I ,Sasuke , Why Should I Defect To Konoha

Beneath a scorching sun, Sasuke darted through the dense mountain forest, his crimson Sharingan gleaming as he meticulously scanned the landscape. For this mission, Team 7 had been assigned a straightforward task: to drive away wild boars that had been causing havoc in a nearby village. While it might sound simple, Sasuke quickly realized that tracking and expelling the animals was more challenging than he had anticipated. As he leaped from branch to branch, his mind drifted to the advantages of the Byakugan—an eye technique that allowed a user to survey a vast area effortlessly.

"The Byakugan would make this so much easier," Sasuke mused. "Hinata or Neji could gather real-time images within a kilometer at a glance. My Sharingan can capture details and track movement precisely, but its field of vision is narrow. Worse, I can only sustain it for about ten minutes before my chakra starts to drain heavily."

Feeling the strain, Sasuke closed his Sharingan to conserve chakra and paused, taking a deep breath. So far, he had only found traces of a single wild boar. If he was going to complete this mission—and earn bragging rights over Naruto—he'd need a smarter approach.

Glancing around, Sasuke noticed a pine tree nearby and then saw that there were many more scattered throughout the forest. Suddenly, an idea took shape in his mind. "Pine oil—that's it! Wild boars are highly attracted to the scent." His eyes narrowed as he started to form hand seals.

"Fire Style: Supreme Fireball Jutsu!" With a burst of chakra, Sasuke expelled a controlled fireball at the tree, setting it ablaze. Pine trees, rich in oils, were highly flammable, and the burning pine released a powerful, earthy scent that spread quickly through the forest.

"Boars' sense of smell is twice as sensitive as a dog's," he thought, smirking. "They'll be drawn here in no time." Moving swiftly, Sasuke ignited several other pine trees, ensuring the scent would reach as wide an area as possible. Within moments, the thick smoke and the aroma of pine oil drifted through the forest, dispersing in all directions.

At the same time, Naruto and Sakura, each tackling their own methods, noticed the rising smoke. Naruto rolled his eyes and summoned a few shadow clones to scour the area, while Sakura continued tracking footprints in the forest soil.

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An hour later, Sasuke leaned against a tree trunk, breathing heavily as he regained some of his chakra. His tactic seemed to be working: in the clearing below, a sizable group of boars, big and small, had gathered, drawn to the strong scent of pine. Yet, just as he began planning his next move, Kakashi appeared beside him, looking amused.

"Sasuke, I see you've drawn the boars out. Clever," Kakashi commented with his usual lazy tone. "But my instructions were for you to improve your intelligence-gathering skills. How does setting a forest fire accomplish that?"

Sasuke glanced at him, a hint of defiance in his gaze. "Isn't the ultimate goal to drive the boars away? Besides, this technique lets me control them without their realizing I'm here."

Kakashi sighed and gave Sasuke a look of mild exasperation. "You do realize this forest provides vital resources for the villagers who live nearby. A stray spark, and you could set the whole place ablaze." Still, Kakashi couldn't help but be slightly impressed by Sasuke's ingenuity.

As they spoke, the group of wild boars continued milling around below, sniffing out the source of the enticing scent. Sasuke seized the moment, eager to wrap up the mission. "We've got most of them here now. Let's get them moving west toward that wild area about ten kilometers away." He glanced at Kakashi, adding with a smirk, "Shall we, Sensei?"

Kakashi gave a reluctant nod. "If we wait much longer, it'll be harder to gather them up again."

Without missing a beat, Sasuke leapt into action, drawing several shuriken and tossing them strategically among the boars, causing a commotion. The startled animals began charging in random directions.

"Patience, Sasuke," Kakashi muttered as he quickly formed hand seals. "I didn't say which way to drive them!" With a burst of smoke, Kakashi's shadow clones sprang up on either side, herding the boars into a more controlled direction.

Together, Kakashi and Sasuke drove the herd westward, maintaining just enough pressure to keep them moving without scattering. When they finally reached the wild reserve, they halted and let the boars wander off, confident they'd be unlikely to return to the village.

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Meanwhile, back at the original meeting spot, Naruto and Sakura waited with mixed feelings. Naruto, having found only two young boars, was convinced Sasuke had failed to find anything and decided to brag. "Sasuke must have given up! He couldn't handle it, so he probably bailed," Naruto announced, holding up the small boars with a smug grin.

Sakura, less sure, admonished him, "Don't be so quick to badmouth Sasuke-kun, Naruto. This is a team mission. Why are you here with only two small boars?"

Just as Naruto began gloating, Sasuke and Kakashi returned. "I'm sorry, Naruto, but you can't beat me this time," Sasuke said, appearing behind them with a smirk.

Naruto's confidence faltered as Kakashi explained, "Sasuke gathered almost all the boars and drove them ten kilometers into the reserve." The look of surprise on Naruto's face was priceless.

"Mission complete," Kakashi confirmed, turning to the client, who looked relieved.

As Sakura blushed with admiration for Sasuke's success, Naruto's pride deflated. Holding up the two small boars, he muttered, "I thought I had you this time…"

Sasuke chuckled and walked past Naruto, satisfied that his strategy had worked. He could feel the familiar thrill of victory, accompanied by the faintest glow of chakra returning to him as a mission reward.

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With the task complete, Team 7 regrouped, ready to return to Konoha. Yet, as they walked, Sasuke's thoughts turned inward. The mission had highlighted his Sharingan's limitations in intelligence-gathering, and he couldn't shake the nagging feeling that he would need more than the Sharingan alone to achieve his goals.

"It might be worth learning more about the Byakugan," he thought, considering the advantages it would bring to his repertoire. If he could master both the Byakugan and the Sharingan, his abilities would far exceed that of his peers, and he'd be better prepared to face future challenges.

For now, though, Sasuke was content. He had outperformed his teammates, executed his plan with precision, and earned Kakashi's reluctant approval. More importantly, he had taken one small step closer to honing the skills he would need to achieve his ultimate ambition.

Back in Konoha, the villagers might only see this mission as a routine pest control job, but for Sasuke, it had been a valuable learning experience. He would remember this small victory as a stepping stone in his journey—a journey that he knew would ultimately lead him far beyond these forests and into the heart of his own destiny.

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