"Shin, carrying me is slowing you down. Put me down."

  Kushina, led in Shin's arms, spoke up.

  "You weigh about as much as a rabbit. How am I slow?" Shin shot her a look.

  "Ugh, you jerk, pario a rabbit!" Kushina lightly nipped his arm, then quieted down.

  "Hey, Shin, if they catch up, just ditch me and run. I'll buy you some time. Just promise you'll avenge me, okay?"

  Kushina's voice was barely a whisper.

  "Don't be ridiculous. You think those s catch us?"

  Shin gave her another exasperated look.

  "We practically live in this forest. We know it way better than they do. Besides, Do you have any idea how fast i am? Don't worry."

  Shin had copied the physique of the Taijutsu master, Uzumaki Hikaru. bined with his already impressive physical abilities, he was more than a match for any Taijutsu specialist.

  He was outpag his pursuers with ease. If only he khe Body Flicker Jutsu, he could have vanished from their sight pletely.

  Even now, he was leaving them in the dust.

  "Master, you have triggered a new mission: Elimihe pursuing squad. Reward: One Advanced Replication Card. Accept?"

  "An Advanbsp;Replication Card, huh?"

  Shin weighed his options. "System, what are their strengths?"

  He had taken out one of them with a single punch, but he didn't know their actual skill levels.

  "The leader is a Jōnin. The remaining three are elite in."

  Shin hadn't expected the System to answer, but it did.

  Knowing their strengths, Shin accepted the mission without hesitation. If they had ae Jōnin, he might have residered.

  But a regur Jōnin? He could hahat.

  Shin stopped running.

  "Why are we stopping? Are you tired? I told you to put me down!"

  Kushina looked at him, panic rising in her voice.

  "Kushina, we don't o run anymore. I'm going to take them out."

  "Are you crazy, Shin?! They're real ninjas! We don't stand a ce!"

  Kushina knew Shin was strong, but against actual ninjas? She didn't have much faith.

  "Kushina, remember when I took out that guy back there?"

  Kushina eechless. He had indeed killed one, but that was a surprise attack.

  "Kushina, you hide. Watd learn. I'll show you what I'm truly capable of."

  Shin punched a nearby tree. With a loud crack, the tree snapped in two.

  Kushina shook her head. "I'm staying with you."

  "Kushina, listen. I need you to hide and wait for an opportunity to ambush them. If I start losing, your surprise attack will give us a ce to escape."

  Persuaded by Shin's reasoning, Kushina agreed. She found a hiding spot, clutg her Kunai and Shuriken, ready to strike.

  Shin gnced bainjas were excellent trackers. They would find him soon, following the trail he'd left.

  An idea sparked in his mind. He leaned against a rge tree, panting dramatically, feigning exhaustion.

  If he could lure them into a trap, he would.

  Less than a mier, the ninjas arrived. With one down, there were four left.

  "Finally found the brat. Didn't expect him to be so fast," one of the in remarked.

  They were exhausted from the chase.

  "Captain, where's the girl?"

  The Jonin leader sed the area. Kushina had cealed herself well. In the darkness, the Jonin couldn't find her.

  "She must have run off. Let's deal with this kid first."

  The Jonin drew his sword, approag Shin slowly. Shin had killed one of his men right in front of him; he would avehis humiliation personally.

  Shin watched the Jonin approach, a glint in his eyes. He'd hoped to ambush a in, but having the Jonin e to him was eveer.

  "Little brat, out of steam, are you? Time to die."

  The Jonin grinned cruelly, his expression hidden behind his mask.

  As the Jonin lunged with his sword, Shin activated his [Sharingan] and sprang into a.

  He nimbly dodged the sword thrust and delivered a swift kick to the Jonin's groin.

  With Shin's speed and the close proximity, even ae Jonin wouldn't have been able to dodge.

  The Jonin had been careless. Even though Shin had killed one of his men, he was still just a child. The Jonin had uimated him.

  The result was iable. With a siing crack, the Jonin crumpled to the ground, a scream tearing from his throat.

  A shattered groin would bring even a Kage-level ninja to their khe Jonin was effectively out of the fight.

  Shinobi had a high pain tolerance, but this kind of pain was unbearable for any man.

  "You've gotta be the most pathetiin to ever die," Shin remarked.

  He formed a [Rasengan] between his hands. He couldn't create it with one ha, so he had to use both.

  He pressed the [Rasengan] into the incapacitated Jonin's chest, the swirling sphere of Chakra tearing through his heart.

  "Took out a Jonin just like that? He was weaker than I thought." Shin blinked.

  It wasn't that the Jonin was weak. Jonihe bae of any Hidden Vilge. In smaller vilges, they were the peak of fighting power.

  But this Jonin hadn't even had a ce to use his full strength. He'd been taken out before he could eve.

  This served as a remio Shin. In this dangerous world, he could never let his guard down.

  Otherwise, he might end up like this Jonin.

  He thought of Madara Uchiha, betrayed and used as a sacrifice fuya ōtsutsuki's revival.

  "Your boss is dead. Care to join him?"

  Shin's eyes hardened as he gred at the remaining three in.

  With the Jonin out of the way, dealing with these three would be a piece of cake.

  The in were still in shock. They couldn't believe their captain had been killed by a five-year-old.

  It was so absurd that they couldn't process it.

  "You killed our captain with dirty tricks! We'll avenge him!" one of the in shouted, rage fueling his voice.

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