Naruto: The Scientific Ninja

Thinking of this, the special jōnin known as Sand Demon became terrified. He quickly scanned the surroundings for any trace of Sasuke, but found nothing. This only deepened his speculation: 'It must be an elite jōnin using a high-level Body Flicker technique. Otherwise, I couldn't have lost all trace of him. The range of the Substitution Jutsu isn't that great.'

"Sand Demon, watch out for the leaves, it's a transformation technique!" the spiky-haired jōnin shouted from a distance, but it was already too late.

At that moment, behind Sand Demon, among the fallen leaves scattered on the ground, one of them, extremely common, was actually Sasuke in disguise. Under the perception of his sonar radar, he had predicted the enemy's prediction and had executed a reverse tactical operation.

There was a soft poof.

After canceling the transformation, Sasuke appeared in a crouch directly behind the special jōnin's backside. He held a kunai tightly between both hands, mimicking the Tiger Seal.

"Konohagakure's Secret Taijutsu Supreme Technique... A Thousand Years of Death!"

Sasuke thrust the kunai with all his might. The impact was followed by a jolt of agony so profound it felt like his soul was trying to eject itself from his body by the quickest route. With a muffled sound, the kunai sank in with pinpoint accuracy, disappearing completely, handle and all.

"Ahhh..."

A heart-wrenching, inhuman sound tore through the sky.

"Hiss..." The spiky-haired jōnin, who was about to finish off Ye, felt an involuntary clenching in his own rear and sucked in a breath of cold air. He was terrified. It was terrible. If that Konoha ninja had used the same tactic on him, his fate would have been the same as Sand Demon's.

Who would have thought that someone could use a Substitution, followed by a Transformation into a discreet leaf, to hide and launch such a... humiliating surprise attack? 'It's better to have your head cut off than to be stabbed like that and die in agony.'

"Ye, retreat first, I'll cover you."

Sasuke drew his "fish-cutting sword" and stood between Ye and the spiky-haired ninja.

"Wind Cut!"

The Suna jōnin, understanding Sasuke's terrifying tactical ability once more, gave him no time to plot and attacked directly with all his strength. With a clang, the sword light flashed. Sasuke barely managed to parry, and a lock of hair from his temples was cut and fell to the ground. He gripped his hilt tightly, cold sweat beading on his forehead, feeling genuine fear. 'He's worthy of being a jōnin. Even with an injured hand, his swordsmanship is no match for an ordinary chūnin.'

"You are not his opponent. I'll cover you, you take the others and retreat first," Ye said, picking up his longsword again with his left hand and blocking the path in front of Sasuke. His ninja will was extremely tenacious. He, unlike Kagejirō, possessed the true Will of Fire, willing to sacrifice himself so his comrades could escape.

"Then let's fight!" Sasuke replied, refusing to back down. Maru's team was about to arrive. If he ran now, wouldn't his half-year-long act of being a follower of the Will of Fire be exposed? He just had to hold on a little longer.

So, the two cooperated, fighting and retreating, stepping on the river's surface to cross to the other side. There was another metallic flash. The sword light cut across Sasuke's chest. If not for his water bat's interference at the last second, the cut would have been across his neck. His small summoning beast was sliced in two.

"You actually have steel plates hidden in your vest? Hmph! How long will you last?" the Suna jōnin sneered, gathering his strength for a final, decisive attack.

At that moment, Sasuke's heart finally relaxed. Under his radar's perception, Maru's support had arrived. It was time for the final performance. He hoped this outstanding act would carry his "Will of Fire" to the ears of Konoha's top officials.

'With the protection of the Will of Fire, my future days will be a little better. At the very least, when choosing cannon fodder to sacrifice, I'll be at the bottom of the list, right?'

"Ye, retreat first. I'll cover you."

Facing such a dangerous situation, Sasuke stopped fleeing. He pulled out seven or eight exploding tags and stuck them all over his body.

"Where Konoha's leaves fly, the fire will never cease," Sasuke roared, his voice cracking with emotion. His Will of Fire erupted, and he charged at the spiky-haired ninja with a fearless demeanor.

"Senpai!" Ye's eyes filled with tears, deeply moved.

"You want to die together? Dream on!" the jōnin shouted. Confident in his victory, he wasn't about to let Sasuke get close. He threw two kunai to force him back.

"We die together!" Sasuke yelled, completely ignoring the flying kunai and continuing his suicidal charge.

"Captain! No!" Tekudō, Ryo, and Chōmi, who had already retreated to the other side, broke down in tears, blaming themselves.

Just as the kunai were about to pierce Sasuke, suddenly:

"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"

A huge water dragon flew out of the river from behind Sasuke, easily intercepting the two kunai. And it continued onward, heading straight for the spiky-haired jōnin.