Big Sister, Can I Have Your First Blood?

The mist seemed to grow even thicker. They had been able to make out hazy figures dozens of steps away, but now they could only see outlines ten steps away.

"Asuma, wait. Something's wrong!" Ibiki sprang forward, landing in front of Asuma and raising a hand to stop him just as he was about to attack.

Mizuki, who had been trying to smooth things over, also fell silent and warily watched their surroundings.

Tōka narrowed his eyes, a sharp glint flashing through them. Wasn't this scene exactly like the Kirigakure Ninja's Hidden Mist Technique?

But such a vast range... it didn't seem likely...

Tōka wouldn't believe it even if he were beaten to death—there couldn't be dozens of Kirigakure Ninja here casting the Hidden Mist Technique together.

"Don't stop me!" Asuma suddenly shouted.

"Asuma, you..." Ibiki had never thought Asuma would disregard the bigger picture like this. His face darkened as he prepared to rebuke him.

"I won't act recklessly," Asuma said before he could.

The mist grew denser, and their vision became blurrier.

Suddenly, the sound of rushing wind approached from afar.

Everyone tensed, gripping their Kunai tightly.

"Here it comes!"

Whoosh!!

A black shadow swung a great blade in a sweeping slash, its sharp edge covering all four of them.

"Scatter!" Ibiki barked.

The four of them scattered in four directions to evade it.

"Hiss, hiss!~"

The black shadow licked her lips and laughed strangely. "Oh? Three delicious little boys, don't run away!~"

"A ninja?!" Tōka's pupils shrank. That old bastard Furuya Daisuke had never mentioned that there were ninjas among the enemy!

And she was a Rogue Ninja from Kirigakure, at least a Chunin!

Asuma, Ibiki, and Mizuki all changed expression.

Was this really their graduation exam for the Ninja Academy?

"My, this little brother is so cute!~" The female ninja stared greedily at Tōka, saliva dripping from the corner of her mouth as though she saw him as food.

"So I'm your first choice?" Tōka grinned, revealing a cruel curve.

Whoosh!!

Wind howled as the female ninja leaped high into the air, raised her great blade with both hands, and brought it down viciously.

Bang!

The blade rose and fell, ripping through the hazy mist and smashing into the ground.

Pitch-black cracks as thick as arms spread across the earth, while a pot-sized crater was blasted into the point where the blade landed.

"Big sister, can I have your first blood?" Tōka appeared behind the female ninja like a ghost.

With a flick of his wrist, a sharp Kunai appeared in his palm.

With a soft slash, cold light flashed, and the pointed Kunai cut off a lock of the female ninja's beautiful hair.

Tōka's gaze turned slightly cold. He thrust his hand forward, intending to pierce her throat.

Suddenly!

Bang!

A puff of white smoke rose. When he looked again, the female ninja's body had been replaced by a rotten log.

"The Substitution Technique?!"

Tōka's pupils contracted, and his expression changed slightly, but his mind remained exceptionally calm.

As expected of a real ninja. Her ability to adapt on the fly was truly strong.

Tōka did not dare remain where he was. He rolled away on the spot, moving several steps aside.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!!

A series of sharp gusts sounded as five Shuriken tore through the air.

Thud, thud, thud!!

They embedded themselves in a row precisely where Tōka had been standing.

"Tōka, get over here!" Ibiki shouted.

Asuma gritted his teeth but ultimately said nothing. He had only wanted to teach Tōka a lesson.

They were from the same village. Asuma would never stand by and let Tōka be killed!

"Kid, get over here! I'll cover you!" Asuma formed hand seals rapidly, then drew in a deep breath.

Dust Wind Technique!!

Whoosh!

A whirlwind blew from Asuma's mouth, instantly clearing the thick mist around them.

Their vision became clear in an instant.

Good. That woman wasn't nearby!

Seeing this, Tōka immediately darted over without hesitation.

"What do we do? The enemy is very strong. Should we retreat?" Ibiki asked in a low voice.

They had the advantage in numbers, but they were only four Ninja Academy rookies who had never seen blood.

Their opponent, on the other hand, was clearly a Kirigakure Chunin, preliminarily identified as a Rogue Ninja.

She wielded a great blade and knew the Hidden Mist Technique. She should have been a practitioner of Kirigakure's Silent Killing Technique.

"The enemy is strong, but we don't have no chance at all." Just as everyone fell silent, Tōka suddenly spoke.

The Silent Killing Technique was called the Silent Killing Technique because it made very little sound.

The quieter the sound, the closer it came to being "silent," and the higher the user's proficiency with the technique.

"Why do you say that?" Asuma frowned. If they could take down a Chunin, even by joining forces, it would still be something to be proud of!

