Ambushed

Towering trees stretched into the distance, and insects called intermittently. Beneath the moonlight, Haku and Hideki raced through the forest.

Both were moving quickly, their expressions tense.

It had only been a few days, yet they were already unable to keep up with Suifeng and Fushan.

Was this what people called a genius? They had only just graduated from the Ninja Academy, yet their chakra reserves and control far surpassed their own.

Not only Haku, a Genin, but even Hideki, a Chunin, couldn't keep up with them.

This was a bandit-suppression mission, and the first mission the team had accepted from the village.

They both knew the purpose of this mission. Suifeng needed to see blood, and patrolling the village clearly wouldn't achieve that.

The Ninja World was far from peaceful, and wars were frequent. The Second Shinobi World War had only just ended, and even the strongest nation, the Land of Fire, was plagued by banditry. Some ninjas had been unable to return to their villages for various reasons during the war and could only wander from place to place. Ordinary soldiers obviously couldn't deal with them, so Konoha's missions had piled up.

To ordinary people, the bandits were vile criminals. To Konoha, they were merely a C-rank mission.

"Stop!"

Fushan and Suifeng suddenly halted up ahead. Haku and Hideki tensed and stopped at the same time.

"Captain!"

With two swift whooshes, Haku and Hideki came to Fushan's side, looking puzzled.

"Something's not right. Haku, use your sensory ninjutsu!"

"Yes!" Haku tensed, closed her eyes, and formed Hand Seals as an invisible wave of sensing spread in every direction.

Two breaths later, a puzzled look crossed her face. Pointing in one direction, she said, "Captain, something's wrong over there!"

"I'll check it out!"

Hideki vanished in an instant.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Almost as soon as Hideki disappeared, more than a dozen Kunai and Shuriken flew out from the direction Haku had indicated.

Not good!

The three of them vanished from where they stood.

Bang!

Several Kunai struck Hideki's upper body. As smoke cleared, a tree stump dropped to the ground.

Substitution Technique!

"Damn...!"

"They found us!"

"They're Konoha Ninja! Run!"

Several dark figures scattered through the forest.

Thud!

A Kunai sliced through a throat, and blood gushed out. Hideki appeared, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"Rock Ninja!" The next instant, he vanished and reappeared in front of Fushan.

"They're definitely Rock Ninja!"

Fushan's expression was grim, too.

They were close to Konoha, yet they had run into Rock Ninja. Clearly, they'd stumbled upon an unexpected situation.

Earth Release: Earth-Splitting Palm

With a rumble, the ground shook, and cracks spread out like a spiderweb.

"Hmph!" Fushan snorted, leaping again and landing beside Suifeng. Suifeng's face was pale as he pulled his Kunai from the throat of a Rock Ninja. The man had been a Chunin.

"Good work!"

"I'm all right," Suifeng rasped. It was his first time killing someone, but he hadn't thrown up like people said he would. He just didn't feel very good. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been injured facing an opponent like this.

"You're hurt?!"

"It's nothing, just a small wound!" He took a deep breath and looked toward the Rock Ninja who had appeared. Apart from the one occupied with Hideki, another ninja had already driven Haku onto the defensive.

Haku was only a Genin. Though she had awakened her Sharingan, she specialized in genjutsu and Sensory Ninjutsu. Facing a Rock Ninja Chunin, she could only struggle to hold on.

Earth Release: Earth Rising Spear!

Another surge of chakra rippled through the ground, and countless stone spikes burst up from below. Suifeng and Fushan leapt into the air at the same time.

"I'll deal with the Jonin. You take care of the others!"

They were facing a Rock Ninja squad with the same formation and numbers. Suifeng had already taken out his opponent, while Fushan and Hideki were each locked in combat with their own. Naturally, his target was Haku's opponent.

He pushed off with his toes, barely pressing against the ground, and vanished. The next instant, he was beside Haku.

Konoha Whirlwind!

Bang!

Moving at high speed, Haku's opponent couldn't react before Suifeng kicked him flying. Suifeng vanished again, caught up with the Rock Ninja as he hurtled backward, and brought down his Kunai. Blood sprayed everywhere.

But in the next instant, a burst of smoke appeared, and a stone fell to the ground.

Though the fight had been brief, Suifeng had already noticed the Rock Ninja's weakness: high defense and low speed.

That was one of the Rock Ninja's defining traits.

Their Earth Release techniques gave them extremely high defense. This increased their survivability and bought them time to perform ninjutsu in battle. Even opponents who were faster would find it difficult to kill them with a single strike. That was why Kakashi had chosen to develop the Chidori line of techniques.

He was a classic example of using speed to counter speed. But often, he lacked a way to kill with a single blow. Even with a Kunai, he couldn't guarantee a fatal strike.

Just like Suifeng now: his Kunai had nearly reached his opponent's neck, but it felt as though it had scraped against a layer of stone. Even when he pressed harder, he only managed to cut through a thin layer and draw a little blood. His opponent still had time to form Hand Seals and use the Substitution Technique before Suifeng could strike again.

He had escaped with his life.

Through his Sharingan, Suifeng saw a dark figure fall to the ground and sink beneath it, as if dropping into his hands.

Earth Release: Subterranean Voyage!

"Hmph. These Rock Ninja have plenty of tricks. Haku, are you all right?!"

"I am. It's only a minor wound!"

Haku said, still shaken, "Suifeng, thank you. If you hadn't come just now, I would've...!"

"Watch out!"

Before she could finish, Suifeng's expression changed, and he stepped in front of her.

Earth Release: Rock Fist Technique

A fist the size of a washbasin, made entirely of stone, appeared before him.

Iron Body!

Suifeng clenched both fists and bent his arms in front of himself to block.

Boom!!

A deafening impact sent dust billowing. The punch sent Suifeng sliding backward more than a dozen meters, his feet carving two deep furrows into the ground.

"That's not enough!"

Before he could even stop sliding, Suifeng planted his right foot hard behind him and sprang into the air. Two Kunai shot out as he charged his opponent and formed Hand Seals.

Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!

Earth Release: Earth Style Wall

Clang! Clang!

The two Kunai were blocked by the rising earthen wall. By then, Suifeng had already completed his Great Fireball Technique.

A golden-red glow flashed as a fireball the size of a washbasin slammed into the wall.

"Boom!!"

The blast shook the air, and the fireball punched straight through the wall, which was more than two feet thick.

What...?

The Rock Ninja behind the wall clearly hadn't expected a Great Fireball to be so powerful.

The wall had been breached so quickly. He'd been confident in his Earth Style Wall, especially against a technique like the Great Fireball, which had never killed anyone before.

He stood behind the wall, rapidly forming Hand Seals as he poured out a massive amount of chakra, planning to hit Suifeng with a powerful attack. He had no time to dodge and was instantly struck in the face by the fireball.

More accurately, it wasn't a fireball. It was a ball of molten rock!

A direct hit!

Th-this...!

It wasn't just the unlucky Rock Ninja. Haku and the Rock Ninja Jonin who had been fighting Fushan were both stunned.

Great Fireball?

You're telling me this is the Great Fireball that's never killed anyone?

That wasn't a fireball. It was a ball of molten rock!

"Lava Release?! Am I under a genjutsu?"

"Fool. How dare you get distracted in front of me!"

A Kunai flashed, and blood sprayed.