Dangerous Bond

Part 46

"Target acquired" Sasuke's whisper came through the thick foliage as he eyed the man they were after through his Sharingan. 

Kakashi was impressed so far with his charges. They hadn't made a sound as they followed their target in the thick coverage of the forest and they'd come across their fair amount of spiders and snakes.

Their target was a low-level thief that's been terrorizing women along the only road out of the small settlement they were near just outside the village of rain.

The genin were so used to the harsh realities of the world that this kind of thing didn't really sicken them anymore. 

Kakashi had decided to stay in the back for this mission and put Naruto in charge of leading it. At first, Tsunade kicked up a fuss about a genin leading a B-rank mission but the Jounin and, surprisingly, Sasuke and Sakura, reassured her that apart from Kakashi, the blonde was the best option for leading a mission.

Naruto was first and foremost, a knucklehead but past that, he was strong in mind and body. The blonde knew how to plan strategies on the same level as Shikamaru. He didn't just think outside the box, he became the box and changed the rules of it.

Naruto didn't have to say anything as he signaled Sakura. The pinkette rushed forward while staying hidden and concealing her chakra. She had changed her outfit for this mission to look more appealing to the male eye. 

She jumped down to the ground and hid behind a tree, feigning obliviousness of her surroundings, until her target finally noticed and a smirk stretched across his sweaty face.

"Excuse me?" Their target called with a gentle and soft tone. It surprised Sakura how innocent he seemed but she knew better.

Sasuke jumped to the tree above the man, ready to strike, while Naruto moved to the sidelines, equally ready to attack.

Kakashi simply stayed in the tree, watching how his charges handled the situation.

"H-Hm!" Sakura gasped and stepped back in fear.

The target held out his hands "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you" He smiled.

Sakura wanted this to be over quickly, she didn't like how innocent he was acting. She was almost starting to believe it. 

"I'm Chenchi" The target introduced, confirming Team 7's identity on him.

Sakura returned a small smile "S-Saku" She stuttered, forcing her shoulders to relax.

Chenchi licked his lips as his eyes suddenly became darker. Sakura almost winced in surprise at the sudden change in the man. It was as though an animal had overtaken his sense of control.

"Let's have a bit of fun, Saku. No one is around to judge" He smirked as he stepped forward.

Before he could move another inch, Sasuke threw down his wires. It wrapped around the neck of the target and Sasuke didn't hesitate as he jumped down from the tree, tightly holding the wire in his grip.

Sasuke watched with disgust as the target squirmed against the tightness of the wire before his body went limp.

Naruto stayed hidden in the shadows to make sure the job was truly done while Sasuke turned to Sakura. The Uchiha looked over her figure to identify any injuries but found none. 

A sudden cracking noise was heard as everyone looked toward the dead man hanging in the middle of the road. His neck snapped to the left and then to the right as though he was shaking his head dramatically.

Suddenly, laughter filled the area. The duo took a step back as they watched Chenchi's limp figure gain life once again before he retrieved a kunai and cut through the wire.