"Eh?!"
Obito Uchiha froze in place, letting out a confused sound as if he had just misheard sothing.
For a brief mont, he genuinely thought his ears were playing tricks on him.
But when he turned and saw Rin Nohara's expression shift as well, he realized—
He hadn't imagined it.
"Ah… well, Zoro-kun, I… I don't think he ant any harm."
Iruka Umino spoke in a slightly flustered tone, trying to smooth things over. The contrast between Zoro's calm smile and the blunt "scram" left him at a complete loss, creating an odd, almost surreal atmosphere.
anwhile, Mizuki's face had already turned livid, his expression as unpleasant as if he had swallowed sothing rotten.
If not for the fear lingering in his heart from Zoro's reputation, he likely would have lashed out on the spot.
After all, completing an A-rank mission, even most chūnin couldn't manage that. And even among jōnin, not everyone could claim such a feat.
"Let's go. Or do you plan to keep wasting ti here?"
Zoro didn't spare Iruka another glance. His tone remained calm as he addressed Rin and Obito beside him.
At the sa ti, a faint awareness lingered in the back of his mind.
They were being followed.
"By the way… what scroll do you have?"
After hearing Zoro's earlier question, Obito hesitated instead of leaving. Like a fool trying to salvage the situation, he turned back and asked Iruka and Mizuki again, still attempting to ease the awkwardness.
Seeing this, Zoro said nothing.
He simply reached out, grabbed Obito by the back of his collar, and dragged him away without hesitation.
"W-wait—hey! Zoro, let go!"
Obito flailed in protest, struggling uselessly as he was hauled off.
"Um… I'm really sorry about that."
Rin quickly pressed her hands together in apology toward Iruka and Mizuki before turning and hurrying after them.
"Tch… what the hell was that?"
Only after Zoro's group had completely disappeared did Mizuki's expression twist with resentnt. He spat harshly to the side, his earlier submissiveness gone without a trace.
"What's so great about him? Just a na with no substance. He didn't even dare fight Zabuza."
"Mizuki, that's enough. We should leave."
Iruka sighed, a trace of helplessness in his voice as he urged them to move on.
Unfortunately—While the two of them argued, they had already lost the best opportunity to escape.
"I heard you're carrying an Earth Scroll."
Several mocking voices suddenly sounded from behind them.
In an instant, six figures appeared, using the Body Flicker Technique to close the distance in the blink of an eye, surrounding Iruka and Mizuki completely.
"Kirigakure… again?"
Seeing the familiar forehead protectors of the Hidden Mist, Mizuki's face twisted in frustration.
What kind of luck was this?
Zabuza had barely left, and now another group from Kirigakure had shown up.
His original plan had been to target weaker-looking teams from Sunagakure.
Instead, they had walked straight into one dangerous opponent after another.
"Zoro, they really showed up!!"
At the sa ti, Zoro's team—who had seemingly left—had long since vanished from sight, only to circle back silently and return to the sa large tree as before.
Hidden among the branches, they observed everything below.
"Obito, I know you're anxious. But being anxious won't solve anything."
Leaning against the trunk, Zoro remained composed. In his hand, he calmly squeezed a specially made grip trainer. Beneath his black sleeves, the muscles and veins along his forearms bulged subtly, containing a frightening degree of strength.
"Then what are we supposed to do?!"
Obito's voice was filled with urgency as he looked down at the battlefield.
Two Konoha ninja… against six from Kirigakure.
It was obvious, this would be a one-sided defeat.
"If you're that worried, then go."
Zoro's tone remained casual.
"Go help them."
The mont those words fell—Obito didn't hesitate any longer.
Chakra surged through his legs as he kicked off the tree trunk, launching himself forward like a released arrow, charging straight into the center of the battlefield.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Midair, Obito rapidly ford hand seals. A massive fireball erupted from his mouth, blazing downward and forcing the opposing sides apart, temporarily disrupting the encirclent.
"Zoro-kun? Are we really just watching?"
Rin looked at Obito, who had already thrown himself into danger, worry clear in her eyes.
"You go too."
Zoro's voice was calm.
"I'll stay a little longer."
Rin hesitated for only a mont before nodding and following after Obito, joining the fight below.
Zoro remained where he was.
