Unstoppable Advance

After arriving at a small town on the border of the Land of Rain, they passed inspection by a few Rain Ninja and easily entered the Land of Rain. Although relations between the Land of Rain and the other nations were growing increasingly tense, the war had not yet begun. Merchant caravans could naturally still enter, though inspections were somewhat stricter.

The Land of Rain lay between the Land of Wind, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Fire. Since ancient times, it had suffered greatly from the ravages of war. Its internal factions were tangled and chaotic, and rogue ninjas and deserters from many ninja villages had gathered here. Even with the so-called demigod Hanzo of the Salamander guarding it, the country was far from united.

So-called stricter inspections merely meant collecting a few more bribes. As long as they were not spies or agents with too many obvious flaws, there would be no problem. The Land of Rain knew its own limits as well. It understood that it could not possibly stop the other ninja villages from entering to gather intelligence with its own strength alone.

After entering the small town, the drizzle stopped, though the sky remained gloomy. It seemed the heavens were merely taking a short break! The four split up and headed in the town's four directions to gather intelligence.

Although this small town was nowhere near as prosperous as Konoha, it was an unavoidable stop for merchant caravans entering the Land of Rain and traveling to other nations, so it could not be called deserted. At the very least, it was far livelier than other towns of the same size.

The academy had taught them methods of gathering intelligence as well, such as asking around at taverns, restaurants, casinos, and pleasure houses. There were also methods such as infiltrating the residences of local ninjas. This mission was to investigate the garrison location of the Land of Rain's Second Legion.

Beichen Haotian knew himself well. He knew he was not particularly skilled at gathering intelligence and could not think of any good methods. With no other choice, he could only do as the books said. He could not go to pleasure houses or casinos; they were obviously unsuitable for someone his age.

After thinking it over, Beichen Haotian decided to have a hearty meal at a restaurant and try his luck, to see whether he could obtain any useful information. He went to a clothing shop, bought a relatively luxurious outfit, changed into it, took a folding fan, and entered a higher-end restaurant dressed as a young nobleman. He sat by the window, ordered every specialty dish in the restaurant, and began eating leisurely by himself. At the same time, he activated Observation Haki to listen to everyone's conversations in the restaurant.

He ate for over half an hour, and the facts proved that gathering intelligence was not something one could rely on luck for. Beichen Haotian did not lose heart. He had never considered himself perfect; it was perfectly normal to have things he was not good at.

Suddenly, a crimson flare shot into the sky. Beichen Haotian's expression hardened. Someone had been exposed. He left money behind, jumped out the window, and vanished from the restaurant in a flash.

Leaping rapidly toward the flare, Beichen Haotian finally spotted the person calling for help on a plain outside the town. What shocked him was that the person was actually his instructor, Kitada Junichi.

At that moment, Kitada Junichi was being attacked by one Jonin, one Chunin, and three Genin. Relying on his rich combat experience, Kitada Junichi had yet to be injured, but he had already been forced into a precarious situation.

"Sensei, Water Style!" Beichen Haotian shouted as he rushed over.

The moment Kitada Junichi heard him, he had no time to think. With a flick of both hands, six Kunai tied with Explosive Tags shot out, temporarily forcing back his opponents. Then he swiftly formed Hand Seals.

Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique.

The Land of Rain experienced rainfall year-round, so Water Style techniques here were second only in power to those used in the Land of Water. A great amount of water spewed from Kitada Junichi's mouth, forming a rushing river that surged toward the Rain Ninja.

"Lightning Style: Earth Run." This was the highest-level Lightning Style Ninjutsu Beichen Haotian had inherited from his parents.

Beichen Haotian slapped the soaking wet ground. Several streaks of blue lightning rapidly spread along the damp earth before pouring into the water, while tangible bolts of electricity flickered within the small river from time to time.

"Sensei, run!" Beichen Haotian shouted. Without even looking at the Rain Ninja, he sprinted madly toward the Land of Fire. As a Jonin, Kitada Junichi naturally knew what to do. They could not let the Rain Ninja latch onto them in this situation, or more Rain Ninja would be drawn over, leaving them with nothing but death. Without a word, he caught up to Beichen Haotian.

On the way, they met the other two members who had come to reinforce them. The four ran at full speed while talking, with the Rain Ninja behind them trailing at a distance of roughly two hundred meters.

The four sprinted all the way until, just as they were about to cross the Land of Rain's border, they discovered two Rain Ninja suddenly charging toward them.

"Damn it. The people behind us must have used communications to notify the Rain Ninja patrolling the border. These two are merely the closest ones."

"What's there to fear? They're only two Chunin. They can't stop us. Kill them in an instant. I'll handle the one on the right. Sensei, you three can take care of the one on the left." Beichen Haotian spoke coldly as he drew his Tang Saber from his back. At that moment, a fine drizzle began falling from the sky again, cold rain landing on the cold blade.

"Haotian, this... Let your teacher handle one alone. You by yourself..." Before Kitada Junichi could finish, Beichen Haotian interrupted him.

