The Journey — (Naruto x Solo Leveling Fanfiction)

I don't own solo leveling or Naruto

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It was one of the few days that he was free from the mind numbing hours at high school for Sasuke Uchiha. He was resting on the rooftop of the giant mansion that Choi had situated him in after his discharge from hospital all those months ago. It was overcast and looked like a storm would be coming very soon. He kind of liked the rain; its constant pitter patter was very soothing and washed away the fog that would appear in his head, which was happening a lot these days.

He thought back to two days ago when he met that old chairman and what they discussed after showcasing his abilities. From his lessons in the ninja academy it was always taught to any aspiring ninja that they should keep the secrets of their village a well guarded secret from the enemy and that included the impressive repertoire of jutsu that they would collect over their journey as a shinobi. But he had defected from the village for his own selfish reasons and desires so he wasn't bound to the code at all so he didn't mind disclosing his abilities whenever he deemed it to his benefit.

However, contrary to what he believed the old man wasn't interested in knowing more about his abilities and how they worked but he wanted to know more of his past. He didn't expect that at all because ever since he'd appeared in this realm no one had asked or even questioned his origins and it was… unexpected.

At that point he didn't want to engage further with the chairman and demanded that he leave which he allowed with very little protest even from his stick in the ass right-hand.

He didn't regret leaving the Leaf Village even now but sometimes he finds himself wondering if it was all worth it if he just ended up stranded here. He found that the answer a lot of the time was that he did in fact regret it.

He clenched his fists and let out a bitter chuckle. 'It's not like you are trying to find your way back.' It begged a serious question that he's been avoiding for a long time. Why wasn't he trying to find his way back to his dimension?

"What are you laughing about?" Choi approached from behind him. Sasuke sat up, broken from his thoughts as the S-rank hunter came up next to him. "You missed 3 of my calls."

Sasuke blinked, pulling the device out of his pocket and swiping through it to find that he in fact did miss those calls. "My phone was on silent." He replied.

Choi furrowed his brow. "Why was your phone on silent?"

"It went off in class and the teacher confiscated it for the rest of the class." When he got it back he asked Lee to show him how to silence the device because he found it annoying whenever it beeped at random times. "I must have forgotten to turn off silent."

The older man just smiled. "I guess you did. You know I was surprised a kid your age couldn't work the damn thing." Sasuke fought off the bright pink blush when he thought back to the day he was given the phone. It was the first time he'd seen the late Kil Nari's face twisted into laughter rather than her perpetually stern or worried expression. "Hn."

Sasuke watched him pull out his lighter and start flicking it to light the cigarette in his mouth. "Why do you use a lighter when you have fire magic? You can conjure a flame with a flick of your wrist can't you?" he questioned.

Choi chuckled as he lit the cigarette, fiddling with the lighter between his fingers. "I suppose you are right about that." He let out a puff of smoke. Sasuke scrunched up his nose at the smell. "You didn't answer my question." The older redhead gave him a contemplative look with emotions that Sasuke couldn't decipher flashing through those magenta coloured eyes of his. Choi took another drag of his cigarette and looked up.

"It was a gift from a subordinate."

"Are they dead?" Sasuke questioned in his typical blunt manner, but Choi had known him long enough to know that he wasn't being cold, rather he wasn't the type to skirt around a matter. He preferred to cut straight into the heart of the matter which is a quality that is viewed as tactless behavior a lot of the time. "Yes. They died last year during a raid." He explained taking another drag of his cigarette. "It was during the Jeju Island raid actually and it was my hubris that led a massive platoon of mine killed." He cast a thousand-yard stare off into the distance, likely looking in direction of the infamous raid.

"Jeju Island… that's the island with all the ants roaming around, right?" Sasuke asked and Choi confirmed with a solemn nod. Sasuke had learned about the island from Lee whenever he'd prattle off to him about some new hunter news like the discovery of a new monster. It was the first time he'd engaged with him about that stuff because he found it interesting that there was a group of monsters out there that were able to beat multiple S-rank hunters, fighters on the same level as Choi, in a life-or-death battle. He couldn't even beat the guy in a sparring session.

