Diversionary Tactics, a Clever Plan to Save Someone (Please Bookmark, Vote, and Donate)

Morning sunlight streamed through the gap in the curtains into Taiichi's bedroom, its rays shining over his sleeping face.

The increasingly dazzling sunlight finally woke Taiichi. Still groggy, he picked up the alarm clock beside him and saw that it was nearly seven.

That had never happened since his awakening. It showed just how severe the Aftereffect of yesterday's excessive mental exhaustion had been.

He shook his head and found that his brain no longer hurt at all. Sleep really was the best remedy for mental fatigue.

Taiichi swiftly got up and washed. He had already missed last night's and this morning's regular exercise, so he could not afford to delay any more of his training time.

Besides, he needed to familiarize himself with the power and effects of the two newly generated skills as soon as possible. Otherwise, he might have trouble controlling his own condition in battle.

After breakfast, Taiichi had barely stepped out of his house when he noticed that Konoha was more "boisterous" than usual today.

As he walked down the street, he frequently saw Uchiha ninja from Konoha's Military Police Force patrolling back and forth. The frequency was two or three times higher than normal.

As he continued onward, the Masked Ninjas flashing across the rooftops on either side confirmed his suspicions.

Something unexpected had definitely happened in Konoha today. Otherwise, even the Anbu would not be making such a conspicuous show of traveling across the rooftops.

Thinking back on the few memories he had of this period, he could not recall any major events. Surely this little butterfly had not already caused a tropical storm somewhere far away?

With a private chuckle, Taiichi stopped worrying about it. Just as the panel had evaluated him, he was still a small fry. If the sky fell, the tall people would hold it up. It was not his turn to worry about such things yet.

Ignoring everything else, Taiichi quickened his pace toward his training spot by the river.

What he did not know was that this sudden acceleration immediately drew the attention of several groups of patrolling ninja nearby. If they had not seen that he was just a little brat wearing a Konoha headband, ninja would have stopped him for questioning long ago.

Taiichi, who had been racing along, suddenly stopped near the training grounds. Looking around, he found the place unusually quiet today. The usual lively chirping of insects and birds seemed to have gone on strike together.

Taiichi slowly walked to the riverbank, drew his Short Sword, and began swinging it leisurely. It was no longer sharp and fierce like his usual training. Instead, it looked as though he were practicing tai chi swordsmanship.

Taiichi slowly sensed the movement of his blade, the subtle connections and changes between every move, while spreading his senses as far as possible to experience everything around him.

At that moment, a Scar-faced Man with a samurai sword at his waist was hiding in a small grove not far away. Beside him lay a tightly tied sack, though it was impossible to tell what was inside.

The Scar-faced Man carefully concealed his presence, even making his breathing as soft and slow as possible.

From time to time, he glanced at Taiichi by the river from the corner of his eye. When he saw Taiichi draw his blade, he was visibly tense for a moment.

But when he saw Taiichi's slow swordsmanship, as clumsy as a beginner's, his face instead filled with contempt.

At this time, Taiichi, with his senses extended to their limit, gradually felt the already quiet surroundings become even more still. His Academic Overachiever talent operated at full force, raising his focus to its peak.

Gradually, amid the silence, two distinct breaths entered Taiichi's ears.

One was weak and steady, not like someone sleeping, but more like someone unconscious.

The other was almost impossible to detect, calm and long. If the two breaths had not been so close together, Taiichi would have overlooked it.

Taiichi made a guess but showed no reaction. He finished his final move, sheathed his blade, and stood still. After calming himself, he went to the riverbank and began practicing ninjutsu toward the water.

He intermittently cast Fire Style: Flame Bullet. After each cast, he paused for a while as if experiencing the key points of the technique, while constantly practicing hand seals.

Ten minutes passed like that, and Taiichi had only released four Flame Bullet techniques.

In the small grove, the Scar-faced Man watched the brat by the river repeatedly release ninjutsu with disdain. He could take on ten brats like that. When was the kid going to leave? A Genin's chakra should be running out soon, right?

Suddenly, the Scar-faced Man seemed to sense something. Before he even had time to turn his head, he violently leaped to the side.

