Naruto: AFK System

Before Yoruha could respond, Naruto grabbed him and started pulling him outside. "What are you waiting for? Let's go! This is a C-rank mission. How long do you think you'd have to wait to get one of those if you stayed in the village?"

Although Kakashi's regard for Yoruha made Naruto jealous, he didn't dislike him.

After all, Yoruha was one of the few who hadn't shown any disdain toward him in the past.

As Yoruha was pulled out of his house, he glanced back at Kakashi, puzzled.

Why was Kakashi suddenly taking him on a mission?

Kakashi had told him before that he wouldn't bring him on missions until he reached the level of a jonin.

Yoruha couldn't believe Kakashi would break his word without a reason.

Curious about what was going on, Yoruha asked Naruto during their journey. Naruto eagerly explained what had happened at the Hokage's office.

After hearing the story, Yoruha understood why Kakashi had brought him along.

Understanding the reason, Yoruha didn't question it further and had no intention of rejecting Kakashi's kindness.

At the gates of Konoha, Tazuna saw Yoruha and grinned. "Now this is what a ninja looks like, not like that clumsy kid over there."

He was referring to Naruto.

Naruto gritted his teeth and glared at Tazuna, but remembering that Tazuna was their escort mission's target, he restrained himself this time.

As they traveled, the group remained mostly silent, except for Naruto, who chattered incessantly.

Sasuke kept a close eye on Yoruha, while Sakura was curious about him as well.

Sasuke wanted to gauge Yoruha's strength.

He knew how strong Kakashi was, and for Kakashi to value Yoruha so much, there was no way Yoruha could be weak.

But just how strong was he? That's what Sasuke wanted to find out.

After walking for some time, they passed through a forested area.

When Yoruha saw two puddles ahead, he glanced at Kakashi.

Kakashi subtly shook his head, signaling him not to act rashly.

Although Yoruha had long forgotten the details of the Land of Waves arc, he could sense chakra fluctuations from the puddles. It was clear that two ninja were hiding there.

The situation was even more suspicious because it was a sunny day, and the ground everywhere else was dry. The water in the puddles hadn't evaporated at all, which was odd.

Both Kakashi and Yoruha noticed the peculiarity but pretended not to and calmly walked past the puddles.

When they were about ten steps past the puddles, two ninja suddenly leapt out.

Clang!

The sound of chains rattling filled the air, and bladed chains quickly wrapped around Kakashi.

By the time Yoruha and the others turned to look, Kakashi's body was already shredded into pieces. Flesh and blood splattered onto the ground, staining it red.

The gruesome sight left the inexperienced group frozen in shock.

Even Yoruha, who had expected Kakashi to use a substitution jutsu, felt a jolt of unease at the gory scene.

It was his first time witnessing something so blood-soaked.

Even though he knew it wasn't real, the sight made him uncomfortable.

If it weren't for his strong mental fortitude, he might have thrown up on the spot.

Almost immediately, the two ninja, thinking they had successfully killed Kakashi, turned their attention to the group and charged at them.

Naruto was completely paralyzed with fear from what he had just seen.

Sasuke, on the other hand, reacted swiftly.

The moment the two ninjas swung their chain blades, Sasuke countered by throwing several kunai.

Clang!

One kunai pinned the chain blade to a nearby tree.

However, this attack was only a feint.

The two ninjas' real target was Tazuna.

They moved with remarkable speed, appearing in front of Tazuna almost instantly.

Realizing he had fallen for the distraction, Sasuke immediately shouted, "Sakura, watch out!"

He tried to rush to help, but he was too far away to make it in time.

Sakura, though inexperienced, wasn't entirely helpless. While she lacked advanced jutsu, she wasn't paralyzed with fear like Naruto.

She drew her kunai and stood protectively in front of Tazuna.

"Foolish."

The two ninjas sneered at her defiance, clearly underestimating her strength.

It was obvious to them that Sakura posed no real threat.

But just as they closed in on her—

They suddenly felt a crushing force slam into their chests.

Boom! Boom!

Crash!

In an instant, the two ninjas were sent hurtling backward like cannonballs, smashing through rows of trees before coming to a stop.

Sakura stood there, clutching her kunai, staring in shock at Yoruha, who had stepped in front of her.

Yoruha's expression was calm and composed.

Everyone else was stunned into silence.

After what felt like an eternity, Sakura finally found her voice, trembling as she said, "Y-Yoruha... Thank you."

She hadn't even seen Yoruha move, but it was clear that he had been the one to send the ninjas flying.

Behind her, Tazuna, who had been bracing for death, snapped back to reality. Looking at Yoruha's back, he felt an overwhelming sense of safety.

Muttering to himself, he said, "I knew this kid was reliable."

Meanwhile, Sasuke, who had been eager to gauge Yoruha's strength, was now frozen in shock, his gaze fixed on him.

Inwardly, Sasuke was reeling: Even with my Sharingan, I couldn't see his movements. This guy… this guy's a monster.

Sasuke prided himself on his abilities, but Yoruha's speed had surpassed anything he could comprehend.

Even though his Sharingan was only at the one-tomoe stage, it should have been enough to track most ninja's movements.

His speed is terrifying—so fast that even the Sharingan couldn't keep up, Sasuke thought.

Watching from the shadows, Kakashi was equally astonished.

He had always known Yoruha had immense talent and possessed at least chunin-level strength.

But what Yoruha had just demonstrated wasn't just chunin-level.

Even though Yoruha had only used taijutsu, his power had clearly increased several times since their last sparring session.

Walking over to where the two ninjas had landed, Kakashi examined their mangled bodies. Their chests were a mess of blood and torn flesh.

Murmuring to himself, Kakashi said, "How much force did he put into those kicks to leave them like this?"

The two ninjas showed no signs of life.

"They were chunin-level, and this kid took them out instantly. Has Yoruha's strength reached the point where he can one-shot two chunin?"

Kakashi found it hard to believe.

His progress is too fast.

The last time Kakashi had tested Yoruha, his strength was at the high end of chunin-level—impressive but still within normal limits.

But the power Yoruha had just displayed was on a completely different level.

It was clear that Yoruha's current strength was at least jonin-level, and this was with taijutsu alone.

And Kakashi hadn't forgotten—Yoruha had also learned the Chidori.

Although that night, Yoruha had seemed to lose control of his chakra after using it, Kakashi had seen him successfully execute the technique. The chakra surge afterward had only amplified the Chidori's power.

Even if Yoruha's chakra control wasn't perfect yet, his taijutsu alone now rivaled that of a jonin.

Read 4 months ahead at:

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