Zero Shinobies ( Shinobi Hunter Naruto)

ch 30

The night after the Uchiha Massacre stretched on in a heavy silence. Naruto sat on the roof of his small apartment, his knees pulled up to his chest as he stared at the moonlit village. The events of the previous day swirled in his mind—Sasuke's vacant eyes, the bloodstained streets of the Uchiha district, and the masked man who seemed to toy with fate itself.

"Why did it happen?" Naruto thought, his fists clenching. "And why didn't anyone stop it?"

The Forbidden Questions

Naruto's curiosity burned brighter as the night deepened. The Hokage had assured the village that the matter was "under control," but to Naruto, it felt like no one wanted to talk about what had happened. The massacre had left a gaping hole in the village, but instead of answers, there were only whispers and sidelong glances.

Driven by his questions, Naruto found himself wandering through the Uchiha district. The streets were eerily quiet, the once-proud clan's compound now nothing more than a graveyard. Bloodstains marred the ground, and shattered windows stood as silent witnesses to the violence that had unfolded.

Naruto stopped in front of one house, its door hanging ajar. He hesitated before stepping inside, the faint scent of iron still lingering in the air.

Inside, the house was in disarray—furniture overturned, scorch marks on the walls, and a broken family portrait lying on the floor. Naruto picked up the frame and stared at the smiling faces of a family that no longer existed.

"Who could do something like this?" he wondered, his stomach twisting.

The Scrolls of the Past

Unable to shake the feeling that something wasn't right, Naruto decided to take matters into his own hands. Late that night, he slipped into the Hokage's archives, a place he had only heard about in passing.

The archives were vast, with shelves upon shelves of scrolls containing the village's history. Naruto wandered through the rows until he found what he was looking for—a section labeled Clans of Konoha.

He pulled out a scroll about the Uchiha clan and unrolled it. The text detailed their history, their contributions to the village, and their renowned Sharingan. But as he read further, he noticed a shift in tone.

"The Uchiha clan, despite their loyalty to the village, have often been viewed with suspicion due to their immense power. Their role in the founding of Konoha has been overshadowed by tensions with the leadership, particularly regarding their place in the village's governance."

Naruto frowned. "Tensions? What kind of tensions?"

The scroll hinted at isolation, distrust, and even monitoring of the clan. But it offered no clear explanation for why they had been wiped out.

Frustrated, Naruto shoved the scroll back onto the shelf. His gut told him there was more to the story, but the answers weren't here—not in any place the Hokage would let him see.

Resolve

As the first light of dawn crept over the village, Naruto found himself sitting on the roof of his apartment again. His mind raced with everything he had learned—or failed to learn.

The village had secrets, that much was clear. Secrets about the Uchiha, about the masked man, and maybe even about him.

Naruto clenched his fists. "If no one's going to tell me the truth, I'll find it myself. And if that masked guy comes back, I'll stop him—no matter what it takes."

For the first time, Naruto felt a flicker of something he couldn't quite name—determination, perhaps, or anger. He didn't understand everything yet, but he knew one thing: he couldn't rely on anyone else to protect the village, not even the Hokage.

"If they won't act, then I will."

As the sun rose higher, Naruto stood, a new resolve burning in his chest. The world was far more dangerous and complicated than he had imagined, but he wouldn't back down.

"I'll become stronger. Strong enough to stop this from ever happening again."

____________________________________________

Three months had passed since the Uchiha Massacre, and in that time, Naruto had thrown himself into relentless training. He no longer relied on aimless pranks to garner attention. Instead, he channeled his energy into something far more meaningful—becoming stronger.

Deep within the woods surrounding Konoha, Naruto trained alone. His usual bright smile had been replaced by a focused, determined expression. Every punch he threw, every kick he landed, carried with it a hunger for growth. He wasn't just training to protect himself—he was preparing for the moment when his strength could stand against anything or anyone.

The Wild Encounter

One late afternoon, Naruto ventured deeper into the forest than usual, seeking a greater challenge. He came across a group of bandits who had been causing trouble near the village borders. Unlike ordinary rogues, these four men were well-armed, each wielding deadly weapons, and their malicious intent was palpable.

The leader, a scar-faced man with a wicked grin, sneered as Naruto stepped into their clearing. "Well, well, what do we have here? A brat thinking he's a hero?"

Naruto cracked his knuckles. "You guys are the ones stealing and hurting people, right? Guess that makes you my punching bags."

The bandits laughed, but it was short-lived. Naruto launched himself forward with a speed that caught them off guard.

The Technique Unleashed

The first bandit swung a massive axe at Naruto, but the boy ducked under it with fluid precision, his movements surprisingly graceful. His fists struck out in a rhythm, and with each blow, a strange sensation coursed through him. His strikes began to feel like they carried more than just physical force—they felt alive, like water carving through stone.

When the second bandit charged with a dagger, Naruto pivoted on his heel and delivered a sharp palm strike to the man's chest. A ripple of energy surged outward, and the bandit flew back, crashing into a tree with a sickening thud.

The scar-faced leader barked orders to the remaining two, but they hesitated, unnerved by Naruto's newfound strength.

Naruto stood tall, his hands raised in a flowing stance. "You're all going down."

The leader roared in frustration and charged, but Naruto was ready. He moved with an uncanny grace, his strikes weaving through the air like currents in a river.

"Flowing Water... Crushing Rock!" Naruto yelled instinctively, his fists glowing with an intense blue energy. In one fluid motion, he unleashed a flurry of strikes that connected with all four bandits simultaneously. The air rippled with the force of his attacks, and in a matter of seconds, the clearing was silent.

When the dust settled, the bandits lay unconscious, their weapons shattered and the ground around them scarred from the sheer power of Naruto's technique.

Reflection

Breathing heavily, Naruto stared at his hands. "What was that?" he muttered, flexing his fingers. The sensation of the technique still lingered, like a river flowing through his veins.

He hadn't learned this from any training manual or teacher—it had come to him naturally, as if it had always been a part of him, waiting to be unlocked.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, Naruto looked out over the forest, his mind racing. He didn't fully understand what he had just done, but one thing was clear: he was growing stronger.

"Flowing Water... Crushing Rock," he thought, the name echoing in his mind. "If this is just the beginning, what else can I do?"

Naruto clenched his fists, a faint smirk playing on his lips. He didn't need anyone to tell him he was on the right path. He could feel it—power coursing through him, shaping him into something new.

"I'm not just going to protect the village. I'm going to become unstoppable."

With that, Naruto turned and began the trek back to the village, his mind already planning his next training session. The forest had been his battleground, but the world was far bigger—and full of greater challenges waiting to be conquered.