"Clear out all hidden Iwa ninjas within the next three days along the logistics route. If you feel your Chakra is insufficient…"
Shinji took out several bottles of specially made military ration pills and said, "Don't hesitate, just eat them."
Yushu and Koto took them and nodded. Neji, however, took his with a strange expression, confirming it.
That's right, these were the military ration pills Shinji gave them to recover during training.
Were he and Naruto really that extravagant before?
Using life-saving items for training?
"Next, we will prioritize clearing this route. Everyone must accelerate and travel at full speed." Shinji pointed out the area they were heading to on a scroll.
It was located between two transport routes. If possible, clearing it would save a lot of time.
"Yes."
Neji and the others responded.
Shinji nodded, put away the scroll, and the several figures quickly vanished from the spot.
—
"Captain, how much longer do we need to stay hidden here?"
An Iwa ninja concealed in the treetop asked the team leader beside him.
The Jonin team leader, who was asked, was silent for a moment before saying, "Following Konoha's usual style, a team will come within the next two days."
"After we attack this wave, we should be able to go back."
The Iwagakure Chunin who asked the question exhaled. "That's good. Staying here feels unsafe."
They were not in their own territory after all. Staying hidden like this forever wasn't a solution.
"Kishi, I think you're just a coward." Another Iwa ninja, who had been closing his eyes, spoke up, his expression full of disdain.
"You idiot! Do you want to fight?!"
Kishi, who was spoken to like that, looked furious and roared at the Iwa ninja leaning against the treetop.
"Shut up, don't forget where we are." The team leader looked at the two with great displeasure.
They were already in someone else's territory. Yet they were still so thoughtless.
"Hmph—"
The Iwa ninja leaning against the treetop pouted slightly, then stood up.
The team leader saw this and asked with slight displeasure, "What are you doing?"
The Iwa ninja who was asked, replied with disdain, "Just for convenience. Can't I relax a bit after being here all this time?"
Then, he leaped down from the treetop.
"Captain, this guy is really too arrogant." Kishi said with an indignant expression.
The team leader sighed and waved his hand. "Forget it, what can we do? He's the son of a high-ranking official in the village. It's normal for him to be unhappy about being assigned to a mission like this."
Kishi also looked helpless when he heard this. Having such a troublemaker in the team was disgusting. Yet he couldn't do anything about him.
"Don't say anything extra when he comes back." The team leader added, still uneasy.
"Got it." Kishi nodded helplessly.
...
The Iwagakure Chunin who jumped down from the treetop muttered with great dissatisfaction, "Damn it, I should have been performing meritorious deeds on the battlefield, but now I'm stuck here."
"It must be Kishi, that good-for-nothing, who lowered our team's capabilities. Otherwise, how could we have been assigned such a mission?"
The Iwagakure Chunin, muttering to himself, didn't notice the slight ripple that flashed in the grass beside him.
Just as he was about to unbuckle his belt, his mind suddenly jolted. His pupils dilated, full of disbelief, and then his whole body became dazed.
...
After seeing the Iwa Chunin not return for a long time, the team leader couldn't help but frown.
"I'll go check. You two stay here."
As he spoke, he was about to leave, but in the next moment, a figure emerged from the grass.
Kishi immediately saw him and said with great displeasure, "Are you serious?! We're on a stealth mission, what you're doing will get us killed."
The figure who was called out didn't respond, still walking unhurriedly towards them.
"Something's wrong."
The team leader immediately noticed the anomaly.
Just as he was about to make a move, the figure accelerated, rushing towards them with smoke around him.
"Get back!"
The team leader shouted, then quickly formed hand signs.
Earth Release: Earth Style Wall!
A huge earth wall spanned in front of them, blocking the charging figure.
Rumble!
In the next moment, a huge explosion sounded, and even those who had already dodged still felt the shockwave of the blast.
As shattered rocks flew, everyone's faces turned grim. They had been discovered.
"Quick, go!"
The team leader didn't hesitate and immediately gave the order.
Just as he turned around, he saw a figure wearing a haori standing calmly behind him.
"You—!"
Before the team leader could finish his sentence, his head drooped limply.
Kishi, seeing his captain taken down, rushed forward without thinking.
"Let go of captain!"
Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm!
A figure appeared in front of Kishi, and a Gentle Fist strike was unleashed.
Bang—
Kishi's entire body was sent flying by the Chakra shockwave of the Gentle Fist, smashing towards the giant tree behind him.
Boom—
"Wah!"
Kishi, embedded in the tree trunk, opened his mouth and spat out a large mouthful of blood.
His face was full of disbelief as he looked at the figure who had just struck him.
Impossible! He's just a child, why is he so strong?!
Pfft—
A long blade pierced his throat.
Yushu's eyes were full of cold indifference. After seeing that the Iwa ninja in front of her had no signs of life, Yushu then pulled out her long blade and slowly walked towards Shinji.
The other Chunin had already been taken down by Neji, his neck bent at a strange angle as he lay slumped on the treetop.
"Ugh—"
The Iwagakure Jonin controlled by Shinji now had white eyes, his mouth unconsciously open, and saliva dripping.
Shinji gradually retracted the black threads from his hand, his brows furrowed.
Still no information. These Iwa ninjas almost had no way to contact each other.
With a flick of his wrist, a kunai slashed across his neck. The Iwagakure Jonin's body then dropped limply from the treetop.
"Shinji-sama, no information?" Yushu asked.
This was already the third wave of Iwa ninjas they had found since coming out.
"No, it's the same as before." Shinji shook his head.
According to the intelligence Jiraiya provided, about seven squads had infiltrated.
But now two days had passed, and they had almost continuously run several routes without stopping. Yet they had only encountered these few squads.
The others seemed to have disappeared. If this continued, they probably wouldn't be able to complete the mission.
Neji, standing nearby, thought for a moment and then asked, "Sensei, do you think they might have already gone to the route we used for transport back then?"
Shinji was silent for a moment when he heard this, then nodded and said, "There's no choice. Now there's only this one route left that we haven't checked. We can only go and try our luck."