"Don't you know Naruto?" I asked, not bothering with drama. The way his face froze told me everything. "So you do know. Good. That'll make things easier."
"Wait a minute," he raised his hand. "Jutsu… chakra… Naruto… Sasuke Uchiha… you're that Sasuke Uchiha?"
He finally recognised me. Good. He finally knows his place.
"The one famous for the meme of his brother choking him?"
"..."
************
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