The Second Girls journey in Naruto

Seeing the sixth bandit reduced to only a head above the ground, the rest of the gang panicked.

"Sixth! Weren't you the fastest? How did this happen?!"

A group of bandits cried out in shock.

The sixth man, his face dark with frustration, snapped, "Stop wailing! I'm not dead yet! Something dragged me underground!"

"Oh... so you were just dragged into the ground..."

"Wait, what?! A ghost!"

The bandits scattered in terror, leaving the sixth man alone with only his head sticking out of the dirt. His expression turned blank as the reality of his situation sank in.

"Don't leave me, you bastards! Come back!"

A sudden chill ran down his spine. The air around him darkened. He slowly turned his head, his movements stiff with fear.

A pair of small feet stood before him. His face paled as he looked up and saw her—Sakiya—smiling devilishly, a massive wooden mallet raised high in her hands.

Sweat dripped down the sixth man's forehead as he whispered in horror, "No... no way... am I really the first to go?"

THUD—

The fleeing bandits heard his scream, then silence.

They ran even faster.

"Sixth is gone! Sixth is gone!"

"If he's gone, he's gone! Keep running!"

"Sixth didn't make it..."

"Huh?" The others turned to glare at the man who spoke.

The man, unfazed, explained, "If Sixth is gone, it means he bought us a few more seconds to escape. Every second counts."

"That... actually makes sense."

"Sixth didn't die in vain."

"Yeah... but still! RUN!"

"RUN SEPARATELY!"

Then someone suddenly shouted, "No! If we split up, we'll just get picked off! The sixth was too far from us—that's why he got caught!"

Realization struck them. They huddled together and ran as one.

Desperation fueled their sprint, but suddenly, glowing symbols appeared beneath their feet.

"STOP!"

The lead bandit managed to halt, but those behind him crashed into him, shoving him forward—right into the magic circle.

With a soft plop, he sank into the ground, leaving only his head exposed.

...

His dazed eyes met the bandits'. Silence fell over the group.

Three seconds passed.

"AHHHH! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! RUN!"

They tried to flee in another direction, but identical symbols flared beneath their feet.

Everyone froze.

Then—

Plop.

A dozen heads popped up from the ground like radishes.

A deep silence settled over them.

A trace of sorrow hung in the air.

Finally, one of them sighed. "Hey, Fourth... what do you think?"

The fourth bandit had a melancholic look in his eyes. "I think... we're idiots."

"No way! We're not idiots! We just..."

"...just made a very stupid mistake."

Humming filled the air.

The bandits instinctively turned toward the sound.

And there she was—Sakiya—humming cheerfully, strolling toward them with the same giant mallet in hand.

The bandits exchanged glances, their faces drained of hope.

Then, Sakiya got to work.

THWACK. THWACK. THWACK.

The screams and rhythmic pounding formed a strange, almost musical harmony.

Chihiro, having already finished dispatching enemies, arrived just in time to witness the bizarre scene. She sighed and shook her head.

"Sakiya, having fun?"

Sakiya admired her handiwork—dozens of unconscious bandits, each sporting massive lumps on their heads. She nodded in satisfaction, tossed the mallet aside, and wiped imaginary sweat from her brow.

Watching her, Chihiro couldn't help but picture a hardworking farmer after a long day of tilling the fields.

Well, except for the heads sticking out of the ground.

Chihiro shook off the weird thought and approached with a chuckle. "Not bad, Sakiya."

Sakiya smirked. "Of course! The power of the Eye of Death is absolute."

Chihiro raised an eyebrow. "Oh? But didn't you already declare their deaths?"

Her words carried an unspoken suggestion—shouldn't they finish off these criminals for good?

Sakiya, however, shook her head firmly. "They've already been judged."

Chihiro sighed. "I see... Alright, let's go back to the others."

And with that, they left the beaten bandits behind, their fates uncertain.

The young leader who had escaped hadn't given up just yet.

He chose to ignore the two female ninjas and instead targeted the two who were standing guard.