"Correct. I think about everyday and how I could have done things differently to prevent the loss of my comrades during that raid, but there's no point in dwelling. I have to move forward just like I always do." Sasuke pondered on his words wondering if it really was that simple. To just move forward. His entire purpose is chained to the past; it's hard for him to imagine anything past that. He wanted to ask him if it really was that simple, to just move on but like everything else he kept those thoughts to himself.

"Is that why you smoke too?" he blurted out.

"What?" he snorted. "Nah, I've been smoking since before then. Managing an entire guild is stressful." He ran a hand through his red hair as he blew out some more smoke.

Then they sat in comfortable silence together without the other having to say a word. It was a testament to how familiar they'd gotten around each other that Choi didn't feel the need to fill the air with unnecessary chatter like all those months ago. Just them together listening to the sounds of the trees fluttering in the cool wind or the sound of birds chirping on the massive lawn.

"What about you then?" Choi broke the silence. "Eh?" Sasuke raised a brow, incredulously, caught off guard by the question. He turned to his direction and found the man's intense gaze staring back at him which forced him to turn away. "What are you talking about?"

"Well I can't be the only one who shared something. Tell me something from your past." Sasuke immediately went into his shell not expecting such a question but he should have expected that he'd want to know something eventually. "Why do you want to know?" he questioned, very much guarded.

Choi sighed. "It's like I told you and I think it's only fair since I told something very important about myself."

"I didn't ask you to do that." Sasuke uselessly deflected.

"Hmph, really?" Choi looked at him with mirth at his attempt but as he continued to remain silent and expressionless he sighed dusting off his pants to make his exit. As he approached the ledge to jump off the roof Sasuke broke his silence.

"...I thought it was an illusion," he started. Choi stopped and glanced over his shoulder. "That night my whole family was stolen from me," Choi turned back with concern etching his features as Sasuke continued. "I swore from that night forward that I would find them justice. That I would kill that man."

Sasuke's face was blank to the world as Choi's face grew increasingly more worried taking cautious steps to the young child. "Hey, Sasuke…" he started but was quickly interrupted.

"I'm an avenger. To follow my path I must have power." Sasuke said coldly, sharingan unknowingly blazing in his eyes as a fiery glint consumed his face.

"Sasuke!" Choi gripped his shoulders as he brought him out of his trance. "Your eyes…" he murmured. Sasuke blinked as he turned his face from Choi's worried expression.

"I'm fine," he muttered. Choi let out a breath as he loosened the grip on his shoulders. "Good. I'm sorry that I asked you to remember that." he said with deep sincerity. Sasuke pressed his mouth in a deep line trying to get a hold of his emotions. "Don't be sorry about that. I remember it everyday."

"Ah, I see then." Sasuke frowned, watching Choi's eyes gleam with some kind of understanding. "So that is what moves you so. It is your desire for vengeance." he claimed.

"Yes, but right now I'm lost and my power isn't growing like I want it to." Sasuke answered.

"A hunter's power does not grow from the moment they awaken."

"I am not a hunter." Sasuke proclaimed firmly.

"I know," Choi smiled gently. "You aren't really from here. Where are you from, really?" he asked softly.

Sasuke grew guarded once again because he was asking a lot of questions again. "And why should I tell you?" Choi laughed softly at the screen he put up once again to protect his secrets. "You don't have to, but when you're ready I'll listen." he squeezed his shoulders affectionately before walking to the ledge once more.

Just before he jumped off though he turned back around with a smirk plastered on his face. "I want you at guild headquarters though. Your suit is ready and you'll be joining me for a raid later at night." he said much to Sasuke's surprise but before he could question him further he already leaped off the roof.

Sasuke ran to the ledge and watched him open the door to his sports car. "That bastard. How can he say something like that and run off?" He smirked in anticipation at the opportunity. He was grateful to Choi for giving him the chance to further grow his powers.

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Tae Shik smiled when the attack force that would be entering the gate approached. There was always this bubbling feeling in the pit of stomach whenever he entered a dungeon with a party. His obligations with the monitoring division made it so he couldn't raid dungeons as often as he would like, which was both a blessing and a curse.

'If I kill too often they'll definitely catch on.'

