Even Elite Shinobi Patrol

"Master, are we really okay moving at such a leisurely pace?"

The Land of Fire is situated in the center of the continent, granting it the finest environment. One manifestation of this is its incredibly high forest coverage. Qi and Ogata, having just arrived in the Land of Fire, were currently strolling through a stretch of woods.

Correction: they were strolling... strolling so slowly that they were practically falling asleep.

Qi didn't understand. Just a moment ago, Ogata had been acting like he was rushing to put out a fire, yet now he was incredibly relaxed. Looking at him, it seemed he would have loved nothing more than to lie down and nap for a few hours.

"You brat are dense, and you won't even admit it."

Ogata seemed particularly interested in the fact that his disciple was an idiot. He looked at his only student with deep disdain.

"We ran fast before because that location wasn't suitable for us to fight. But the woods are different; there is cover everywhere. For those of us who specialize in taijutsu, this is the best environment."

Ogata carefully observed the surrounding terrain. He wasn't as carefree as Qi imagined.

"Besides, our goal is to lure the people from Konoha here. Do you really intend to keep running? If we do that, we might as well be spies; nothing else will work."

He suddenly stopped and looked around again.

"That's enough. We'll stop here. If we go any further, it won't be easy to explain."

Having said that, he sat down first and waved at Qi with a grin.

"Stupid apprentice, go catch some game... The two of us have been eating so blandly we're about to lose our minds. This is the perfect chance to treat ourselves."

This old scumbag actually sat down... and he even wanted to have a barbecue...

Qi's facial muscles twitched violently.

He was actually making his "frail" self go catch animals, and then he had to brutally butcher them! This old guy really had no heart!

Although he was indignant, Qi didn't dare refuse. Who knew if his scumbag master would throw a tantrum?

And so, dejected, he turned around to go hunt for game.

I have to admit, this place is different from Earth. The forests here are completely primeval. Where there are woods, there are animals!

"Buddy, you're really strong. Looks like you've been eating well... If you don't mind, let's just pretend we never saw each other, how about that?"

Wiping away a cold sweat, Qi looked at the giant black bear in front of him and swallowed hard.

What kind of ecology does this godforsaken place have? Why would I run into a bear in a dumpy forest like this!? And honestly, is there even enough food here for it to eat!?

"ROAR!"

The black bear clearly welcomed Qi's appearance in its territory, and it spat saliva everywhere...

It sprayed it right onto Qi's head. The range was actually quite impressive, considering Qi was still a fair distance away...

"Brother Bear, that's not right of you. How can you just spit on people like that..."

A "#" symbol appeared on Qi's forehead. His face showed signs of darkening. He had been in this world for a long time, and he had never been spat on before!

In his eyes, a light known as "going berserk" began to ignite.

The poor black bear didn't know that a thick, sharp ice spike had already manifested above its head.

Although Qi hadn't used ice crystals when fighting Terumi Mei, it didn't mean he lacked the ability. He just couldn't condense them quickly or on a large scale yet, but dealing with a beast was no problem at all.

As for the fear of large animals he had developed in his previous life, it had vanished the moment Brother Bear had so immorally spat on him.

"ROAR-WAH!"

Finally, unable to hold back any longer, the black bear took a step forward, intending to give Qi a passionate embrace.

"Shut up!"

This action directly triggered Qi. He immediately vented all the pent-up fire in his belly onto this beast.

A flash of white light appeared, and an ice spike descended from the sky, piercing straight through the black bear's forehead and cutting off its roar...

"THUD!"

The beast that had dominated these woods since who knows when fell directly in front of Qi, clean and simple, without even taking another breath.

The ice spike hadn't just pierced its skull; it had exploded inside the cranium, turning its brain into mush and killing it instantly, leaving it no chance to even launch an attack.

"I suppose... this counts as game..."

The anger was gone, but a new problem arose. Just because Qi could easily kill a black bear didn't mean he could just as easily carry such a massive hunk of meat back for Ogata to barbecue...

The bear's belly alone was larger than Qi's entire body. Looking at it sprawled on the ground like a mountain of meat, what was he supposed to do?

"That is indeed game!"

A cold voice suddenly rang out.

"Brother, you've got some decent skills! It seems it would be even more convenient if you used that move to kill people!"

Whoosh...

Before Qi could react, the black bear on the ground vanished along with a light breeze. If not for an ice spike sticking straight into the ground, he would have truly thought he had been dozing off...

The black bear from just a moment ago was actually a genjutsu!

"Who's there!? Get out here! Are you too cowardly to show your face!?"

A sense of humiliation born from being toyed with clouded his mind. It wasn't that the Yuki clan's ninjutsu scrolls lacked methods for countering genjutsu; it was just that he never imagined a patrol team composed of genin would include someone capable of using it!

Tell me, you people of Konoha, can you be any more ridiculous? Using genjutsu even on a genin! Since when did genjutsu become something anyone could just pick up and practice...

