The Technique That Can't Hit Anyone

Chapter 50: Techniques That Miss Their Mark [44, seeking collection]

"Hya!"

"Ch-chunk!"

"Ting ting ting ting—"

"Aaaahhh—"

Screams, the sound of blades slicing, the clash of shuriken and kunai…

Inside the Ito Mine, Mikoto and Samurai Sanada had already fought their way in, while Orochimaru stayed behind to protect Mr. Ito and the old butler.

The guards in the mine weren't just ordinary people; they included Sunagakure ninja.

However, during this tense period of border confrontation, Sunagakure couldn't possibly dispatch their precious Chunin and Jonin forces to guard a mine. All that were here were Genin.

But as one of the Five Great Nations, their Genin weren't easy to deal with, especially since there was a squad here—three Sunagakure Genin!

"The enemy actually has a Jonin, and that girl is also a Genin, yet she's this strong! And what is that… a samurai? A samurai from the Land of Iron?"

The three Sunagakure Genin saw Orochimaru leisurely watching from the rear, with only Mikoto and a samurai wreaking havoc.

The three of them were here, nominally to guard the precious mines of the Land of Wind and prevent sneak attacks from Amegakure…

In reality, it was to guard against the current situation—the rightful mine owner returning.

But the mine owner appeared with a Konoha Jonin… Weren't the three Genin here just cannon fodder?

"Quick, report to the Chunin captain!"

Upon spotting the three Sunagakure Genin appear and then quickly disappear, Samurai Sanada and Mikoto paused their attacks.

"Sunagakure ninja? Does that mean the Land of Wind has officially stationed troops here?"

Mikoto turned to look at Mr. Ito, whose expression had turned grim.

"Mr. Ito, you decide if this mine is still worth taking."

Samurai Sanada also sheathed his sword and retreated to Mr. Ito's side. The guards had been so thoroughly beaten that they didn't dare to advance. If Mikoto and Sanada hadn't held back, the ground would already be littered with corpses.

After all, these weren't ninja or samurai, just ordinary guards.

"Continue!"

Clenching his teeth, Mr. Ito's gaze flickered slightly, then his expression firmed.

"Take it! This mine absolutely cannot be lost! Otherwise, I'm finished… I can pay more! I will naturally rally the merchant guilds to demand an explanation from the Land of Wind. My original subordinates might still be inside, I must confirm their whereabouts!"

"...Since that's the case, as you wish."

Mikoto sighed softly, quickly hiding the hint of reluctance she felt towards the fallen guards.

As a ninja, if it was a mission requirement, then it must be completed.

"Mr. Samurai, I'll leave these ordinary guards to you."

Mikoto took a deep breath and said to Samurai Sanada, who readily agreed—

His original mission was simply to provide private protection for Mr. Ito and the old butler.

At this time, his duty was to stay by his employer's side.

However…

Sanada subtly glanced at Orochimaru, who stood by the employer with a half-smile, and chose to follow Mikoto's arrangement.

Even though the youngest, most terrifying Genin wasn't here, their teacher…

He had witnessed Orochimaru's methods on the way.

"Teacher Orochimaru, please escort the employer to the document storage location. I will clear out the ninja inside and search for potential hostages."

Mikoto tightened her Konoha headband and drew two kunai.

"Time is short. I don't know how Satoru and Senior Brother Nawaki are doing… We must gain control of the situation as quickly as possible!"

"...Alright."

Orochimaru smiled and nodded, also drawing a kunai.

"Then, I look forward to your performance, Mikoto."

"Don't worry about Satoru and the others. As long as no Jonin is involved, they'll be fine."

"Yes, thank you, Teacher."

Mikoto vanished instantly, having already charged into the mine!

"Let's go, Mr. Ito, to the document location," Orochimaru said, glancing at the nervous Mr. Ito and the old butler, whose expression had shifted slightly. He shook his head.

"According to the mission requirements, our task is completed once we escort you to successfully retrieve the documents."

"However, in the current situation, if I leave you here, you might be in trouble. Therefore, for the reputation of our village, I can promise you the additional service of rescuing hostages for free—but only if they are still alive."

"Y-Yes… Thank you, Lord Jonin!"

Mr. Ito was startled. He finally realized that by underestimating the Land of Wind's determination regarding the mine, the mine had effectively fallen under Sunagakure's control.

In other words, recapturing the mine and rescuing the hostages had far exceeded the mission objectives.

It was just that Orochimaru didn't mind using this opportunity to continue training his disciple, which was why he was generous enough not to warn Mikoto.

The question that child had asked her earlier was for her to support her in rescuing the hostages as the employer; otherwise, if Orochimaru insisted on just taking the documents and completing the mission, Mikoto would have no recourse.

Behind the mine's main entrance was a small settlement, which served as the living and office area.

Further away was the production area where the workers labored.

No matter how fierce the fighting outside was, it didn't affect the workers' jobs—regardless of who was in charge, the workers' production couldn't be delayed.

Therefore, everything was handled in the office area.

"This place is protected by a special ninjutsu barrier... Do all mines have these?"

Mikoto noticed that the commotion outside hadn't affected the workers, and no sound was coming from the production area either. There must be some kind of soundproofing barrier between the living and office area and the production area.

"I hope those three Sunagakure genin don't overestimate themselves and go after Teacher Orochimaru."

Mikoto darted between the houses, searching for any potential hostages, which were Mr. Ito's former subordinates.

"Clang!"

Mikoto, running across the rooftops, suddenly stopped. She swung her kunai with her right hand, deflecting a shuriken that flew towards her!

"That direction!"

As an expert in throwing ninja tools, Mikoto immediately pinpointed the direction from which the shuriken had come—a large tree next to a house.

"Swish, swish, swish!!"

"Ah!!"

Three shuriken and two kunai impaled the Sunagakure genin who had just appeared.

"...Was that a bit too heavy-handed?"

Mikoto covered her mouth. To be honest, this was probably the first time her shuriken had actually hit a target...

In both her usual sparring and this mission, her ninja tool throws were mostly used for distraction.

"There were too many times I missed, hit a wood substitute dummy, or they were simply blocked..."

Mikoto stuck out her tongue. Facing an enemy genin alone for the first time, she suddenly realized...

"He's so weak!"

After a silent complaint, Mikoto was about to move forward when she immediately jumped backward.

"Thud, thud, thud!"

Three shuriken struck the spot where she had been standing. While she was in mid-air, a fierce wind blade swept towards her!

"Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!"

Choosing a faster ninjutsu, Mikoto's flames scattered the incoming wind blade. Then, she quickly formed hand seals and looked at another Sunagakure genin who was stunned by the dispersed wind blade.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

The massive fireball, comparable to Satoru's Flame Burst, flew towards the Sunagakure ninja who had just reacted...

Mikoto calmly accepted that her most prized ninjutsu had hit a wood substitute dummy.

"This is truly the jutsu that can't hit anyone..."