Right now, however, he couldn't get his mind clouded with those kinds of thoughts because the guild approaching him was the most prominent in the country. The Hunters Guild. Normally he, no, any agent of his level from the Association wouldn't monitor the situation of raid from a guild so closely. However, he had to be here due to his annoying assignment of keeping watch over Sasuke Uchiha.

He saw the teen wearing a type of sleek, tactical white body armour with black trimming details along the forearms, a purple belt that held the sheath for the katana at his hip. It looked like some of the high quality stuff he'd see on really high class hunters. 'Makes sense considering who his sponsor is.' he thought, watching the polarising S-rank hunter next to him.

Tonight the dungeon they would be raiding would be B-rank in power, according to the magic readings. The hustle and bustle of many workers and miners working for the guild gave an insight into the difference in resources a top 5 guild had over a regular guild and it was striking.

"Ah, so you must be Gang Tae Shik? It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Choi Jong-In smiled cordially, holding out a hand for him. Tae Shik with his professional stern expression accepted and shook his hand firmly. "The pleasure is all mine, Mr Choi Jong-In."

"I understand that you will be joining us for this raid?" Tae Shik nodded. He felt that the S-ranker knew why he was here but he'd continue to play oblivious. "It was at the immediate request of the chairman that a high ranking agent join the raid as a show of good faith for our shortcomings all those months ago."

Choi waved his hands as if to say not to worry about it. "It happened a long time ago and I'm sure that's in our past as an organisation, correct?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

He clapped his hands happily. "Great then! This is a test for our next generation of hunters in the guild. They've been scouted and trained for this very moment and while we have our own invigilator, I'd like some insight from your side if possible."

Tae Shik shrugged. "I wouldn't mind. What's the criteria they will be tested on?" Choi smiled calling over a woman with medium length black hair with bangs that framed her face. She had large round glasses on and a small mole on her chin that made her features unique. Choi placed a hand on her shoulder. "This is Lee Bora. She's going to be the invigilator for this test and I want you to work with her."

Lee Bora gave him a simple nod which he returned awkwardly. She looked quite similar to that little assistant he killed. 'I wonder if they're related or something?' he wondered. He didn't have time to ponder any longer as Choi broke him from his thoughts. "Well I guess you shouldn't waste anymore time. It's time to get started on the test." he smiled, walking off and giving both another smile.

Tae Shik turned his attention back on the woman once Choi made his leave. "So, what's the criteria for this test?" he asked. Bora pulled her phone from her sleeve and showed him a list of what the B-Squad hopefuls would be tested on.

"Their teamwork, ability to follow orders, synergy with others and adaptability will be tested. We already know that they are powerful warriors and can handle themselves which is why they were scouted in the first place but for them to join the B-squad, let alone the primer A-squad they have to excel in these categories." She explained.

"Have any of them worked together as a party before?" he asked to which she shook her head. "No, with the exception of the two cousins. Although they all are powerful A-rank warriors none of them have actually ever worked together before. This will be the first time and exactly why Master Choi deems it the best time to test their capabilities." He watched as the group of 10 A-rank hunters approached them, scoffing internally at the idea that all of these no name greenhorns were all above him in power.

"Well you made one mistake." he said, watching her furrow her brows. "Huh? What mistake?" she asked confused. He smiled and pointed at the Uchiha making his way over along with the rest adoring his signature deadpan expression. "He isn't A-rank in terms of strength but rather he's a B-rank." he explained much to her visible confusion.

"Hmm. I've never seen him before. He's quite young." She commented. He blinked in surprise at that watching her scrolling through her device. The Uchiha's existence seemed to be a guarded secret even amongst his more powerful guild members. "Sasuke Uchiha. A foreigner? How strange that I haven't heard about him?" She scratched her head but she didn't get to process much longer as the first of the test hopefuls made his presence known.

"Hey, Hey! My name is Park Ji-oh, A-rank tank and ready for action." The exuberant cyan haired female introduced herself. She had a navy blue set of gauntlets accompanied by a rock hard breastplate and large spiked shin guards strapped to her legs. "Ow, ow, ow! C'mon Hei-ran!" She cried as her ear was twisted by a broad shouldered stern male in a silver suit of armour. He had spiky cyan hair just like the female in his grasp and similarly sharp facial features which hinted at their relationship. "You should be more careful with your energy. This is an esteemed member of the guild's B-squad, Ji-oh." he reprimanded the hyper hunter much to her chagrin. "You don't think I know that? I'm just excited is all!" She pouted, rubbing her ear once the stern hunter let go.

