I never expected him to be so cautious despite being just a brat. Once he grows up, he'll become another grave threat to Iwagakure! Hidden behind a large tree, the Iwagakure Shinobi saw how cautious Jiogan was and made up his mind. If my life can be traded for the life of a Konoha genius, it'll be worth it!
Immediately afterward, he used Earth Release: Earth Spear again. Prepared this time, Jiogan swiftly dodged and fired several shuriken toward the Iwagakure Shinobi's attack.
The Iwagakure Shinobi dodged the shuriken and thought, Even if I die, I won't be taken down by a few lousy shuriken!
Just then, something unexpected happened. One shuriken suddenly burst into a cloud of white smoke and vanished, and Jiogan appeared behind the Iwagakure Shinobi. The Iwagakure Shinobi was horrified!
At such close range, there was nowhere for him to run. Leaf Great Whirlwind! The Iwagakure Shinobi was kicked at point-blank range, and even the large tree beside him was snapped in two. He did not even have time to scream before he died!
Jiogan remained cautious this time. Only after firing a Water Release: Water Gun and seeing that the Iwagakure Shinobi's corpse showed no further reaction did he approach to loot the body.
However, as he rummaged through the Iwagakure Shinobi's combat vest, an Explosive Tag suddenly began to burn with a hiss. Damn it! Jiogan immediately formed hand seals!
With a boom, the Iwagakure Shinobi's corpse was blown apart, leaving only mangled limbs. Jiogan vanished as well.
Kurama Heiji, who had watched the entire battle between Jiogan and the Iwagakure Shinobi from not far away, thought something was wrong and immediately flashed over. Just as he was anxiously blaming himself, a voice came from nearby.
"Heiji-sensei, you showed up way too late! I almost got killed!" Jiogan coughed twice as he emerged from behind a large tree not far away.
Jiogan's sixth sense had acted up again. The instant the Explosive Tag was triggered, he formed hand seals and used the Substitution Technique, successfully evading the blast.
"That Iwagakure Shinobi was really devious! He set me up twice in a row during that fight!" Jiogan cursed loudly.
Seeing that Jiogan was unharmed, Kurama Heiji let out a sigh of relief. "You little brat, you're worthy of being someone I had my eye on. An ordinary Chunin would probably have been tricked to death against that Iwagakure Shinobi. Jiogan, I think you've already earned the qualifications to be assessed as a Chunin!"
"And that tactic of yours, transforming into a shuriken to ambush the enemy from behind, was simply brilliant. I've never seen anything like it. Jiogan, you've truly given me such a pleasant surprise!" Kurama Heiji praised.
Jiogan blushed with embarrassment and gave a foolish grin. That's Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha's classic tactic. I only borrowed it!
Kurama Heiji looked at Jiogan's silly grin and could not help shaking his head. No matter what, he's still just a little kid!
"But that battle really was dangerous. I can finally understand a little of how perilous the Ninja World is!" Jiogan said.
Indeed, even a Chunin had been so difficult to deal with. He could not assume that only Jonin and stronger opponents deserved his attention just because he had watched the anime. He could not underestimate anyone.
Just then, several whooshing sounds rang out, and seven or eight figures appeared. Jiogan was startled and immediately prepared for battle!
"Jiogan, don't be nervous. They're our own people!" Kurama Heiji stopped him.
They were Konoha's border patrol unit. Having heard the sounds of fighting here, they had come to investigate.
After Kurama Heiji spoke with the patrol unit, they inspected the scene as well. Once they confirmed there were no issues, they returned with Kurama Heiji and Jiogan to where the merchant caravan was, retrieving the corpses of the other four Iwagakure Shinobi.
An hour later, everything had been handled, and the merchant caravan set out once more toward the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rice.
They had not gained any Ninjutsu Scrolls from this battle, but they had acquired quite a few ninja tools, including six Explosive Tags. The three of them split them evenly, receiving two each, and their tool pouches were nearly stuffed full. Unfortunately, the last Iwagakure Shinobi's body had been blown to pieces, and all the items on him had been ruined.
There were no more twists and turns along the way. Only a few groups of bandits blocked their path, and they were easily dealt with.
Finally, six days after leaving Konoha, the merchant caravan was safely delivered to its destination in the Land of Rice. After signing the mission completion form, the members of Team 11 wandered around the town and sampled the local specialties before beginning their journey back.
The journey home was much smoother, with no unexpected incidents. The group returned to Konoha in three days. After turning in the mission, it was once again rated as a B-rank Mission, and they went out for yakiniku to celebrate.
After this mission, Kurama Heiji gave the three of them another three days of rest. He also said that these three days would be their last stretch of peace and told them to relax properly and prepare themselves mentally, because he planned to accept a Border Patrol mission. Border Patrol missions generally lasted for months at a time.
Jiogan knew this well, because Might Duy had already accepted three Border Patrol missions. Even the shortest had lasted two months. His latest mission had only been accepted a few days ago, sending him to the western border of the Land of Fire. Jiogan just did not know which direction his own patrol would take this time.
Over the next few days, Jiogan learned another new Water Release Ninjutsu, the Water Prison Technique, to expand his tactical options.
At the same time, he did not neglect his Tai Chi training. The chakra amount in his Dantian had reached the level where he could cast a C-rank Ninjutsu thirty times. It could be said that Jiogan no longer needed to worry about his chakra amount in battle.
Time passed quickly, and Team 11 assembled once more. Kurama Heiji said to the three of them, "Border Patrol missions do not have fixed mission ranks. They are rated based on patrol duration and combat achievements. Simply put, the longer the patrol and the more enemies you kill, the higher the rating."
"Under normal circumstances, a single patrol mission will be rated as at least five C-rank Missions. As long as you repel or kill a Chunin, you'll receive B-rank Mission credit based on the number of battles," Kurama Heiji added. "That's why Border Patrol missions are dangerous, yet so many ninja still flock to them. The greater the risk, the greater the reward! Keep it up, boys! This is a road you must take if you want to grow stronger!"
At the Mission Hall, Kurama Heiji accepted a patrol mission along the eastern border. The eastern border was the sea, and the Land of Waves, Land of Whirlpools, Land of Water, Land of Artisans, and Land of Lightning all bordered the Land of Fire to the east.
The Land of Whirlpools was Konoha's ally, while the Land of Waves and the Land of Artisans had no shinobi villages. That meant they needed to be wary of the Land of Water and the Land of Lightning, both of which were among the Five Great Nations. Second Hokage Tobirama Senju had even died in the Land of Lightning.
The eastern coast of the Land of Fire was Jiogan's hometown. Jiogan's father, Takoyakiwan, had moved to Konoha from a Fishing Village on the eastern coast. This eastern patrol mission gave Jiogan a chance to experience his hometown. Moreover, despite having lived two lives, Jiogan had never been to a coastal region or seen the sea.
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