Provocation

"It's just as I thought, so much for being the greatest genius in Konoha..."

"I don't know what the Hokage was thinking, actually assigning a brat like this to drag us down."

Just then, Ebisu, who was walking beside Genma Shiranui, also began to grumble in complaint.

Recently, people in the village had been talking incessantly about Yu's reputation as a genius. Now that they had finally seen him in person, they realized he was nothing more than a six or seven-year-old kid.

Moreover, since the Hokage had arranged for him to join them on their mission, it was inevitable that Genma Shiranui and Ebisu felt a sense of disdain and resentment.

"How can you two be like this?"

"Yu was specifically arranged by the Hokage to help us with this mission!"

Hearing Genma Shiranui and Ebisu ostracizing Yu, Kurenai Yuhi stood with her hands on her hips, looking visibly indignant.

"Whether he's a genius or not is just other people's opinion, that's none of my concern..."

But at this moment, Yu, who had been walking beside Kurenai Yuhi, stopped in his tracks. His amber eyes looked calmly at Genma Shiranui and Ebisu standing before him. "But you two... seem to have a major problem with me, don't you?"

Come to think of it, this was Yu's very first time heading out on a mission.

Yet, he was being mindlessly provoked by these two guys, Genma Shiranui and Ebisu, for no reason. Even a clay figure has a temper, let alone him.

"What... are you unhappy about it, brat?"

Faced with Yu's cold attitude, Genma Shiranui and Ebisu also stopped walking.

Genma Shiranui in particular crossed his arms over his chest with a senbon needle dangling from his mouth, his face revealing a trace of disdain and contempt.

"Whoosh!!"

But the moment Genma Shiranui's words fell, Yu, who had been standing before him and Ebisu, vanished from the spot in an instant.

Such fast movement!!

Seeing Yu's incredibly swift movement, Might Guy, the taijutsu expert among the three, felt a sudden jolt of shock.

Leaf Great Whirlwind!!

Accompanied by a sharp whistling sound in the air, before anyone could react, Yu's figure had already appeared before the three of them.

His body spun rapidly in mid-air, his legs transforming into a fierce whirlwind as he lashed out!

"Bang!!"

Everyone felt their vision blur for a second, only to see Ebisu sent flying backward, crashing heavily into the wall like a kite with a broken string.

So fast!!

Faced with Yu's lightning-fast taijutsu and seeing his companion Ebisu kicked away in the blink of an eye, Genma Shiranui was struck with alarm. He coated the senbon needle in his mouth with chakra and spat it out like a bullet!

"Hmph..."

Seeing the senbon shot at him by Genma Shiranui, Yu, still in mid-air, let out a disdainful snort. He tilted his head slightly to dodge it, and his body vanished from before Genma Shiranui once again.

Body Flicker Technique?!

Seeing Yu's unfathomable speed, Genma Shiranui's hand reached toward his ninja tool pouch by reflex.

But at that moment, a finger had already silently pressed against his temple, bringing his movements to a dead halt.

"We're leaving for the mission tomorrow..."

"And you two pieces of trash still have the energy to fight amongst yourselves..."

In Genma Shiranui's horrified gaze, he saw that Yu had appeared behind him at some point, his right index finger raised and pressed against his temple like a handgun.

"If I could, I wouldn't mind killing you two and completing the mission by myself."

Two Chunin...

Couldn't even last two seconds against this brat?

Staring blankly at Yu, whose finger was pressed against Genma Shiranui's head, Kurenai Yuhi, Might Guy, and the fallen Ebisu were all left stunned.

"You damn brat... who do you think you're trying to scare?!"

Threatened with a finger to his head by a six-year-old boy in front of everyone, Genma Shiranui's face flushed red, his pride feeling severely trampled.

"Boom!!"

But before Genma Shiranui could finish his sentence.

The thin thread generated from Yu's right index finger fired at high speed like a gunshot, grazing a bloody line across his cheek before slamming into the wall beside them and blasting a massive hole through it!

"You should be grateful that this is the Hokage's office... I won't hold this against you two."

"Get lost and pack your things; we gather here tomorrow to depart."

Ignoring Genma Shiranui, who was frozen in shock, Yu curled his lip in disdain. He blew on his fingertip like a gunslinger to clear away non-existent smoke and turned to leave without looking back.

Such terrifying power...

Staring blankly at Yu's retreating back, Might Guy and the fallen Ebisu stood as if turned to stone.

"Is this... his true strength?"

"No wonder so many people call him the number one genius of Konoha..."

Witnessing Yu reveal such terrifying strength, instantly taking down Genma Shiranui and Ebisu, who were both Chunin, left everyone stunned.

Standing there, Kurenai Yuhi's beautiful eyes flashed with a strange brilliance. In that moment, she finally began to understand the words her father, Kurenai Yuhi's Father, had used to describe Yu.

The next morning, at the crack of dawn.

Might Guy and his two companions, along with Kurenai Yuhi, were already at the village gate, fully prepared to depart.

Shortly after, Yu's figure appeared at the gate to rendezvous with the four of them.

"Yu, you're here. Regarding yesterday's incident, I apologize on their behalf."

Seeing Yu arrive on time, Might Guy, with his signature bowl cut, stepped forward to express his regret.

Although Genma Shiranui and Ebisu, standing nearby, remained silent, the fear that flickered in their eyes from time to time showed that they had already conceded.

Ebisu, in particular, still had one side of his face swollen high; clearly, the injury from Yu's kick the previous day had yet to heal.

"Forget it. I don't bother myself with annoying flies."

Facing Might Guy's apology, Yu merely shrugged indifferently. "I just hope you won't cause me any trouble while we're on the mission. Otherwise, I'll turn those two into corpses."

"Did you two hear that?"

Seeing that Yu was not going to pursue the matter further, Kurenai Yuhi immediately looked toward Genma Shiranui and Ebisu.

"Tch... understood."

Hearing Yu's words, Genma Shiranui and Ebisu felt resentful, but they had no choice but to swallow their pride.

Recalling the overwhelming strength Yu had displayed yesterday, combined with the mission assigned by the Third Hokage, they had no desire to stir up any more trouble at such a critical juncture.

"Alright, let's move out."

Ignoring them, Yu took the lead and dashed off, his figure quickly vanishing into the woods.

"Let's keep up!"

Seeing Yu begin to move, Might Guy and the others quickly followed in his wake.

After a full day of long-distance travel.

Yu, Kurenai Yuhi, and the others finally passed the Fire Temple and arrived at the border of the Land of Fire.

The Land of Fire was vast and rich in resources; once outside Konoha, the landscape was almost entirely dense forest.

Apart from a few short breaks along the way, Yu maintained a steady, unhurried pace, keeping just enough distance ahead of Might Guy and the others as he sprinted forward.

For ninjas, a journey like this was hardly a difficult task.

"The border is just ahead. Be careful."

"Our mission is to scout the number of Mist Ninja and gather intelligence; avoid combat as much as possible."

After crossing a stretch of grassland, the group of five finally arrived before a dense forest.

Following Might Guy's warning, the five figures darted straight into the trees.