Kitazawa and Kurenai arrived at the Ninja Academy.
Hinata, Shikamaru, and Shino were already waiting on the training ground. Seeing them, Kitazawa couldn't help but smile.
The three of them displayed three distinct attitudes — Hinata looked expectant, Shino was calm and expressionless, while Shikamaru appeared full of reluctance and apprehension.
"Let's go." Kitazawa waved to them and said, "We're going to meet the client."
"Kitazawa-sensei, what rank is our mission this time?" Shikamaru asked proactively.
"B-Rank," Kitazawa replied.
Shikamaru secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If it was a B-Rank mission, it was highly unlikely they would encounter a Jonin.
Indeed, although Hinata and Shino were strong, the three of them together would still struggle against a Jonin.
Kitazawa glanced at him. A B-Rank mission alone wouldn't be enough to change his personality. His real plan was to find an Iwagakure squad to put pressure on them once they reached the Land of Earth.
After all, it was an escort mission — theoretically, any kind of enemy could appear. Shikamaru would never suspect that Kitazawa himself had drawn them in.
The five of them left the Ninja Academy and arrived at Konoha Village's main gate. Their escort target was a merchant caravan from the Land of Fire.
During times of peace, trade between nations was quite common.
"It's Lord Kitazawa?" The caravan's owner was immediately surprised and delighted to see him.
He had only paid for a B-Rank mission but had managed to hire the renowned Jonin of Konoha, Kitazawa — it was an absolute bargain. He could now rest easy about their safety.
Moreover, Kitazawa was a student of the current Hokage, Tsunade, and an excellent Medical Ninja, so there was no need to worry even if someone got injured.
After a few pleasantries, the caravan set off. Kitazawa and Kurenai were even given their own carriage.
"This client is quite good," Shikamaru said, stretching lazily inside the carriage.
"It's because Kitazawa-sensei has influence," Shino replied, adjusting his glasses.
Normally, clients weren't so considerate toward ninja. In fact, most treated them indifferently — a long-standing custom in the ninja world.
Ninja took money to complete a task, and clients didn't see any reason to build rapport with them.
Hinata nodded softly. She had just witnessed how the caravan owner behaved toward Kitazawa — not only respectful but even somewhat deferential.
"We're about to leave Konoha's territory. For safety, we'll patrol in shifts," Kitazawa said, glancing out the window.
"Don't we have Shino's Kikaichu?" Shikamaru complained.
If he could ride comfortably in the carriage, he certainly didn't want to patrol outside.
"Kikaichu aren't omnipotent," Kitazawa said with a shake of his head. "We must always remain vigilant during a mission."
Shikamaru thought it was unnecessary but didn't dare argue.
"Hinata and I will be one group. Shikamaru and Kurenai will be another. Each group will patrol for two hours, then we'll switch," Kitazawa said.
"Shino doesn't need to patrol — just control your Kikaichu to monitor the surroundings."
Upon hearing that, Shikamaru's face showed clear envy. He also wanted to stay in the carriage the whole time. Hinata, however, felt a quiet surge of joy in her heart.
"Hinata, let's go."
After Kitazawa spoke, he jumped off the carriage, and Hinata quickly followed him.
The carriage's speed was decent, but for a ninja, it was quite slow. Kitazawa and Hinata ran at the very front — their client, the caravan owner, was in the first carriage.
If an attack occurred, they could immediately protect him.
Theoretically, as long as the client remained alive, the mission wouldn't be considered a failure. As for others, their priority naturally came second.
"Hinata, you should be watching your surroundings," Kitazawa said, tapping her forehead lightly.
Hinata turned her head, embarrassed.
The Land of Earth lay northwest of the Land of Fire. They weren't directly adjacent — a few small nations lay in between, such as the Land of Waterfall, the Land of Rain, and Kusagakure.
Kitazawa chose the shortest route: passing through Kusagakure.
Although with Konan's presence, traveling through the Land of Rain wouldn't be dangerous, its constant downpour made it unsuitable for long journeys.