For the first time, Qi felt he truly understood the meaning of the word Konoha.

"Hmph!"

A female voice let out a cold, dissatisfied snort, but that was all. It was someone else who answered Qi.

"The one who doesn't dare to show their face is you, isn't it?"

Following a young voice, a ninja wearing Konoha attire appeared.

This was the first Konoha ninja Qi had seen in this world, and he would soon learn that this brat was yet another plot-relevant character, and one with a rather extraordinary status at that...

It was precisely because of this that the patrol team hadn't followed the traditional method of chasing them down to kill them on sight, but instead used such a relatively gentle approach.

Currying favor with superiors was a way of operating in any world; there was nothing new about it.

"Where are your companions!?"

The young Konoha ninja sneered, his tone unexpectedly aggressive.

"Sneaking into our Land of Fire like rats, what is your intent!?"

This was a bit different from what his master had said... Didn't Konoha ninjas usually just start hacking away the moment they appeared?

The Konoha ninja's reaction was truly beyond Qi's expectations, and for a moment, he didn't even answer the other's question.

"How arrogant, you brat!"

The young ninja opposite him was furious. To be fair, he hadn't been in a good mood about being assigned to a patrol team in the first place.

He didn't even need to think to know this had to do with his father. Even if it wasn't his father's direct arrangement, those who knew his identity would naturally use this opportunity to curry favor with him.

He was angry at this practice, and being in a bad mood already, he was even more incensed by the foreign brat across from him...

"Since that's the case, I'll capture you first, then go find the other one!"

With a "shing," two kunai were drawn by the young Konoha ninja, a move that finally snapped Qi out of his daze.

Without a second thought, acting purely on reflex, he drew his own kunai.

"If you want to fight, then let's go!"

While locking eyes with his opponent, Qi didn't forget to use the chakra sensing method he had learned in the Land of Water to scan his surroundings. The person who spoke first clearly sounded older, meaning there were other ninjas nearby.

However, this wasn't the Land of Water after all. The Land of Fire was characterized by warmth, not humidity, and Qi hadn't yet reached the level where he could squeeze water out of thin air, so he couldn't sense anything at all...

"Looking around like a thief, afraid of being ambushed? Don't worry... to deal with a character like you, I, Sarutobi Asuma, am more than enough!"

Sarutobi Asuma?

You've got to be kidding me!?

Qi stared dumbfounded at the clean-shaven, fair-faced youth before him...

This arrogant-as-hell brat was actually that Asuma?

What about that iconic, manly, full-circle beard of yours? Good grief, you're a smooth-faced pretty boy right now! Could that rugged beard be the result of a sudden genetic mutation later in life!?

"Brat! Take this!"

Qi was still staring blankly, but Asuma couldn't be bothered to wait for him to recover. He brandished his two kunai and charged forward aggressively.

This fighting style actually confirmed to Qi that this guy was indeed Asuma; this was exactly his style!

However, since his doubts were cleared, Qi no longer needed to be polite...

"Water Style: Water Wall!"

Ogata was a taijutsu-type ninja, but Qi was not. For him, his strengths would always be ninjutsu, not taijutsu; taijutsu was merely an auxiliary...

The Yuki clan's talent for Water Style was extraordinary. A powerful member of the Yuki clan could even perform high-level Water Style techniques with one-handed seals to gather water.

Although Qi was still far from that level, his speed in completing ninjutsu was still extremely fast. As a result, our classmate Asuma ran headfirst into it... and was promptly knocked back, drenched in water.

"This kid, his seal speed is fast... quite excellent for a genin!"

The Konoha ninja who had spoken first witnessed this entire scene from the shadows.

He was no mere chunin; he was a jonin!

While this might seem abnormal, it was actually quite standard. As the elite of the village, jonin only left the village when performing real missions. Especially during wartime, they were often dispatched for strategic tasks, usually remaining in the rear otherwise.

That Asuma's status would lead to an available jonin being assigned to protect him wasn't incomprehensible; privilege existed everywhere.

"That previous technique, I've never seen it before. Is it a kekkei genkai..."

The Yuki clan had a decent reputation in the Land of Water, but outside of it, few people knew of them. This Konoha jonin could only come to such a conclusion.

He was forced to stay hidden because he had to guard against the other infiltrator—Ogata. His real mission was to protect Asuma, not to patrol; would a jonin really be needed for a simple patrol?

The Third Hokage was certainly a hero of the ninja world, but he was getting on in years. As his youngest son, it was only natural for the moderate faction to take care of Asuma out of goodwill; everyone understood that...

He also understood that he was essentially acting as a babysitter, but as a member of the moderate faction himself, he didn't mind. The Third had sacrificed much for Konoha and held high prestige; he didn't feel there was anything wrong with his colleagues doing this.

