As Sarutobi watched the bodies strewn across the ground from the shadows, he secretly praised Tianqi. The boy had killed for the first time and shown no discomfort—in fact, he'd only grown more courageous as the fight went on. He was a natural-born ninja.
The first time I killed someone, I spent ages throwing up. Comparing people really was maddening. The next generation would always surpass the last.
On the battlefield, the three Genin leaders heard that Tianqi was a Konoha Ninja and immediately lost their nerve. The title of the Shinobi World's strongest ninja village wasn't just for show. If they offended Konoha, they'd probably have to leave the Land of Fire.
But when they heard the rest of what he said, their fighting spirit flared again. "To hell with you! If we surrender, we die; if we don't, we die! Brothers, let's fight!"
They charged Tianqi, and the two sides clashed. As the saying went, two fists couldn't fend off four hands. Ordinary people were easy enough to handle, but with three Genin attacking him, Tianqi quickly found himself at a disadvantage.
Damn, I miscalculated. I shouldn't have provoked them. I should've given them a little hope. These three bastards are going all-in, trading wounds for wounds. Good thing I've got my Sharingan activated, or I'd have taken a fatal hit.
Tianqi glanced at the several wounds on his body and felt secretly relieved. He'd taken the Water of Life earlier, which had made him much stronger. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to keep going.
This can't go on. Forget the little fry—I need to take out one of the three Genin to tip the scales of victory for good.
In the middle of the melee, Tianqi appeared right in front of the Third Boss. The moment he saw Tianqi appear before him, the Third Boss didn't hesitate. He drove a Kunai into Tianqi.
"You're dead, kid!"
The Third Boss saw Tianqi's look of shock and froze for a moment. Then he broke into a delighted laugh. "Hahaha! You've finally fallen into my hands, brat. Let's see you act so cocky now!"
Tianqi's shocked expression vanished, and he gave the Third Boss a cold smile. "You're celebrating too soon!"
"What?"
Before the Third Boss could react, Tianqi's body slowly turned into a flock of crows, which scattered in every direction. Then the crows gathered beside him, forming Tianqi once more.
"What kind of ninjutsu is this? I clearly stabbed him. How could—"
People from this era had never seen the ninjutsu of later generations.
The Tianqi who had re-formed beside the Third Boss had his Two-Tomoe Sharingan activated. He gripped his Kunai and stabbed straight at the Third Boss.
"Third Boss, look out!"
"Third Boss, look out!"
At the warning from the First and Second Bosses, the Third Boss froze. Just as he turned around, a black Kunai pierced his heart.
The Third Boss stared at Tianqi in disbelief, spat out a mouthful of blood, and slowly managed to speak.
"How... how is this possible?"
With that, he fell to the ground.
Looking at the Third Boss's fallen body, Tianqi said, "You've got no shame in losing to this move. Dying to Itachi God's technique means you got your money's worth."
The rest of the battle was practically one-sided. Down a man, the two bandit leaders were no match for Tianqi.
Half an hour later, Tianqi flung the last ordinary bandit aside. At the system's chime, he knew he'd completed the mission.
He then cut off the heads of the three Genin and left the bandit stronghold.
Two minutes later, Sarutobi appeared in front of Tianqi. Tianqi was sitting exhausted at the entrance to the stronghold, with the heads of the three Genin bandits lying to his left. Sarutobi spoke up.
"Nice work, Tianqi. Congratulations on completing your first B-Rank Mission."
"Forget it. I'm just glad things didn't go south. Here, take the heads of the three Genin. I can barely walk right now. Give me a moment to recover."
Sarutobi took the three heads and stared at Tianqi, bewildered. "Tianqi, didn't you know? We only bring back the bodies of missing-nin. Only the underground black market wants heads. We don't bother with wandering ninjas like these."
"Really? I didn't know." Tianqi genuinely hadn't known any of that. He'd cut off their heads only to prove he'd completed the mission. He hadn't thought about anything else.
