Born To Rise In Konoha-Chapter 107

"What do you hear?"

Saitama tilted his head, ears twitching slightly. He frowned—there was a faint sound, like fire crackling in the distance, but it wasn’t clear.

"There’s no sound, Captain," replied Uchiha Yan after pausing to listen carefully. "Nothing nearby."

"West," Saitama muttered, eyes narrowing. He had already determined the direction.

"Let’s move." He quickened his pace without hesitation. If memory served, there were supposed to be a few settlements in that area—small villages on the Fire Country’s inner border, still within reach of Konoha’s patrol perimeter.

Although the border wasn’t far, a vast forest lay in between, making some isolated civilian settlements viable, especially those reliant on hunting.

As they moved, the sound grew louder, more distinct.

The fire was real.

Saitama’s instincts screamed. Something was wrong.

"Damn it!" He darted around a massive tree blocking their view—and flames filled his vision.

The glow of fire lit up the forest clearing. Wooden houses were engulfed in flames, crackling violently. The heat was oppressive, and thick black smoke curled into the sky. Several corpses lay in front of the homes, already charred, their features impossible to distinguish.

Saitama’s eyes darkened. His hand gripped the hilt of his blade until his knuckles whitened.

"Unforgivable..."

"What happened here?!" Uchiha Huo, one of the twin brothers trailing behind, stopped dead at the sight. "This is the rear line! How did someone get through Konoha’s patrol net?!"

"They didn’t get far," Uchiha Yan murmured as he scanned the scorched surroundings. "The fire hasn’t been burning long."

"Then we pursue," Saitama said coldly. "We must make an example of whoever did this."

He was furious—not only at the senseless destruction but also at the audacity of an enemy sneaking past the defense line and causing this much damage.

"Captain, if they had the guts to do this, they may be stronger than—"

"I don’t care," Saitama cut off Yan’s warning. "They die."

Though the attackers had made some effort to conceal their trail, their escape path was sloppy and amateurish. Saitama’s keen perception—honed by battlefield experience—easily picked up the signs. Without a word, he moved ahead at speed.

---

Meanwhile, deeper in the woods—

"Yuan Zhi! You feel that rush? Haha! Wrecking stuff in the Land of Fire is pretty thrilling, huh?"

The speaker had a horse-like face and a wide, crazed grin. He was a rogue shinobi named Long Fei. Only two of them traveled together, but he showed no signs of panic.

"We’re behind Konoha lines, Long Fei," Yuan Zhi muttered with a scowl. "Eventually we’ll run into trouble."

"Bah! You worry too much. Ever since we got separated from the squad, I knew we weren’t making it back. So why not take a few more with us before we go? Let loose!"

His madness was plain now. He wasn’t acting on orders anymore.

"We ran into a few Konoha patrols before, remember?" Yuan Zhi muttered. "If we keep pushing deeper, we’ll be overwhelmed sooner or later."

"We’re already being hunted," Long Fei said with a shrug. "Might as well make it count. Come on."

Suddenly—

"Whoosh!"

A sharp slicing noise pierced the air. The sound of a fast approach.

Both men froze.

"Going somewhere?"

The voice reached them first—cold, furious.

They turned in horror just in time to see a flicker of blue-white lightning surging behind them.

Saitama descended from above, landing with a thunderous impact a few meters away. His chakra surged like a visible aura of stormlight. Scorch marks spiderwebbed beneath his sandals.

"A Konoha ninja?!" Long Fei hissed. "Damn, that was fast."

"Only one?" Yuan Zhi’s face flickered with hope. "Just a kid?"

"Arrogant brat!" Long Fei spat. "Think you can take us alone?!"

Saitama had advanced ahead of the Uchiha brothers to cut off the enemy. He stared at them coldly, lightning flickering across his frame.

Long Fei and Yuan Zhi exchanged a glance. "Kill him," Long Fei snapped. "One guy? We’re both chūnin—no way he can handle us!"

With a roar, Long Fei charged first, sword raised. Yuan Zhi followed closely, wielding a massive axe in both hands. Their bloodlust was obvious.

Saitama didn’t flinch.

"Tch. You really think you’re something."

He had expected a serious threat—a covert squad, a jōnin team at least. But it was just two rogue chūnin with inflated egos.

He drew his blade in a flash.

"That doesn’t mean you get to live."

There was no mercy in his movements. Lightning chakra surged as he flickered forward.

"Zzzt!"

"CRACK—!"

"GAHH!"

Steel clashed—and then broke.

Both enemies dropped their weapons, eyes wide. Blood sprayed from their forearms as they crumpled to the ground—their hands severed cleanly.

"AAAAH! Damn you, Konoha scum!" Long Fei screamed, writhing in agony as blood poured from his stumps.

Yuan Zhi was already unconscious. The trauma and blood loss had overwhelmed him.

Saitama stood over them, face expressionless. He stepped on one of the severed hands. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm

Crunch.

"Still feel like it was ’fun’ setting villages on fire?" he asked, his voice quiet but cruel.

"Ha...hahaha..." Long Fei laughed through the pain. "You’re pissed, huh? Guess it was worth it!"

Saitama tilted his head and smiled—but there was no joy in it.

"Good," he said, voice dropping to a murmur. "Because what comes next will be even more fun."

Long Fei’s eyes widened. Despite the blood loss, despite the pain, he felt a chill run down his spine.

He had mocked a shinobi who did not smile often.

And now, in the moment before darkness claimed him, he understood what true fear felt like.

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