Another Two Cloud Ninjas

Although Tianqi felt that he had completed his mission, the system's voice still hadn't sounded, which meant the mission was ongoing.

At that moment, he was inside a snow cave he'd made himself, bandaging his wounds. It would have been strange if he'd killed so many enemies without getting hurt. Fortunately, they were only minor injuries, and the bandages had gotten them under control.

After finishing, Tianqi couldn't help but sigh, "The battlefield really is a great place to hone yourself." It was nothing like ordinary missions. Though dangerous, it was full of opportunities.

Over the past three days, he had not only gained experience but also improved his combat skills.

Tianqi closed his eyes and rested for a while. The system's mission isn't complete yet. Now's no time to rest. Come on! Let's go, let's go! After giving himself a pep talk, he set off again.

"I'm running low on food. I need to find somewhere to resupply." After walking for two hours, a forest appeared before Tianqi.

"Where there's a forest, there's bound to be food. And a place like this is bound to have enemies, too." He cautiously approached the forest, watching his surroundings as he walked and sensing the area from time to time. He didn't want to get caught off guard.

"How can there be no enemies? Am I just imagining things?" Just as Tianqi began to think there were none, he suddenly sensed two Genin-level Chakra signatures.

"I knew it. There's only one forest nearby, so of course it's an ambush. But you two Genin think you can ambush me? You're asking for it." With that, Tianqi slowly made his way behind the two men.

When he was only a few hundred meters away, Tianqi finally spotted them. The two were hiding in a snowy thicket, with all sorts of Exploding Tag traps set around them.

Looking at the two burly men, Tianqi had to wonder: These were Genin from Kumogakure? Who were they trying to fool? With physiques like theirs, they had to be Chunin at the very least. It looked like these two had disguised themselves as Genin to lure people in.

What a pair of sneaky bastards!

You want to lure me in? Let's see how you like being lured. Tianqi formed Hand Seals. "Shadow Clone Technique!" Poof! A person identical to Tianqi appeared beside him.

The clone shared Tianqi's thoughts, so it understood at once and charged straight toward the traps.

Boom, boom, boom! Explosions from the Exploding Tags rang out through the forest.

"Hm! Someone triggered the traps behind us. Let's go take a look." One of the Cloud Ninja was about to leave when the other stopped him.

"Don't rush. Let's watch a little longer. The one who came might be a Jonin. Those explosions might not have done anything to him."

When the explosions ended, Tianqi used another clone, disguised as a corpse, and laid it in the crater left by the blast. Once he'd finished, he hid in a snowy thicket.

Neither side rushed over right away. Both chose to wait.

After a while, Tianqi thought, Damn, these two look experienced. They still haven't come to check. They're probably Jonin—old Jonin with plenty of experience.

If they wanted to waste time, he'd waste it with them.

Finally, after two hours, the two Cloud Ninja couldn't hold back any longer. They headed toward the site of the explosion and saw the corpse lying in the crater.

"See, big brother? I knew we'd be fine. That kid looks about ten years old. At most, he'd be a Chunin. There's no way he could've dodged all those explosions." The younger Cloud Ninja spoke to the other.

"Looks like I was worrying too much. A kid like that really couldn't have escaped the blasts. Still, it pays to be cautious on the battlefield."

"Yes, big brother." The younger Cloud Ninja clearly hadn't taken the advice to heart. He approached Tianqi's clone to see if the other was really dead. If he wasn't, he'd finish him off with another stab.

Just as he got close and prepared to strike, Tianqi's eyes suddenly opened, and his Tang Dao plunged straight through the Cloud Ninja's chest.

"Second Boss! You're dead!" Seeing his brother killed, the experienced Cloud Ninja lost his reason, too. He immediately formed Hand Seals.

"Lightning Release: Lightning Strike!" A bolt of lightning shot straight toward Tianqi. Tianqi pushed off with both feet and leaped away from where he'd been standing. The lightning struck the spot he had just occupied.

Boom! An explosion sent the already-dead Cloud Ninja flying to the side.

"I'll fight you to the death!" The Cloud Ninja charged at Tianqi with his long sword. He made no attempt at technique, intending to trade injuries.

Tianqi's clone wasn't intimidated by that kind of attack. He, too, raised his Tang Dao and thrust straight toward the Cloud Ninja's heart.

Seeing his opponent charge at him and aim for his heart, the Cloud Ninja smiled faintly. "You want to trade lives? Who's afraid?" He aimed for Tianqi's heart as well.

Thud, thud. Their blades pierced each other's hearts almost simultaneously. Blood poured from the Cloud Ninja's mouth, but he grinned as he spoke to Tianqi.

"Kid, you think I'd trade my life for yours? Do you take me for a fool? My heart's on the other side. I won't die, but you might."

"Is that so?" Tianqi looked at him with a smile. Then, with a poof, he disappeared before the Cloud Ninja's eyes.

"It was a Shadow Clone! Damn, I miscalculated!" The Cloud Ninja tried to flee, but the real Tianqi used Wind Release: Cutting and took the fleeing Cloud Ninja's head.

Looking at the fallen Cloud Ninja, Tianqi took the food from their bodies, chose a direction, and headed for the central Konoha Ninja camp. He had taken a detour to kill enemies so he could complete the mission perfectly.

"The five days Sarutobi gave me are almost up. As long as I make it to camp alive, this mission will be complete."

Tianqi ate as he ran at full speed. Before, he had moved slowly because he was worried about the Cloud Ninja. Now that he had cleared out most of them, and the camp wasn't too far away, he picked up the pace.

Thinking back to what had just happened, Tianqi still felt a little afraid. Fortunately, he had kept his guard up. Seeing the Cloud Ninja lose his reason, he hadn't let his guard down and had sent a clone to fight instead. If he had gone himself, he would have been done for.

Tianqi also marveled at what the Cloud Ninja had said. He hadn't expected some ninja to have their hearts on the other side. The world really was full of wonders.

Outside the Konoha camp, beneath the setting sun, Sarutobi stood on a boulder, his face full of worry as he watched the distance. Of the ten teams that had set out from the village, only half had returned. Those who had made it back had either brought corpses with them or had been confirmed dead. Yet there was still no news of Tianqi, and the agreed-upon deadline was almost here.

That morning, Sarutobi had felt that something was wrong. He couldn't shake the feeling that something would happen. Then he saw that only half the teams had returned, and his heart sank. They were all Konoha Ninja. They had gone on just one mission, yet so many had died. War really was cruel.

"Lord Sarutobi! Lord Sarutobi! Tianqi's back!" A ninja wearing a Konoha Forehead Protector appeared behind Sarutobi.

"He's finally back. How is he? Is he all right?" Sarutobi turned and asked the ninja.

"He's all right. He's injured and is being bandaged in the medical room. I came to notify you, my lord, so I don't know how serious his injuries are."

As soon as the ninja finished speaking, Sarutobi vanished from the spot. "Lord Sarutobi really cares about Tianqi."