Sudden Change

Kasahara Village.

Following the trail, Kobayashi Ken and Sato Yu quickly found the bandits wreaking havoc in the village.

But the sight before them made both of them catch their breath.

Firelight danced across several thatched huts, while thick smoke billowed upward.

Men's furious roars, women's screams, children's wails, and the bandits' arrogant laughter blended together.

"Hand over all your food!"

"Get lost, old hag!"

"This little girl isn't bad. Take her away!"

One bandit was dragging a young girl out of her mother's arms. The old woman knelt on the ground, desperately clutching the bandit's leg, only to be kicked away. Her forehead struck a stone, and blood streamed down her face.

Elsewhere, several bandits waved clubs and machetes, forcing the villagers to pour their meager food stores into the sacks they had brought. Any hesitation was met with punches and kicks.

Several villagers' bodies lay in the open space at the center of the village, silently bearing witness to the atrocities that had just taken place.

"These... animals!"

Kobayashi Ken ground his teeth until they creaked. The slight discomfort he had felt earlier when killing prisoners at the bandits' hideout was instantly replaced by towering rage.

Sato Yu's face had gone pale, but his gaze was equally cold.

"We can't let them continue!"

"Go!"

Without another word, the two figures shot into the chaotic crowd of bandits like arrows loosed from a bow.

The battle erupted in an instant.

Kobayashi Ken charged straight at the bandit dragging the girl away.

The bandit had only just turned toward the sound of the wind when a fist rapidly filled his vision.

Bang!

The sound of his nose bridge collapsing was clearly audible.

The bandit screamed and fell backward, losing consciousness at once.

Meanwhile, Sato Yu silently appeared behind a bandit who was threatening an old man with a raised blade.

His kunai sliced across the man's neck.

The bandit's body stiffened. He gurgled twice, clutched his spraying throat, and collapsed.

"Who are you?!"

"Th-they're ninja!"

Faced with this sudden turn of events, the bandits cried out in panic.

Seeing their forehead protectors, some villagers let out tearful cries of relief.

"Ah! Ninja! Konoha's ninja have come!"

The bandit Chief was both shocked and enraged. Waving his blade, he called his companions to surround them.

"Kill them!"

"They're just two brats..."

However, the gap between civilians and ninja was as vast as a chasm.

Kunai tore through the air, piercing bandits' throats and hearts.

Their Taijutsu was pushed to its limit. Every elbow strike and kick came with the dull crack of shattering bones.

Blood splattered everywhere. The bandits' screams rose and fell, forming a stark contrast to their earlier arrogance.

Having just undergone the transformation of killing, Kobayashi Ken and Sato Yu's movements still carried a trace of inexperience, but their strikes were incomparably ruthless and decisive.

Faced with this scum that preyed upon civilians, they no longer felt the slightest mercy or hesitation.

Nine ordinary bandits stood no chance against two full-fledged Genin. In moments, most had fallen, leaving only the bandit Chief and two subordinates standing back-to-back, staring in terror at the pair steadily closing in.

"It's over..."

Kobayashi Ken panted as he kicked aside a bandit's corpse at his feet. Looking at the last bandit collapse, he was just about to say something to Sato Yu.

—Then a sudden change struck!

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Several shuriken flew from the shadows at extremely tricky angles, aimed straight at their vital points!

"Watch out!"

Sato Yu and Kobayashi Ken stood back-to-back, desperately swinging their kunai to block. The clanging rang out without pause as they narrowly escaped danger again and again.

Three masked ninja slowly emerged from the shadows, surrounding them in a triangular formation. The leader stood with his arms folded, his gaze cold, while the other two maintained attacking stances.

"Ninja?! Why are there ninja here?!" Kobayashi Ken cried out, his face instantly turning ugly.

Sato Yu gripped his kunai tightly, sweat beading in his palm.

"Three of them... What do we do, Ken?!"

The three Masked Ninja swept their gazes over Kobayashi Ken and Sato Yu.

The leader tilted his head slightly, and the other two immediately understood.

"Confirm the targets." The one on the left spoke coldly.

"Move." The one on the right followed.

As soon as the words fell, the two ninja on either side closed in and attacked.

They were incredibly fast, and their attacks were fierce. The cold gleam traced by their kunai repeatedly swept past Kobayashi Ken and Sato Yu's necks and vital points by the narrowest of margins.

Their Taijutsu carried immense pressure. Every block left Kobayashi Ken's arms numb, while Sato Yu was struck in the waist by a side kick. He groaned in pain and staggered backward.

The two were completely suppressed, only barely able to defend themselves with no chance to strike back.

Their opponents' attacks came like a raging storm, yet they seemed to be precisely controlling their strength. Every strike made them feel death looming over them, but they never delivered a killing blow.

"No! The gap is too great! Yu... fire the signal flare!"

Kobayashi Ken deflected a downward chop, splitting the web between his thumb and forefinger until it bled, then roared at Sato Yu.

Sato Yu was likewise being forced back again and again by one of the ninja. Hearing this, he gritted his teeth and, risking a bloody gash being cut into his shoulder by a kunai, swiftly pulled out a signal flare and set it off with all his strength.

Whoosh—boom!

The bright signal flare shot into the air with a piercing shriek, exploding into a dazzling burst of red light in the Night Sky.

The leading ninja, who had been standing with his arms folded and watching coldly, raised his head to look at the signal flare soaring skyward. Beneath his mask, the corner of his mouth seemed to twitch as he murmured in a voice only he could hear:

"Then... you should be coming, Kō..."

When the other two Masked Ninja saw the signal flare rise, their attacks paused slightly as they looked toward the Chief.

The Chief gave a faint nod.

They continued applying pressure, firmly keeping Kobayashi Ken and Sato Yu entangled. They neither struck to kill nor gave them any chance to escape.

At that moment, Yamato, who was providing support from afar, suddenly looked up toward the signal flare rising from Kasahara Village. His expression changed drastically.

"A distress signal? Did something happen to Ken and Yu?!"

His heart tightened.

"What's going on? Based on the estimate, dealing with a few bandits shouldn't have led to this."

"Could there... have been some unforeseen development? Did ninja from another force intervene?"

His thoughts immediately turned to Tejima Shinichi's side.

But with Shinichi's strength, not only should he have no trouble dealing with bandits, even if he encountered a Jonin, he should be able to hold out longer as long as his opponent was unfamiliar with him.

"I have to save them first!"

Without further hesitation, Yamato's figure flashed. Turning into a dark shadow, he raced toward Kasahara Village at top speed.

Meanwhile, Tejima Shinichi, who had already approached Ishikawa Village...