Naruto : Nameless Brothel

"What could she possibly say to me?" His eyes gleamed with cold detachment as Naruto sped toward Suna. "I keep saying I'll take my own path… but it's harder than it seems… and then there's that damned seal!"

Suddenly, he stopped dead in his tracks, taking cover on a tree branch. He sensed the presence of about ten individuals. Given their positioning and numbers, the most obvious conclusion was that they were lying in ambush—but who were they waiting for?

"What the hell are they up to?" Masking his presence, he crept a little closer. "What should I do? I was ordered not to engage in combat..."

Then, other chakra signatures appeared, moving swiftly.

"Hmmm!"

Naruto saw that they were Konoha shinobi and decided to observe a little longer. But when he noticed who was at the back of the group, a sudden wave of murderous intent surged through him—revealing his position in the process.

One of the men quickly looked up, sensing a sudden presence. "What the—"

[splashhh!]

Before he could finish his sentence, his throat was slit. His last sight was of a man in black, wearing a mask, staring at him with icy eyes.

"What do you think you're doing, trying to warn your little friends?" Naruto murmured, wiping the blood dripping from his kunai.

He instantly resumed his course, leaving behind Kakashi's team, which also seemed to be heading toward Suna in an intense battle.

"With this, they won't be arriving anytime soon," Naruto sighed as he moved swiftly and silently through the forest. "I have to handle this myself…"

But before he could pick up speed, he noticed about twenty more men scattered throughout the area.

"Are they flies or what?" he muttered, halting to scan his surroundings. "Why the hell are they all gathering here like this…"

From what he could see, these men were far more experienced than the previous ones. He had only two choices: either go around them—losing valuable time—or fight them, which would also cost him time.

Naruto didn't hesitate. Waiting was the same as dying.

A faint crack echoed as he vanished from the branch he was perched on.

A strangled cry was cut off before it could even form. A black kunai, coated in a paralyzing poison, silently pierced the throat of a hidden scout. Naruto landed soundlessly, his icy gaze scanning the surroundings. It seemed he hadn't been spotted yet.

The second and third enemies fared no better. Using the Shunshin no Jutsu, he appeared behind them, his blade grazing their skin before they could make a sound. Two corpses collapsed onto the ground, staining the grass with bright red blood.

"Seventeen left."

"We're under attack! Everyone, in position!" A rough voice shattered the forest's silence. The enemies took up their stances.

"Tch."

It seemed the situation had become slightly inconvenient. If his sensei were here, Naruto would have received a serious punishment for getting caught so quickly.

A sharp whistling sound. A volley of shuriken tore through the air. Naruto pivoted, his body vanishing like mist under an Anbu Genjutsu. The attackers blinked, suddenly disoriented.

Too late.

Naruto materialized in the middle of the central group. His hand pierced through a ninja's ribcage, tearing out a sharp gasp. In one fluid motion, he twisted the lifeless body around, using it as a human shield against a katana that would have split him in two.

He crouched, his fingers forming a lightning-fast seal.

[Fūton: Shikkoku Kaze.]

A gust of wind howled, lifting the fallen leaves, slicing through flesh, and drawing agonized screams from the five unfortunate souls standing too close. Their bodies collapsed onto the ground, their last breaths escaping in a ghostly whisper.

"Twelve left."

One of the assailants, likely the leader, barked an order. The remaining enemies shifted formation, attempting to surround Naruto.

A mistake.

Before they could react, their target had disappeared.

Like a shadow, Naruto moved among them—ghostly, untouchable. To him, this was just a game. They were no better than the training dummies he had practiced on for years.

In a blur of movement and pinpoint strikes, Naruto reappeared beside each marked target. A kunai to the throat. A silent Rasengan to the chest. A swift, clean neck snap.

"Five left."

Their faces were contorted in pure terror. This wasn't a battle. It was a hunt.

One of them, trembling, dropped his weapon and tried to flee.

Naruto didn't let him. He had learned well that leaving survivors only led to problems in the future. It was best to clean up properly.

[Doton: Shichiseiken.]

The ground beneath his feet shifted into stone chains, wrapping around the fleeing man, trapping him in an unyielding grip. With a sharp motion, Naruto drove his fist into the man's back, shattering his spine.

The four remaining survivors fell to their knees.

"Please…" one of them murmured.

"If it were the old me, that might have worked… but you would've tried to kill me anyway. I just acted first."

Naruto's cold gaze bore into them, his pristine white Anbu mask only making the moment more surreal.

"This desert will be your grave."

A final Fūton: Senmetsu no Yaiba swept through them like a blade of death.

Silence draped over the forest like a funeral shroud. Blood seeped slowly into the earth around the cooling corpses. Yet Naruto didn't lower his guard. There was still one left.

"Come out." Naruto turned his head toward a particular tree, his voice calm and cutting.

A slight noise. A barely perceptible rustle. Then, a figure emerged from the shadows of the branches.

The man stepped forward, his movements fluid and unhurried, as if he had just woken from a nap.

He was tall, lean, draped in a travel cloak split at the sides, revealing a fitted combat outfit beneath. His face, partially obscured by a sand-colored scarf, exposed only his strange golden eyes—gleaming with a teasing light.

But it was his smile that struck Naruto.

Not mocking. Not taunting. Just… amused. Like a spectator enjoying the show.

"You're fast," the man admitted, crossing his arms. "Impressive, really."

Naruto didn't respond. He analyzed every movement, every breath. He knew he could win this fight. But he also knew something else.

This wouldn't be quick.

And the man knew it too.

"Looks like we're at a standstill," the stranger continued. "You're in a hurry. I don't feel like fighting."

He shrugged, his smile widening slightly.

"So… what do we do?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes. This man didn't have the posture of a coward. He wasn't running. He was choosing not to fight.

After a brief silence, Naruto slowly sheathed his kunai.

"You're lucky," he muttered as he walked past, locking eyes with him.

The man didn't move, but his smile stretched a little further.

"That's what I like to tell myself."

The wind rose, lifting a flurry of blood-stained leaves between them.

By the time they settled, Naruto was already gone—vanishing into the shadows, racing toward Suna.

Behind him, the man gazed at the horizon, then let out a quiet chuckle.

"Heh… interesting."