Konoha: Naruto's abnormal life choices

The autumn rain poured endlessly, turning the forest into a mire of red water.

Time had slipped by unnoticed, and now the sky was dark, with only a faint, hazy moon overhead.

As the breeze moved through the trees, it carried a mist tinged with blood across the border forest between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind. Severed arms hung from tree branches; heads lay buried beneath the soil.

One life after another had been taken, each soul returning to the arms of the god of death.

"One hundred and eighty-two."

"..."

"One hundred and eighty-eight."

"..."

"One hundred and ninety-six."

In the dark forest, a blond-haired boy murmured these numbers quietly as he walked.

Naruto Uzumaki moved slowly toward the next target area, silently tallying the number of Cloud Ninja he'd personally killed. Of the 300 troops the Hidden Cloud Village had sent to ambush the Konoha escort unit, nearly 200 had fallen by Naruto's hand alone. Factoring in casualties inflicted by others, the number likely exceeded 250, possibly 260.

That meant only about forty or fifty remained.

At this stage, Naruto knew the survivors would be on high alert, likely scattered and trying to flee. It made hunting them down more difficult, but it was something he had to do.

What a pain.

"Two hundred and three."

After taking out a few more, Naruto let out a soft breath of satisfaction. He then created more shadow clones to replace those he had lost while relaying information.

The Shadow Clone Jutsu was absolutely essential to Naruto's plan. Without it, wiping out the entire force would've been impossible.

A light breeze stirred again, this time carrying a stronger scent of blood. The metallic tang was nauseating, but to Naruto, it was a sign.

He smiled.

That smell meant his next prey was headed straight toward him—right on schedule.

Thump, thump, thump.

Footsteps crunched through the brush, accompanied by the sound of branches snapping under movement. Voices followed soon after.

"Lord Gaidei, we should fall back. Atsei is missing, and we can't reach Lord Xi or Lord Malis. I'm scared."

"Lord?" Naruto noted.

That meant this group was being led by a Jonin—likely one of the three main commanders from Kumogakure.

Xi was currently engaged in battle with Sarutobi Hazuki, and Malis was already dead—killed by Naruto. This left only Gaidei to possibly support the remaining Cloud troops.

"What are you afraid of?" Gaidei barked in a gravelly voice. "Do you even know who I am? Keep pursuing the One-Tail!"

Ah. Brave and stubborn.

Naruto's eyes glinted with satisfaction. A high-ranking ninja willing to fight rather than flee was easier to track—and kill.

With practiced ease, Naruto drew a kunai from his pouch and moved forward through the underbrush.

In the clearing, several Cloud Ninja stood scattered. All bore signs of injury—likely from fighting Shukaku, the One-Tail. Only one among them looked completely unharmed: a towering man nearly two meters tall, muscle-bound, with the exaggerated physique of a JoJo-style character.

"One, two, three, four..." Naruto counted. Seven in total.

Not bad—they had stumbled into a sizeable cluster of survivors.

As Naruto observed them, the Cloud Ninjas also took notice of him. Since he wore no forehead protector and didn't appear affiliated with any known village, they didn't attack immediately.

His confident stride suggested he might be an ally—or maybe just a deserter.

"Hey, kid! What unit are you with? I don't recognize you."

Gaidei eyed Naruto suspiciously. He clearly hated deserters, but needed answers.

When Naruto didn't respond, Gaidei frowned. "Have you seen Xi or Malis? No? Figures. Fine. Take a breather and then come with us to hunt down the One-Tail."

He didn't ask whether Naruto wanted to join. He simply issued the order.

Naruto nodded. "Alright."

This might even be fun—and it'd save him the trouble of tracking scattered enemies alone.

Sure enough, as they ran, more stragglers joined the team. In under ten minutes, their number swelled to fourteen. This was much more efficient than searching solo.

Ahead, Shukaku had slowed down, scanning his surroundings.

Naruto noticed that the massive beast had stopped in the exact spot where he'd used a Tailed Beast Bomb earlier to wipe out a Cloud unit. Likely, Shukaku was searching for the Nine-Tails—Naruto—who had disappeared after the blast.

"Hey, what's your name?" asked one of the Cloud Ninja. "Pretty sure I haven't seen you around."

