Naruto: Growing Stronger Through Healing

The Bearded Man's voice, thick with undisguised killing intent, rang out sharply across the battlefield.

Almost the instant the words left his mouth, his figure blurred as he swung his blade toward Yahiko at extreme speed, the edge whistling through the rain-soaked air.

After the brief exchange earlier, the Bearded Man had already realized one thing clearly: the three young Rain Ninja standing before him were anything but ordinary. They were far more troublesome than he had expected.

Even with superior numbers, his side could not gain the upper hand.

Aside from himself and the Red Headscarf Man, the remaining eight were completely incapable of standing up to these three. They had been beaten down again and again, reduced to barely holding on.

If it weren't for the fact that their opponents clearly had no intention of killing, they would have already collapsed, scattered, and fled for their lives.

Because of this, the Bearded Man had long since harbored thoughts of retreat.

But just as he was about to lead his people away, he noticed something strange.

Yahiko—clearly the leader among the three—was… naïve. Too naïve.

That naïveté immediately sparked a ruthless idea in the Bearded Man's mind.

If he could kill the backbone first, everything would collapse.

Once Yahiko was dead, the remaining man and woman would surely lose their composure. At that point, if everyone swarmed in together, the battle could be ended in an instant.

And so, the scene before them unfolded.

"Yahiko!" Nagato and Konan shouted in alarm the moment they realized what was happening.

But the Bearded Man's strike was far too sudden—and far too fast.

At their current distance, Yahiko had no time to dodge.

Swish! The blade flashed.

Yahiko's body was cut cleanly in half at the waist.

Yet in the next instant, his severed form dissolved into a splash of water that scattered onto the ground.

Water Clone Technique!

Although Yahiko constantly spoke of peace, he had followed Aoshi on several missions in the past and received meticulous guidance.

He was never truly naïve to the point of stupidity. When dealing with strangers, he always maintained vigilance.

"That's great, Yahiko—you scared us to death."

Nagato, who had been wound tight with tension, finally let out a long breath of relief.

He couldn't even imagine what kind of despair would have consumed him if Yahiko had truly died right in front of his eyes.

In contrast, the Bearded Man's expression turned extremely grim.

A trace of shock also surfaced in his eyes. In his judgment, someone with Yahiko's personality shouldn't have possessed this level of caution.

But things had already reached this point. There was no time left to ponder why.

The ambush had failed. Now, only escape remained.

He shot a glance toward the Red Headscarf Man, who instantly understood his intent.

The two moved in perfect coordination.

The Red Headscarf Man rapidly formed hand seals and unleashed Fire Release, spewing out blazing flames.

At the same time, the Bearded Man poured chakra into his blade and swung it violently, releasing a slash infused with raging wind.

This was a technique he had developed after leaving the Land of Iron, combining swordsmanship with Wind Release chakra nature transformation.

It was a move that perfectly complemented Fire Release.

Bang!

The wind fed the fire.

Flames surged violently, whipped into a terrifying inferno by the roaring gale, expanding outward in an instant.

The power of this combined attack was astonishing. It was the trump card that had allowed them to survive while wandering the Ninja World.

Against an ordinary ninja, this move was practically unbeatable.

Yet even so, neither the Bearded Man nor the Red Headscarf Man felt even the slightest confidence.

Using this attack merely to buy time, they immediately turned and fled, retreating with their remaining companions.

Because they knew very well, this move would not work on Yahiko and his companions.

And reality proved them right. Facing the raging inferno once again, Nagato stepped forward calmly and extended both hands.

Activating the power of the Deva Path, he absorbed the violent flames head-on.

By the time the sea of fire vanished completely, the Bearded Man and the others were already far away, their figures disappearing into the rain.

Of course, Yahiko had no intention of pursuing them. He was not a violent or bloodthirsty person.

His conflict with them had only ever been to protect the villagers.

"Thank you so much!" At this moment, the villagers gathered around them, voices filled with gratitude.

Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan all smiled sincerely, indicating that this was simply what they were supposed to do.

For a brief moment, a warm and peaceful atmosphere filled the area.

Then, a Kunai whistled through the air at high speed.

An ignited explosive tag was tied to its handle.

"Oh no!" Konan reacted first.

She instantly launched a Paper Shuriken, knocking the Kunai off course.

Boom! The explosive tag detonated violently, but fortunately, no one was injured.

The villagers hurriedly retreated back into the village, panic spreading among them.

Konan and her two companions, however, stood their ground, eyes locked on the three figures charging forward.

Three New Root ninja.

Each wore a mask marked with a different pattern—an eagle, a cat, and a bear. These were their codenames.

"Who are you? Why are you attacking us?" Yahiko demanded sharply.

In response, he received only another merciless assault. Unlike the rogue ninja earlier, the New Root operatives acted with cold precision.

In their eyes, there was nothing but the mission.

"Be careful. These people are dangerous!" Yahiko warned Nagato and Konan, tightening his grip on his kunai as he rushed forward.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

In just a few heartbeats, he had already exchanged several blows with Eagle.

What shocked Yahiko was that Eagle suddenly pulled bones out of his own body to fight.

Shikotsumyaku! This Eagle was actually a member of the Kaguya Clan.

Not only that—while swinging bone weapons to block Yahiko's attacks, Eagle extended one hand and fired finger bones like bullets.

Dance of the Seedling Fern!

The bone projectiles were unbelievably fast and incredibly hard, carrying terrifying penetrating power.

Facing Shikotsumyaku for the first time, Yahiko had no experience dealing with such an ability.

Despite dodging with all his might, he was still grazed by a finger bone. Blood splashed into the rain.

On the other side, Konan was facing the New Root operative codenamed Cat—the only woman among them.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Konan activated her unique Paper Ninjutsu, folding white paper into sharp shuriken shapes and launching them rapidly.

Paper Shuriken!

Though made of paper, once infused with chakra, they were just as sharp and lethal as real weapons.

Yet to Konan's astonishment, Cat neither dodged nor defended.

The Paper Shuriken struck her body directly, and the hit areas instantly turned into puddles of water.

Water Clone Technique? No—this wasn't a Water Clone.

A true Water Clone would dissolve entirely upon impact. But Cat's body only partially transformed into water, while the rest remained humanoid.

What Konan didn't know was that this was the Hōzuki Clan's secret technique from the Hidden Mist Village—Hydrification Technique.

Before Konan could fully process this revelation, Cat counterattacked. She extended both hands toward Konan, firing pressurized streams from her index fingers.

Water Gun Technique!

Bang!

Bang!

Caught off guard, Konan was struck twice, her body jolting under the impact.

Meanwhile, on Nagato's side. Blessed with vast chakra reserves, he didn't engage in taijutsu like Yahiko.

He immediately unleashed ninjutsu. Wind Release: Gale Palm!

Fierce gales erupted, sweeping toward Bear, who was charging straight at him.

An ordinary ninja would have been blown away instantly.

But Bear—hailing from the Hidden Mist Village and forged through the brutal training of the New Root—already possessed elite Jonin-level strength.

Using the Body Flicker Technique, he vanished from the wind's path and reappeared behind Nagato.

At the same time, the kunai in his hand stabbed straight toward Nagato's vital point.

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