Mission End

Fengxi struggled to lift his head, looking toward Asuma and Kurenai with a cold sneer.

"Don't get too cocky... My companion will finish off that brat soon enough. Once he returns, it will be the end for you!"

His tone was filled with absolute confidence.

However, no sooner had his words faded than a faint sound of footsteps echoed from the woods.

Fengxi instinctively turned his head to look, the sneer on his face freezing instantly.

Amada stepped slowly out of the forest, his expression calm, without even a single scratch on his body.

"You... how are you here?!"

Fengxi's eyes widened, his voice filled with disbelief.

"What about Leilu? He's a Chunin! How could you possibly..."

Amada merely said dismissively:

"He's dead."

The three short words struck Fengxi's heart like a heavy hammer.

He opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something, but in the end, he only lowered his head powerlessly, as if all his hope had shattered in that very moment.

Asuma and Kurenai were also shocked by Amada's appearance.

Asuma had originally intended to rush to support Amada immediately after dealing with Fengxi, but he had not expected that Amada would have already taken care of that Chunin all by himself.

He widened his eyes, his tone laced with a hint of incredulity:

"Amada, you... did you really take down that Chunin?"

Amada nodded, his tone remaining calm:

"Mn, it's already been resolved."

Asuma stood stunned for a moment, then took a deep breath, a flicker of complex emotion flashing through his eyes.

He had originally thought that he had performed well enough in this battle, yet he hadn't expected that Amada's strength had already reached such a level.

He muttered under his breath:

"You guy... you really were hiding deep."

Kurenai stood to the side, her gaze fixed intently on Amada, the admiration in her eyes undisguised.

Just then, a familiar voice drifted from the shadows, carrying a hint of approval and a smile:

"Your performance really has made me look at you in a new light."

The three turned simultaneously to see Kushina stepping slowly out from the shadows of the trees.

"Teacher!"

Asuma and Kurenai shouted in unison, their faces full of pleasant surprise.

Amada smiled slightly, seemingly unsurprised by Kushina's appearance.

He had long guessed that with Kushina's strength, rescuing the hostages would be no difficult task.

Kushina walked up to the three, her gaze sweeping over them, her tone filled with undisguised praise:

"Asuma, Kurenai, for your first real combat mission, you have already done an excellent job. Especially you, Asuma; being able to quickly adapt to your opponent's rhythm in battle and ultimately defeat them—this growth makes me very gratified."

Asuma felt a bit embarrassed by the praise, scratching his head with a smug grin on his face:

"Heh heh, it was alright."

Kurenai's face flushed slightly as she said softly:

"It was our team coordination; everyone did very well."

Kushina nodded, then turned her gaze toward Amada, a flash of surprise and appreciation in her eyes:

"As for you, Amada, you have surprised me even more. Although I don't know how you did it, for your first real mission, to be able to take down a Chunin so quickly—this level of strength is truly astonishing. You are worthy of the Uchiha clan indeed."

Amada smiled, his tone calm yet carrying a hint of confidence:

"It was just luck, Teacher is too kind."

Kushina shook her head, her tone turning somewhat serious:

"No, this is not just luck. Your strength and temperament have already far exceeded the scope of a Genin. It seems this mission has been a very valuable experience for you all."

Afterward, the group quickly returned to the village, seeing from afar that the villagers were gathered at the village entrance, their faces full of anxiety and anticipation.

When they saw Kushina returning safely with Amada, Asuma, and Kurenai, and that the captured loved ones had been rescued, the villagers immediately erupted into enthusiastic cheers.

"They're back! The hostages have been saved!"

Someone shouted excitedly.

"That's wonderful! Thank you all so much!"

The village chief hurried forward, his eyes brimming with tears of gratitude.

He gripped Kushina's hand tightly, his voice trembling as he spoke:

"Thank you, thank you for saving my daughter..."

Afterward, the villagers quickly notified the nearby authorities.

The ordinary bandits, who had been held under Kurenai's genjutsu, were arrested one by one.

Bound by ropes, the bandits wore faces full of regret and fear, clearly realizing the punishment they were about to face.

As for the surviving genin, Fengxi, Kushina decided to take her back to Konoha.

She believed that as a rogue ninja from the Cloud Village, Fengxi likely possessed more intelligence regarding the Cloud.

While resting briefly in the village chief's home, Yutian and the others learned the true identity of the client for this mission.

The village chief sat in his chair and spoke slowly:

"Actually, I was the one who commissioned Konoha. After my daughter was kidnapped, I knew only ninjas could save her. So, I secretly sent someone to Konoha to post the mission... Fortunately, you came."

Kushina scratched her head and said with a smile:

"So that's how it was. But rest assured, we have completely dealt with those bandits; the village will no longer be under threat."

With the mission concluded, Kushina set off on the road back to Konoha with Yutian, Asuma, and Kurenai.

When they saw the gates of Konoha in the distance, a sense of familiarity welled up in their hearts.

"Finally back..."

Asuma let out a long sigh of relief, his face filled with a relaxed smile.

Kurenai also nodded with a smile:

"Indeed, this mission was truly unforgettable."

For Asuma and Kurenai, this mission was a transformative experience.

Only now could they be considered true ninjas who had experienced real combat.

Back home, Yutian sat alone in his room, beginning to review the mission.

He had gained a rough understanding of his own strength.

"When using the Sharingan, an average chunin is no longer a match for me."

Yutian murmured to himself, "However, compared to a jonin like Kushina-sensei, I still have a long way to go."

In the dead of night, the lights in the Hokage office remained bright.

Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi held a mission report that had just been delivered.

Standing before him was an Anbu ninja wearing an animal mask, reporting the details of the mission in a low voice.

"Asuma and Kurenai Yuhi performed exceptionally well. Especially Asuma; despite it being his first real combat, he adapted to the rhythm of battle quickly and ultimately defeated an experienced genin. As for that Uchiha Amada..."

The Anbu ninja's tone carried a hint of undisguised astonishment, "His performance was even more shocking. In his first real combat, he actually managed to easily kill a chunin. Although the combat process was obscured by smoke bombs and we could not observe it directly, judging from the examination of the corpse, the opponent was decapitated in one strike. The entire process was clean and efficient, with almost no signs of resistance."