"I think you're being harsh on her, Hei-ran. I don't think she appreciates you treating her like your dumb little sister." the smooth voice of Chung Yong, who was a handsome young man with a dashing smile and carried a collection of arrows on his back.

"Damn right I don't!" she cried, clenching her fists in righteous fury. Hei-ran didn't entertain her for a second though as he chopped her on the top of her head painfully. "Ack!" She squeaked, holding her head in pain as a few tears peaked at the corner of her ears.

"She might as well be if she keeps acting so hyper. She needs to take things more seriously if she wants to make it here." Hei-ran defended himself, crossing his arms indignantly. "It sounds to me like you just want to seem like the responsible, serious type in front of our invigilator. You know it doesn't matter until we get into the nitty-gritty of the fight, right?" Yon teased. Hei-ran elected not to respond to his accusation, dignifying it with a simple huff.

Yon continued unbothered. "If anything you should be treating the little pipsqueak behind like your little brother. He's the youngest here by miles!" Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the brunette but didn't bite back, electing to just grunt in annoyance.

'Hehe, he's not one to let comments like those slide. Flamehead must have told him to behave.' Tae Shik figured from Sasuke's unusual aversion to bite back with a snide remark of his own.

"You're right, Yon! Why are you being so mean to me, Hei-ran! Is a kid your age even allowed to enter a dungeon?" she glared softly while pointing at him. Sasuke rolled his eyes at the airhead. "You have no idea who you're talking to." Ji-oh perked up at his attitude and smirked as she came to tower over the Uchiha. "Eh? Why don't you enlighten me as to who you are with your fists then, kid?" she cracked her knuckles, craning her neck to the side as an intimidating aura stirred around her. Sasuke glared at the juvenile woman as intent filled the air between the two.

Lee Bora cleared her throat to grab the attention of the present hunters and put a pin to the tense bubble that formed around Sasuke and Ji-oh. "Um alright, B-squad hopefuls! My name is Lee Bora, today you will be tested to determine whether you are or not you are worthy of standing alongside my comrades of B-squad, watching our backs and carrying your own weight as we dive into the depths of a dungeon together. Be on top form tonight and for every raid furthermore!"

He watched the anxious faces of each hunter present switch to focus and determination ready to prove themselves. It was a sight to see a bunch of hopeful greenhorns so filled up with ambition and optimism. It made it that much more funny to him when that fight drained from their eyes.

'Stop. You have to keep a low profile.'

Once all was said and done the party made their way through the dimensional tear in the fabric of their reality.

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"Woah…"

"Yeah, I know what you mean."

"Finding the boss here is gonna be tough, huh?"

As far as the eye could see was a lush and expansive forest that looked like it stretched on for miles. There was a sun peaking just above the horizon which indicated time of day for all of these monsters. Not that they followed a sleep schedule of any sort.

Yon pulled out an arrow from his quiver and stabbed it into the ground explaining that he could sense the location and position of all his arrows within a 5 km radius. "As long as I return or am within a 5km radius of this arrow we won't lose the position of the gate no matter how far we dive into the dungeon."

"Smart move to create a fixed point for us to come back to." Hei-ran complimented to which Yon flipped his hair back flamboyantly and gave Bora a dashing smile. "Smart move? You heard that invigilator?" he smirked but the high class mage paid him no mind.

Sasuke grabbed the arrow pulled from the ground and twirled between his fingers much to Yon's anger. "Hey! What do you think you're doing, kid? Don't touch my stuff." he shouted. Sasuke snorted slightly. "What am I doing? What are you doing placing this arrow in such an obvious spot? At least hide it a little or did you not think about the monsters that might pick up on the minute magical energy pouring from this arrow?" Sasuke questioned.