Three kunai thudded into the ground in succession, chasing after the Scar-faced Man's figure.

The Scar-faced Man glanced back, and his pupils shrank. The three kunai had sunk halfway into the earth, showing just how much force had been behind them.

Only then did the Scar-faced Man have the leisure to look toward the source of the kunai. A burly man wearing a Konoha headband was charging toward him at high speed. His hand seals were complete—the Yin seal.

Is it Fire Style? the Scar-faced Man thought, while his hands began preparing seals for a counterattack.

He had just been forced away from the sack by the kunai. He needed to get back there as soon as possible. That was the target of his mission, and he could not lose it.

"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!" The burly man spat out thirty-six fireballs in one breath, sending them at the Scar-faced Man like a blanket covering the sky. He himself charged forward right behind them, completely disregarding the threat of the blazing fireballs.

The Scar-faced Man had been pleased with himself for guessing the ninjutsu, but when he saw the sheet of fireballs rushing at him, he was terrified out of his wits. He hurriedly withdrew his hand seals and used Body Flicker to retreat.

The thirty-six fireballs pursued him relentlessly, crashing down along the Scar-faced Man's retreat path with a series of explosions.

Then the burly man suddenly burst out from the flames, swinging his fist and pouring all his strength into a punch at the Scar-faced Man.

The Scar-faced Man crossed his arms and barely blocked the heavy blow, but he was sent flying out of the forest.

Good thing there's only a Genin brat outside, the Scar-faced Man thought in relief even as he flew through the air.

But when he looked up at the burly man, his expression changed drastically, and his face filled with horror. The man who had just sent him flying was slowly turning into a puddle of water—a Water Clone!

He turned around in panic while adjusting his posture, preparing to receive the attack.

Taiichi was already standing along the Scar-faced Man's flight path with his Short Sword in hand. That "burly man" had been the Water Clone Taiichi had quietly formed with hand seals while practicing Flame Bullet by the river earlier.

Taiichi had controlled the Water Clone to circle along the river and come ashore, then quietly slip around behind the Scar-faced Man. He had used the Transformation Technique to confuse his opponent before launching the attack.

Only when the Water Clone dispersed after exhausting its chakra did the Scar-faced Man realize that only one person had attacked him from beginning to end.

Watching the Scar-faced Man fly backward toward him, Taiichi used Body Flicker to meet him. The Short Sword in his hand gave a soft hum from the wind-nature chakra Taiichi had infused into it, while a thin Wind Blade emerged across its surface.

The few meters vanished in an instant. The Scar-faced Man did not even have time to draw his sword to block. He could only concentrate all his chakra into his arms in hopes of offering some resistance, while trying his best to avoid the blade's path.

In a flash, blood sprayed. The Scar-faced Man's right arm was severed at the elbow, and the blade also carved a long gash across his chest.

Blood gushed out. He no longer cared about the sack and fled toward the river without looking back.

After severely wounding the Scar-faced Man with one strike, how could Taiichi let him escape? He rapidly formed hand seals and released a blast of Wind Release: Pressure Damage.

The high-pressure wind sphere swiftly struck the Scar-faced Man, instantly exploding into a large storm zone that engulfed him completely. In only a moment, Wind Blades had slashed him all over, and he collapsed without rising again.

The entire battle, from surprise attack to interception, had taken less than two minutes. It showed how swift battles between ninja could be once the initiative had been seized.

At that moment, Taiichi did not dare approach the fallen Scar-faced Man rashly. Only after throwing two kunai from a distance to confirm his death did he step forward to inspect him.

There were no obvious distinguishing features on his body, nor any items that could prove his identity. It seemed the Interrogation Department would have to examine him to uncover any information.

With that thought, Taiichi left the corpse and walked toward the only spoils of this battle—the sack.

When he opened it, it was just as Taiichi had guessed. A little girl was inside, looking no more than two or three years old. He had no idea whose child she was.

After a brief examination, he found that she was merely unconscious. She would probably wake up naturally in another two hours.

Taiichi let out a breath of relief. At least his efforts had not been in vain. After going to all that trouble, it would have been a real pity if he had rescued someone crippled or injured.

"Brat, was it you who killed Ito?" A cold voice came from behind him.