"Because she makes a sound when she attacks." Tōka sneered. "Like this!"

Stab!!

Tōka suddenly thrust out his left hand, which held a Kunai, directly at Asuma.

Everyone's pupils shrank as their faces filled with shock.

They wanted to block it, but Tōka and Asuma were too close!

Clang!!

The situation took a sudden turn. A great blade slashed straight out of the white mist, only to be blocked by Tōka's Kunai.

However, Tōka was not as strong as the female ninja. After barely holding it off for a second—

Tōka suddenly kicked out, sending Asuma flying away.

Only then did the others understand that Tōka had not attacked to kill Asuma, but to save him.

"Bastard, don't look down on us too much!" Ibiki's face darkened. Being ignored again and again had finally made him furious.

Swish, swish, swish...

Ibiki rapidly formed hand seals, cold light flashing between his palms.

"Lightning Release: Earth Walk!"

Crackle, crackle, crackle~~~

Mizuki attacked at the same time, scattering six Shuriken from his hand in a fan-shaped pattern and completely sealing off every route of escape for the female ninja.

"Hehe, you little brats have quite some spirit!" The female ninja curled her lips into a chilling smile. Without dodging or retreating, she held her great blade horizontally before her with both hands.

Clang, clang, clang...

All six of Mizuki's Shuriken were blocked.

Then the female ninja leaped high into the air, avoiding Ibiki's Lightning Release as her hands danced.

The massive blade cut through the dense mist and bore down on Ibiki and Mizuki.

At that moment, a ghostly figure drifted behind the female ninja like a wandering spirit.

"I told you..." Tōka raised two fingers like a sword, and a gray bone the size of a little finger extended from his fingertip.

"Big sister, your first blood is mine!"

Scatter across time and space, and rot away with the bones!

All-Killing Ash Bones!!

"How?!" The female ninja's pupils shrank sharply. She had not noticed at all when Tōka appeared.

Pfft!!

Once the ash bone entered the body, even immortals could not save her.

Before everyone's horrified eyes, the female ninja's body turned into rotten scraps of paper and scattered into the air.

Tōka flipped through the air and landed steadily like a swallow.

Glancing at the ground, where only five Shuriken remained embedded, Tōka could not help but grin.

Mizuki's throwing skills were pretty good...

Tōka had used the Transformation Technique to become a Shuriken and mixed himself into Mizuki's attack.

The female ninja had thought she had dodged the Shuriken, never realizing that Tōka, hidden among them, was the real killing move!

Without absolute strength, strategy was indispensable.

The female ninja's strength completely crushed any one of them in a one-on-one fight, and she held a huge advantage even against them as a group.

But she had been too confident. She had underestimated this group of brats too much.

"Gulp..." Asuma swallowed, staring in terror at the female ninja reduced to a pile of scraps.

"What a pain. Now there's no evidence."

Tōka shook his head helplessly, but the others retreated two steps as if they had seen a ghost.

Rustle, rustle, rustle...

Their disordered footsteps sounded especially loud in the empty Valley.

"Tch. My secret technique has been exposed. Should I kill these guys?" Tōka stared expressionlessly at the three of them and thought to himself.

No, there were still people hiding in the shadows!

Tōka's expression suddenly changed, and he suppressed the killing intent in his heart.

With a whoosh, Tōka leaped into the air and vanished into the hazy mist.

The Kirigakure Rogue Ninja was dead, so the Hidden Mist Technique should have been dispelled. Yet the mist around them remained thick.

That meant the vast Hidden Mist Technique from before had not entirely been the female ninja's doing. Most of it had been natural mist within the Valley.

Once Tōka understood this, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

These bandits should have come from the Land of Water, and their leader had been that Chunin.

There might have been a few Genin as well, but they were no longer a concern.

Moreover, Tōka had noticed several faint but powerful auras deep within the mist.

Especially when he had been beside Asuma, he had constantly felt several presences locked onto him.

"Good thing I didn't act rashly just now..." Tōka licked his dry lips. How could Konoha fail to place importance on its new generation?

The battle had lasted less than three minutes, yet it had drained more than half of Tōka's energy.

I'm still too weak!!

He had already gathered enough intelligence this time. The enemy's strongest fighter was a Chunin. Though it was only a judgment, Tōka trusted his own judgment.

There was no need to determine the enemy's exact numbers. Once Tōka learned that someone was protecting them in secret, none of that mattered anymore.

What remained...

Was only a baptism of blood!

In a concealed corner of the Valley, Kurenai and Gai waited anxiously behind Low Rock.

Although the agreed time had not yet arrived, a faint sense of unease rose in both their hearts.

"Why don't we go out and take a look together?" Kurenai suggested.

