Shiiing—
The sharp whisper of a blade slicing through the air cut through the battlefield.
With a swift, merciless strike, the man's sword tore through three enemies at once.
Blood sprayed into the air—his own and his enemies'.
Countless bodies littered the ground beneath him.
The remaining bandits hesitated, fear creeping into their eyes.
They had watched too many of their own fall beneath this man's blade.
Now, only the man remained standing—
The last defender of the caravan.
A figure stepped forward from the enemy ranks.
A bandit leader.
His lips curled into a mocking smirk.
"An old-world warrior? You're just a relic, left behind by time. Whoever takes his head—I'll make it worth your while!"
Despite the taunt, the man's grip on his sword never wavered.
His eyes remained calm.
A scarred bandit stepped forward, scoffing.
"I'll handle this. We need to wrap this up before Konoha's ninja arrive."
The man slowly raised his blade—steady, unwavering.
The scarred bandit rushed forward, short blade in hand.
But as their eyes met—
A chill ran down his spine.
For just a second—
He saw something.
A vision of pure, unrelenting slaughter.
The man's presence became overwhelming, suffocating—like a demon from the depths of hell.
And then—
A flash of silver.
A single arc of light.
The bandit never even felt the cut.
It was only when the world tilted sideways that he realized—
His own head was no longer attached to his body.
Thud—
His lifeless head hit the ground.
---
Silence.
The entire battlefield froze.
The bandits stared in horror.
The leader's face twisted in shock.
"What... just happened?"
The bandit leader barely had time to register what had happened.
One moment, his most trusted fighter was alive.
The next—his head was rolling on the ground.
The dull-looking man before them no longer seemed human.
To the bandits, he had become a bloodstained specter—a force of destruction.
The man spoke, his voice calm but laced with disdain.
"Even if I'm a relic of the past, scum like you have no right to say it."
The bandit leader gritted his teeth, his face twisting in fury.
"Damn you! He's just putting on an act! Kill him! Whoever takes his head gets to be my second-in-command!"
That got their attention.
They were outlaws—death was always a risk, but opportunity was rare.
A chance to climb the ranks?
That was worth a gamble.
One of the bandits took the bait, raising his weapon.
"He's barely standing! Take him down!"
A few others joined in, hyping themselves up, and then—
They all charged.
The man lifted his katana, his expression cold.
"You're really that eager to die? Fine. First one who steps forward gets sent to hell."
The charging bandits hesitated, their momentum faltering.
Then—
Without warning, the man spun on his heels and bolted.
He moved fast—too fast for a dying man.
The bandits blinked.
Wait.
Wasn't he just acting all fearless?
Why was he running away?
The bandit leader was the first to snap out of it.
"After him! He's bluffing—he must be at his limit!"
The group snapped into action, giving chase.
Ahead, the man ran at full speed, his katana still in hand.
"Idiots! My kids already got away—why the hell would I stay and die for nothing?"
The bandits snarled, pressing forward.
"He's right there! Don't let him get away!"
But no matter how they tried, they couldn't close the gap.
Despite carrying a sword, the man was faster than all of them.
It was almost like he had years of experience running caravans…
A necessary skill, after all.
Still—
The bandits weren't completely out of options.
They started hurling arrows and daggers, hoping to bring him down from a distance.
But their aim was terrible.
The man barely had to dodge—they kept missing anyway.
And then—
Shhht!
A sudden barrage of kunai and shuriken flew past him, straight into the pursuing bandits.
Seven or eight dropped instantly.
Whoosh—
A dark shadow shot forward.
Sasuke.
His blade flashed.
The remaining bandits didn't even have time to react before they were cut down in an instant.
From a distance, it looked like a gust of wind had swept through them—
And then they collapsed, one by one, like wheat under a scythe.
Within seconds, it was over.
Kakashi and the rest of the team arrived.
Chihiro had the little girl.
Sakura held the boy's hand.
Naruto, still a few steps behind, scowled.
