Sage's Resurrection

Chapter 19

They leapt between the massive spikes on the turtle at the sound of the bell. Naruto soon leapt atop them with practised ease.

"You guys doing well down there?" he called, laughing.

Sasuke pouted. "It's not my fault I don't have such a busted healing factor that I can't train to do... whatever it is that you're doing!"

"You can make a chakra mech suit! It's fair!"

"You're one to talk, Naruto," Sayuri deadpanned. "You've got Kurama sealed inside your stomach, after all."

Naruto stopped and signalled something to them in a flash of hand signs. Team ahead.

"Well well well," an Iwa nin growled. "Look who we've found? That bunch of tree huggers! I'm gonna kill you, blondie."

Go loose, Sayuri signed.

Sasuke's arm erupted in flames.

Naruto wove hand seals.

Horse- Ram- Dog- Bird.

He expelled a thousand tiny spheres from his mouth from above.

Sayuri cut through one of the spines. Her sandals thumped over the stump and s.

Sasuke punched the male. His clothes burst into flames and the sparks danced and lashed his skin. Sasuke finished him off with a kunai to the throat while he screamed and burned.

Sayuri ran her blade through another with a sickening squelch. He collapsed into a small crack in the shell dyed a deep burgundy.

Naruto blocked a punch from the leader among them. Sasuke shook his head, unsealed his bow, and shot her in the stomach.

"Naruto, what the hell are you doing? Why were you trying to spare her?"

Naruto looked mournful. "We don't need to kill them." He shook his head. "Whatever." He rummaged through their clothes and pouches. "Ah, here's the coin."

"Silver? Nice. Let's just go straight for the tower." Sayuri sheathed her blade.

They all started to run. "Naruto, what happened? Why didn't you go straight for the kill?"

"There was no reason to kill any of them," he simply responded. "They were unnecessary casualties."

"Naruto," Sayuri started. "They were trying to murder you."

"Would they have succeeded though? I was trying to incapacitate them, not kill them."

She shook her head. "That's all well and good, but it isn't practical. We're ninja. Murder is kinda in the job description. You can't dodge it forever."

He in turn frowned. "Until I have no choice, I'm going to try not to kill my enemies. And they wanted to murder me because Dad murdered their family. I don't want to continue the circular nature of revenge."

Sasuke stopped at that. That's... quite reasonable. "That's a little late, don't you think? You know, with what happened in Wave?"

He sagged. "Yeah. Better late than never though."

"Late is late, no matter what," he snapped back. "You've still killed once. What's another on that list?"

Sayuri rolled her eyes. "Would you two please focus on getting to the tower first? We can have all sorts of philosophical polemics on the nature of humanity later and the ethics of killing, after we're safe."

They journeyed in silence following that, only the thump of their feet landing on the stone and the huff of their breath indicating that they were there.