"Fine." Sarutobi tossed the three heads back into the stronghold and formed Hand Seals. "Earth Release: Earth Flow River!" With an A-Rank Ninjutsu, he buried the entire stronghold.
Watching Sarutobi's movements, Tianqi couldn't help but marvel. As expected of the future Third Hokage—he could cast a jutsu with that much power as casually as anything.
Sarutobi then hoisted Tianqi onto his back.
"Come on, we'll go to an inn and let you recover properly. I heard there are hot springs there. We've come all this way, so we've got to take a soak."
Tianqi, on Sarutobi's back, gave him a look of disdain. "I thought you were worried about me. Turns out you just want to go peep at the hot springs."
"What do you mean, peep? Am I that kind of person? I just want to enjoy the hot springs, that's all. Tianqi, is that really what you think of me?" Sarutobi Hiruzen said earnestly. Anyone who didn't know him might actually have been fooled by that serious expression.
Tianqi had already seen right through him. He didn't answer, but thought to himself, As expected of the Pervy Sage's teacher. Like teacher, like student. He's peeping and still making excuses about taking a bath. How vulgar.
At the inn, Sarutobi got them two rooms. Back in his room, Tianqi took out the remaining bottle of Water of Life from the system and drank it. His wounds healed instantly, and his physique improved as well.
After a full day of exhausting work, Tianqi didn't even bother to bathe. He collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep.
The next morning, Tianqi got up, brushed his teeth, washed his face, and headed straight to Sarutobi Hiruzen's room. He pushed open the door and found it empty.
Without a second thought, Tianqi went to the hot springs. He changed and stepped inside. As soon as he entered, he spotted Sarutobi beside the pool, peeping through a crack at the women's bath with a lecherous grin.
"I knew it. That perverted old lecher would definitely be here." Tianqi got into the hot spring and slowly approached Sarutobi. When he reached his side, he spoke up.
"Big Brother Sarutobi, weren't we supposed to come for a soak? How'd that turn into peeping?"
Sarutobi jumped at the sound of someone speaking. He quickly clapped a hand over Tianqi's mouth.
"Shh... Keep your voice down. I'm not peeping. I'm checking to see whether any perverts are peeping. If there are, I can protect the women."
"I'm pretty sure you're the pervert. And who would believe that you're protecting women?" Tianqi gave Sarutobi another disdainful look.
Sarutobi realized his excuse was pretty flimsy. Seeing Tianqi's scornful expression, he felt a little embarrassed.
"Ahem... Tianqi, you'll understand when you're my age. Do you have someone you like? If you do, tell me. As your team captain, I'll make sure to take care of your love life."
"Give me a break. You should worry about yourself, Big Brother Sarutobi. You're the one who ought to find a wife soon, before you keep harassing these young girls."
"Harassing them? I told you, I'm protecting them! Do you understand? Protecting them!" Sarutobi said earnestly.
Tianqi looked at him with even greater disdain. Anyone who didn't know Sarutobi might have believed that serious expression and thought he really was protecting them. But Tianqi knew him too well. He'd never forget Sarutobi's old-man self using a crystal ball to perform the Telescope Technique.
Seeing Tianqi still looking at him with disdain, Sarutobi changed the subject.
"Hey, your wounds from yesterday are already healed, and you can take a hot spring bath today. Your recovery is impressive."
"They were just scratches. I was only tired yesterday. I don't have many good qualities, but I heal fast," Tianqi replied.
Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't doubt Tianqi. Some people really did have strong constitutions, and minor wounds could indeed heal quickly.
"I was going to head back tomorrow, but since you're better, let's go back today. I really do miss the village's gir—cough, I mean, I really do miss the village's food. My treat when we get back."
Watching Sarutobi nearly let the truth slip again, Tianqi silently felt sorry for the women of the village. With a peeper like him around, the women of Konoha were in for trouble.
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