The man approached with a friendly tone. Naruto, improvising, gave him a name that would sound natural in the Land of Lightning.

"Ai Chaobi," he replied.

"Ai Chaobi?" The man scratched his head. "That name sounds kinda weird."

Naruto chuckled. "I think it's fine."

"Well, alright then. I'm Drake."

Drake glanced around and then leaned in closer, his hand resting lightly on Naruto's shoulder.

"Hey, buddy... when you were running earlier, did you see a good path to escape?"

"Huh?"

Meeting Naruto's eyes, Drake lowered his voice even more.

"I don't wanna fight anymore. Let's ditch these guys and make a break for it."

Drake assumed Naruto was a deserter, like himself. But upon hearing this, a cold light flickered in Naruto's eyes.

You're first.

"Let's talk in a bit," Naruto said calmly. "We'll fall back to the rear and then slip away."

"Sweet! I knew you'd be smart. When we get back, dinner's on me."

Drake's face lit up with hope. He wasn't the only one—most of the Cloud Ninja Naruto had killed shared that same mindset.

They thought they were coming for an easy victory—glory, loot, maybe even a captive or two. Some had even fantasized about abducting Konoha kunoichi.

None expected to become the hunted.

"Ai Chaobi," Drake said again, beaming as the two of them slowed down, drifting to the back of the squad.

He didn't get another word out.

Naruto's kunai slashed cleanly across his neck, leaving a deep red mark. As Drake collapsed, Naruto used the Transformation Jutsu to take his appearance and rejoined the group unnoticed.

No one up front realized they'd lost a man. Their focus had already shifted to the battle ahead.

Konoha's green vests clashed with Iwagakure's red armor. Two figures darted through the forest—one of them, Sarutobi Hazuki, leapt into the moonlight, striking a blow that left several bloody wounds across Xi's body.

Hazuki looked slightly better off. She had no visible injuries, but her sword was broken into pieces.

Xi stepped back, breathing hard, then dropped his ruined weapon and began forming hand seals.

"Water Style: Water Fang Blade!"

Chakra condensed into a sharp blade of water—deadlier than his iron sword had ever been.

Xi's face twisted. He hadn't expected this. His previous attack now seemed laughable by comparison.

Time to retreat.

Just as the thought crossed his mind, a voice rang out:

"Xi, you're looking pathetic."

Relief surged through Xi's chest as he spotted the Cloud team arriving. Reinforcements, finally.

"Sarutobi Hazuki, you're finished!" he shouted, activating Palm Healing to tend to his wounds. "Surround her!"

The Cloud Ninjas rushed forward, encircling Hazuki from all sides.

Ye Yue (Hazuki) frowned, despair flashing in her eyes. After fighting so long and gaining the upper hand, the enemy's reinforcements had arrived at the worst possible time.

"You're the one who killed so many of our brothers, Sarutobi Hazuki. You're not getting away today!" Gaidei bellowed as he approached. "Listen up, men! Whoever helps capture her gets a reward!"

"Thanks, sir!"

"Hah, I don't have a wife yet—give her to me and I'll treat everyone when we get back!"

"Why be selfish? A beauty like her's better enjoyed by everyone!"

The Cloud Ninja began debating who would get to 'own' Hazuki, their eyes full of greed and malice. The ugliness of human nature was laid bare in that moment.

For female ninjas captured on the battlefield, this was often their fate. Death was mercy. If they survived capture, what awaited them was far worse.

Hazuki ignored their filthy talk, raising her water blade and preparing for one final stand.

She'd already accepted her likely end. If she couldn't escape, she would take her own life before letting herself fall into their hands.

"Hahhh~"

With a steady exhale, she prepared to charge Xi, determined to land at least one fatal blow.

Xi read her expression, understanding her resolve. He took a half step back, raising his kunai defensively.

"You think you can kill me now? Keep dreaming," he sneered, stepping behind two of his allies to use them as shields.

Then he paused. Something felt… off.

The chakra of the Cloud Ninja beside him—it wasn't right.

Just three steps away, that ninja suddenly launched an attack—targeting Xi, not Hazuki.

The speed surpassed even Jonin level.

"Two hundred and eight," came a whisper.

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