This Naruto is too easily persuaded.

Outside the tree hollow, the Sound Ninja trio sealed off the entrance.

Tos, hunched over, scanned the cave with his single eye, his tone tinged with mockery:

"Is this all the geniuses Konoha have to offer? How disappointing."

Sack raised his hands, pointing the air holes in his palms at the cave entrance, and laughed arrogantly:

"Hey, you inside, bring out the scroll, and maybe we can leave you a whole corpse."

Inside the cave, Sakura took a deep breath and then pulled an extremely thin chakra thread.

hum.

The talismans that had been buried on the ground around the cave entrance lit up instantly.

"Simple Binding Array!"

"What?!"

Just as Sak was about to rush in, his feet stopped. Several talismans seemed to have a magnetic force, holding him firmly in place.

"burst!"

Without any hesitation, Sakura formed the hand seals again.

Binding arrays restrict movement, while detonating rune arrays destroy enemies—this is a killer move Sakura recently learned.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The explosion instantly engulfed the stunned Sound Ninja trio.

Although his chakra was limited, the binding array did not hold him for long.

Even a brief pause would be enough for the three genin to suffer from the close-range explosion of the explosive tags.

"Cough cough... Damn it! Someone on them knows sealing techniques!"

As the smoke cleared, Sak awkwardly used his Sky-Splitting Wave to disperse the smoke.

His trousers were blown to shreds, and his ankles were covered in blood.

Tos and King were also forced to retreat, their bodies bruised and looking quite disheveled.

"Don't underestimate the ninjas of Konoha!"

Sakura stood at the cave entrance with a determined look on her face.

Although she consumed a huge amount of chakra, she did manage to hold off the three of them single-handedly.

"Bastard... I'm going to kill you!"

Kark was completely enraged.

His eyes were bloodshot, and chakra was frantically gathering in his palms, preparing to unleash a maximum-powered air-cutting wave to flatten the entire tree hole.

However, before he could make a move...

Sasuke lowered his head and slowly emerged from the darkness, passing Sakura.

"Well done, Sakura."

Sasuke's voice was deep and flat, yet it sent a chill down one's spine.

"Leave the rest to me."

He suddenly raised his head, and three tomoe swirled in his eyes.

"Perfect."

"I'm... really angry right now."

Sasuke looked at the disheveled Sound Ninja trio before him as if they were three lambs to the slaughter.

"Sharingan?"

Tos was startled; he hadn't yet recovered from the disorientation caused by Sakura's trap.

Now, facing this oppressive feeling again, he instinctively sensed something was wrong.

"Use your blood to wash away my shame."

Sasuke's figure vanished from the spot in an instant, so fast that the three Sound Ninja couldn't react at all.

"Sak! Retreat!"

Tos shouted.

But it was too late.

Zaku, who had just been injured in the explosion, was already immobile and had no chance against Sasuke, who was far stronger than him.

"Too slow."

Sasuke coldly uttered three words.

He didn't use any ninjutsu; he simply gripped Zak's proud hands like iron clamps.

"Do you rely entirely on these hands for your ninjutsu?"

Sasuke looked at Zaku's terrified eyes, and Orochimaru's face flashed through his mind again.

"I can't beat that monster... You bunch of nobodies... dare to challenge me?"

The pent-up fear, inferiority, and shame transformed into a violent destructive urge.

Click!

There was a heartbreaking sound of bone cracking.

"Aaaaaah!!"

Sak let out a piercing scream.

His arms were forcibly broken by Sasuke, presenting a bizarre twisted angle.

But it's not over yet.

Sasuke kicked Zaku hard in the chin, sending him flying.

His scarlet eyes instantly locked onto the other two.

Kongo was about to throw out the senbon needles when Sasuke glared at him with murderous intent, causing him to freeze in his tracks.

The next instant, Sasuke's fist struck her abdomen hard.

"vomit!"

Jin spat out a mouthful of acid, rolled his eyes, and collapsed to the ground.

Only Tos remained on the field.

"How is that possible..."

Tos's legs went weak when he saw Sasuke, who looked like a demon.

The scene before me didn't resemble a battle; it looked more like a massacre.

"Go to hell!"

Sasuke didn't want to waste any more words. The kunai in his hand gleamed coldly as he thrust it straight at Tosu's throat.

This time, Sasuke didn't hesitate at all; his sole purpose was to take someone's life.

Moreover, there was a hint of twisted pleasure on his face.

He is now enjoying the feeling of controlling the life and death of others, and wants to fill the emptiness in his heart with killing.

Just as the kunai was about to pierce Tos's throat.

Snapped.

A hand grabbed Sasuke's wrist.

This hand was like an insurmountable wall; no matter how hard Sasuke tried to move his wrist, he couldn't advance even an inch.

"Let go, Naruto!"

Sasuke suddenly turned around, his expression ferocious:

"Are you trying to stop me too? Are you looking down on me as well?"

"Sasuke, look at yourself now."

Naruto spoke coldly, "Do you know what you look like right now?"

"Like a wild dog that barks at the weak after its tail has been stepped on."

"What did you say?"

Sasuke was furious and his chakra suddenly erupted as he tried to break free.

But Naruto's hand remained completely still.

"Killing is acceptable."

"To survive, to fulfill a mission, or even to clear obstacles for ambition—these are all valid reasons."

Naruto was not intimidated by Sasuke's aura; instead, he took a step closer.

"But killing is just a means; the key is to achieve the desired goal."

Naruto pointed to Zaku, who was screaming on the ground, and his tone turned cold:

"And what are you doing now? You're enjoying the torture, using the blood of the weak to mask your fear of Orochimaru."

"You think this is what strength is?"

Naruto released his grip. "That's called cowardice."

"A true hero should dare to confront the strong, rather than recklessly wielding a knife against the weak."

"If you want to kill them, then go ahead."

"But the reason cannot be to vent anger."

Sasuke was stunned.

He was breathing heavily, and the three tomoe in his eyes slowly stopped turning and finally faded away.

Am I...scared?

His hand, which was tightly gripping the kunai, also fell to his sides.

That suffocating atmosphere of brutality dissipated.

Instead, there was a deep sense of self-doubt and exhaustion.

"...You're right."

Sasuke lowered his head, refusing to look at the terrified and paralyzed Tosu.

"Killing this kind of trash only proves that I'm a piece of trash, venting my anger on even more trashy people."

As Naruto watched Sasuke's retreating figure, the coldness in his eyes faded, replaced by a hint of approval.

"It's not hopeless yet."

As Toth looked at the two people in front of him, his fear reached its peak.

Are all the genin of Konoha monsters?

Naruto waved his hand as if shooing away flies:

"Leave the reel, take the trash with you."

"Then, get out."

Tos was granted a pardon.

He shakily took out the Earth Scroll, placed it on the ground, and kowtowed twice to Naruto.

Then, carrying the unconscious Kim and the seriously injured Sack, they fled into the depths of the forest without looking back.

Naruto picked up the scroll and glanced at Sakura, who was panting beside him.

"Well done, Sakura."

"Your sealing technique was well executed. Keep up the good work."

"Is that so?"

Sakura paused for a moment, then her face flushed with excitement.

It's been recognized!

Finally, it's no longer a burden!

Naruto put away the scroll and looked towards the tower.

"Let's proceed according to plan."