The First Mission

"It is merely a matter of bringing those people back to Konoha; saving enough chakra for the journey is all that is required."

"The situation is far from as simple as you imagine. What you two need to do now is follow my lead. Have you forgotten what you promised me when we left the village?"

Shen Ye's expression was stern, appearing at this moment like a majestic monarch, leaving no room for Minato or Shikaku to argue.

Both men knew this was for their own good, so they nodded in quick succession.

The trio gradually slowed their pace, and at the same time, Shen Ye activated Sage Mode, tapping into the natural energy present in the surrounding air. It flowed not only into his own body but also into the bodies of Shikaku and Minato.

After several hours of travel, the three finally arrived at their destination.

With Shen Ye's help, Shikaku and Minato had recovered most of their chakra, allowing them to handle any sudden disturbances that might arise.

In the middle of a vast forest, a single small wooden hut sat surrounded by a cluster of tree trunks.

Shen Ye hid among the trees to observe for a while, but he truly could not detect any chakra signatures coming from the hut.

"Move out!"

At the command, Shikaku and Minato leaped from the tree trunks to land beside the hut, while Shen Ye landed directly on the roof.

The three exchanged a brief look, moving almost simultaneously.

Minato pushed open a window and vaulted into the room, Shikaku shoved the door open, and Shen Ye unleashed Strength of a Hundred to smash through the roof and drop inside.

The small hut was empty. The three men scanned the area, searching for any sign of human presence.

"There isn't a soul here. Look at the dust on the table; it hasn't been touched in years."

"Could the intelligence sent back by the village's ninja be false? Surely the Third Hokage wouldn't lie to us."

"No, it is we who have been deceived by the people here."

Shen Ye slowly crouched down, noticing a stone in the center of the floor that looked out of place; such a rock did not exist anywhere else in the forest.

Shikaku and Minato looked at each other and shook their heads, not understanding why Shen Ye was so certain.

At this moment, Shen Ye finally understood why he couldn't sense a shred of chakra flow, and why the dust was thick enough to suggest years of abandonment.

The key to the problem lay in this small stone; Shen Ye was absolutely certain that it contained the power of a seal.

"Take this stone. When we return to the village, give it to the Third; perhaps this will solve everything."

"Does the fact that no one is here mean our mission is a failure? And this is our first mission, too."

Shen Ye shook his head. In truth, the mission had only just begun.

Leaving the hut, Shen Ye charged in a specific direction through the forest. Though Shikaku and Minato were confused, they followed close behind him.

As Shen Ye had anticipated, there were other buildings nearby, and people could be seen moving about in the distance.

"This is the place we were looking for. That other one was merely a decoy."

"They don't look like they're to be trifled with."

The figures entering and exiting the buildings were typical burly men, none of whom appeared weak.

Even if they could not practice ninjutsu or use chakra, the raw power they possessed seemed immense—not something Shen Ye and his team could easily handle.

"Shikaku, it's up to you now."

Shikaku nodded. In their short time together, a certain tacit understanding had already formed.

"Shadow Possession Jutsu!"

Shikaku vaulted between a few trunks and stopped at a close range, extending his shadow from beneath his feet to bind the two men on the perimeter.

Minato and Shen Ye exchanged a glance and landed simultaneously at the edge of the building, their feet tapping the ground before they surged inside.

Before the burly men in the room could react, Shen Ye erupted with his Strength of a Hundred, tangling them all together.

Minato pulled rope from his pouch and bound them all tightly.

The three surrounded the men, forming a perimeter.

"How many of you are there?"

"All of us are already captured by you. Who are you? What do you want?"

"That is what we should be asking you. You suddenly appeared within the territory of Konoha—what is your objective?"

Upon hearing the name Konoha, the leader's eyes flickered, though he returned to a neutral expression in an instant.

"We don't know what place this is. We were just fleeing from pursuers and hid here."

"Save your words for when we get back to the village. We are just a few children, after all."

Shen Ye's lips curled upward slightly. By emphasizing that they were just children, he lowered the enemy's guard.

On the other hand, he knew these men would look for any chance to escape; he could see the ambition in their eyes, no matter how well they tried to disguise it.

However, a new problem arose: these five men clearly had no intention of cooperating, making it impossible to drag them back to the village.

"Minato, leave a Flying Thunder God mark on them. We will take turns teleporting, and Shikaku will be responsible for guarding them."

Minato nodded, took a shuriken, attached it to the rope, and hurled another shuriken hard in the direction of Konoha.

"Flying Thunder God Jutsu!"

The group vanished from the house, reappearing moments later in a forest several miles away, right where the shuriken Minato had thrown was embedded in a tree trunk.

Without lingering, Shen Ye and Minato used the Flying Thunder God in quick succession, bringing the group ever closer to the village.

Suddenly, the burly man in the lead let out a roar, his body erupting with immense power as he snapped the ropes, and the five of them scattered in different directions.

Minato and Shikaku moved to pursue, but Shen Ye stopped them.

"Let's head back to the village. There are five of them and only three of us; we can't round them all up."

"But..."

"The village ninjas will handle it. We're just students who haven't even graduated yet, not even official genin. No one will blame us."

Minato hesitated for a moment, but ultimately followed Shen Ye's lead; he knew Shen Ye wouldn't lie to him, and certainly wouldn't lead him into harm.

"Right, you brought that small stone back, didn't you?"

"It's been in my pocket the whole time."

"Let's go hand it over to the Third now. We'll have results before dawn, so we can just wait at the office."

Without the five hulking men to slow them down, Shen Ye and the others traveled at great speed, returning to the village in just a few minutes.

The village was pitch black at this hour, and not a single soul could be seen walking the streets.