Yon continued to glare as a light blush dusted his cheeks at not thinking of that possibility. "You're a really tiresome child. Didn't your mother teach you any manners?" he replied heatedly. Sasuke regarded him with a glare as they grew closer and closer in a confrontational manner in a similar vein to his tension with Ji-oh earlier on.

Lee Bora wanted to move to step in and defuse the tension but was held back by Tae Shik, who shook his head. "We should let them sort it out."

"We're in dangerous territory. We can't afford a lapse in concentration due to childish spat." Bora rebutted. The territory of monsters was treacherous the moment you set foot in them which is why all hunters had to remain alert and focused. "We will just keep watch as overseers of this test and besides they should know the rule of law in a dungeon. It's every man for himself." Tae Shik countered.

Bora eyed him critically for a moment before backing down. "I think I understand what you are trying to say. However, that kid sure does bring out the fight in people…" She muttered that last part to herself, her attention drawn back to the argument.

"Then what do you suggest, oh wise one?" Yon shot back in a deliberately mocking tone.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "If you're too simple to not get it then it's not my fault. We should get going then instead of standing around." Sasuke grumbled walking past the hunter into the forest expanse. "Agreed." Hei-ran followed suit as the rest did so as well.

"He just ignored me. What the heck is that kid's problem?" Yon gritted his teeth in vexation, but was forced to follow on anyway. He didn't notice, however, that the arrow in Sasuke's hand had disappeared as soon as the canopy of the forest covered their heads.

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It wasn't long in the forest until the party encountered trouble being attacked by wild forest vines that sprouted from the ground.

"Argh, these vines!?"

"What the?"

"Geez, what the hell?!"

In an instance many of their party were ensnared by the green roots that sprung forth. Sasuke quickly unsheathed his blade and went to work on the vines by slicing and dicing them in precise and fluid motions, similar to Tae Shik.

Lee Bora summoned a giant worm from her magic staff that went to town on the vines that surrounded her. Ji-oh laughed as she lifted into the air, her gauntlets glowing a bright blue due to her mana. She grabbed a fistful of vines and ripped them apart with terrifying strength.

Hei-ran stood his ground fiercely as he chopped away with powerful swings from his axe. Yon gracefully leaped away to a safe distance and conjured up a bow made of mana. He pulled 3 arrows from his quiver and fired, freeing multiple members of their party with ease.

He flipped his hair back with a haunting smile, "Would you look at that? How graceful!" Sasuke rolled his eyes, throwing multiple shuriken just past his ear. "Hey watch it, kid! Is your aim really that bad?!" He screamed.

"For an archer you really don't pay that much attention to your surroundings." Sasuke scoffed, pointing at the vines pinned to the tree behind him.

"Uh?" he blushed. "Shut up, I would've sensed them!" he defended.

Sasuke gave him a look that said 'Yeah sure buddy' which caused Yon to grimace.

"Help! I can't get free! Shit!"

Both looked up to the screams of their fellow party member desperately struggling and writhing to get free from the vines looking to pull him apart. Yon reacted quickly and pulled out 2 arrows and shot them at mach speeds, ripping apart the vines. As the hunter entered freefall towards the ground he was caught by the on rushing Sasuke and brought safely to the ground.

"Thank you!" he gripped the front of Sasuke's armour as tears flooded his eyes. Sasuke, unceremoniously, dropped him to the floor. "Don't do that." He stated firmly.

"Ugh, yeah I won't!" The grateful hunter gasped and recoiled from his glare.

Sasuke looked around and saw that most of the vines had been dealt with. They retreated back into the ground where they came from. They were caught off guard but they reacted well and didn't do too badly. Hei-ran, Ji-oh and Lee helped some of their members to their feet. Tae Shik leaned against a tree watching the whole time and it wouldn't have surprised him if he never lifted a finger to help.

"Good job, everyone. You handled yourselves admirably." Lee said with a hint of relief to her monotone.

"Did you see how awesome I was? None of those things stood a chance!" Ji-oh shouted excitedly. "Don't cloud yourself with hubris. This is only the first test." Hei-ran responded. This managed to deflate the joyful hunter a little, "Gee, what's your problem? I'm just getting a little hype." she pouted.

"The vines are part of a bigger monster more than likely." Sasuke deduced.

