Chapter 061: Using Time Stop to Move People—Sasuke Is Truly Bored

"Eat my blade!"
The Demon Brothers charged forward.

"Ah!" Sakura cried out, drawing her weapon to shield Tazuna.

Tazuna was startled as well, stammering incoherently, unsure what to do.

Yet Kakashi and Naruto remained utterly unfazed. Only Sasuke, his eyes flashing red, sent the Demon Brothers back to their original spot.

"Take this!"
The Demon Brothers shouted as they attacked again, but another crimson flash sent them back.

"See our strength!"

"Take this! This is our bond!"

"Behold the power of the Hidden Mist shinobi!"

The Demon Brothers brandished their weapons, repeatedly trying to assault Team Seven, only to return, again and again, to where they started.

They had no idea what was wrong—it was as if the TV signal kept glitching, sending them back every few seconds.

Clearly, they hadn’t realized anything was off, perhaps not even aware of their predicament. Their weapons remained raised, their shrill cries never ceased.

Eventually, their throats went dry, arms aching, and they stood panting on the spot.

Sakura and Tazuna were bewildered.

What on earth was happening?

Were these two performing some kind of farce?

"You really have nothing better to do, huh? Aren’t you tired?"
Naruto quipped at Sasuke.

Of course, he knew what was going on. Sasuke had used the Sword of Divine Suspension to freeze time, moving the brothers back over and over.

The Demon Brothers weren’t particularly strong, so naturally they couldn’t sense what Sasuke was doing.

Sasuke turned his head, snorted.

"Not tired at all."

Tch, if I hadn’t seen the faint sweat on your nose and the slight rise and fall of your chest, I might have believed you.

Kakashi eyed Sasuke, blinking.

He’d never asked before, but he knew Sasuke’s strength far surpassed his peers.

He had once thought it was thanks to Naruto’s constant presence and Sasuke’s diligent training.

Now, it seemed Sasuke had awakened certain abilities.

Was it the Mangekyō Sharingan? Had Sasuke awakened it?

Kakashi began to understand Naruto’s remarks.

Yes, Sasuke was rather bored.

Using the Mangekyō Sharingan against these small fry.

After a while, the Demon Brothers collapsed from exhaustion. Sasuke’s eyes flashed red and he directly controlled them with genjutsu.

He didn’t kill them outright. Though corpses could be useful, Sasuke preferred to squeeze every ounce of value from the living before making use of the dead.

"So, you two are here to attack Master Tazuna, correct?"

With the Demon Brothers confessing everything, Tazuna’s legs buckled and he dropped to the ground.

Sasuke stared coldly at Tazuna:

"Master Tazuna, can you offer an explanation?"

"A C-rank mission shouldn’t involve fighting ninja. If ninja are involved, it’s not something that can be handled for a paltry sum."

"Detailed information, fair payment—these are core terms repeatedly emphasized in our Leaf Village’s commission process, aren’t they?"

"If you can’t provide a reasonable explanation, we’ll have to take appropriate measures."

Tazuna’s face changed instantly, his spirit wilted.

With a sigh, Tazuna, in tears, began to recount a moving tale of rebellion.

The evil merchant Gato had seized control over the Land of Waves’ vital transportation routes, driving its people into desperation. Only by building a bridge could they open the gates to the outside world and save themselves.

Because so much money had been spent on the bridge, they were forced to misreport the mission’s rank, hiring ninja from the Leaf Village as their only hope.

His performance was dramatic—if he were on a Noh stage, he’d be a star.

Honestly, Naruto thought Tazuna and his people should form a troupe and go on tour.

Even if they didn’t use their suffering for entertainment, Tazuna certainly had a talent for drama. If they switched professions, they’d have made a fortune already—why bother building a bridge?

Sakura was visibly moved, deeply sympathetic toward the people of the Land of Waves.

But her sympathy stopped there. Having survived brushes with death, Sakura was no longer naive; she harbored a strong resentment toward Tazuna for concealing vital information.

Sasuke and Kakashi’s expressions remained unchanged. They cared nothing for the drama—only for useful facts.

"So, your argument is: you have funds to build a bridge across the sea, but none to commission the mission and hire powerful ninja?"

Kakashi summed it up: "And you’re hoping Leaf Village shinobi will cherish their reputation and not confront you, instead willingly accepting an unworthy payment to help you?"

Tazuna’s face turned pale. Kakashi had hit the mark.

Kakashi rubbed his forehead. "I don’t know what the old Hokage was thinking, nor what you discussed or agreed to..."

"What I need to say is, if you’d tricked a different team, someone would already be dead."

"You should know: most teams that take C-rank missions are either rookie squads looking for experience, or lackadaisical Chunin teams."

"If it had been another ninja squad, those two small fry wouldn’t have killed our teammates, but they could easily have taken your head."

Tazuna opened his mouth, like a fish stranded on the shore.

His face flushed, but he couldn’t utter a word.

With a sigh, Kakashi turned to the three Genin. "Well? Should we continue the mission? This time is different from our last in the Land of Hot Water—we actually have a choice."

"Let’s go on," Naruto shrugged. "Consider it a break."

Seeing Naruto nod, Sasuke nodded as well.

"No problem. I’m looking forward to meeting other strong opponents."

"I’m going too! Wherever Sasuke goes, I go," Sakura said, nodding after Sasuke.

Team Seven reached consensus, disposed of the Demon Brothers, sealing their bodies in a scroll, and moved forward.

"We are eternally grateful!"

Tazuna knelt, bowing his head. "Your kindness to the Land of Waves will never be forgotten! Thank you! Truly, thank you!"

"You’re thanking us too soon," Naruto remarked coldly as he passed.

"We Leaf shinobi aren’t here for charity—we need to eat."

"Since the mission has become more difficult, our compensation will increase accordingly."

"When the mission ends, we will claim everything owed us. Understood?"

Tazuna could only nod. He was a pure craftsman, clever but not wise.

He couldn’t grasp the troubles facing the Land of Waves, nor the costs required to solve them.

He had no idea that Naruto was eyeing the entire Land of Waves, not just his meager fortune.