"Damn it, Sasuke! You took them all out before I even got a chance!"
Sasuke wiped his blade clean, unfazed.
"They weren't worth the effort."
And then—
"Father!"
The girl and the boy rushed forward—
Straight into the arms of the man who had fought to protect them.
The man let his knife drop and opened his arms, pulling his daughter and son close. His rough, calloused hands ruffled their hair as he spoke softly.
"Dad's okay."
The girl and the boy clung to him, tears in their eyes, unbothered by the blood on his clothes.
"I thought… I thought you were—"
The man gently wiped the girl's face.
"Idiot. Your father isn't that easy to kill."
Kakashi and the others smiled at the scene, relieved.
"Good thing we got here in time," he said.
Sakura stepped forward.
"You're injured. Let me take care of it."
The girl and boy snapped back to reality.
"Yes! Dad, let her help!"
The man exhaled, nodding, but his focus shifted. He turned to Kakashi, his expression serious.
"Sir, there are still people from our caravan who might be alive. We have to save them!"
Kakashi's gaze darkened slightly. He turned to Sasuke.
"Sasuke."
Sasuke rolled his eyes.
"Tch. What a pain."
And then—
Whoosh.
Lightning flickered as Sasuke vanished in a streak of speed.
Moments later, the rest of the squad—led by Sakiya—arrived at the scene of the attack.
It was a massacre.
Bodies littered the road. The caravan had been torn apart.
Everyone frowned at the sight.
Sasuke stood next to a wrecked carriage, his expression cold.
"By the time I got here, they were already gone."
He shook his head.
"I didn't find any survivors."
The man clenched his fists, his knuckles white, before letting out a furious, guttural scream.
"Those bastards!"
Chihiro stepped forward, her voice calm but firm.
"Mourning won't change anything."
The man sighed, his shoulders sagging.
"I knew something like this would happen sooner or later. They could have hired more ninjas, but they thought it was too expensive..."
His voice trailed off, but then—
His expression darkened with pure hatred.
"All because of those damn bandits… this rotten world!"
He gritted his teeth.
"That's why I swore to fight for peace. A world where no one has to suffer like this again."
And then—
A voice, calm but firm, interrupted his rage.
"That's why I believe in a world of peace. A world where no one has to live like this."
He turned sharply.
Standing before him was a strange girl with a blindfold.
The man sighed.
"World peace...? You're still young. You don't understand."
His voice was heavy with cynicism.
"This world will never be truly at peace."
Sakiya smiled, an unreadable expression on her face.
"Under my eyes, anything is possible."
The man started to reply but felt a light tap on his shoulder. Instinctively, he turned—Sakura stood there, her expression calm.
"If you don't treat that wound soon, it could get infected," she said gently. "Let me take care of it first."
She guided him aside, and as she did, she glanced toward Sakiya, lowering her voice.
"Don't overthink what she says. In her world, nothing is impossible."
The man scratched his head, casting a strange look at Sakiya before letting the matter go.
Later, after reaching a safe town, the man and his children parted ways with the team.
Before leaving, he presented Kakashi and the others with a precious samurai sword as a token of gratitude.
Despite Kakashi and Chihiro's attempts to refuse, the man was firm in his decision.
The blade was a legendary sword.
Its name—Sanriyu Zongjin.
Sasuke tested it and quickly realized something remarkable—it conducted chakra just as well as chakra-forged metal.
And it was razor-sharp.
Even a direct clash with kunai wouldn't leave a mark on its edge—it could cut clean through.
The group unanimously decided that Sasuke should keep it.
After all, he had contributed the most.
Chihiro, who had wielded her own blades for years, insisted she didn't need a new one.
Sasuke, without hesitation, accepted the sword.
"This is a real find," he muttered, admiring the craftsmanship. "This blade is worth a fortune."
Kakashi nodded.
"Even if we value it by chakra metal standards, this sword would be worth no less than 30 million."
And with that, the matter was settled.
Their journey continued.
Otonin Village was not far now.
_____________
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