To him, these opponents were nothing more than ordinary genin. If he drew his blade, it would be over in an instant.
No challenge, or aning.
Aside from drawing attention, there was nothing to gain.
After a while...
"Still not coming out?"
Crouched atop the thick branch, a faint, cold smile appeared on Zoro's lips. His eyes narrowed slightly as his senses sharpened.
The presence of every living being in the surrounding area—Their breathing, their movent, even the subtle fluctuations in their emotions—
All of it beca clearer.
This was Observation Haki. Or rather, a rudintary form of it—enough to sense presence and pinpoint hidden enemies.
Then, as if locking onto sothing, Zoro's gaze shifted toward a concealed direction deep within the forest.
The next instant—
He vanished.
At the sa ti, beneath another towering tree not far away, C—who had been carefully monitoring Zoro's position—suddenly stiffened.
His expression changed drastically.
The abrupt shift did not go unnoticed.
Beside him, Darui and Omoi imdiately turned toward him.
"Soone's coming straight at us!!"
"Hmm? Who?"
Darui's expression imdiately sharpened, his previously relaxed deanor vanishing as he focused his attention. His gaze turned serious as he quickly pressed for an answer.
"It seems to be Zoro's chakra signature… but his fluctuations are extrely faint. I can't be completely certain."
C spoke with a trace of hesitation.
All this ti, he had been carefully tracking the chakra signatures of Rin Nohara and Obito Uchiha, keeping a precise lock on their movents.
But Zoro…
Zoro's presence was different.
It was there, yet almost nonexistent—like a blade hidden in the dark, its edge concealed until the mont it struck.
"Oh? So you're saying he's the only one coming this way?"
Darui narrowed his eyes slightly.
"It should be… just him."
C replied, though uncertainty still lingered in his tone.
"Pfft. No need to guess."
Omoi casually spat out the lollipop in his mouth. His posture shifted as he bent his arm and firmly gripped the handle of the samurai blade strapped across his back.
"He's already here."
The mont those words fell, the atmosphere changed.
Darui and C imdiately heightened their vigilance, their gazes sweeping across the surrounding trees, searching for any trace of movent.
Then—
A cold voice echoed from the shadows.
"So it was you little rats."
The sound ca from above, calm yet carrying a faint edge of killing intent.
"No wonder I kept feeling sothing off… like needles pricking at my back."
All three of them turned toward the source of the voice.
Omoi reacted first.
As soone personally valued by the Raikage, he had never been one to shrink back in the face of confrontation.
"I'll go first. You two respond depending on the situation."
Without waiting for a reply, he moved.
In a situation like this, passive defense was aningless. The best option was to attack.
In a blur of motion, Omoi drew his blade and charged forward, his confidence evident in every step.
Watching him approach, a faint, almost mocking smile appeared on Zoro's lips.
Among people his age—Soone dared to show off swordsmanship in front of him?
Was he asking for it?
"Shadow Clone Technique!"
Omoi's hands flashed through a series of seals. In an instant, a shadow clone materialized beside him, perfectly mirroring his movents.
"Cloud-Style: Reverse Beheading!"
The clone moved first, stepping into Zoro's range to draw his attention.
At the sa ti, Omoi himself surged forward, his blade cutting through the air in a direct, decisive slash aid straight at Zoro.
There was no hesitation in his attack—only precision and confidence.
Yet—Zoro did not move, not even a step.
Seeing no reaction, Omoi's eyes sharpened. His body twisted midair with practiced agility, shifting angles in an instant as he redirected his attack toward Zoro's blind spot—his back.
A clean, unexpected strike.
Perfect execution.
Just as his blade was about to land—
A sudden, overwhelming force surged through it.
"Clang!!"
The sound of tal crashing against tal rang sharply through the forest, sparks bursting outward like scattered fireflies.
!!!
Omoi's pupils shrank violently.
Zoro hadn't even turned around.
He simply raised his sword behind him, casually intercepting the attack with a single motion—effortlessly blocking Omoi's Cloud-Style: Reverse Beheading as if it were nothing.
But what truly shocked Omoi was sothing else entirely.
The shadow clone he had sent in to distract Zoro…
Had already vanished without a sound.
Without him noticing at all.
***
Advance chapters available on P@trè0n (Aki_sensei). Appreciate the support!
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