The Real Escort Target

Although the ambush had caught them off guard, it also proved that their opponents were no ordinary ninjas.

"Forget the mission target. Take out that brat first."

The Iwagakure rogue ninja shouted hoarsely to his companion as he rapidly formed Hand Seals.

Neji raised an eyebrow slightly when he heard the words "target."

It seemed this group of rogue ninjas wasn't after the food.

Could it be...

Neji had a suspicion. Without slowing down, he charged toward the Iwagakure rogue ninja.

By then, the rogue ninja had finished forming the Earth Release hand seals.

"Earth Release: Rock Fist Technique!"

His arm was suddenly covered in thick rock, and he swung a vicious punch at Hyuga Neji as he charged toward him.

Just before reaching the Iwagakure rogue ninja, Neji abruptly shifted his stance and crossed his arms in front of himself.

The rogue ninja had already spent all his momentum and couldn't pull back. His rocky fist slammed into Neji's arms, sending him flying hard.

A Chunin and three Genin, who had been standing ready, breathed a sigh of relief.

The enemy was strong, but they had the advantage.

Only when the Iwagakure rogue ninja gaped in horror, as if trying to say something, did they realize that after being knocked away, Neji was flying toward them even faster.

There was no time to use a jutsu to dodge. Black lightning surged like a startled flock of birds, its piercing cries brutally pounding their eardrums.

The two Genin were swallowed by the Black Lightning first and died on the spot.

Taking advantage of the opening, the remaining Chunin tried to escape with the Earth Body Flicker Technique.

Neji wasn't about to let him.

"God Vacuum Attack!"

He struck from a distance, sending out an inconspicuous ball of chakra.

It silently drilled into the Chunin's chest.

The gentle force seeped into his body and exploded instantly.

With a thud,

the Chunin fell onto his back. His body showed no visible injuries, but his heart had been pulverized.

Crackle, crackle, crackle!

Still flying backward from the momentum, Neji drove his Kunai into the ground. He slid five or six meters along the earth before finally coming to a stop.

"Black lightning... a secret technique?!"

The Iwagakure rogue ninja first glanced at his three dead companions, then fixed his gaze on the Black Lightning around Neji's hands. His teeth began to chatter.

He suddenly remembered seeing similar black lightning from afar on the battlefield.

That terrifying man had left a deep psychological scar on him when he was still a Chunin. Even now, the memory made him break out in a cold sweat.

Could it be the same secret technique?

Neji pulled out his Kunai and smiled.

"Show me everything you've got. Don't make me kill you just like this."

"I've never seen a brat this arrogant."

The Iwagakure rogue ninja narrowed his eyes.

The brat hadn't faced me head-on. He'd used my momentum to kill my companions instead, which meant his strength was about equal to mine, or perhaps slightly greater. If I fought to the death, I might still win.

But the enemy had reinforcements, and they wouldn't be any weaker than the brat.

More importantly, escorting the clients would be a real pain. It wasn't worth risking my life for that little money.

The Iwagakure rogue ninja began to consider retreating.

As Neji charged toward him, the rogue ninja formed Hand Seals, then slammed his hands against the ground, unleashing half his chakra.

"Earth Release: Earth Flow River!"

The ground six meters in front of the Iwagakure rogue ninja softened in an instant, surging forward like waves of mud, one after another.

Neji flipped backward through the air, occasionally pushing off the softened ground with his feet. The muddy waves chased after him relentlessly. He kept retreating until he was more than ten meters away and had finally escaped the Earth Flow River.

By then, the Iwagakure rogue ninja had already run a hundred meters away.

"Impressive. When it comes to Earth Style ninjutsu, I'm nowhere near your level."

Neji didn't pursue right away. He watched for a moment, then waited until the rogue ninja had run a kilometer before releasing a Lightning Release Clone to chase him from afar.

"Neji, hang on! I'm coming!"

Yugito's shout rang out from a distance.

Yugito was no weaker than Neji, so it was only natural that she'd defeated her opponent so quickly.

With the attacking rogue ninjas dead or fleeing, the battle soon ended.

The attack had cost the grain convoy dearly. The guards were out for blood and didn't stop until they had wiped out every last bandit.

Just then, Takayama Tokugawa approached Neji and Yugito with the young woman and boy. He asked eagerly, "Ninja Lords, are you all right?"

Neji didn't answer. Instead, he looked at Takayama Tokugawa with a knowing smile.

Yugito had also realized that something was off about the ninja attack. She regarded Takayama Tokugawa with a cold expression.

Their scrutiny made Takayama Tokugawa break out in a nervous sweat. He pretended not to understand and was about to ask what was wrong when Neji suddenly spoke.

"Mr. Tokugawa, care to explain?"

Takayama Tokugawa swallowed. "Ninja Lord, I don't know what you mean."

"This attack involved two Special Jonin, three Chunin, and five Genin. Mr. Tokugawa, anyone who knew you were hauling food would think you were hauling gold instead."

Yugito's words were sharp.

"I-I had no idea this would happen!" Takayama Tokugawa stammered in a panicked attempt to defend himself.

Neji suddenly said, "Then tell me: why did this mother and son join the convoy just before it set out? Why did the main force of rogue ninjas target the carriage they were riding in? The real 'cargo' you hired us to escort was this mother and son, wasn't it?"

Takayama Tokugawa's expression changed dramatically at those last words.

Fine beads of sweat formed on his forehead. He tried to argue, "Ninja Lord, please let me explain. Things aren't what you think. They... they..."

"Sigh!"

The young woman sighed, then stepped up to Neji and Yugito and bowed in apology.

"I'm truly sorry. We deceived you."

"Miyuki, I came up with this plan. If anyone should apologize, it should be me."

At this point, Takayama Tokugawa had no choice but to stop hiding the truth. He bowed to Neji and Yugito.

If they'd been an ordinary ninja squad, hiding the details of the mission would have left them in a terrible spot.

Fortunately, they'd been assigned Neji and Yugito.

That was the way of the ninja world. Uncontrollable complications could arise at any moment.

Yugito waved a hand. "Tell us what you've been hiding. We'll decide whether to continue the escort mission based on the circumstances."

Takayama Tokugawa sighed and explained, "Miyuki isn't a relative of mine. She's my woman, and this boy is my illegitimate son."

Both Yugito and Neji were stunned by this revelation.

As Takayama Tokugawa explained, they soon understood what had happened.

The Tokugawa family was one of Kusagakure's leading merchant families. Takayama Tokugawa and Miyuki had been childhood sweethearts. For the sake of his family's interests, Takayama Tokugawa had reluctantly married another woman and settled Miyuki a thousand miles away, in the Land of Lightning. The two of them had a son together.

A few months ago, Takayama Tokugawa's eldest son was killed by bandits while traveling on business.

To ensure the continuation of his family line, Takayama Tokugawa sent people to the Land of Lightning to bring his younger son back.

Who could have expected that both merchant caravans would be attacked by bandits along the way and wiped out?

In the end, Takayama Tokugawa had gone himself. Using the purchase of food as a cover, he had secretly tried to bring his younger son safely back to Kusagakure.