Anbu Squad Leader

Yichen, who had practiced some Taijutsu at the Training Ground, waited for the three team members who arrived on time.

The three, like Yichen, were dressed in the standard uniforms of the Anbu and wore Anbu masks. Judging from their figures, there were two men and one woman. Judging from the eyes visible through the masks, they were all around twenty years old.

Yichen sized up the three of them, and the three of them were also sizing up Yichen, while at the same time, they were also sizing each other up.

Yichen then recalled the tests he underwent when he first joined the Team 18 of the Anbu. He smiled silently and said to the three, "Let's get to know each other. My name is Yi, you can call me Captain Yi. I am a Ninjutsu Ninja, skilled in Sealing Jutsu, and I know some Water Release, Earth Release, Genjutsu, Sensory Ninjutsu, and a little bit of swordsmanship."

It wasn't that Yichen wanted to show off, but as future teammates, understanding each other's abilities was crucial. Mutual understanding is essential for better teamwork.

Although the three had deduced from Yichen 'Yichen build and eyes that he was probably not very old, they did not underestimate Yichen in the slightest. The fact that he had become Anbu Squad Leader at such a young age was enough to demonstrate his Yichen.

Furthermore, Yichen's self-introduction was wild enough; what kind of Sealing Jutsu ninja serves as the captain of Anbu combat squad? The more unusual it is, the more suspicious it is.

So after Yichen finished speaking, the three of them introduced themselves one after another. A tall male ninja said, "My name is Fu. I am a Taijutsu Ninja, skilled in swordsmanship."

Is he skilled in swordsmanship? He would be a good trainee, Yichen thought to himself.

Another male ninja said, "My name is Qingtian, and I am also a Taijutsu Ninja, but I specialize in Taijutsu and trap setting."

Finally, Yichen, Fu, and Qingtian all looked at the last female ninja.

The other person spoke directly, "My name is Jun, I am a Ninjutsu Ninja, skilled in Wind Release, and currently practicing Earth Release."

Hearing the other person introduce themselves like that, Yichen was somewhat surprised. A ninja who was already training in a second elemental attribute at the age of twenty was considered a rare genius among his peers.

Despite Yichen having mastered Earth Release, Water Release, and even Yin Release Yichen a young age, he was already considered by the higher-ups in Iwagakure to be a genius comparable to Ikura. The main difference between the two was Yichen's strong mental strength and Ikura's strong physical abilities.

Therefore, Yichen's situation is destined not to be a common phenomenon among ninjas. A ninja with good talent will master two or three Ninjutsu of the same attribute by the age of 20. Only those ninjas who have the potential to become Jonin have enough talent to focus their energy on a second attribute at that age.

If she has a good grasp of the primary attribute Ninjutsu, then her talent should be the highest among the three.

Let's test the three of them's strength first.

"The three of you will take turns fighting me to see how strong you are," Yichen said, then pointed to Fu, "Fu, you go first."

Upon hearing Yichen's words, Qingtian and Chun immediately retreated, while Fu quickly approached Yichen and swiftly drew the long sword from his side.

Seeing the opponent's movement speed and the angle of his sword strike, Yichen was quite satisfied. Although there was still a gap compared to Little Stone was a veteran of the Anbu, so it was normal for him to be strong.

However, Yichen did not retreat, but instead drew his sword and engaged in close combat with his opponent. However, Yichen was clearly inferior to his opponent in swordsmanship and could only barely parry.

However, the gap between the two was not so large that Yichen would be defeated in a short period of time.

Although Yichen was somewhat disheveled under Fu's attacks, his defense remained relatively solid. This was a skill Yichen had honed under the three members of the Team 18: "I can't beat you, but you won't defeat me anytime soon either."

Yichen did not rush to retaliate. Instead, he withstood Fu's attacks for several minutes, assessing Fu's strength level before launching a counterattack. Yichen first took advantage of the opponent's offensive momentum, then used a simple upward slash with his sword to slightly halt Fu's attack.

Then, something shocking happened to the three of them.

After Yichen slashed upwards with his longsword, he released it from both hands. With his free hands, Yichen quickly formed four hand seals, and then a stream of water shot out from Yichen's mouth.

At this moment, Fu and Yichen were very close, and the speed of the water jet was much faster than that of ordinary hidden weapons. Fu had no time to dodge. He only felt as if his long sword had been hit, and it was thrown backward with force. If he hadn't reacted quickly enough and gripped it tightly, it would have slipped from his hand.

Fu, who was pulled back two steps by the longsword, regained his footing and looked at the blade. He noticed a small dent and realized that Yichen had held back, deliberately splashing water onto the blade. He then leaped away from the center of the Training Ground, indicating that he had conceded defeat.

Yichen caught the knife he had just flung into the air, then looked at Qingtian and said, "Qingtian, you're second."

"Okay." Qingtian was a little more cautious than Fu. After jumping into the field, she didn't rush to approach Yichen, but started running.

Yichen smiled; the other party was trying to dodge his Ninjutsu attack. So he didn't disappoint the other party and began to Hand Seals to unleash his Ninjutsu.

The alternating use of three Ninjutsu— Water Style: Water Line Jutsu, Water Style: Water Pressure Line Jutsu, and Earth Style: Earth Rising Spear Technique—left Qingtian somewhat disheveled in the blink of an eye.

However, Qingtian managed to withstand Yichen's attacks for five minutes without being defeated, which surprised Yichen somewhat.