"No, we should trust Tōka." Although Gai was also worried about Tōka, he rejected Kurenai's suggestion.

Suddenly, a jolt ran through Kurenai's mind.

Her genjutsu trap had been triggered!

She gave Gai a cautious look. Just as the two of them prepared to investigate, a black shadow landed lightly before them.

"It's me!" Tōka's voice rang out, and both of them immediately stopped moving.

Gai's Konoha Strong Gale was only three inches from Tōka's head.

Kurenai had already formed her hand seals, and her genjutsu was clearly ready.

"Tōka, are you all right?" Kurenai asked anxiously.

"I'm fine. Everyone, prepare for battle." Tōka shook his head slightly. What could possibly have happened to him?

Then he told the two of them all the intelligence he had gathered and every deduction he had made.

"Since we've already been exposed, then we can only fight!" Kurenai's little face tightened as though she had gathered all her courage.

"Youth should be used to improve ourselves through battle!!" Gai looked entirely different. He was even excited!

"In that case, let's move!"

Tōka was the first to leave Low Rock, flashing into the mist-shrouded Valley.

At the entrance to the Valley, Furuya Daisuke stood watching with an Anbu wearing a fox mask.

Although every team had an Anbu following behind them, Furuya Daisuke was still worried.

Furuya Daisuke usually acted very stern, but that was only because he hoped his students would possess real strength.

"Tomohito, can you help me check on the brats?" Furuya Daisuke asked with a stiff face, pretending not to care at all.

Yet his tightly clenched hands gave him away.

Yamanaka Tomohito silently glanced at him. In less than thirty minutes, this was already the eighth time Furuya Daisuke had asked him to contact the various Anbu members.

Still, Yamanaka Tomohito did not refuse.

He changed his hand seals, and a mysterious force spread outward.

Yamanaka Tomohito's mind directly connected with everyone...

Furuya Daisuke stared straight into the valley, but his eyes kept flicking toward Yamanaka Tomohito, even though he knew he could see nothing through that fox mask.

Yet his body moved on its own.

A moment later, after contacting all seventeen Anbu members, Yamanaka Tomohito let out a soft breath.

Clearly, even as an elite jonin, he was finding it difficult to repeatedly use the secret technique.

"Don't worry. The kids are all safe and sound." Yamanaka Tomohito's voice rang out, and Furuya Daisuke immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

The exam did not matter. As long as everyone was safe...

Furuya Daisuke thought silently to himself.

"However, there was a slight accident." Yamanaka Tomohito's voice suddenly rang out, and Furuya Daisuke's expression changed slightly.

Instinctively, he started forward, ready to rush into the valley.

But Yamanaka Tomohito's next words stopped him in his tracks.

"The problem has already been resolved. What incredible kids!" A trace of praise entered Yamanaka Tomohito's voice.

Furuya Daisuke frowned slightly and asked in a low voice, "What exactly happened?"

Despite the enormous gap in strength between them, Furuya Daisuke seemed completely unafraid of Yamanaka Tomohito.

His narrowed eyes remained fixed on the fox mask.

Their gazes clashed invisibly in the air.

"Don't be so tense. You're an elite who survived the Second Shinobi World War, after all." Yamanaka Tomohito chose to yield and looked away first.

"Tell me now." Furuya Daisuke said coldly.

"Well, it's nothing too serious." Yamanaka Tomohito shrugged and said nonchalantly, "A group of Rogue Ninja from Kirigakure had simply mixed in with the bandits."

"What?!" Furuya Daisuke's face drained of color. Only six words remained in his mind—there were Rogue Ninja among the bandits!

"What happened? What exactly happened?"

"Didn't you say they were just ordinary bandits?"

"Why were there Rogue Ninja? Was anyone hurt?"

Furuya Daisuke was already stumbling over his words. Those kids were in danger even against a gang of vicious bandits.

They needed Anbu to protect them in secret. How could it be any different when facing Rogue Ninja from Kirigakure?

"Calm down. The kids are fine, and besides..." Yamanaka Tomohito chuckled, his tone utterly relaxed.

Furuya Daisuke's eyes were bloodshot as he glared at Yamanaka Tomohito, looking as though he would never let the matter rest unless he received a clear explanation.

"Asuma and the other kids worked together with a kid named Tōka and took down the Kirigakure Rogue Ninja who was a Chunin."

"The rest were only a few genin and some ordinary bandits."

"What?!" This time, Furuya Daisuke was not angry, but shocked.

A bunch of little brats who had not even graduated from the Ninja Academy had taken down Rogue Ninja from Kirigakure? And a Chunin at that?

Furuya Daisuke shouted anxiously.

"Quick, tell me everything in detail!"

"It happened like this..." (To be continued)