Ten minutes later, when Haruno Kazuya and Fujiwara Itsuki returned to the meeting point, drenched in sweat after searching the eastern district,
they saw this:
Uchiha Ryūha sat against a wall, panting, a bamboo cage strapped to his back.
His hair was a little messy, and dust clung to his clothes. The white cat in the cage was impatiently clawing at the bars.
"F-found it..." Ryūha said with "difficulty," pointing at the cage.
Haruno Kazuya froze for a moment, then hurried over to check. "It really is Tama! Ryūha, you're amazing! How did you find her?"
"Lucky, I guess... She was hiding behind a woodpile in that yard over there. It took me a lot of effort to corner her..." Ryūha said with a "bitter smile."
Since the Third Hokage had taken a special interest in him, he might as well act like a normal Konoha genius.
Fujiwara Itsuki gave him an admiring thumbs-up. "That's amazing! We searched forever and didn't even see a single cat hair."
Just then, Matsumoto Ryūichi came over from the other direction. He saw the cat in the cage, and a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes before being replaced by indifference.
"Twenty minutes. Average efficiency," he remarked. "And you've made such a mess of yourself, so the capture must have gone badly.
"Uchiha Ryūha, write a report on the capture when we get back. Explain your mistakes and shortcomings in detail."
"Yes, Sensei," Ryūha replied, lowering his head in "shame."
"Mission complete. We're heading back to the village." Matsumoto Ryūichi turned around, paused for a moment, then added, "We're not taking the same route. We'll detour through Black Pine Forest to the north.
"The terrain in that forest is complicated, and wild animals sometimes appear there. It'll be a good chance to train your field navigation and alertness."
Haruno Kazuya and Fujiwara Itsuki didn't suspect anything and immediately agreed.
Ryūha picked up the cage and brought up the rear, his gaze flickering behind his lenses.
Black Pine Forest...
It was a notorious lawless zone on the border of the Land of Fire, with rugged terrain and frequent appearances by rogue ninja and bandits.
There was no way they'd take a normal D-rank mission back through there.
What was Matsumoto Ryūichi planning?
A test? Or...
Ryūha glanced at Matsumoto Ryūichi's back.
The jonin's chakra flow was steady, and his heartbeat was normal. He seemed to be "just taking the opportunity to train them."
But the clasp on the kunai pouch at his waist had been undone at some point.
Black Pine Forest.
Towering ancient trees blocked out the sunlight, leaving the forest dim. A thick layer of fallen leaves carpeted the ground, muffling their footsteps.
Every so often, a crow cawed, adding to the gloomy atmosphere.
"Watch your footing. Keep a triangular formation, five meters apart," Matsumoto Ryūichi ordered in a low voice.
"Kazuya, front left; Itsuki, front right; Ryūha, center rear. Be ready for anything."
"Yes!"
Haruno Kazuya and Fujiwara Itsuki were visibly tense. They gripped their kunai, constantly scanning their surroundings.
Ryūha carried the cat cage and walked as though at ease, but his Reiatsu perception had already spread out.
Fifty meters away, behind a tree on the left, a heartbeat was slightly elevated.
Thirty meters away, in the bushes to the front right, someone was holding their breath.
Twenty meters away, in the treetops, a glint of metal.
Three... no, four.
Ryūha pushed up his glasses without changing his pace.
Matsumoto Ryūichi walked at the front, his back rigid.
He'd noticed them too.
Just then—
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Several sharp whistles came from three directions at once!
Poison-coated kunai gleamed blue in the dim forest, flying at vicious angles toward Haruno Kazuya and Fujiwara Itsuki's backs, necks, and thighs!
"Look out!" Matsumoto Ryūichi barked, whirling around and flinging three shuriken.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The shuriken knocked away the kunai aimed at his two students with perfect accuracy.
But a fourth kunai shot from an extremely well-hidden angle toward Itsuki's ribs, and Matsumoto Ryūichi was too far away to help!
"Itsuki!" Haruno Kazuya cried in horror.
Fujiwara Itsuki couldn't react in time. He could only watch as the glint of steel grew closer.
Clink.
A soft sound rang out.
