Chapter 40: Thanks for the Broadsword, Buddy

Not long after leaving the village, Naruto sensed something unusual.

A glance at the trees lining the road revealed two figures moving from a distance, hiding among the branches. He had initially assumed they were fellow ninjas returning to the village, but it was clear now that they were not. Unlike the chakra of the village shinobi, the chakra signature of these two was entirely unfamiliar and reeked of rampant malice.

They were definitely enemies.

Standing so close—did they really think his team lacked a sensory ninja? They were severely underestimating him.

But who was their target? Naruto swept his gaze across his team members.

Kakashi: Possible. As a veteran of war who had spent years carrying out missions, he likely had his share of enemies.

Tazuna: Also possible. As their client, protecting him was the entire point of the mission. But were the enemies ninjas? A mission involving ninjas should be at least B-rank.

Sakura and Sasuke: Ruled out immediately.

Wait, there was also himself. He wasn't much different from Sasuke or Sakura. However, his long-lost parents seemed to have had plenty of enemies, so it wouldn't be strange if someone came looking for them.

Fortunately, he, Naruto Uzumaki, was already invincible.

Still, how did these two identify him?

No matter. Strike first, ask questions later!

"Little thieves, you dare watch us? I'll dig your eyes out!"

With a loud shout, Naruto swiftly flicked six shuriken.

*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!*

Bolstered by wind-style chakra, the six shuriken broke the sound barrier. The two men in the tree didn't even have time to react before they were struck.

"Argh!"

With a miserable cry, the pair plummeted from the tree and landed heavily on the ground.

Naruto's shout alerted the rest of the group. Kakashi immediately stepped forward, shielding the three genin and their client behind him, and looked back to demand information.

"Naruto, what’s going on?"

"Kakashi-sensei, two people were staring at us with malicious intent, planning to attack. I have good reason to suspect they’re here for revenge against me!" Naruto nodded to himself—yes, that was it. It definitely wasn't just because his hands were itching for a fight.

*You?*

For a moment, Kakashi didn't even know where to begin. Naruto had only left the village once in his life; where would he have acquired enemies?

Leaving the group where they stood, the veteran jonin stepped forward alone to investigate.

Lying on the withered leaves were two ninjas wearing Hidden Mist headbands—evidently missing-nin. Each had three large, bloody holes in their bodies, and through the gaping wounds, one could see their pulverized internal organs. They were barely clinging to life, gasping their last breaths.

The others gathered around. Catching a glimpse of the gruesome wounds from afar, Sasuke’s pupils constricted. This was the first time he had seen an enemy corpse, but the feeling lasted only a split second. He was genuinely surprised by the severity of the damage.

*Can shuriken really cause that much harm? Or is there some technique I’m unaware of?*

It shattered his perception of the weapon.

Sakura, also glancing at the bodies, snuck a look at Naruto. She felt like she was seeing him in a new light today. *The way Naruto attacked just now... he was actually kind of cool.*

Tazuna was the most shocked of all. *This little blond kid, he’s actually this strong? Two legendary ninjas were wiped out just like that?* He stared at Naruto intently, deciding that from now on, he should stand a little closer to this blond kid—no, this ninja.

Finally, after a moment of analysis, Kakashi formed his own theories but kept them to himself.

"Naruto," he cautioned, "next time you encounter an enemy, do not attack so recklessly unless you have a plan." After a moment's thought, fearing he might dampen Naruto's enthusiasm, he added, "At the very least, don't be so impulsive before we've gathered intelligence."

"I understand, Kakashi-sensei. I just didn't expect them to be so weak, they couldn't even dodge my shuriken. Next time, I'll definitely ask for your opinion first."

Naruto took the lesson to heart. The ninja world was a society, and society was all about interpersonal relations. Since they weren't in a time of war, you were supposed to posture, trade a few words, and then decide whether to fight. Very well, he had learned something new.

"Good. We'll leave this to the village authorities. Let's keep moving."

Under Kakashi's lead, the team continued their journey. Because of the client, their pace was slow, and it would take several days just to leave the Land of Fire. The rest of the trip was relatively peaceful, with no further assassins encountered.

Finally, they arrived at the Land of Waves.

Naruto felt out of place the moment they stepped into the country.

"Too much water, too humid, and constant fog. I bet you don't even see the sun a few times a month. You can't even dry your clothes here. I don't like this country one bit."

As soon as his feet hit the solid ground, Naruto expressed his thoughts without a filter.

"Naruto..." Sakura tugged at his sleeve, signaling him to be more considerate of Tazuna's feelings.

Naruto glanced at the old man and asked bluntly, "Tazuna-san, you think the same thing sometimes, don't you?"

"Haha." Tazuna, who was anxious about being exposed throughout the trip, gave an awkward laugh. "You get used to it when you grow up in a place like this, but after visiting other countries, I really envy them. The environment in your Land of Fire is wonderful."

"What's next? Which way?" Sasuke ignored their chatter and started walking forward. He only cared about whether more enemies would appear.

"That way." Tazuna pointed in a direction and emphasized once more, "You have to get me home safely!"

"Yes, yes," Kakashi replied, feeling somewhat speechless. The old man had repeated this several times, confirming Kakashi's suspicions, though he hadn't yet pierced the veil of secrecy. Without solid evidence, he decided to keep it to himself. As for security, with Naruto around, it was more than enough.

Deep in the forest, Zabuza Momochi hid behind layers of leaves, watching the group approach. When his eyes swept over a familiar figure, he realized everything instantly.

"So that's it. Kakashi the Copy Ninja of Konoha. No wonder the Demon Brothers were defeated."

"Hm?" Zabuza noticed a blond genin, who looked like he had just graduated, pointing directly at his hiding spot. At the same time, the blond kid was whispering something to the others.

"A sensory ninja? It seems I've been discovered."

Suddenly, he gave a savage grin. "In that case, let's say hello!"

He drew the massive blade from his back and swung it with all his might. The heavy, sharp Executioner's Blade flew out, spinning wildly!

*Whoosh!*

Given its weight, speed, and sharpness, being grazed by it would mean being sliced in two.

"Get down!" Kakashi shouted. But when he turned his head, he saw that Naruto, who was at the front of the group, was still standing perfectly still.

"Naruto!"

Before he could shout again, it was too late—the Executioner's Blade was already upon them.

Naruto ignored Kakashi's warning. He was already invincible; why would he dodge? This thing? A minor nuisance!

Facing the spinning blade that whipped up a small gale, Naruto timed his move perfectly and delivered a flying kick.

*Bang!*

His heel struck the hilt of the sword dead on.

Then, something miraculous happened. The Executioner's Blade, carrying immense kinetic energy and spinning fiercely, came to an eerie halt.

*Thud.*

It landed on the ground. It was like a long-distance pass that had been gently cushioned by a soccer legend; the blade settled steadily, not bouncing once.

Kakashi, who had been watching, and Zabuza, who had been preparing to leap into position, were both dumbfounded.

"Is this door-sized thing supposed to be a weapon?" Curious, Naruto leaned down to pick up the blade, thinking that ninja weapons really were diverse.

As soon as his hand touched the weapon, a prompt appeared.

[Limited-grade weapon 'Executioner's Blade' detected. Would you like to recycle it?]

Huh? Naruto was surprised. You could recycle weapons?

[Recycled 'Executioner's Blade'. You have obtained 100,000 Ryo, Chakra +10,000, Skill Point +1.]

He hadn't expected this. He had only just arrived in this alternate world, and someone was already "gifting" him loot.

"Thanks for the blade, big brother!"