Chapter 037

Naruto looked baffled. "I didn't know this village had a discipline squad."

"I-It doesn't," Tayuya murmured, looking over the gang of thugs smirking unpleasantly at them. "That's the Jako Gang, a group of thieves Gato hired to be his muscle in the area. They're a low profile group, but they're incredibly dangerous… especially their leader." The girl shimmied away when she saw the boss tap his liquid blade against his shoulder. "H-He's strong…"

"Really?" the blonde asked before looking back towards the wall of rabble-rousers towering over them. After taking stock of their appearances and getting a feel for the Zen of the atmosphere, Naruto smirked, "I'll be the judge of that."

"Well? What say you kid?" Jako asked while nodding to the smiling blonde.

"What say me what?" Naruto fired back, giving the man a cocky smirk.

"My boss ordered me to bring you in dead or alive. Are you gonna come quietly or are you gonna start something with me too?" the man asked. His men snickered when he gestured for one of them to start the intimidation chain, weapons quickly being brought out to the front of the line from wherever they were being concealed. "Personally I'd prefer it if you gave me a little bit of trouble so that I'd have a good enough excuse to beat on you. That or I can just cut your throat right now and end this pathetic little farce."

"Same here, but I'd prefer not to get my top dirty with your scum excuse for blood once I start cracking your heads open," Naruto exclaimed while tugging on his collar to loosen it up. "Seriously, this jumper's brand new. Do you know how expensive these things are?"

Tayuya gripped his arm tightly and shook him so that the boy looked at her. "Are you nuts? Don't start bantering for a fight with these guys! They'll kill you."

"I said it before, Tayuya-chan; they can't kill me because I'm too awesome," Naruto joked before glancing back at them. "Though the big guy looks like he can actually throw his weight around in a fight, I'm pretty sure I can take him."

"Y-You're kidding me? Please tell me you're just playing," Tayuya shook him frantically.

"I never kid about these things, Tayuya-chan. I'm absolutely serious," Naruto replied flatly, making it impossible for the redhead to discern the validity of what he was stating. All she was able to take from his tone and expression was that his once playful gaze had become serious. The shadow beneath his goggles also fell across his eyes, giving him a really cool looking glare to go with his smirk.

"N-No… don't do it… Naruto…"

"Well? What's it going to be, blondie?" Jako asked again, raising an eyebrow, "Fresh stock or dead meat?"

"How about… neither?" Naruto asked, gently pushing Tayuya back so that he could step forward. He cracked his knuckles one after the other while eyeing his prey with excitement and anticipation, "Put up your dukes, goat boy. Let's see what you've got."

"So it's the hard way then, eh?" Jako chuckled, looking around at his men before directing several of them forward. Those with swords and bats stepped out and began approaching the kid in force, all of them brandishing their weapons with intent to harm. "As you wish. I'll make sure to kill you and that red haired bitch behind you quickly."

Naruto's expression immediately darkened at that threat and he spared a brief glance at the girl over his shoulder. When the band of mercenaries marching towards them broke out into a full on charge and Tayuya's eyes widened in fear, the boy caught in the middle of the confrontation clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.

"Leave Tayuya-chan out of this!" he shouted.

One of the men in front of the squad sprinted ahead with a terrifying cry of battle, trench coat trailing on the wind and katana pulled back, ready to slice his target down with a single strike. Naruto responded instantly to the man's attack with a blinding dash forward. He caught his would be assailant off guard when he appeared directly beneath him and plowed his fist right into the man's face through the loop in his arms formed by the grip on his weapon. The impact of the blow sent the thug blasting backwards in a shower of perspiration and straight into the ground with a deafening crack.

The mercenary could only twitch lifelessly where he landed, his busted mug bleeding out all over the floor.

"YOU BRAT!" another gangster shouted, lunging at the boy with a wooden staff. He held it above his head and swung straight down at his pint-sized target.

Naruto grinned widely and brought his left arm up, blocking the blow at close range. The impact caused the staff to shatter, literally turning the weapon into nothing but a shower of splinters. The jinchuriki then took full advantage of his opponent's shock and slammed a full right cross across the lowlife's face, dropping him. The next man to follow up came at him swinging with a short blade, which Naruto quickly leapt back to avoid before hiking up the brute's forward leg and kicking him across the face, sending his third 'kill' spiraling into the road in a magnificent one-hit take down.

The rearguard moved quickly to join their comrades in battle and within a few short seconds of the starting gun being fired, the party was in full swing.

One after the other, mercenaries and lowlifes of all shapes and sizes came at Naruto kicking and screaming as the boy dashed between them in the form of a small orange blur, dishing out blows and dodging every attack sent at him. This was where the jinchuriki's many years of brawling on the streets and training in the forests finally bore fruit, the current battle seeing him trade swift, decisive blows with the mercenaries while receiving zero damage in return. Those with swords were quickly dealt with by the agile youngster when he ran circles around them and jumped clean over full grown men's heads, firing off devastating attacks that left countless thugs reeling. Those assaulting him from behind or looking to punch it out with him were given the exact same fate as those moving to meet him head on; a swift beating followed by unconsciousness.

Naruto acrobatically and gracefully moved through his foes, cutting them down with elbows, high kicks and the occasional low blows that brought many of them to their knees. The grin he continued to sport as he smashed in faces left and right showed just how much fun he was really having. It was like he was back in his territory deep in the forests of Konoha, ducking low hanging branches and swinging through vines. Every individual he encountered provided him with a new obstacle to overcome, which he skillfully worked around and cleared up to make way for the next one. He made the whole thing out to be like a game of tag, trying to avoid his opponent's weapons while at the same time skillfully swinging between individuals.

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