"Trust me, Sensei. After all this time carrying out missions, you should have enough confidence in my close-quarters combat ability."

Thinking back, Kitada Junichi recalled every enemy they had encountered. Whether they were Chunin or Elite Chunin, once Beichen Haotian got close to them, they had all been put in grave danger and completely suppressed. Confidence rose in his heart, and he nodded heavily.

As he watched the two men across from them draw closer and closer, he could even clearly see the cold smiles on their faces.

That's right. As long as they delay us for even a little while, the growing number of Rain Ninja will be enough to kill us easily. Unfortunately, the two of you aren't qualified to delay us at all. Beichen Haotian thought coldly.

Tiny arcs of lightning flickered across the cold blade. When they were still roughly ten meters apart, Beichen Haotian's aura suddenly changed, becoming valiant and fearless, like a charge across a battlefield—unstoppable.

Shave.

Blood Battle General Saber: Unstoppable Advance.

Beichen Haotian's figure suddenly appeared before the Rain Ninja on the right. The Rain Ninja's expression changed, and he hastily raised the short tachi in his hand to defend himself. At that moment, a streak of silvery-white sword light, mixed with blue and crimson, flashed past like a meteor that never returned, slicing through the fine curtain of rain.

After using this move, Beichen Haotian did not look back. Brimming with confidence, he sprinted toward the Land of Fire.

A crisp sound rang out. The Rain Ninja's short tachi suddenly snapped, and a line of blood spread across his neck. Then a fountain of blood burst into the sky as the young Rain Ninja's body collapsed limply to the ground.

A moment later, Kitada Junichi and the other two caught up. For a seasoned Jonin, with the assistance of two Genin, killing a Chunin was not difficult. Jonin were high-end combat power in any ninja village, while Genin and Chunin were nothing unusual. Every Jonin possessed not only exceptional strength, but also abundant experience. It would not be an exaggeration to say they had been through countless battles.

"Haotian, that strike of yours was truly stunning. Even at close range, I'm not confident I could retreat unscathed. You have the potential to become the next Konoha White Fang," Kitada Junichi said approvingly. Hyuga Yoichi and Wada Tsukasa beside him nodded in agreement. After so many missions, they naturally knew that Kitada Junichi's swordsmanship was extremely formidable, but seeing Beichen Haotian instantly kill a Chunin with one strike still greatly shocked them both!

Beichen Haotian smiled faintly in response, and the four figures rushed toward the Land of Fire's border.

Konoha White Fang? I really want to witness the Konoha White Fang's swordsmanship. Unfortunately, my current strength is less than one percent of what it was. Even using the most basic Unstoppable Advance consumes over half my stamina, and I can't even unleash an Air Slash. I truly want to fight him with the strength of a Great Swordmaster. Beichen Haotian gazed through the rain curtain toward Konoha in the Land of Fire and thought.

The Rain Ninja pursuing them also stopped. Without anyone to intercept them, continuing the pursuit would be nothing but a waste of stamina.

Five days later, the group returned to Konoha once more. As usual, the three of them disbanded while Kitada Junichi went to report on the mission.

The Hokage Building, the highest-ranking building in Konoha.

A middle-aged man wearing a Hokage Robe and a conical hat was handling official affairs. Upon hearing a knock, he said without raising his head, "Come in."

"Lord Hokage, Kitada Junichi is here to report. Though there was some danger, we have determined the location of the Second Legion under Hanzo. Please examine it." With that, he took out a scroll and respectfully handed it over.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, in the prime of his life, accepted the scroll but did not look at it. Instead, he asked, "How is that child Beichen Haotian?"

"Reporting to Lord Hokage, I believe that child has considerable talent and good character. He cares for his companions and always takes the lead in every battle. He is worth nurturing. Once he grows, he will definitely be no inferior to Lord Hatake and will become one of Konoha's pillars in the future." After considering it, Kitada Junichi answered with a smile. He was evidently very satisfied with Beichen Haotian.

"Oh? Junichi, you think so highly of him. It seems he truly is worth nurturing. Speaking of which, Minato Namikaze's Jonin instructor also evaluated him very highly."

"Excellent. Two civilian geniuses have appeared at once—this is Konoha's fortune. Junichi, go test that boy Beichen Haotian's Chakra nature and teach him some Ninjutsu suitable for him."

Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke with a smile, in an excellent mood. Compared to clan geniuses, he preferred civilian geniuses, because they would become powerful support for the Hokage lineage.

"Yes, Lord Hokage."

"Mm. You may leave."

"Yes."

These two promising seedlings cannot perish in the coming war. Mm, I should assign them relatively safe missions during the war, then send Anbu to protect them both. With a turn of thought, Hiruzen had an idea.

"Someone."

As soon as he spoke, a ninja wearing a black trench coat and a white Raccoon Mask suddenly appeared in the office. His aura was extremely powerful, nearing the level of an Elite Jonin. He dropped to one knee.

"Lord Hokage, what are your orders?"

"Rise. In a moment, do as the scroll I write for you says." Hiruzen Sarutobi said as he wrote rapidly.