The Terror of the Little Bugs

Just as Kakashi had said, the four clones each unleashed an Earth Style jutsu.

"Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!"

Four walls rose up, trapping all the Land of Earth's ninja inside.

The towering earthen walls shook the Land of Earth's ninja once again. They were stunned to their core.

"Impossible. This is too impossible! Is this kid a monster? He actually used clones to cast four B-rank jutsu at once—and they were all executed perfectly. Even Lord Tsuchikage couldn't do that!"

Of course, they would never know, even in death, that Yang Xing's Earth Style jutsu had been enhanced by his aura, making them cost very little chakra.

Forget four B-rank jutsu—even four S-rank jutsu could be cast at once, as long as he knew them.

The trapped group exchanged glances. Only when they saw a figure appear atop the towering earthen wall did they realize something was wrong.

The three Jonin reacted swiftly. They leaped up and charged straight for the top.

"Don't just stand there! Jump up, quickly! That kid's trying to trap us here with Fire Style!"

"That brat really did kill Li and the others! Run!"

The three Jonin shot upward at incredible speed. In less than a second, they were almost upon Yang Xing, while several of the weaker ninja lagged several meters behind.

But even the three Jonin couldn't reach him in time.

Yang Xing had been ready for them. They had no way to evade the jutsu.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique! Die!"

A massive ball of blazing flames rolled straight into the three Jonin charging head-on.

It slammed into them and crashed into the Chunin and elite Genin rushing behind them.

Boom!

The explosion shook the heavens and earth. Even Yang Xing's earthen walls trembled violently.

The direct hit killed several Chunin and Genin.

The three Jonin were gravely wounded. They staggered, barely managing to stay upright, and clearly weren't in good shape.

Yang Xing looked down at the three men and furrowed his brow. He hadn't expected Jonin to be so tough. It seemed that unless he used his full strength, even his enhanced jutsu would have trouble killing them all.

While Yang Xing was lost in thought, someone helped him out.

The three Jonin had realized how terrifying he was and were on guard. The instant Yang Xing's attention wandered, they prepared to cast jutsu and teach the kid a lesson.

They were halfway through forming Hand Seals when an itch swept over their bodies. It started at their feet, making all three look down.

They saw tiny insects crawling out of the soil by the thousands, swarming over them. The mass of bugs was so dense that the three men looked more terrified than if they'd seen hell itself.

"No! Yamete!"

"Wait, don't come up! No, don't bite me! Aah!"

Tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands, of insects crawled out of the soil and swarmed the three men, completely burying them. Caught off guard, they were covered from head to toe by the sea of bugs.

Their agonized screams lasted only a few seconds before they were reduced to dry bones, not even leaving behind a speck of ash.

Only after the three men fell did Yang Xing hear the mission-completion notification beside his ear.

To his surprise, even though he hadn't killed them himself, he still received a five-star rating.

"Mission complete. A-rank Jonin elimination mission completed. Perfect five-star rating!"

Rumble, rumble, rumble!

Yang Xing released the Earth Style jutsu, and the ground returned to stillness.

Yang Xing landed right in front of Kakashi and the others. He paid no attention to their astonished expressions and called toward the nearby woods, "Hey, old man, it's all over. You can come out now. Stop hiding."

Under the others' bewildered gazes, Shibi Aburame finally emerged from the woods.

Unfortunately, the Water Flow Clan's Jonin had never gotten the chance to see the face behind those sunglasses—not before they died.

Shibi Aburame gave Yang Xing a slight nod, then walked forward and silently recalled his insects without a word.

The sight of Shibi Aburame retrieving his bugs from the dead was so horrifying that the two girls stood nearby, faces pale, unable to squeeze out a single question.

Anko pressed close to Yang Xing, her pretty face unusually pale.

"Is that guy... Is he from the Aburame Clan? Are people from the Aburame Clan really that powerful?" The insects had left Anko shaken. She understood how strong Yang Xing was, but she could hardly imagine that bugs could be so terrifying too.

The three of them found their attention drawn to the insects instead. For a moment, they even forgot that Yang Xing's jutsu had been just as terrifying.

Yang Xing was certainly strong, but the Aburame Clan's insects were so strange that they inspired even greater fear.

"One matter is settled. There's another one we need to take care of quickly. Hmm, have they arrived?" Shibi Aburame murmured quietly, making sure no one else heard. He turned around and said calmly to Yang Xing, "Yang Xing, right? You can all head back. I have other business to attend to."

His gaze showed that he trusted Yang Xing.

Seeing that Shibi Aburame had no intention of returning with them, Yang Xing asked, puzzled, "What about you, old man?"

"Besides these people, there are still members of the Water Flow Clan around. I plan to gather some of my clansmen and wipe them all out," Shibi Aburame said seriously.

"Good luck with that." Yang Xing didn't want to get involved in any more trouble. His reward mattered more, and he had no desire to go with him. He waved as Shibi Aburame left. "Also, don't forget our agreement. See you in Konoha."

Shibi Aburame walked away slowly without looking back.

After Shibi Aburame left, the three of them turned their attention back to Yang Xing.

Anko was the first to speak. She was puzzled by his last remark. "An agreement? What agreement?"

"Just a little thing, nothing important." Yang Xing smiled and changed the subject. "All right, let's not hang around here. We should head back."

The mission had been completed easily, and no one had been hurt. Yang Xing was in a good mood.

Rin Nohara rarely saw him this cheerful.

The three of them didn't ask any more questions. They followed Yang Xing and took the path they'd come by.

On the way back through the woods.

Although their Jonin-sensei had scolded them a little, nothing serious had happened, and she didn't lecture them further.

When they learned that the remaining members of the Water Flow Clan would be left to Shibi Aburame, they didn't hesitate. They headed straight back with Yang Xing and the others.

The Water Flow Clan's bees had clearly been their main force this time. Once they learned what had happened, they would need to notify the Fourth Hokage and the Third Hokage as soon as possible.

In any case, the mission had been completed successfully.

The group began their long-awaited return to Konoha.

The journey was a long one, but relatively safe.

The whole way back was peaceful and uneventful.