"I agree and we also can't be sure where it attacked us from." Hei-ran said.

"It shouldn't be too far away considering how rich with mana these vines are." Sasuke examined a piece of a vine with his sharingan. He could see the powerful magic dwelling within it.

"What should we do then?" Ji-oh asked. "We move forward for now. There's not much else we can do until it attacks again." Sasuke answered. He didn't like the fact that he wasn't able to sense the vines until they were sprouting from the ground. This thing was clearly an adept predator to be able to conceal its presence so well.

"We should probably move in a formation as well so we can be better prepared for surprise attacks." Sasuke suggested. Hei-ran nodded. "A good suggestion. It would be very bad to be lax like this again." He said, a sentiment that many agreed with because a team with a strategy is better than a team with none.

The whole group went quiet as to who would come up with a formation for them to follow. When no one did step forward Sasuke decided to step in. "Alright then, we'll have anyone with long range techniques cover the group from behind and our tankiest charge forward in the front. The quickest will cover the flanks and anyone with a wide sensing range will be in the center. Healers stay just behind the tanks." Sasuke ordered.

Hei-ran addressed Lee Bora. "Ms. Invigilator, you know the hunter classes of everyone present. If it would be possible, could you please sort us out according to the kid's arrangement?"

She smiled, "Sure. It would be my genuine pleasure."

The party was quickly sorted out by Bora according to Sasuke's directions with Hei-ran leading the charge along with two others and a single healer behind him. Sasuke, Ji-oh and Tae-Shik on the flanks along with another member carrying a red blade. Yon was joined by Lee Bora and two other mages to cover the rear. A single individual in the center of the group to be on the lookout for hunters.

Yon scoffed as he moved to take his place at the rear of the group. He didn't want to admit it was a fine formation for the time being but he couldn't help grumbling out a complaint. "Tch, who made you the leader? I could've come with something."

"I'm sure about that if you were given time but that didn't happen." He turned to the voice of Bora of all people. "Remember that in a dungeon your life is on the line so you can't let your pride dictate your actions otherwise many people will die. Always remember that." She told him. He blushed at the thought of her kind face and stern voice reminding him of someone he'd rather not think about. "Tch, I know that!" he grumbled.

"Call it kid. This is your plan!" Hei-ran bellowed from the front.

"Move out!" Sasuke commanded. The whole party started running through the forest with incredible speed.

It wasn't long until their sensor picked up on a massive presence just ahead in a clearing. "There's a powerful mana up ahead. I can't discern a rank from it but it must be greater than C-rank!" he informed the party.

They reached the clearing and we're face to face with a giant Ogre the height of an average house. It had very mangled and grotesque features, carried a massive club on its shoulders, and its skin was covered in dirt, gravel and mud.

"That's an A-rank Ogre. A tough opponent so be on guard everyone!" Hei-ran shouted as his armour was covered in a blue hue of mana.

[Empower]

A skill common among all tank class hunters and its effectiveness was entirely dependent on the strength of the user.

The Ogre let out a powerful roar and belined straight for the group with its massive club reared back for a devastating strike. Hei-ran moved in to meet the monster halfway and blocked its club with his forearms. The other two beside him came in to grab a hold of its legs and tried their damndest to pin it down.

"Fire!" Came the shout of Yon as a hail of arrows and a bunch of other projectiles pelted the magic beast. However, it didn't relent and continued to push down on Hei-ran's forearms aiming to crush him.

"Stop! Hold your fire!" Sasuke commanded when he saw the projectiles weren't having an effect. This thing either had a tough exterior or was really resilient. "Finally! An opening!" Ji-oh exclaimed as she broke into a dead sprint and bound a massive distance in a single instance to land a ferocious strike on the monster's dome.

[Quake Smash]

Her gauntlets hummed with power necessary to force the giant to back pedal to the ground. "Ha! Take that you freak!" she cheered. "How does it feel being punched down by a girl, loser!" she mocked the beast slowly coming back to its feet.

Hei-ran sweatdropped. "You're anything but a girl." he muttered, shaking the tension from his forearms. She turned to him with a questioning look. "Sorry did you say something?"

