"Shin, carrying me is slowing you down. Put me down."
Kushina, nestled 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, comparing me to 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 clowns can 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. Combined with his already impressive physical abilities, he was more than a match for any Taijutsu specialist.
He was outpacing his pursuers with ease. If only he knew the Body Flicker Jutsu, he could have vanished from their sight completely.
Even now, he was leaving them in the dust.
"Master, you have triggered a new mission: Eliminate the pursuing squad. Reward: One Advanced Replication Card. Accept?"
"An Advanced 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 Chunin."
Shin hadn't expected the System to answer, but it did.
Knowing their strengths, Shin accepted the mission without hesitation. If they had an elite Jōnin, he might have reconsidered.
But a regular Jōnin? He could handle that.
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 need to run anymore. I'm going to take them out."
"Are you crazy, Shin?! They're real ninjas! We don't stand a chance!"
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 was speechless. He had indeed killed one, but that was a surprise attack.
"Kushina, you hide. Watch and 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 chance to escape."
Persuaded by Shin's reasoning, Kushina agreed. She found a hiding spot, clutching her Kunai and Shuriken, ready to strike.
Shin glanced back. Ninjas were excellent trackers. They would find him soon, following the trail he'd left.
An idea sparked in his mind. He leaned against a large tree, panting dramatically, feigning exhaustion.
If he could lure them into a trap, he would.
Less than a minute later, 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 Chunin remarked.
They were exhausted from the chase.
"Captain, where's the girl?"
The Jonin leader scanned the area. Kushina had concealed 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, approaching Shin slowly. Shin had killed one of his men right in front of him; he would avenge this humiliation personally.
Shin watched the Jonin approach, a glint in his eyes. He'd hoped to ambush a Chunin, but having the Jonin come to him was even better.
"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 action.
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 an elite 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 underestimated him.
The result was inevitable. With a sickening 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 knees. The 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 pathetic Jonin to ever die," Shin remarked.
He formed a [Rasengan] between his hands. He couldn't create it with one hand yet, 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. Jonin were the backbone of any Hidden Village. In smaller villages, they were the peak of fighting power.
But this Jonin hadn't even had a chance to use his full strength. He'd been taken out before he could even react.
This served as a reminder to Shin. In this dangerous world, he could never let his guard down.
Otherwise, he might end up Jonin.
He thought of Madara Uchiha, betrayed and used as a sacrifice for Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's revival.
"Your boss is dead. Care to join him?"
Shin's eyes hardened as he glared at the remaining three Chunin.
With the Jonin out of the way, dealing with these three would be a piece of cake.
The Chunin 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 Chunin shouted, rage fueling his voice.
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