Starting with rogue ninjas, building the insect kingdom.

Chapter 492 Naruto Awakens His Sense of Mission

Meanwhile, in the Daimyo Prefecture of the Land of Iron.

Kurosaki Ichiro led his swordsmen into the mansion, killing anyone they encountered along the way. The guards fought desperately, but the swordsmen were all elite, each taking down an enemy with a single strike, leaving a trail of blood.

Kurosaki Ichiro kicked open the door to the daimyo's bedroom. The daimyo was huddled in a corner, holding his young son in his arms, trembling all over.

"You...you people of the Land of Waterfalls...may you die a horrible death..."

"Enough with the nonsense." Kurosaki Ichiro raised his sword and brought it down.

On that day, the entire family of the Daimyo of the Land of Iron was slaughtered, but the youngest son who died was not Daimyo's son at all. His child was said to have been taken away by an old woman, who escaped with a chest of gold.

The Land of Iron was destroyed, and the capital was awash in blood. When the news spread, the people of the Land of Iron packed their belongings overnight, dragging their families along, and fled frantically toward the Land of Fire.

The samurai mingled among the refugees, removing their armor and concealing their swords, attempting to slip through undetected. But the sword-wielding bandits showed no sign of letting them go, and the pursuit continued.

On the southern slope of the mountain, a rugged mountain road winds its way down to the plain. Naruto and Gaara had just emerged from the mountains when they heard shouts of battle coming from afar.

An elderly woman with gray hair was carrying a huge bundle on her back and holding the hand of a four- or five-year-old boy as she ran desperately.

The little boy couldn't run anymore, tripped and fell to the ground, wailing, "You lowly commoner, you wretched lowly commoner, you tripped me!"

"Young master, get up quickly, stop making a fuss." The old woman hurriedly tried to pull him up, but a member of the Daodao gang had already caught up with them, raising his long sword high and slashing down.

"Run? Do you think you can escape?"

"Stop!" With a loud shout, a golden figure rushed down the hillside, moving as fast as a cannonball.

"Wind Release: Practice Air Bullet!"

The cyan air cannon slammed into the samurai's chest, sending him flying and crashing into the mountain wall. He spat out a mouthful of blood and remained motionless for a moment.

Naruto landed and quickly turned around to help the old woman up. "Are you alright, grandma?"

The old woman was so frightened that she collapsed to the ground, and it took her a long time to come to her senses. "You...you are..."

"My name is Uchiha Naruto!" However, as soon as he said that name, he immediately became disappointed and corrected himself, "No, it's Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto helped the two up. "What happened? Why did that person try to kill you?"

Tears welled up in the old woman's eyes instantly. "It's the Land of Waterfalls... those damned Land of Waterfalls are attacking our Land of Iron!"

"The daimyo is dead, Lord Mifune is dead, and now they're even hunting us ordinary people down! They're chasing us everywhere! We haven't done anything... We're a neutral country..." She cried so hard she couldn't speak anymore, and the little boy in her arms cried along with her.

Naruto's smile vanished, and he clenched his fists tightly.

So this is why Father wanted to destroy the ninja world? Sin, chaos, and mutual slaughter. This Land of Waterfall is truly despicable. Everyone was doing well, so why stir up conflict? Why provoke war?

At that moment, Gaara walked over, reached out and held Naruto's hand tightly. "Naruto, the destruction of a country is a natural law. Our Land of Wind has also suffered destruction before."

But Naruto missed the point; instead, he felt sorrow for Gaara, asking, "Was our country also destroyed by them?"

Seeing Naruto's concern for him, Gaara swallowed the remaining half of the truth. "That's right." Yes, the result is the same anyway. The Land of Wind was swallowed up by the Land of Waterfall, so it's not wrong to say that they were the ones who destroyed it.

"The Land of Waterfalls, those despicable people!" Naruto felt an inexplicable aversion to this kind of country that disrupts peace. It must be no good to start a war and persecute these innocent old women and children.

"Grandma, where are you going next? Do you need us to escort you?"

"No need, no need." The old woman quickly shook her head, because if she didn't, Gaara's gaze would kill them.

"We're going to the Land of Fire; it's the only pure land there right now."

"Alright. You guys go ahead, be careful on the road." Naruto stood up and waved to them.

The old woman, holding the child's hand, prepared to leave quickly. Just before leaving, she took a gold bar from her bag and stuffed it into Naruto's hand. "Child, take this. Money is useless now, but gold is still useful. This is a small token of my appreciation."

"Grandma, I can't—"

"Take it!" The old woman patted his hand forcefully. "You saved our lives, so this is a token of our gratitude. Take it!" With that, she took the child and ran off towards the Land of Fire without looking back.

Naruto held the gold bar, stood on the mountain road, and remained silent for a long time.

After a long silence, he made up his mind and said, "Gaara, I will stop this war. You will help me, right?"

Gaara frowned, intending to offer some advice, but when he met those captivating fox eyes, he felt as if he were bewitched and instinctively nodded.

Naruto put the gold bars into his pocket and said righteously, "Those sword-wielding thugs are still chasing us. Let's hold them off for now, then head to the Land of Fire."

"Okay." The two followed the route the refugees had taken and headed north.

They hadn't gone far when they heard screams ahead. Three thugs were hacking and slashing at a group of refugees; several bodies lay on the ground, and only two refugees were still fighting back.

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!" Naruto formed hand seals, and a gust of wind erupted from his palms, blowing the three swordsmen off balance.

Gaara's sand followed closely, lifting two of them into the air before slamming them to the ground. Before the third could even get up, two refugees rushed forward, each killing him with a sword.

They bowed gratefully to Naruto and his friends, then quickly grabbed their weapons and fled into the mountains, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Just then, Naruto behind them enthusiastically shouted, "Run to the Land of Fire!"

Looking at the ruthless ninjas, Naruto felt a surge of killing intent stirred within him by pity. "These people are no longer ninjas; they are butchers."

Gaara didn't say anything. He didn't care about right or wrong. If Naruto wanted to kill him, then he would just accompany him in killing.

The two continued forward. Along the way, they defeated several ninjas from the Land of Waterfall and rescued hundreds of refugees. Naruto showed no mercy in his attacks, using both Wind Release and Taijutsu, each strike aimed straight for vital points.

He disliked killing, but these villains who instigated wars and destroyed nations did not deserve mercy.

"Gaara, you said that the Land of Waterfall is already so powerful and wealthy, so why do they still invade weaker countries? Don't they know how to be content?"

Gaara replied, following his lead, "That's probably human nature—greedy and insatiable."