If not for this, he wouldn't be acting so "gentlemanly" and would have killed the enemy long ago. But regardless, the higher-ups had arranged this to use the relatively peaceful environment of the rear to train Asuma and give him experience before he hit the battlefield, so there was no point in him intervening.

With this mindset, the jonin ultimately decided—continue observing for now!

Asuma, however, did not think that far ahead. He did not even know that his captain was actually a Jonin. Although the opponent's jutsu exceeded his expectations, he was, after all, the son of the Third Hokage. The training environment he had enjoyed was far beyond that of an average Genin, and his strength was naturally different.

"Water Style? Could it really be a Mist Ninja!?"

Gripping his kunai with a reverse hold, he charged forward once again.

His timing was precise; this was the exact moment the Water Wall began to weaken. Qi's chakra was currently limited, and he dared not—nor did he need to—constantly maintain the Water Wall. It was merely a means to buy himself time.

"Bang!"

Asuma slammed his feet hard into the ground, vaulting over the water wall that had already lowered by half, and thrust both kunai toward Qi simultaneously.

However, being naturally kind-hearted, he still intended to capture his opponent alive, so the two kunai were not aimed at Qi's vital points.

"He actually jumped right over... even without a beard, he's still Asuma after all..."

Qi felt amused by his own words. Did he really know Asuma that well?

"He's not even aiming for my vitals. It seems Asuma hasn't hit the battlefield yet. That guy, I wonder if he's still waiting for my barbecue... I've already made such a huge commotion..."

Muttering incessantly, Qi was unwilling to engage in close-quarters combat with Asuma. He knew this guy had great strength and excelled at grappling in short-range skirmishes—exactly the type he disliked.

As the sound of clashing metal rang out, Qi threw his kunai. Taking advantage of the moment Asuma parried them, he flew backward and completed his hand seals.

"Gather!"

In an instant, countless water droplets became visible to the naked eye, converging toward Qi's position.

This technique was actually a semi-finished product. Its predecessor was a Water Style jutsu called Water Dragon Whip, which gathered surrounding water to shoot at enemies.

However, Qi only needed the water-gathering aspect, not the attack, because he had a better way to strike...

"Thousand Killing Water Soaring Explosion!"

Qi dared not kill Asuma; if he did, Konoha would hack him into mincemeat. Therefore, the "Thousand Killing Water Soaring" he condensed this time was not made of ice needles, but ice spheres!

Condensing ice spheres was undoubtedly easier than ice needles. In any case, "Thousand Killing Water Soaring" was just a descriptive name; the form was entirely up to the user.

"Boom!"

The ice spheres, following Qi's hand gesture, exploded into countless plumes of water vapor.

Qi's ice spheres were nearly as large as bowling balls, so the power of their explosion was naturally far stronger than ice needles, yet still non-lethal. It was just right for dealing with the current Asuma.

Asuma was caught off guard. The ice spheres rushed before him in an instant, followed by a series of chain explosions...

Because the ice spheres were so dense, Asuma had nowhere to hide. In the end, he was swept far away by the violent water currents triggered by the explosions. Even his ears were ringing so loudly that he couldn't hear a thing for a moment!

This time, he was truly blown away, unable to climb back up for a long while...

Qi's dark sense of humor had finally achieved a near-perfect tactical effect on a real person for the first time.

However...

"What a formidable kid. That makes it even more impossible to let you go. I must bring you back to Konoha!"

The Jonin hiding in the shadows could no longer afford to guard against Ogata, whose identity and name he still hadn't confirmed, and revealed himself.

"Earth Style! Earth-Style Wall!"

When a Jonin struck, it was extraordinary. Qi didn't even see how the man performed the seals; he only saw him slap the ground, and the entire earth began to tremble. Under the vibration, Qi had to struggle to steady himself, or he would have been knocked flat.

But before he had time to stabilize, the ground split open with a hideous crack, extending directly toward him!

With this kind of skill, he wouldn't believe this was a Genin or Chunin even if he were beaten to death; it wasn't as if he hadn't seen Mist Ninja Chunin fight before.

"Damn it!"

Qi didn't care about his balance anymore; he pushed off with both feet and leaped to the side, shouting loudly, "Master! If you keep watching, your disciple is going to be finished! I can't beat this guy!"

"Master?"

The unnamed Konoha Jonin smiled coldly.

"So it's a master and disciple. Interesting!"

"That's not right, brother. Compared to us, isn't it more interesting that a Jonin is out on patrol?"

With a signature cackling laugh, Ogata finally appeared, holding a fainted Konoha ninja in each hand.

"So you're a Jonin too. I'm becoming increasingly curious about your purpose in the Land of Fire."

Glancing at the Konoha ninjas in Ogata's hands, the Jonin nodded.

"In consideration of the fact that neither you nor your disciple have killed anyone, I will temporarily refrain from treating you as enemy spies."