Although Yichen doesn't have many attack methods, his Hand Seals speed is fast. With his rapid improvement in strength, Yichen's Hand Seals speed has now reached 4.7-5.2 seals per second. Moreover, the number of Hand Seals for these three Ninjutsu has also been greatly simplified.

To withstand such a high frequency of attacks, Qingtian's survival skills are truly remarkable. Although this is partly due to the opponent deliberately maintaining a great distance from Yichen, it's still quite impressive, and Yichen is very satisfied with this person.

Two minutes later, as Qingtian's breathing became increasingly rapid, Yichen paused in his Ninjutsu technique. After the opponent stood still, he Hand Seals again, this time with only one seal: Mind Disturbance Jutsu.

The three were even more shocked this time. With Yichen's Hand Seals speed so fast, and the Ninjutsu that could be cast with just one hand seal, it was practically instantaneous.

Fu and Chun both cried out in surprise, but Qingtian was unable to utter a cry because his consciousness had fallen into a brief state of confusion.

When he regained consciousness, Yichen's Water Style: Water Line Jutsu had already struck the ground in front of him.

Finally, Yichen looked at Chun and said, "Chun, it's your turn."

"Mm," Chun responded, and then began to Hand Seals.

By this point, Yichen had already demonstrated his full strength, and Chun naturally realized that his Ninjutsu speed was far inferior to Yichen's, and that he would definitely be completely defeated in a Ninjutsu battle.

But Chun also knew that this was just a friendly sparring session to get to know each other, Yichen wouldn't interrupt her Ninjutsu.

As expected, although Yichen also Hand Seals, he used a Defensive Ninjutsu, Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall.

Although Jun started Hand Seals first, the Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall was completed before Jun could even react. Then Jun's Wind Release struck the Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall, sending debris flying everywhere. But in the end, it managed to barely block the attack.

Yichen appeared from one side of the Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall and then began Hand Seals with Chun. This time, Yichen used the Earth Style: Earth Rising Spear Earth Style: Earth Rising Spear, which quickly struck Chun's feet, while Chun was still Hand Seals.

Helpless, Jun began dodging and forming hand Hand Seals. After dodging four Earth Style: Earth Rising Spear in a row, Jun finally completed the Hand Seals and Wind Release: Breakthrough.

A shockwave was sent toward Yichen, but judging from the direction, it was clearly less accurate and missed its mark, ultimately only hitting one of Yichen's arms, wiping it out completely. The power of the Yichen was quite impressive.

However, Yichen had already transformed into a clay figure, which then split open and scattered to the ground, revealing his Earth Style Clone.

At the same time, Yichen emerged from behind Chun, and then placed his long sword directly against Chun's neck. This time, Earth Style: Earth Submergence.

Chun froze, completely stunned. She hadn't expected to lose like this, and so quickly at that.

However, Yichen reluctantly accepted Chun's abilities, because Chun was able to use Ninjutsu while dodging Earth Style: Earth Rising Spear, which was quite remarkable. It was just that the accuracy of his Ninjutsu was not good enough, which was a minor flaw.

Yichen sheathed his longsword, formed two hand seals, and instantly returned to his starting position, facing the three again.

Upon seeing this, the three were taken aback. Yichen's performance just now was more than enough to qualify him for the position of squad leader. As a Ninjutsu Ninja, his Hand Seals were fast enough, his Ninjutsu was diverse, and his tactical style was versatile.

Even when fighting ninjas skilled in swordsmanship, one can persevere and seize the opportunity to unleash Ninjutsu, achieving a decisive victory in one strike.

With these two points, Yichen had already won them over completely.

Unexpectedly, Yichen possessed such a proficient Body Flicker Technique. He could engage in close combat at will and fight from a distance at will. The initiative was entirely in Yichen's hands.

Yichen looked at the three who had stood up again and said, "Fu, your swordsmanship is very good, and your speed is also good; Qingtian, your dodging is excellent, and your battlefield survivability is very strong; Chun, the power and stability of Ninjutsu are both very good. I acknowledge the strength of the three of you."

After saying that, Yichen took off his mask.

Upon hearing what Yichen said, the three of them breathed a sigh of relief and then removed their masks.

The four looked each other over, memorized their companions' appearances, and then put their masks back on.

Yichen said, "As you probably know, the situation in the Ninja World has been somewhat turbulent lately. The mission is urgent, so we haven't had time to coordinate. We'll be starting the mission tomorrow."

"Therefore, meet here at 7 a. m. tomorrow. This mission will last a long time, anywhere from half a month to several months. Go back and prepare now. Dismissed."

"Yes," the three replied in unison, then quickly left.

Seeing the three leave, Yichen breathed a sigh of relief, "Phew."

It was Yichen's first time officially serving as a squad leader, and he was actually more nervous than the other three. Fortunately, the Ninja World values strength, and Yichen won their approval with his absolute power.

"We have a mission to leave the village tomorrow, so I need to use the remaining time to prepare."

Yichen first went to the Barrier Team and collected a lot of Sealing Scroll. This was a perk of Yichen holding two positions; he didn't have to go to the Barrier Team, but he could still receive the supplies that only Barrier Team members had.

Then Yichen went to the store and bought a large amount of food and hidden weapons, which he then packed into Sealing Scroll. These preparations had to take into account the possibility that his three subordinates might not have enough supplies. This was also one of the captain's responsibilities.

It was a bit painful to buy food, though, Yichen was buying food to improve his physical fitness, and it wasn't cheap.

Yichen didn't go to the Contribution Office because he didn't have many Yichen points left, only 1000, and he was reluctant to spend them.