Ambushed

For example, if an ordinary person used Chakra to enhance their running, with their muscles capable of twenty kilometers per hour, then reaching one hundred and thirty kilometers per hour would require consuming one hundred and ten units of Chakra. Adding the two together gave a speed of one hundred and thirty kilometers per hour. Xing Ran was different. His muscle speed had already reached ninety kilometers per hour, so in the same amount of time, he only needed to consume forty units of Chakra to reach one hundred and thirty kilometers per hour. Naturally, his Chakra consumption was reduced severalfold.

Although they had already been traveling for a long time, Xing Ran still brimmed with energy thanks to his powerful stamina and recovery ability. He was practically a physical monster.

Because of that, both his sensory ability and vigilance were far stronger than those of his two Chunin teammates.

"Enemy attack! Multiple shuriken from the nine o'clock and one o'clock directions—there are... Explosive Tags! Evade!" Ever since graduating from the Ninja Academy, Xing Ran's role in the team had been that of a Sensor Ninja. Members of the Yamanaka Clan were often highly skilled in that regard. Xing Ran's own sensory ability had been quite ordinary, but after awakening Superman's hearing and vision, his innate sensory ability had unexpectedly become much more effective.

Just as Xing Ran leaped over another treetop and habitually activated his super hearing and vision to observe his surroundings, he heard an unusual whistling sound slicing through the air.

The combination of X-ray vision and super vision allowed him to see through layers of leaves and easily spot the enemies around them. At this distance, his original sensory ability could never have detected the enemy so far in advance. It was the first time his newly awakened abilities had proven useful in actual combat, though Xing Ran had not expected them to be support-type abilities.

Sure enough, abilities had no inherent strength or weakness—if used well, any of them could become divine techniques. But in Yamaki Atsushi and Junpei's eyes, Xing Ran's ability to predict the attack in advance with such precision was unbelievably impressive and reliable.

In the ninja world, when one was suddenly ambushed, having even a second to react was already an excellent situation. Knowing the enemy's method of attack on top of that was like bringing a pay-to-win player into a dungeon raid. All they had to do was strike a pose and coast through it.

Scatter!

The three, who had been traveling at a steady pace just moments earlier, suddenly dodged behind trees according to the directions of the incoming attacks.

Immediately afterward, three Explosive Tags detonated with a series of booming blasts. Three spots along their original paths of travel were completely destroyed.

A large number of shuriken lay scattered chaotically around the blast sites.

"Damn it, we've been discovered. Water Release: Water Colliding Wave." An exasperated voice rang out from the forest. Then, a massive torrent surged through the trees. This was one of Water Release's basic ninjutsu, a C-rank technique. The scale of the water produced varied according to the amount of Chakra used.

Xing Ran had never fought an opponent like this before, so he could not judge what level of ninja could produce enough water to cover this entire small forest. However, someone quickly gave him the answer.

"This is bad, that volume! It's a Jonin! Everyone, be careful, there's more than one enemy..." Before Yamaki Atsushi's voice from the distance could fade, the ground around Xing Ran began to shake violently.

Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall

The others hiding in the shadows suddenly unleashed a combined ninjutsu, enclosing the Water Release technique from before and forming a wall of earth and stone. At the same time, it trapped Xing Ran and the other two inside. As the water level continued to rise, the terrain was instantly transformed into a giant fish tank that imprisoned them.

"Quick, the enemy hasn't completed the encirclement yet. Break out toward six o'clock." With his super vision and hearing, Xing Ran understood their situation. Although they were trapped by the ninjutsu, the enemy was still some distance away. As long as they broke the fish tank, they could rush out.

What, why not leave from the top of the fish tank? That was the enemy's trap. The moment they exposed themselves overhead, they would be met with a storm of attacks. Unable to gain leverage in midair, they would be nothing but targets.

If they tried to break out from above, perhaps only Xing Ran, who could fly briefly, would escape alive. Everyone else would die in the air.

Earth Style: Earth Pillar Spear

Upon hearing Xing Ran's warning, Yamaki Atsushi turned and struck. A stone spike pierced through the rock wall behind him, not only breaking open the fish tank, but allowing the surging water to become a force that accelerated Xing Ran and the others' escape. Riding the water bursting from the opening, the three successfully rushed out of the trap before the enemy could complete their encirclement.

"Don't get drawn into a fight, retreat!" Perhaps worried that Xing Ran, who lacked combat experience, would misjudge the situation, Yamaki Atsushi urged him to retreat as soon as they escaped.

Xing Ran curled his lip. He had never intended to turn around and clash with the enemy. The others might not know it, but he had already seen clearly that there were six enemies—twice their number—and at least one Jonin among them. He had no desire to throw his life away.

Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique

After confirming that everyone had escaped, Junpei unleashed the ninjutsu he had been preparing for some time. This was an A-rank technique, and learning it was no easy task, let alone using it in actual combat. Junpei looked utterly ordinary, yet he had been hiding such an impressive trump card.

The Great Waterfall Technique happened to make use of the abundant water at the scene, clearly boosting its power. Before long, the enormous impact scattered both sides apart.

Xing Ran and the other two took the opportunity to flee.

Five minutes later.

"There are no pursuers. We should be safe." Xing Ran's role was that of a Sensor Ninja. Before encountering enemies, he was responsible for buying preparation time for his side. After escaping, he also had to conduct counter-surveillance and ensure their safety.

"Rumble—" After Xing Ran spoke, thunder and lightning roared through the sky again. A hawk nearly got electrocuted, then flew over Xing Ran's head while letting out a string of miserable cries.

"Whew, good thing you spotted them in time, or we really would have been in danger. I never expected enemies at the Jonin level. That isn't strength ordinary bandits would possess." Junpei seemed to have poured all his skill into that Great Waterfall Technique. He was somewhat exhausted now, his entire body draped over Yamaki Atsushi's back, but he was in good spirits and still had the mood to analyze the enemy's origins.

"Who were they? Did you see how many there were?" Yamaki Atsushi was a man of action and rarely spoke nonsense. He asked Xing Ran for information about the enemy.

"They were dressed like rogue Stone ninja, but it should be like the situation I encountered last time. Lord Hokage said they were impostors. There were six of them, with at least one Jonin. Wait—damn it, they found us." Xing Ran had only been answering Yamaki Atsushi's question, but halfway through, his super hearing and vision picked up the enemies who had just been left behind closing in around them again.

"What the hell do these bastards want? There shouldn't have been any trace left when we escaped here. I checked carefully." Junpei might have been out of stamina, but his eyes were fine. He had handled the counter-surveillance work all along the way, concealing their footprints and scent.

To be continued. Please vote.