First Blood

Ishikawa Tatsuki quickly created a thick wall in front of the Anmoto, while Kurenai used her not-so-skilled Water Release to spray some of the wasps.

Itachi immediately created a Shadow Clone and unleashed Ninjutsu to the side, "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

His main body then surged upwards towards the Jōshiryu, remaining calm despite the swarm of wasps charging towards him. In an instant, he grabbed Senbon with both hands and hurled them, his hands rapidly Hand Seals in response, "Ox-Dog-Dragon-Rat-Dog-Pig-Snake-Tiger, Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"

"Boom!"

"Splash, splash..."

"Pfft pfft pfft..."

The scene was dazzling as both sides unleashed their full firepower, but the three members of Konoha blocked the opponent's attacks in time and even launched a counterattack immediately.

The Senbon thrown by the itcher changed shape like phantoms in flight, transforming in the blink of an eye into a dense black rain more terrifying than a swarm of wasps.

The pierced insects swarmed around like headless flies; some died on the spot, some fell to the ground and rolled around, and the few that flew right up to him were killed one by one with his Kunai. His movements were so precise that Jōshiryu could hardly believe it.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh..." Although more Senbon missed the wasps, they rushed straight towards the Jōshiryu. Seeing the dense black dots in front of him, his face under the bandage changed drastically.

No longer caring about his trump card, which he had nurtured for years, being eliminated, he immediately turned and jumped up the hillside to escape. Saving his own life was the priority now; he probably wouldn't see Boss Anmoto again...

A soft scream rang out. Itachi saw that Jōshiryu's leg was covered in Senbon. At the same time, he noticed that his two seniors had begun to fight back. So he said, "I'll go after them," and rushed up the hillside.

"Damn it, the battle has failed, we have no choice but to leave!" Anmoto thought through gritted teeth in despair.

The Ninjutsu skills of the Konoha Ninja in front of me are quite high; they are not easy to deal with. If that female ninja is also of this level, my chances of winning with the help of my Chunin subordinates might be less than 30%.

Thinking this, Anmoto quickly pulled out Smoke Bomb. They were very familiar with the terrain of the nearby mountains; as long as they created an escape opportunity, they could easily shake off the two opponents...

"Magic - Tree Binding Death!"

But the moment the Smoke Bomb, the scene suddenly changed, and he found himself unable to move, firmly tied to a large tree.

"Damn it, that woman is Genjutsu ninja!" Anmoto's expression changed drastically. With teammates cooperating, Genjutsu expertise can produce astonishing destructive power. "We must break free immediately..."

He mustered all his Mental Energy and bit his tongue hard. After a sharp pain, he quickly regained consciousness, but several Kunai were already in front of him, one of which still had a half-burnt Explosive Tag attached to it.

Anmoto only had time to dodge a fatal blow, then swung his sword to knock away the Kunai with the Explosive Tag, discarded the sword, and turned to leave. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at his subordinate beside him and saw that his throat had been pierced by a bullet, and he was now kneeling down, stiff as a board...

"Boom!"

An explosion erupted from behind, kicking up a cloud of smoke and dust. Anmoto sprinted forward despite the relatively minor impact, but to his astonishment, three more Kunai embedded in the ground around him. As he reached them, each Explosive Tag was just burning to its last bit. "No..."

"Boom boom boom!"

An even more violent explosion rang out, after which the mountains fell completely silent, not even a bird's chirp could be heard.

Ishikawa Tatsuki walked to the explosion site and found that the charred Anmoto of Yamimoto was still twitching slightly. He then stabbed him with his knife, finally relieving him of his pain.

"Resolved!"

Yūhi Kurenai released her hand Hand Seals and saw Itachi carrying the bandaged man down the mountain in the distance. She exclaimed in admiration, "I can't believe this is his first combat mission. We were so far behind him at the same age."

Ishikawa Tatsuki unconsciously pursed his lips, knowing that what Kurenai said was true. His performance as the King of Explosions was really inferior to Itachi's, whose meticulousness even surpassed that of the two of them.

I learned from Shuichi that Itachi's mission record included over forty D-rank and five C-rank missions, and he had never experienced a battle with a ninja.

This time, he happened to be on a rare A-rank mission during peacetime, and he, a complete novice, actually got to participate. When faced with a surprise attack from multiple Chunin -level or higher enemies, he anticipated their moves and delivered a perfect performance. His talent was simply outrageous.

"Are these guys all monsters? Do they have heads and bodies that look different from mine?" Ishikawa Tatsuki was speechless.

Shuichi and Kakashi, who grew up with him, Shisui a few years ago, and Itachi now, have either left him far behind or caught up and surpassed him in a short time. Fortunately, he is used to being defeated, otherwise he would definitely doubt his life.

Itachi: "Senpai, what should we do next?"

"... Go to the mountaintop to search the Anmoto's base, see if any other clues have been missed, then rest and recover before heading to the next destination."

While his companions and disciples achieved a successful start without any major incidents, Shuichi happened to follow a clue to a cave in the Land of Hot Springs. In a fit of rage, he blasted open the door, giving the people inside a huge fright.

Who goes there?!

"Swish swish swish..."

About ten figures reacted extremely quickly, and after a few flashes, they all took their positions, forming an encirclement to trap the newcomer. They discovered that this person was wearing a strange hat backwards, and the Forehead Protector Konoha could be seen from the back of his head. He was also wearing large sunglasses that covered half of his face in the dark cave, and his behavior was somewhat eccentric.

"Konoha Ninja, you've overstepped your bounds!" a missing-nin said viciously. "You're not giving us any way out, so we'll just have to fight to the death..."

His path missing-nin was exceptionally difficult. He initially tried to infiltrate the Land of Fire but was hunted down by the Hidden Konoha. Then, he established a small force in the Land of Rivers, only to be wiped out. After escaping with serious injuries, he managed to make a living in the Land of Grass. Not long after, he encountered Hidden Konoha Ninja had accepted his services.

He'd just arrived in the Land of Hot Springs and pulled off a big heist, and hadn't even had a chance to divide the spoils yet, when this mysterious guy appeared before him. Did he have some kind of grudge against Konoha in his past life?

Shuichi was unaware of the man's wandering past and found it strange that the man was staring at him with fiery eyes. Shouldn't the eyes of missing-nin had committed arson, murder, and looting be filled with hatred, a look of ferocity and cruelty...?

"Let's all attack and take him down!"

Several ninjas rushed forward upon receiving the order, while others retreated a distance and began Hand Seals. Several skilled scouts stationed outside were eliminated without a sound, indicating the strength of the attackers. It would be difficult to win without some sacrifices.

Shuichi didn't move. Not only were ninja tools flying in from all directions, but several people were also wielding heavy weapons. He merely raised his hand slightly, and as his chakra surged, a massive amount of wind pressure spread out. Immediately afterward, terrifying lightning shot out from him, instantly clearing everything within a radius of several meters. "Chidori Stream!"

"Wow..."

The immense impact caused rocks to fall from above the cave. Even though the ninjas who were still Hand Seals were not standing within the lightning field, they were still affected and became unsteady, unable to use their Ninjutsu.

Looking around at the charred ground, Shuichi thought to himself, "Calling this move 'Chidori Stream' still a bit low-class, I might as well rename it 'Lightning Strike Might'..."