Kusagakure, on the other hand, had clear skies and endless grasslands.
"So beautiful!"
Upon arriving in Kusagakure, Hinata gazed at the vast plains and couldn't help but exclaim. The setting sun's golden glow stretched across the fields — a sight she had never seen before.
"When do we rest?" Shikamaru asked listlessly.
After a full day of travel, he was already both physically and mentally exhausted.
"Now, I suppose," Kitazawa said after a moment's thought. "We'll rest for the night, then cross Kusagakure and enter the Land of Earth tomorrow."
After he finished speaking, he went to inform the caravan owner.
"Set up camp! We'll depart tomorrow!" the owner shouted immediately.
Soon, tents were erected in rows.
Normally, ninja would find a secluded place to rest, but with such a large caravan, hiding was impossible — so they camped openly.
Kitazawa's group didn't use the caravan's tents; instead, they set up two of their own.
Just like during the day, they organized into two groups for night watch.
The main purpose of this mission was to train the students and conduct a practical combat assessment, so patrolling and keeping watch were essential — both for experience and evaluation.
"Are you sleepy?" Kitazawa asked, sitting on the grass and looking at Hinata.
"Not sleepy," Hinata said, shaking her head.
Whenever she was with Kitazawa, she inexplicably felt full of energy.
"You are a ninja of the Hyuga Clan. If you detect anything unusual, you must immediately activate your Byakugan to check the situation."
Kitazawa patted her head and reminded her.
"Mhm."
Hinata obediently responded.
After the night watch began, Kitazawa, having nothing else to do, started cultivating Ninja Art Creation Rebirth – Strength of a Hundred Seal.
Hinata subconsciously widened her eyes. Black curse marks appeared on Kitazawa's face, looking somewhat eerie. At the same time, there was a vast chakra that she could feel even without activating her Byakugan.
This chakra was more than ten times greater than that of her father, Hyuga Hiashi!
Hinata felt shocked and incredulous. Although having a lot of chakra didn't necessarily mean a ninja would be very strong, a ninja with little chakra certainly couldn't become a strong one.
The first half of the night was very safe, with no incidents.
Kitazawa finished his cultivation of Ninja Art Creation Rebirth – Strength of a Hundred Seal. The black curse marks on his face receded, eventually condensing into a diamond shape on his forehead.
Ninja Art Creation Rebirth – Strength of a Hundred Seal was a ninjutsu that could only be performed after releasing the Yin Seal, so the practice was the same.
"Go rest."
Kitazawa looked at Hinata. She was already a bit drowsy, her small head occasionally nodding.
"Is... is it over?"
Hinata instinctively looked at him upon hearing this. After two seconds of stunned silence, she finally reacted. Her face flushed slightly, and she nodded.
"Shikamaru." Kitazawa stood up and walked to the front of the tent.
"Huh?" Shikamaru sat up, looking sleepy.
"It's your turn for night watch, Shikamaru."
Shikamaru shook his head abruptly, got up, and left the tent. He yawned and sat on the grass, looking spiritless.
"He's just as you said—good at everything except for being lazy." Kurenai walked out of another tent and said with a smile.
"He mainly lacks pressure." Kitazawa grabbed her hand and said, "I'll keep watch with you."
"No need, you've already kept watch for the first half of the night. Go to sleep now." Kurenai refused.
"Don't you know me yet?" Kitazawa said with a slight smile. "Even if I don't sleep all night, I'll still be full of vigor."
Kurenai paused, then her face flushed crimson, and she glared at him fiercely. Although what he said was indeed true.
The night passed without incident.
After breakfast, the caravan continued its journey.
At noon, they entered the Land of Earth.
"The Land of Earth is different from Kusagakure (Hidden Grass); we might encounter Iwagakure ninja at any time, so we must be extremely vigilant," Kitazawa warned.
Hinata, Shino, and Shikamaru all nodded seriously.
Kitazawa's arrangement was still to patrol in two groups. When it was his and Hinata's turn, he created two Shadow Clones that left—one to the left and one to the right.
