Naruto: Zoro of Uchiha Chapter 23 23: An Ambush by Kumogakure’s Team-Leading Jōnin

Omoi's pupils trembled violently. A shadow clone did not simply vanish without reason. Which ant the mont his gaze had shifted away, even for an instant, his shadow clone had already been cut down.

"This… this is impossible." Omoi muttered, disbelief seeping into his voice. Such speed with a blade—could that really be achieved by a human?

"Bang!!" Before he could think further, the muscles in Zoro's rear arm suddenly tensed. A terrifying force erupted, sending Omoi flying backward. His body slamd heavily into a nearby tree, the impact shaking loose leaves that scattered through the air.

"Ugh… impossible. You shouldn't be this strong!!" Omoi groaned as blood and chakra churned violently within him. When he looked up, Zoro still stood there calmly, his expression unchanged. From the start of the fight until now, he hadn't even bothered to look at him properly. It was as if, in Zoro's eyes, he was nothing more than an insignificant ant.

"Damn it… you bastard. Don't look down on !!" Omoi's face twisted with anger.

"Cloud-Style: Reverse Mist Slash!"

Gripping his sword with one hand, he charged forward again. His attacks ca in rapid succession, one strike flowing seamlessly into the next, the timing between slashes nearly impossible to predict.

To others, it was fast. To Zoro, it was painfully slow. Every subtle movent, every shift in stance, every flicker of intent in Omoi's eyes was completely exposed.

"Too slow." Zoro's calm remark struck directly at Omoi's pride. In Kumogakure, swordsmanship and taijutsu were held in the highest regard. And now, a Konoha ninja was dismissing his blade as slow—it was no different from trampling his dignity into the ground.

So things could be endured. This could not.

"Still not convinced? Then let broaden your horizons." One hand remained hidden beneath Zoro's sleeve, still steadily squeezing the grip trainer. With the other, he casually drew a blade from his waist. He didn't even look. Relying solely on the whistle of the incoming strikes, he moved.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!!" Steel collided repeatedly, sparks scattering with each impact. Omoi's footwork surged again and again as he used the ground's recoil to circle Zoro, attacking from every angle. Yet Zoro didn't move an inch. His single arm blurred into afterimages, intercepting every strike effortlessly.

Each slash was blocked. Every angle sealed.

He stood like a towering pine, unmoved by the storm crashing against him. The longer the exchange lasted, the clearer the truth beca.

Despair.

Omoi finally understood what that word ant. This man… wasn't human. He didn't even look at him, yet he stopped every attack with ease. It was like an adult playing with a child—no, like pinning down a toddler who had just learned to walk, not allowing them to take even a single step forward.

"Omoi, are you all right?" Darui had already arrived. Seeing the blade slip from Omoi's hand and fall to the ground, his expression grew solemn.

But Omoi didn't respond. His body trembled slightly, his eyes hollow as he stood frozen. It was as if sothing inside him had shattered—his understanding of swordsmanship, his confidence, his pride, all crushed in an instant.

"C, what happened?" Because Omoi had attacked too quickly, by the ti Darui arrived, everything was already over.

C's expression was complicated, as though he didn't know how to explain it.

"I'll explain." Zoro sheathed his blade calmly, his movents smooth and unhurried, as if nothing significant had happened. "A shinobi should focus on ninjutsu. Not every stray mutt is worthy of holding a blade." His gaze flicked toward the fallen sword. "Didn't you notice? That thing was practically crying."

"You bastard!!" Zoro's words snapped Omoi out of his daze. Rage surged back into his eyes—raw, helpless fury born from humiliation.

"Click." A faint sound echoed.

A thin line of blood instantly appeared across Omoi's neck.

"Omoi!!" Darui reacted imdiately, rushing forward to support him as blood seeped slowly from the shallow cut.

"I don't attack people for no reason," Zoro said calmly. "But once I recognize soone as an enemy, I don't show rcy. So don't direct hostility at lightly. Otherwise, you'll die very quickly." His tone turned colder. "And don't try to track again. Next ti, you won't be so lucky."

Silence fell.

Even Darui felt a chill run down his spine.

Zoro glanced off into the distance briefly, as if sensing sothing, then turned and left without another word.

"C, what are you standing there for?" Darui said, his tone heavier now as he supported Omoi.

He had to admit it—his earlier thoughts had been far too naïve. If he had known Zoro was this monstrous, even ten extra lives wouldn't have been enough for him to act so casually.

Fortunately, their mission had never been to kill Zoro.

Otherwise… they would all be lying on the ground right now.

Suddenly—

"S-soone is coming." C's expression shifted abruptly, his brows tightening as he focused on the sensation.

"Who?" Darui finished wrapping a strip of white bandage around Omoi's neck before turning his attention back to C.

"It feels like… the chakra signature of a Kumogakure ninja."

"Then we should regroup imdiately. With one of us injured, our situation is already unfavorable." Darui's response was quick and practical.

"No… wait." C shook his head slightly, his tone turning more certain. "That chakra… it belongs to one of our village's jōnin."

Darui's hands froze mid-motion.

He slowly turned his head, a trace of disbelief crossing his face. "You're not joking, are you? Why would one of our jōnin appear here?"

"I'm not joking. I'm certain of it. And not just that… there are also two Konoha ninja with him." C paused briefly before continuing, his voice lowering. "Their direction… it's Zoro. They've already made contact."

Those words caused Darui's thoughts to snap into place.

In that instant, he understood.

No wonder his mission had only been to attract Zoro's attention.

They had never intended for his team to be the main force.

They were simply bait.

A probe.

If Darui's team had been able to handle Zoro, then that would have been ideal. But even if they failed, it wouldn't matter—because there was always a second layer waiting in the shadows.

A backup plan.

What truly puzzled Darui, however, was the presence of Konoha ninja moving together with them.

That detail alone was… unsettling.

anwhile, deeper within the forest—

"Does Kumogakure hate that much? I don't recall provoking you."

Zoro's voice was calm as ever as he looked ahead at the three figures blocking his path. All of them wore attire bearing the unmistakable markings of Kumogakure.

At the center stood a jōnin, his posture relaxed yet commanding.

"You two go first."

The Kumogakure jōnin spoke indifferently, his gaze fixed on Zoro while he gave orders to the two masked shinobi standing beside him.

He had no intention of acting imdiately.

Instead, he would first use these two as tools—to test the strength of the boy in front of him.

The two shinobi at his side were mbers of Root.

Their presence here was not coincidence.

They were an unexpected but convenient addition.

The reason was simple: Danzō Shimura had offered Kumogakure considerable benefits in exchange for one thing—sending a team-leading jōnin to deal with a certain swordsmanship prodigy from Konoha.

A mutually beneficial arrangent.

Kumogakure had no reason to refuse.

After all, not only would they receive compensation, they would also weaken one of Konoha's rising talents.

It was a transaction with nothing but advantages.

And in the shinobi world—

No village would reject an opportunity like that.