Picking Up a Wild Jonin (Another Update Tonight)

The leaves danced in the breeze, and the forest was quiet, save for the chirping of insects and birds.

"Thump~ Thump~ Thump~"

A three-person squad raced through the woods of the Land of Rivers, shattering the peaceful silence.

Yusuke opened the map and checked their position.

As the second team of scout ninjas, they were responsible for exploring District 6.

Yusuke kept glancing ahead, comparing their position with the map as he recorded information on the intelligence scroll.

The three of them had worked together before in the Land of Whirlpools, so they were in perfect sync.

Inuzuka Go and Hyuga Aya were like teammates covering you while you looted in a game, rifles trained on the surroundings and giving you a sense of security.

Evening was drawing near, and they had nearly finished surveying District 6.

Once they surveyed a small area tomorrow, they would be able to return to the main camp and report their findings to the commander.

Following the map, Yusuke and the others found a spot near a stream.

"All right, same as usual. Draw a stick to decide who takes which watch." Yusuke casually picked three blades of grass of different lengths.

"Heh, this time, Haimaru and I definitely won't get stuck with the second half of the night."

Inuzuka Go stepped forward excitedly. He had gone out of his way to wash his hands at the stream, confident that his luck wouldn't let him down today.

"Hmm?" Yusuke suddenly tightened his grip on the blade of grass. He sensed a faint chakra fluctuation ahead.

Seeing the other two grow alert, Inuzuka Go reined in his excitement.

He formed hand seals, focused chakra around his nose, and sniffed the air.

"I smell blood. Someone must be injured. For now, I can only smell one person."

Yusuke looked at Hyuga Aya, who nodded.

"Byakugan: Activate!"

The scene several miles away appeared before her eyes.

"There's someone with a very weak chakra signature. From his clothes, he looks like a Konoha Ninja. I haven't detected anyone else." Her answer was brief.

The three of them had reached much the same conclusion. Yusuke nodded. "I haven't detected anyone else within my range, either."

"Let's take a look."

The three slowly approached the ninja. As veterans of the battlefield, they were cautious, wary that the enemy might be using him as bait.

When they were a hundred meters away, Yusuke raised a hand. "There are a lot of warning traps set up around here."

"Approach carefully. He might be bait."

Yusuke and the others slowly skirted the traps. When they were fifty meters away, they spotted a blood-soaked ninja leaning against a tree.

They could just make out that he was a man wearing a Konoha Forehead Protector. He seemed to be unconscious, and his breathing was faint.

There were no other traces nearby.

"Shadow Clone Technique!"

As a master of cautious tactics, Yusuke didn't approach in person. He formed hand seals and created a Shadow Clone, which walked toward the man.

Yusuke's clone exchanged a glance with him, then slowly approached the injured man.

When it was three meters away, the injured ninja's finger suddenly twitched, tugging on the wire in his hand.

Several Kunai flew out from blind spots, heading straight for Yusuke's clone.

Yusuke's clone immediately leaped backward. The injured ninja tightened his grip again, and the wire scraped against itself.

With Yusuke still in midair and unable to push off anything, the wires crisscrossed around him, binding his clone to a tree.

"Thud!" Birds scattered in every direction.

The man opened his eyes, exhaustion written across his face.

He looked at Yusuke's clone. "Kid, who are you?"

Yusuke's clone didn't seem to mind being tied to the tree. "A Konoha Ninja, on a mission."

He gave the man the code phrase.

The injured ninja stared at Yusuke's clone with bloodshot eyes. Swaying as he rose, he walked toward it.

At that moment, the man was like a startled bird and trusted no one. He reached out toward Yusuke, apparently planning to use a jutsu to probe his memories and determine whether he was telling the truth.

"Hey, you're a pretty suspicious guy."

"Boom!"

The clone vanished. The man's pupils contracted, and he started to run.

"Don't bother running. We're Konoha Ninja, and you're already surrounded." Yusuke stepped out from the twelve o'clock direction.

Hyuga Aya and Inuzuka Go closed in from the four and eight o'clock directions.

"Wait, you're Captain Miyazaki Kenta?" Inuzuka Go scratched his head. The blood had masked the man's scent, and he was covered in it from head to toe.

He hadn't recognized the man at first. It wasn't until he got within three meters that he realized who he was—and that was only because he was so sociable.

Miyazaki Kenta looked at Inuzuka Go and clearly recognized him, too. "Seeing you puts my mind at ease. Is your squad on a mission?"

Inuzuka Go awkwardly scratched his head. "He's actually my captain."

Yusuke stepped forward and nodded to Miyazaki Kenta. "Yusuke, Chunin. Pleased to meet you."

Miyazaki Kenta froze in surprise. He hadn't expected a Chunin to be leading a squad.

Then he smiled and walked over, intending to give Yusuke a hug.

Yusuke thought, You're covered in blood, and you're coming in for a hug? That's rude.

Yusuke took a small step back, putting some distance between them.

Miyazaki Kenta looked a little embarrassed and introduced himself sheepishly. "Miyazaki Kenta, Jonin."

"It reeks of blood here. This isn't the place to talk. Let's get out of here first," Yusuke said.

Miyazaki Kenta nodded. Inuzuka Go, ever the helpful older brother, naturally took on the task of carrying him. After all, the two of them knew each other.

Yusuke and Hyuga Aya quickly covered their tracks, and the four of them headed back the way they had come.

At their resting spot.

"Captain Miyazaki Kenta, how'd you end up so badly injured?" Inuzuka Go asked as he stitched and bandaged him.

"Nothing much. The enemy spotted me while I was on a mission, and there were a lot of them."

"We fled from District 5 to District 6. I'm the only one left now."

Miyazaki Kenta swallowed a Military Ration Pill to recover his strength.

He had sunk his tattered ninja vest in the stream to hide its scent.

After washing up, he put on a set of fresh clothes he'd gotten from Inuzuka Go.

"Captain Yusuke, I need to escort some important intelligence back to the main camp."

"This intelligence concerns the lives of many people. Please escort me back."

He turned to Yusuke, his expression serious.

"If it's important intelligence, the enemy will surely have tightened security. Whether we accept or refuse doesn't matter much now."

"Rest for half an hour, then we'll set out. I'll keep watch," Yusuke ordered gravely.

The others quickly settled down and focused on recovering their chakra.

Half an hour later, just as Yusuke's squad was preparing to move out, Miyazaki Kenta suddenly called to him.

"Captain Yusuke, I think it would be better if we split into two squads."

"That way, we'll present smaller targets and divide the enemy's attention."

He tossed Yusuke a scroll.

"You lead half the squad, and I'll lead the other half. That way, whichever squad makes it through can get the intelligence out."

"Besides, I'm a Jonin. According to Konoha Wartime Regulation Article 31—"

"In wartime, ninjas of higher rank have the right to command teams of lower rank."

"Everything for Konoha."

He took out his ninja ID. One line read: Konoha Jonin.

Yusuke caught the scroll, his brows furrowing as he grumbled inwardly, I rescued someone who wants to take half my command.