Chương 92: Chapter 92: Blood-Soaked Night

"Stay inside the carriage and don't move. I'll go check it out," Natsuro said.

"Alright, be careful yourself," the Master Blacksmith responded, quickly dressing and showing a calm demeanor, indicating his extensive experience with such situations.

Natsuro nodded and looked at the somewhat panicked Tetsuya. "Keep the kunai I gave you with you."

With that, Natsuro's figure vanished from the carriage.

Tetsuya was momentarily stunned but soon found the kunai, gripping it tightly with sweaty palms. The Master Blacksmith also reassured Tetsuya by holding him close.

The night sky was pitch black, with the moon obscured by thick clouds.

Natsuro appeared atop the carriage, his brows furrowing as he surveyed the surroundings. It was clear his sensory abilities had some limitations.

The convoy was enveloped in thick fog, which at this time and density was likely the Mist Technique of the Mist Ninja! Natsuro's sensory abilities couldn't detect the fog, but fortunately, his vision was not greatly affected, and his senses were sufficient to compensate.

He quickly assessed the area, faintly making out some figures and blurry lights and flames. However, there was a lot of noise, shouting, and various cries.

A major issue was the lack of samurai guarding the carriage. The coachmen who had been driving the horses had apparently fled long ago...

Had the Master Blacksmith not bribed the samurai? Natsuro pondered the Master Blacksmith's usual actions. No, he must have bribed them, but these samurai were likely too overwhelmed to help, and fleeing was probably the best they could do.

Clearly, relying on these samurai was futile. He sighed and drew his sword. The carriage was too large and an obvious target.

Indeed, some desperate individuals were already eyeing the carriage.

Natsuro concentrated chakra in his feet and moved swiftly. He only needed a small amount of chakra to enhance his speed; these non-ninja attackers were not worth wasting too much chakra on.

At this moment, he could discern the attackers' positions by their footsteps. It seemed they hadn't noticed him yet. Natsuro smiled slightly and approached directly.

The thick fog was frightening for the convoy, but for the desperate attackers, it was also intimidating, though to varying degrees.

But for a sensory-type ninja? Things were different...

In an instant, he reached one of the attackers. His speed made the attacker's eyes widen in shock. Before they could react, a flash of the blade cut through, and the attacker's head fell, their body slumping.

Natsuro moved through the crowd like a butterfly, striking with precise, single blows. There was no opportunity for a second strike, and no one could react in time.

They might have felt someone coming, but by the time they realized it, he was already in front of them, and the blade was already at their throat…

"You… you…"

Natsuro looked at the last person, slowly sheathing his sword before returning to the carriage roof. These attackers needed only to raise their swords; there was no need for the advanced sword techniques he had previously combined.

The man clutched his neck, and the next moment, his head and body were severed, with no chance to scream.

Natsuro reflected on the Mist Technique, feeling it was a disadvantage for him. Even the Mist Ninja could be affected by it, though they were more accustomed to it, so the impact was less severe.

However, this technique, being from the Mist Ninja, was hard to learn. It was a pity he couldn't find a Mist Ninja to learn from.

Sensing the increasing smell of blood and burning, Natsuro tightened his grip on the sword handle.

Tonight was clearly destined to be a bloody one!

A while later, Natsuro remained atop the carriage, surrounded by dozens of bodies concealed by the fog.

"Ink, how are things outside?" The Master Blacksmith, having been unable to see the situation outside for a long time, finally asked with concern.

Natsuro sensed the footsteps and noticed some had detected the area but seemed deterred by the number of bodies, deciding to change their course. After all, the primary goal of these desperate attackers was the convoy's goods.

Things should be relatively safer now. He entered the carriage, where the Master Blacksmith and Tetsuya, still holding his grandfather's hand tightly, awaited anxiously. Natsuro said, "It's fine, but it seems the samurai you bribed didn't come."

The Master Blacksmith's face turned ashen, and he glanced at Natsuro, seemingly realizing something.

"Well, with me here, there won't be any issues," Natsuro assured confidently. With the Flying Thunder God, who could threaten him?

"Thank you then," the Master Blacksmith said, unable to suppress his respect for Natsuro's youth. "If you need any ninja tools crafted in the future, feel free to ask us!"

"Alright," Natsuro nodded, his eyes brightening. He understood that the Third Hokage had likely assigned this mission to build connections with the Master Blacksmith. As for the Tenzo team members...

He paused, thinking about the Tenzo of the Wood Release, Hyena likely from the Inuzuka clan, and Fox who had access to extensive medical supplies, likely with close ties to the Medical Department.

The Third Hokage had indeed been considerate.

With a sigh, he stepped out of the carriage and returned to the roof. His brow raised as he sensed that ninjas were finally arriving.

In fact, his sensory abilities had already detected the encounter between the team leader and the Mist ninjas. However, his task was to protect the Master Blacksmith and his grandson, so he hadn't provided support. He was unsure of the exact situation.

Now, with ninjas arriving, things were unlikely to be as easy as before...

Natsuro tightened his grip on the sword handle.

"Huh, why are there so many corpses here? The captain said to protect the people; they haven't already been killed, have they?" a voice said.

Natsuro relaxed slightly, recognizing the voice belonged to a member of Konoha's visible team.

He realized a weakness in his sensory abilities: while chakra detection was clear, distinguishing the owner of the chakra was difficult.

Sometimes, chakra levels could provide a clue, but there were discrepancies. He needed to explore solutions after returning home.

For now, he thought for a moment and took out the Konoha forehead protector, tying it on his head.

The fog was slowly dissipating, likely due to the Tenzo team's combat with the user of the technique, causing the technique's effectiveness to wane. The obscured moonlight finally pierced through the fog, casting a light on Natsuro standing atop the carriage.

The three Konoha genin spotted the figure on the highest point, dressed in tight black clothing, wearing the same Konoha forehead protector as them, wielding a blood-stained long sword, and illuminated by the full moon behind him, exuding an aura of mystery and strength.

Most importantly, he had been watching them from the start...

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