"I'm having them check the nearby situation." Kitazawa met Hinata's curious gaze, smiled, and casually explained.
However, his actual goal was to find a suitable Iwagakure squad to be their opponents.
An hour later, the caravan successfully arrived at its destination—the largest city in the southeastern part of the Land of Earth.
"This mission was really easy," Shikamaru couldn't help but smile.
They hadn't encountered anything along the way. Now they were deep within the Land of Earth, but still no Iwagakure ninja had appeared; their luck was truly incredible.
"Our Konoha Village and Iwagakure are in a state of peace, so under normal circumstances, Iwagakure ninja wouldn't needlessly provoke us," Kurenai explained.
"Moreover, they also have their own missions to do, and during their mission period, they will try their best to avoid any unnecessary complications."
"Are there any special circumstances?" Hinata asked curiously.
"Some ninja, due to their personality, are more bloodthirsty, and they might attack us," Kurenai replied.
"How can there be such a ninja?" Hinata couldn't understand.
"That's actually a mental illness," Kurenai pinched her cheek and said. "Besides that, ninja with grudges might also attack us."
Kitazawa raised an eyebrow at that. Both of his Shadow Clones had been dispelled, sending their memories back to him.
He had indeed encountered an Iwagakure squad with a grudge against them—more precisely, a grudge against the Aburame Clan.
Kitazawa had encountered the Kamizuru Clan (Clan of Bee Users) from Iwagakure, who, like the Aburame Clan, were insect users.
A long time ago, when Iwagakure attacked Konoha Village, the Kamizuru Clan encountered the Aburame Clan and was almost wiped out. Currently, only a few members of the Kamizuru Clan remain.
In the original storyline, three survivors were mentioned: Kurobachi, Suzumebachi, and Jibachi.
And from the memories sent back by the Shadow Clones, Kitazawa had encountered these three as well. Their strength should be on par with the current Hinata, Shino, and Shikamaru.
Kitazawa chose them as his target without hesitation. Moreover, they would be easy to lure—he only needed to leak Shino's information to them.
After all, the Kamizuru Clan was decimated by the Aburame Clan, and they harbored a deep hatred for Aburame Clan ninja.
"Mission accomplished. We should head back, but you all go ahead; I still have something to do."
Kitazawa clapped his hands, attracting their attention.
Kurenai already knew this beforehand, so she wasn't surprised.
She glanced at Shikamaru, feeling a sense of pity for what he was about to face. Since Kitazawa said he would arrange something for him, it definitely wouldn't be easy.
However, Kurenai supported it. Along the way, she had also noticed Shikamaru's lazy personality. As a ninja, such a personality would inevitably lead to trouble sooner or later.
"Huh?" Hinata felt a sense of reluctance.
Kurenai stroked her head. This little girl really liked to stick to Kitazawa.
But it was normal—Kitazawa was strong, and as a teacher, he was very good to them. It would be unreasonable for him not to be popular.
"We're leaving first, Kitazawa," Kurenai said her goodbyes and led Hinata and the others away.
Kitazawa watched them leave. A gust of wind swept by, and Konan appeared.
"Wait one more day." Kitazawa knew her purpose and spoke.
Although Konan was puzzled, she didn't ask further, nodded, and disappeared again.
Kurenai and the four of them, including Hinata, walked on a mountain path. Although Kusagakure had vast grasslands, it also had other terrains.
In the distance, a massive rock changed color, revealing three figures— a young girl and two young men. They were Suzumebachi, Kurobachi, and Jibachi of the Kamizuru Clan.
Suzumebachi was the granddaughter of the Kamizuru Clan's deceased first clan head. Although young, she was the leader of this squad. Her lifelong dream was to revive the Kamizuru Clan.
"That little boy in the white robe is indeed an Aburame Clan ninja," Kurobachi, with a full beard and the oldest among them, said in a deep voice.
