You Heard Wrong

The road along the border of the Land of Earth looked especially desolate in the morning mist.

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It was a trade route connecting Iwagakure to the border towns. The road was packed earth, flanked by heavily weathered rocky hills and sparse patches of thornbushes.

Every now and then, a few hardy rock-dwelling trees came into view. Their trunks twisted, their branches and leaves sparse, swaying gently in the dry wind.

A caravan of five wagons was making its way along the road.

The wagons were loaded with Iwagakure's local specialties: ore, pottery, and medicinal herbs. Their destination was Shikou Town, a border town three days away.

The caravan's owner was a chubby, middle-aged merchant named Ishida. At that moment, he was sitting in the driver's seat of the first wagon, wiping the sweat from his brow from time to time—not because of the heat, but because he was nervous.

This wasn't the first time he'd hired ninja escorts.

But this time, it was a... peculiar team.

Ishida sneaked a glance at the four people accompanying the caravan.

A black-haired boy who looked only eleven or twelve. He rarely spoke and spent most of his time quietly observing.

Behind him was a black-haired girl, just as young. She looked relaxed, but her eyes kept sweeping over the rocky hills on either side. She was clearly on guard.

There was also a blond boy, the tallest of the kids—but he was still a kid!

Most outrageous of all was the little red-haired girl, who stuck close behind the black-haired boy like his little shadow.

Her eyes held curiosity and a hint of nervousness. She kept glancing around, as if they were on a school trip.

They looked professional enough, but their age gave Ishida reason to doubt whether they were really reliable.

Walking at the front, Jingxin suddenly sensed something unusual.

The road ahead was an ideal place for an ambush.

Jingxin activated his Sharingan and looked around. Sure enough, he spotted something suspicious.

Three people were hiding behind a rocky hill three hundred meters ahead. Their chakra signatures were faint, but carried a hostile intent.

Rogue ninja or bandits?

Jingxin didn't give a warning.

This was the team's first mission, and he wanted to see how Kurotsuchi, Deidara, and Karin would perform.

Sure enough, ten seconds later, Karin gently tugged at Jingxin's sleeve.

She rose onto her tiptoes and leaned close to his ear, whispering, "Big Brother Jingxin, there are three people behind the rocky hill on the right. Their chakra feels really vicious..."

Jingxin nodded and whispered back, "Tell Kurotsuchi."

Karin immediately ran over to Kurotsuchi and quietly told her what she'd sensed.

Kurotsuchi's expression didn't change, but she subtly adjusted her stride and shifted her weight to the right.

She gave Deidara a look. He nodded slightly, his right hand slipping into the clay pouch at his waist.

The whole exchange was smooth and natural, and the caravan didn't notice a thing.

Jingxin nodded to himself.

Karin's senses were sharp, Kurotsuchi gave orders decisively, and Deidara reacted quickly.

Not bad for a first time working together.

The caravan continued onward.

The road turned into a narrow mountain pass.

The rock walls on either side towered overhead. The road was only wide enough for two wagons side by side—a classic ambush spot.

Kurotsuchi stopped and raised her right hand.

The caravan came to an immediate halt.

"What's wrong?" Ishida asked nervously.

Kurotsuchi stared ahead. "Come out."

Shadows cast by the rock walls dimmed the light, and the air smelled of rocky dust.

Five figures leaped out from a crevice in the rock wall on the left.

They wore tattered leather armor and carried all kinds of weapons: cleavers, spears, and even a rusty crossbow.

They were typical rogue ninja, at best Genin-level.

"Enemy attack!" Ishida cried in panic.

Kurotsuchi charged straight at the rogue ninja in front. Rock covered her forearm and fist.

The man had clearly underestimated her, since his opponent was only a little girl.

Then—

The dull thud of a rock-covered fist striking flesh echoed through the canyon.

The rogue ninja spat up bile and went flying, crashing into the rock wall before sliding to the ground. He passed out on the spot.

The other four rogue ninja hesitated, then charged forward with a roar.

Ishida turned anxiously to Jingxin, who hadn't moved, and couldn't help asking, "Why aren't you helping?"

Jingxin gave him a deadpan look. "The others need a chance to get some experience."

His leisurely manner baffled Ishida, who couldn't help swallowing nervously.

On the battlefield—

Deidara's excited voice rang out. "Art is an Explosion, hmm!"

Five white Clay Spiders dropped from above the rock wall, landing precisely among the four rogue ninja.

Boom! Boom-boom!

The four rogue ninja fell one after another, all unconscious.

The fight was over in less than ten seconds.

The caravan's people stared in stunned silence.

Ishida's mouth hung open, but for a long while he couldn't manage a word.

Kurotsuchi brushed the dust from her hands and walked over to the unconscious rogue ninja. After checking their injuries and making sure none of them were in mortal danger, she turned to Deidara. "Take care of them. Tie them up and leave them by the side of the road. We'll hand them over to the border guards on our way back."

"Got it, hmm." Deidara jumped down from the rock wall and began tying up the rogue ninja with rope.

Jingxin suddenly spoke up. "There's no need to go to all that trouble."

A few people turned to look at him. He explained, "Escape techniques aren't hard to learn, and they're widely known."

"If they get away, they'll just go and hurt someone else."

"And we don't have time to take them somewhere for rehabilitation, so we should deal with them as simply as possible."

Kurotsuchi realized what he meant, and felt a little nervous.

She had graduated early and had already gone on missions.

But most of those involved catching cats and walking dogs. She'd experienced combat, but never drawn blood.

Before Kurotsuchi could do anything, an explosion rang out nearby.

"Ha!! This is my art! Hahaha! Hmm!"

Boom!!

The bodies of the rogue ninja were blown to pieces.

Kurotsuchi's expression was troubled, but she was holding up fairly well.

Karin, on the other hand, was surprisingly composed, as if she'd seen it all before.

She'd wandered the Ninja World with her mother since she was little and had seen far too many cruel things.

"Deidara and Karin did well," Jingxin said, giving his assessment. "Kurotsuchi, don't be discouraged."

"One of your teammates has been through this since childhood."

"The other one's a lunatic."

"In this regard, you really are a rookie."

Kurotsuchi let out a long breath and nodded. "I'm fine. I'll get used to it."

Deidara clenched his fist and shouted at Jingxin, "Hey! Are you calling me a lunatic, hmm?!"

The caravan set off again.

Jingxin yawned and said to Deidara, "You heard wrong."

Deidara furrowed his brow.

"Hmm?! How could I have heard wrong?! Hmm! You said it, didn't you?!"

"No."

"But I clearly heard you! Hmm!"

"I said you heard wrong."

"Hmm?! Hmm!"

Kurotsuchi and Karin: "..."

The rest of the journey passed relatively peacefully.

The next afternoon, the caravan arrived in Shikou Town.

Built against the mountains, it was a small town whose houses were mostly made of stone. The streets were narrow but tidy.

When the townspeople saw the caravan arrive, they gathered around to trade, and the town quickly grew lively.

Ishida busied himself unloading the goods and making deals, while Jingxin and the others rested at the town's only inn.