Trial

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

A fireball two meters in diameter erupted from the crowd, whistling as it flew toward Jingxin's true body.

The air distorted and a wave of heat rushed forward wherever the fireball passed.

Jingxin formed hand seals and slammed his palms onto the ground, causing an earthen wall to rise before him.

The moment the fireball collided with the wall, Jingxin lowered his center of gravity, circled to a spot with a clear line of sight, and continued forming hand seals.

Upon locating the ninja, Jingxin whipped his arm forward, and a blade of wind sliced rapidly toward him.

The man's eyes widened, clearly not expecting anyone to be able to use ninjutsu twice in such a short span of time.

He barely dodged the wind blade, only to find that Jingxin had closed the distance to his front before he knew it.

Pfft!

Jingxin pulled his ninja blade out from the flesh.

At the same time, the last of the rogue ninjas was dealt with by a Shadow Clone.

In just two short minutes, the entire camp had turned into an Asura field.

Blood stained the ground red, and corpses lay scattered in every direction.

A Shadow Clone walked toward the fence to untie the people who had been kidnapped by the bandits.

Jingxin stood in the center of the camp, his breathing steady beneath his mask.

He scanned his surroundings, confirmed there were no survivors, and dispelled his Shadow Clones, the combat experience returning to his true body.

Shifeng and Yeying leaped down from the rock wall and landed beside Jingxin.

There was a hint of lost laziness in Shifeng's voice: "This isn't your first time killing someone, is it?"

Jingxin replied, "I encountered quite a few bandits on the way to Iwagakure."

"Alright then~" Shifeng scratched his head. "However, try not to reveal too much of your personal history during missions. You only needed to answer 'yes' just now."

"Mission accomplished, let's head back."

By the time the three returned to Iwagakure, night had completely fallen.

They headed to the Tsuchikage building to submit their mission report.

Ōnoki looked at Jingxin, a satisfied smile appearing on his face: "Very good. Go back and rest, Blood Gold."

"Understood." Jingxin bowed and turned to leave.

Ōnoki looked toward the other two: "Well?"

"His performance far exceeded expectations," Shifeng said slowly. "He had already seen blood when he arrived; we should increase the intensity for him."

Ōnoki shook his head slightly: "This must be done step by step. You two go back and rest as well."

The barren mountains on the border of the Land of Earth appeared exceptionally bleak at dawn.

The wind whistled as it passed through the crevices of the rocks, whipping up sand and dust that tapped against the black stone walls with a crisp, rhythmic sound.

Shifeng stood atop a towering rock pillar, his eyes beneath his Wolf Mask scanning the valley below.

Yeying lurked in the shadows ten meters to his left, his Owl Mask revealing only half his face, his entire body nearly blending into the rock.

Jingxin crouched to Shifeng's right, his Fox Mask concealing his youthful features.

"The target stronghold is in the mountain hollow three hundred meters ahead," Shifeng's voice was transmitted directly into their ears via chakra. "According to intelligence, there are twenty-three bandits in total, including five suspected rogue ninjas. Their chakra signatures are weak, likely at the genin level, and the rest are common thugs."

Beneath his mask, Jingxin's Sharingan rotated slowly, allowing him to clearly see the cooking smoke rising in the valley through the narrow slits of his mask and hear the faint, boisterous noise.

"What about the hostages?" Yeying asked, his voice cold.

"According to intelligence, the bandits kidnapped seven villagers from a nearby village—three women and four men—and are holding them in a wooden hut on the east side of the stronghold," Shifeng replied. "Our primary mission is to rescue the hostages and then annihilate the bandits."

"I will launch a frontal assault to draw their attention."

"Yeying, infiltrate to rescue the hostages and clear the outer sentries simultaneously."

"Blood Gold, use your Sharingan to observe the battlefield. Deal with any fish that slip through the net immediately, and keep a lookout for the surroundings."

"Understood." Jingxin nodded.

Shifeng reminded Jingxin: "Blood Gold, this is a tactical coordination exercise. Do what you are supposed to do."

Jingxin naturally understood this and nodded.

If it weren't for this, a team of chunin would have been sent here instead.

Shifeng leaped from the rock pillar, forming hand seals while in mid-air.

"Earth Style: Rock Pillar Technique!"

A massive rock pillar three meters in diameter erupted from the ground with a roar, crashing directly into the center of the bandit stronghold.

Boom!

The wooden cabin was half-collapsed, and dust and smoke filled the air.

The panicked shouts of the bandits erupted instantly.

"Enemy attack!"

"It's a ninja!"

"Grab your weapons!"

Shifeng landed and quickly formed hand seals again.

"Earth Style: Earth Wall!"

Three thick earthen walls rose from the ground, sealing off all three exits of the stronghold.

A whistling crossbow bolt flew toward him.

Shifeng swung his ninja blade, easily deflecting it.

The battle had officially begun.

Yeying's figure flickered within the shadows; she was astonishingly fast, like a gray ghost, with almost no one able to notice her approach.

Jingxin stood at a high vantage point, his three-tomoe Sharingan allowing him to see everything clearly.

Two elite jonin were playing house with a group of small-fry, even intentionally letting five bandits escape.

These five bandits fled toward the valley exit in a panic.

Jingxin threw five shuriken, which traced strange arcs, colliding with each other in mid-air to change trajectory before accurately striking the napes of the five bandits.

At the same time, Yeying rescued the hostages.

Shifeng faced a siege from the bandits and five rogue ninjas, the situation appearing precarious.

Wait!

This was definitely a test for him.

Elite jonin versus a gang of bandits and five rogue ninjas.

The result was the elite jonin being in a precarious position?

Beneath his mask, Jingxin's expression turned thoughtful.

Rather than a mission, this was more of a trial.

What if his teammates weren't Yeying and Shifeng? What if the enemy's strength were greater?

His mission was to handle stragglers and remain vigilant of the surroundings.

But with his teammates in trouble, he could neither abandon his post nor sit idly by.

How should one face such a situation?

If his main body joined the fray, it would certainly be against the rules.

Use a Shadow Clone to join the battle?

That would reduce the main body's combat power; if enemy reinforcements arrived at that moment, he would be unable to handle them.

Soon, Jingxin made his decision.

He took several kunai from his ninja tool pouch, attaching steel wires and explosive tags to their tails.

After igniting them, he threw them toward the enemy formation surrounding Shifeng.

Boom!

Below, Shifeng dodged attacks at a leisurely pace while keeping an eye on Jingxin's choice.

Upon seeing the explosive tags, a look of appreciation appeared beneath Shifeng's mask.

Explosive tags were excellent for disrupting enemies and supporting teammates in trouble without consuming too much chakra, all while allowing the unit assigned to surveillance to remain at their post.

"He has a teammate! Kill him first!!!"

A rogue ninja roared.

Oh?

You said kill whom?

Now that Jingxin had written the answer to the test, Shifeng no longer had any need to hold back.

His figure vanished from where he stood, using the Body Flicker Technique to exit the enemy formation, and he raised his hands to form seals.

"Earth Style: Rock Mountain Convergence!"

Shifeng's chakra spread rapidly through the ground via his hands, covering nearly half of the bandit camp in an instant.

Boom!

Two small mountains rose on either side of the camp, then slammed violently into each other.

In the blink of an eye, the wooden cabins, boulders, small trees, and enemies...

Everything was crushed within this man-made mountain.