"It's nothing." he squeaked, one of the few times he was actually scared of Ji-oh was when she got all fired up.

The Ogre recovered and swiped at them with its club. Hei-ran and Ji-oh managed to get out of the way in time but the two tanks weren't so lucky as they were sent flying into a couple of trees. Ji-oh didn't waste time and immediately closed the distance and threw another mana infused punch.

[Quake Smash]

This time the beast didn't go backwards but instead tanked the blow and grabbed her from mid-air. She squirmed and struggled in its grip as the fist grew tighter and tighter.

Sasuke turned to the assassin class with the red blade, "Kim!" he called out. "I'll take out the eyes! You make sure to save the idiot alright!" he ordered and quickly moved in to strike. "Eh?" Kim blinked seeing Sasuke move at blinding speeds straight up the beast's club and arm before slashing at its retinas.

[Chidori Blade]

The lightning enhanced blade provided just even cutting power to cleanly gouge out the monster's eyeballs. It recoiled and screamed in pain as it moved to grab its face while letting go of Ji-oh in process. Kim caught her during her downward descent and carried her bridal style back to the ground.

"Are you okay?" he asked, concerned.

"I… I think I have a few ribs broken." she moaned in pain. Kim nodded and said that he would take her to the healer. He could also tell that her shoulder had been dislocated.

Sasuke back flipped off the Ogre and landed gracefully next to Hei-ran. He watched as the monster tripped over its own feet trying to get its bearings after losing eyesight.

"You are quite brutal, kid." he heard the tall man comment. "It has a tough exterior. I doubt my Chidori blade would've been able to cut through its fingers to free her." he explained.

"It's impressive you managed to cut it at all considering your rank. I'm almost certain that this is an A-rank monster. Even though hunters are generally stronger than monsters of the same rank I'm having trouble with this thing. You've learned how to punch above your weight." he complimented.

Sasuke had single handedly defeated a Screaming Hellbeast which was a monumental feat for a B-rank hunter to do so with the monster's reputation as the strongest of all B-rank bosses out there. However, Hei-ran had no knowledge of those events.

[Starlight Cannon]

A bright beam of light in the shape of an arrow whizzed past the two and created a massive explosion that engulfed the Ogre. Weirdly enough the mana formed a star shape before dissipating.

"What?" Sasuke looked behind him to see Yon on his hands and knees from exhaustion showing that he was the one who fired the projectile. The technique he used clearly took a lot out of him as well.

"Take that you bastard! No one survives the explosion of the sun!" he grinned, tiredly striking a flamboyant pose watching the hulking mass of the Ogre without a head attached to its body hit the ground. Defeated.

"Nice one Yon!" Ji-oh yelled happily, moving around freely due to her injuries being healed. "Hehe, yeah, yeah whatever. Can you stop hogging the healer over there!" he yelled back. His muscles felt like jelly and his bones rattled in agony. He was happy to have been able to kill the thing but the power buff he was given by Bora to hit it with as much strength as possible certainly wasn't worth all this torture.

"Where are you hurt?" he heard the soft voice of their healer question, but he was in too much pain to be kind. "I don't know maybe my entire fucking body. I can't move for God's sake!" He was given a tap on the shoulder for his attitude by the healer which caused him to scream in pain.

"I deserve that." he lamented after a minute. She nodded sagely at his admission. A soothing warmth overcame him as his muscle tears repair themselves.

"Thank you." he said, getting to his feet to gather with the rest of the party. Sasuke turned to him and gave him a nod. "That was certainly impressive. I didn't know you had it in you." Yon grunted in annoyance, "Tch, don't mock me!"

"So, let's continue to move forward. Yon use your arrow to mark the body for the collection teams to harvest the Ogre corpse." Sasuke ordered. Yon grimaced at the order but obliged anyway.

"Hey, Cha Binna is everyone accounted for?" he asked the soft faced healer. "Yes, but I'm low on mana right now. I need some time to recover before the next healing session."

"That's good. Well let-"

Sasuke was cut off by the sound of multiple trees around them being brought down. A familiar sense of dread sparked itself in his chest as 4 Ogres made their presence known to them.

"Are you kidding?"

"Four of them?"

"Geez what do we do?"

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