After all, taking on a Konoha shinobi was impossible—no matter how close those bandits came to victory, who knew what kind of strange jutsu a shinobi might use to turn the tables?

But those other two ninjas were different.

Based on the traditions of the great ninja villages and their apparent ages, it was likely they had only recently graduated. He had learned this from other so-called ninja experts.

Not that his actual target was even a ninja.

Thinking of this, hatred flared in the young leader's eyes. A certain figure appeared in his mind, and he gritted his teeth as his killing intent surged.

"Tokumoto Kyotoshi! This time, I'm going to kill you!"

This was his last chance. If Tokumoto Kyotoshi was taken to Konoha, there would be no hope for revenge. It was now or never.

Back at the camp, Tsuchiya Tsukigami and Sakuragi sat idly behind the two earth walls, chatting out of boredom. Tokumoto Kyotoshi, meanwhile, was casually conversing with Ochiaisuke.

Tsuchiya looked up at the blue sky and sighed. "This is boring, Sakuragi."

Sakuragi remained expressionless. "Do you want to fight?"

Tsuchiya grinned. "Of course. Battle is the fastest way to get stronger."

Sakuragi pushed up his glasses. "Then your opportunity is here."

The young leader lurking in the shadows was taken aback.

Tsuchiya followed Sakuragi's gaze, a smile creeping onto his face. "Well, what a coincidence."

With a quick leap, he launched himself toward the grass where the young leader was hiding.

"I've been spotted!" The young leader immediately retreated. Facing two ninjas at once was a death sentence—but against one, he was confident he could at least survive.

After putting some distance between them, he stopped, realizing the second ninja hadn't followed. Tsuchiya landed lightly from a tree branch, watching him with interest.

"Stopped running? Got an ambush waiting?"

The young leader shook his head. "No. I'm alone."

Tsuchiya raised an eyebrow, feeling insulted. "Hah. You think that's enough?"

He stepped forward aggressively. "Let's see just how confident you are!"

With a powerful push-off, he charged like a bull. The young leader remained calm, pulling out an egg-shaped object from his waist and smashing it to the ground.

Boom—

A thick cloud of smoke exploded around him, obscuring his figure.

Tsuchiya halted, suddenly left without a target.

Two kunai whizzed out from the smoke.

Tsuchiya swiftly deflected them with his own kunai—clang, clang!

As the smoke cleared, the young leader rushed forward, blade poised to strike.

Tsuchiya smirked. "Oh, this guy's got guts."

For a mere bandit to charge at a ninja—he had to give him some credit.

Clang!

Tsuchiya easily parried the attack. The young leader felt the strength behind the block, his wrist trembling.

"So heavy! I can't win in a direct clash!"

Tsuchiya grinned, exerting more force to knock the young leader's sword aside.

But the bandit was quick—he seized the moment to fling a handful of sand at Tsuchiya's face.

Caught off guard, Tsuchiya was blinded instantly.

"Argh! You dirty—!" he howled, covering his eyes.

The young leader saw his chance and lunged for the kill—

But then—

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

Tsuchiya spewed flames in a sweeping arc.

In an instant, the surrounding trees were ablaze.

The young leader's breath hitched as he stared at the flames consuming everything around him.

"This is bad!"

He quickly retreated—getting caught in that fire meant death.

Gritting his teeth, he glanced back at the burning battlefield.

"Forget it. I'll deal with the other one first and then take out Tokumoto Kyotoshi!"

Not long after, Sakuragi sensed something and turned toward the forest. Moments later, the young leader emerged from the trees.

Sakuragi frowned but then relaxed.

"Looks like Tsuchiya lost this one."

The young leader sneered. "Your partner is dead. Do you still dare to stand in my way?"

Sakuragi adjusted his glasses, a smirk forming. "Heh. Interesting."

The young leader hesitated, gripping a handful of sand.

[Dammit! This guy wears glasses—why is he a ninja?!]

Sakuragi chuckled. "Well then, what's your next move?"

________________________

Read till chapter 70 on patreon

patreon.com/Silver757