"To be out on a mission so young, he must be a genius of the Aburame Clan," Jibachi, with yellow hair, adjusted his glasses and said. "Killing him will surely pain the Aburame Clan."
"Then let's kill him!" Suzumebachi said with a face full of killing intent.
"We need to be careful of that Konoha Jonin," Kurobachi reminded. Strictly speaking, the strength of the three of them had not reached the Jonin level.
"I have my Queen Bee; dealing with a Jonin won't be a problem," Suzumebachi said with great confidence.
The Aburame Clan raised Kikaichu. Their Kamizuru Clan raised bees— not ordinary bees, but highly venomous ones that could use chakra.
Among them, the Queen Bee was the strongest bee of the Kamizuru Clan— or rather, their summoned beast.
The Aburame Clan also had similar creatures; in the original storyline, Shino summoned a giant insect.
"That's true," Kurobachi nodded.
The bodies of the three merged with the rock again.
This was an A-Rank ninjutsu— the Hiding with Camouflage Technique— which had an extremely strong stealth effect.
"Wait!"
Just as Kurenai and the others were about to exit the valley, Shino suddenly spoke. "I've lost contact with a few of my Kikaichu!"
The wind whistled.
A giant Queen Bee suddenly appeared before them. It hovered in mid-air, surrounded by countless small bees.
"It's the Kamizuru Clan's Queen Bee!"
Shino observed it for a moment and recognized it. "They, like our Aburame Clan, are insect users."
Thousand Bee Stings Technique!
The small bees' bodies trembled, and countless poisonous stingers were flung out like senbon, covering Kurenai and the others.
"These are poisonous stingers!"
Shino warned, while simultaneously controlling his Kikaichu to form an insect wall in front of them.
The poisonous stingers pierced into the insect wall. The toxins spread, and the Kikaichu died one after another, falling to the ground.
Just then, the Queen Bee flicked its body, and its gigantic, poisonous stinger flew out like a sharp blade.
Shino's pupils contracted. He couldn't block that poisonous stinger. After all, his age was a factor, and his strength was limited.
Kurenai also noticed this in time.
She swallowed an antidote pill made by Kitazawa, leaped up, clenched her right fist, and punched out fiercely.
Chakra Enhanced Strength!
Terrifying power struck the poisonous stinger. It immediately flew backward, embedding itself deeply in the ground.
Kurenai landed again. Suddenly, over a dozen bees flew out from around the Queen Bee, charging toward Kurenai and the others at extreme speed.
"Watch out!" Hinata, looking at them with her Byakugan, shouted, "Their chakra is very volatile!"
Secret Technique: Insect Gathering!
Shino raised his hand. All the nearby insects flew out, crashing into the swarm of bees.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A series of explosions rang out. Each bee was like an exploding tag, creating fireworks in mid-air.
Kurenai reacted quickly, grabbing Shino and Hinata and retreating. As she passed Shikamaru, she threw Shino backward and then grabbed him.
"I found them!" Hinata suddenly spoke. "There are three of them— on that large rock to the northeast!"
"How strong are they?" Kurenai asked, looking at the relentlessly pursuing Queen Bee in mid-air.
"No Jonin." Hinata judged based on the amount of chakra in their bodies.
"You three go deal with them. I'll take down this Queen Bee!"
Kurenai stopped after putting down Shikamaru and Hinata. Of course, the reason she trusted them so much was because she knew Kitazawa was nearby.
After Shino landed, he immediately nodded.
As the son of the Aburame Clan head, he was very clear about the relationship between the Aburame and Kamizuru Clans.
It was no exaggeration to say that these three Kamizuru Clan ninja were definitely coming for him.
Kurenai and Hinata were implicated because of him.
The three immediately headed toward the large rock to the northeast.
"They've spotted us," Kurobachi noticed their movements and said.
"This inadvertently achieved our goal," Jibachi sneered.
"That Aburame Clan ninja is mine." Suzumebachi left the large rock and looked at Shino.
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P@atreon/Arvinstorm (40+ Advanced Chapters)