Uchiha orphan, so what if I'm ruthless?

The two exchanged a glance, both seeing the surprise in each other's eyes. This girl in front of them, who was the same age as them, was actually the administrator of Kusagakure?

Uchiha Sasuke furrowed his brows.

Although Kusagakure was a small ninja village, it was still a recognized name in the ninja world.

A ninja village wasn't a bandit camp; it wasn't something just anyone could manage.

To become the leader of a ninja village, one had to either possess outstanding strength, have a profound background, or both.

The girl before them looked about their age. It would be more fitting to call her a student. Calling her an administrator—no matter how they thought about it, it just didn't seem right.

Uzumaki Karin observed their expressions. The corners of her mouth curled up slightly as she tilted her head, her red ponytail swaying behind her.

"What, do you think I'm lying?"

Her voice wasn't loud, but her tone carried an obvious provocation.

Hyuga Neji frowned and replied solemnly, "Not at all, we are just a bit surprised."

His tone was flat, but his expression revealed his high state of alert.

Uchiha Sasuke didn't follow up on Neji's words. He looked at Karin and asked directly.

"So, what do you want with us?"

Uzumaki Karin's expression turned serious, her smile fading. "Outsiders, state your purpose for coming here."

Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuga Neji exchanged another glance, both seeing the caution in each other's eyes.

Hyuga Neji spoke, his voice steady.

"We are merely stopping here to rest during a long journey. We have no other purpose."

He spoke naturally, clearly delivering a prepared answer.

Uzumaki Karin stared at him for a couple of seconds before letting out a chuckle.

Naturally, she didn't believe such a claim.

"Is that so? I don't believe you."

Both boys' expressions shifted slightly as their brows furrowed.

Uzumaki Karin looked at Sasuke, her gaze lingering on his face. As if recalling something, she blinked and spoke again. "The previous Uchiha said the exact same thing."

"And you, outsider, are also an Uchiha."

She paused, as if confirming something, or perhaps giving them time to process her words.

"Uchiha Sasuke, am I wrong?"

Uchiha Sasuke's expression changed again, this time much more noticeably. His body immediately shifted into a defensive stance, ready to react at a moment's notice.

Hyuga Neji's reaction was much the same.

It was obvious to both of them that their identities had been exposed.

Sure enough, Uzumaki Karin continued, "You are the son of the Uchiha clan head, Uchiha Sasuke."

Her gaze then shifted to Neji.

"And you are a member of the Hyuga clan."

Her eyes darted back and forth between the two.

"An Uchiha and a Hyuga, actually traveling together. Your purpose here must be anything but small."

Neither of the boys looked pleased.

Uchiha Sasuke pursed his lips, his brows knitted tightly together, his face looking slightly gloomy. His hand rested on his ninja tool pouch, fingers gripping the flap, ready to draw a kunai at any second.

Hyuga Neji leaned forward slightly, shifting his weight to the balls of his feet. His Byakugan had quietly activated, the veins around his eyes bulging and pulsing faintly.

Uzumaki Karin let out a soft laugh at their reactions.

"So, are you still unwilling to tell me your purpose for coming here?"

The two remained silent.

Uchiha Sasuke didn't speak, and Hyuga Neji followed suit. Both kept their mouths shut, lips pressed into thin lines as they stared intently at Karin.

Uzumaki Karin watched them, waited for two seconds, and then nodded.

"Then it can't be helped."

After saying this, she didn't press them further, nor did she call anyone to capture them. Instead, she simply turned around and walked toward the inn's exit.

Her pace wasn't fast, but it was steady, her red ponytail swishing back and forth behind her head.

"Come on."

Her voice drifted back to them.

"Let's have a fight. If you win, I'll let you leave."

She stopped at the doorway, turned sideways, and looked back at the two boys.

"If you lose, then you'll behave."

Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuga Neji exchanged a third glance. Their expressions were grave, but without hesitation, they stepped forward in unison and followed Karin out of the inn.

The hallway was narrow. With one in front and two behind, their footsteps echoed together.

The innkeeper peeked out from behind the counter, took one look, and quickly shrank back into hiding.

As they exited the inn, the three people who had arrived with Karin followed closely behind.

They walked to the left, right, and rear of Sasuke and Neji. They didn't walk side-by-side; their positioning was calculated, completely sealing off the boys' escape routes.

Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuga Neji glanced at them but said nothing.

The group crossed the streets, navigated through a few alleys, and exited the village.

Outside Kusagakure lay a vast, empty wasteland. The ground was a dusty grayish-yellow, crunching softly underfoot. A breeze blew in from the west, carrying the scent of dry earth.

Uzumaki Karin walked to the center of the wasteland, stopped, turned around, and gestured to the three subordinates.

The three immediately scattered. Their figures flickered in the air, vanishing from Sasuke and Neji's sides only to reappear in the distance.

They positioned themselves in a triangle, boxing Sasuke and Neji in the center. Standing far back, they kept a close watch on the two boys.

Uchiha Sasuke glanced at the three guards, then at Karin, before withdrawing his gaze.

He pulled his hand from his ninja tool pouch, two kunai clamped between his fingers. The blades glinted coldly in the sunlight.

Hyuga Neji raised his left hand, his fingers forming an open palm aimed at Karin. The veins of his Byakugan bulged slightly at the corners of his eyes.

Uzumaki Karin cracked her knuckles, the joints popping loudly.

She rolled her neck, twisting it left and right, and then loosened her shoulders. A smile hung on her face—a smile that eagerly anticipated a fight.

"Come on, let's have a good, thrilling fight!"

Her voice rang out loud, a fiery passion seemingly burning in her eyes.

At this moment, her fighting spirit was soaring.

Uchiha Sasuke didn't hesitate. With a flick of his right wrist, the two kunai flew from his fingers. The projectiles moved incredibly fast, drawing two straight lines through the air as they shot directly toward Karin's face and chest.

Hyuga Neji moved at the exact same time.

He lowered his stance and launched himself off the ground like a loosed arrow, charging straight at Karin.

His speed was blinding, kicking up a small trail of dirt behind his heels. His left hand remained open, palm facing Karin, ready to strike at any moment.

In contrast, Uzumaki Karin simply grinned.

Her smile was natural, exuding a sense of sheer excitement as she bared her teeth.

She didn't choose to dodge, nor did she take a single step back. She merely clenched her right fist and slammed it into the ground.

Boom!!

With a deafening roar, the earth trembled violently.

The fierce tremor erupted from beneath her feet, as if a bomb had just detonated right under her fist.

In an instant, deep fissures spread out in all directions from the point of impact, covering the entire area like a massive spiderweb.

Large chunks of rock and sand erupted from the ground, as though something was violently pushing up from below. Debris bounced into the air—some pieces as small as fingernails, others the size of fists, and some even larger than a human head.

The shattered rocks flew in every direction, whistling sharply as they tore through the air.

Uchiha Sasuke's kunai managed to weave through the debris for a few meters before colliding with a flying rock, ricocheting away with a sharp clink.

Hyuga Neji ducked and weaved through the flying debris. He tilted his head to dodge one rock, twisted his waist to evade another, and leaped off the ground to clear a third.

However, his momentum was stifled. His arrow-like sprint was forced into a serpentine advance, his speed fluctuating as he navigated the hazard.

Uzumaki Karin stood at the epicenter of the crater, her grin wide and her eyes shining brightly.

She watched Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuga Neji, lifting her right hand from the ground to clench her fist and flex her fingers.

"Come on."

Her voice was just as loud as before.

"Let me see what Konoha ninjas can do."

Neither Uchiha Sasuke nor Hyuga Neji were rattled by Uzumaki Karin's taunts.

Uchiha Sasuke reached into the ninja tool pouches on both of his thighs, pulling out shuriken between his fingers. Without much wasted movement, he simply flicked his arms, sending the shuriken shooting forward like dark blurs.

Clang, clang, clink.

Amidst a flurry of crisp metallic rings, the shuriken either collided with each other or deflected off the flying rocks, altering their trajectories and scattering. Yet, their ultimate destination remained the same—Uzumaki Karin!

Uchiha Style Kunai Throwing Jutsu!

Hyuga Neji was equally extraordinary. His figure darted and leaped through the debris. Every so often, he would strike out with a seemingly weightless palm, instantly shattering the incoming rocks into dust. Remarkably, his speed barely dropped during this process as he charged straight for Uzumaki Karin.

Seeing this, Uzumaki Karin's smile grew even wider.

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