Chapter 144: finishing off the Enemy is a Good Habit
On the other side, Sakura Haruno's surprise attack was narrowly dodged by Grass Ninja C.
As the most vigilant and calm of the three, Grass Ninja C reacted the moment Team 7 appeared, subconsciously retreating rapidly to his side and rear, just barely avoiding several Kunai thrown at a tricky angle by Sakura from the side.
The Kunai hit the tree trunk behind him with several thuds.
Having dodged the strike, Grass Ninja C felt a surge of joy, thinking he had found a Breakthrough.
A fierce light flashed in his eyes, and his hands immediately began forming hand signs, preparing to cast his best Earth Release Ninjutsu to first repel this female Ninja opponent before looking for a chance to escape.
However, he was only halfway through his signs.
A fair, seemingly delicate fist suddenly enlarged in his vision at a speed far exceeding his reaction limit!
It was that pink-haired female Ninja—when did she get so close?
So fast!
Crack—
The clear sound of bone fracturing rang out.
"Argh!"
Grass Ninja C felt an overwhelming, completely irresistible, terrifying force transmit from his arm, instantly destroying his defense.
Severe pain shot through his arms as if he had been hit head-on by a battering ram; his entire body flew backward out of control like a kite with a broken string.
His body traced a long arc through the air, and his back slammed heavily into a thick tree that would take two people to encircle.
Thud!
Another dull impact.
Grass Ninja C's body slumped down the tree trunk, sitting paralyzed on the ground. His head hung limply to one side, his arms twisted at unnatural angles, and blood overflowed from his mouth; he had completely lost consciousness.
Sakura slowly pulled back her fist, and the Chakra glow covering it quietly dissipated.
She looked at her unconscious opponent with little expression on her face, only letting out a slight sigh of relief.
The method Naruto taught her earlier—attaching Chakra to her fists to strengthen her attacks—really was effective.
From the start of the battle to the end, barely a dozen seconds had passed.
Of the three Grass Ninja, one was dead, one was charred, and one was unconscious.
The three members of Team 7 were almost completely unharmed, and they hadn't even consumed much Chakra.
Naruto walked over to the corpse of Grass Ninja B, which had been charred, curled up, and rendered unrecognizable by Sasuke's Dragon Fire Technique. He frowned and gave it a gentle nudge with the tip of his foot.
The charcoal-like corpse made a light cracking sound, and some fragments of clothing that had turned into black embers fell off.
He turned his head toward Sasuke, raising an eyebrow with a tone of slight helplessness and warning:
"Hey, Sasuke, don't burn them directly like this next time."
Hearing this, Sasuke glanced at Naruto but said nothing.
Naruto pointed at the charred corpse on the ground that was barely recognizable: "If the Heaven or Earth Scroll happened to be on him, your burning would mean we did all this work for nothing."
"Yeah, I get it."
Naruto then walked to the tree trunk where several Kunai were embedded, casually pulled one out, and weighed it in his hand. The Kunai was still stained with a bit of grass debris and tree sap.
He turned, flicked his wrist, and the Kunai streaked out like a silver light, accurately thrown toward Sakura, who was about to search Grass Ninja C's ninja tool pouch.
Naruto's voice was calm.
"Sakura, remember to finish him off."
finishing off an enemy ensures they have completely lost the ability to resist or are dead; it is the most basic part of Ninja combat, yet also the easiest for novices to overlook.
Especially in a life-and-death exam like this, any small oversight could lead to fatal consequences.
Sakura caught the Kunai Naruto threw, her fingers tightening slightly.
She looked at Grass Ninja C lying unconscious at her feet with twisted arms and blood oozing from his nose and mouth. A trace of hesitation and... pity flashed across her face.
The opponent had already lost consciousness and was severely injured. It seemed... unnecessary to deliver a killing blow?
After Naruto and Sasuke finished looting the ninja tool pouches of the Ninjas they had killed, they saw that Sakura had delayed in taking action and looked at her together.
"Do it quickly."
Sasuke urged.
"Have you forgotten what happened in the Land of Snow so soon? Do you want to be counter-killed because you didn't finish the job?"
Naruto raised an eyebrow.
Hearing these words, Sakura finally made up her mind.
She took a deep breath, and the hesitation in her eyes was gradually replaced by determination.
She took out two clean, sharp Kunai from her own ninja tool pouch.
She stepped back two paces to keep a relatively safe distance, then exerted force with her wrist.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Three Kunai flew in a triangular formation with the sound of breaking air, accurately striking Grass Ninja C's throat, heart, and abdomen respectively.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Three dull sounds of blades entering flesh.
The unconscious Grass Ninja C's body twitched violently once, then became completely still.
Blood quickly spread out from beneath him.
Naruto walked over to Sakura, whose face was still a bit pale and whose fingers holding the Kunai were trembling slightly.
He didn't say any hollow words of comfort; he just reached out and patted her shoulder with moderate pressure.
This gesture carried silent support and understanding.
He looked into Sakura's emerald eyes, which still held a trace of shock, and spoke in a calm voice that carried the sincerity and guidance of a comrade:
"It's okay if you were reluctant to strike at first."
He acknowledged the normalcy of this reaction, especially for a young female Ninja who had rarely experienced life-and-death combat.
This wasn't weakness, but rather the kindness in human nature that hadn't been completely erased and an instinctive reverence for life.
Forcibly denying or suppressing these feelings would instead be detrimental to growth.
Back in the Land of Snow, it was usually Naruto and Sasuke who went on the offensive, while Sakura worked with Kakashi to help the local people who had been victimized by the Snow Ninja.
This could be considered growth.
But then Naruto changed the subject, pointing toward a more realistic and cruel future:
"There will be many more battles to come."
His gaze swept across the dark, deep, and peril-filled forest; the meaning was self-evident. This was only the beginning; over the next five days, they would face more enemies, more sinister environments, and harder choices.
"After you kill a few more enemies, you'll slowly get used to it and find the heart for it."
These words sounded a bit cold, even carrying a hint of ruthlessness.
But Naruto knew this was an unavoidable part of the Ninja path.
Being soft-hearted on a real battlefield often meant the death of oneself or one's comrades.
He didn't want to see Sakura pay a tragic price at some critical moment in the future because of a temporary reluctance.
Becoming accustomed to killing wasn't about becoming bloodthirsty, but about making one's mind resilient, being able to make the choice most conducive to survival and the mission without hesitation when necessary. This was a form of protection as well as growth.
Just as Naruto finished speaking, Sasuke also walked over silently.
He didn't look at Sakura, his gaze level as he stared at the forest ahead, but that slight nod of his head clearly expressed his agreement.
He approved of Naruto's words.
In Sasuke's worldview, power, survival, revenge... all of these required a heart that was sufficiently cold and determined. Unnecessary pity for an enemy was foolish and dangerous.
Sakura needed to become stronger—not just in terms of ability, but in her heart as well.
Naruto sent out a Shadow Clone, which found a scroll on Grass Ninja C's body.
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