Just three inches from Itsuki's ribs, another kunai knocked the incoming one away, pinning it to a nearby tree trunk.
Cold sweat soaked Itsuki's back in an instant. His legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed.
Matsumoto Ryūichi whipped around and looked at Ryūha.
Ryūha stood in the pose of someone who had just thrown a kunai, his expression calm.
"Good reaction." Matsumoto Ryūichi gave Ryūha a long look, then shouted, "We're under attack! Back-to-back defense!"
The three immediately formed a triangular formation, surrounding Uchiha Ryūha in the middle—after all, he was still carrying the cat cage.
"Heh heh heh. Konoha brats—and you even have a jonin leading you?"
A sinister laugh echoed through the forest.
Four figures stepped out of the shadows, surrounding Team Seven in a fan-shaped formation.
They wore battered ninja armor, and deep scratches marked their Forehead Protectors—the sign of rogue ninja.
Their leader was a burly, one-eyed man with a vicious scar across his face. Matsumoto Ryūichi frowned when he saw him.
He'd seen this man on a wanted poster in the black market: Mikami Guiyu of Amegakure. Before defecting, he'd already been an elite chunin.
It would be difficult for him to win quickly this time. As he recalled, the strongest opponent around here was only barely chunin-level.
How had they run into an elite chunin this time?
The other three were all genin, with vicious eyes and bloodstained kunai and Tachi in their hands.
"Now this is luck," Mikami Guiyu said, licking his lips. "We kill you, and all your gear and money are ours.
"Oh, and that little cat looks pretty valuable too."
"Mikami Guiyu..." Matsumoto Ryūichi said grimly.
"Kazuya, Itsuki, protect yourselves and Ryūha.
"I'll handle the leader. You two hold off the other three until I've dealt with him, then I'll come help.
"Remember, focus on keeping them at bay. Don't fight them head-on!"
"Yes!" Haruno Kazuya and Fujiwara Itsuki replied, their voices trembling, but they gritted their teeth and took up fighting stances.
"Attack!"
Mikami Guiyu gave a savage grin and lunged at Matsumoto Ryūichi.
The other three rogue ninja charged Haruno Kazuya and Fujiwara Itsuki with wild shouts.
The battle erupted!
Matsumoto Ryūichi and Mikami Guiyu clashed, their kunai and Tachi striking together in a shower of sparks.
Although Matsumoto Ryūichi was a jonin, he'd reached that rank through years of age and missions.
Among jonin, his strength was in the most mediocre tier.
Meanwhile, Mikami Guiyu unleashed one ninjutsu after another to hold his opponent off.
For the moment, neither had the upper hand.
On the other side, Haruno Kazuya and Fujiwara Itsuki were in grave danger.
They were freshly graduated genin, and simply defending themselves against three blood-soaked rogue ninja was already taking everything they had.
Haruno Kazuya's Substitution Technique was seen through with ease, while Fujiwara Itsuki's Taijutsu was hampered by his opponents' all-or-nothing fighting style.
In less than half a minute, they'd each picked up several wounds.
They weren't deep, but blood ran freely, and their movements had slowed.
"Haha! Is that all Konoha brats can do?"
"Kill them!"
One rogue ninja sneered as he brought his Tachi down hard toward Haruno Kazuya's neck!
"Kazuya!" Fujiwara Itsuki tried to help, but the other two kept him pinned down.
Haruno Kazuya's face went deathly pale. The kunai in his hand couldn't possibly stop such a powerful blow.
"Uchiha Ryūha!" Matsumoto Ryūichi saw what was happening in the middle of his fight, his eyes bulging with rage as he roared, "Use your genjutsu to control them! What are you waiting for?"
Uchiha Ryūha looked up and pushed his glasses into place.
Then, amid Matsumoto Ryūichi's frantic shouts, Haruno Kazuya's despairing gaze, and the rogue ninja's vicious grin—
He slowly raised his right hand.
His palm faced the rogue ninja swinging his sword at Haruno Kazuya.
No hand seals.
There wasn't even a sign of chakra.
He simply watched his opponent calmly, as though he were a drop of water destined to evaporate.
Time seemed to stretch endlessly in that moment.
Before you continue