The Third Batch of Ninjas

Three days later, the third group arrived just as the chunin had predicted: one jonin and five chunin. It was clear that this matter had finally caught the attention of the higher-ups in Honey Flower Village.

Guy charged out first, immediately engaging the jonin in combat. Rock Lee followed right behind him, and the master-student duo launched into a flurry of kicks and punches. Neji joined the fray as well. For a moment, it was three against five; Guy took on the jonin, while Neji and Rock Lee each handled two opponents.

There was still one chunin left, hovering on the sidelines to harass Guy.

"Tenten, stay and guard the cave," Yin Xiang said before rushing out, leaving only Shikaku and Tenten inside.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!" Yin Xiang performed hand seals while running, and a gust of wind sent the interfering chunin flying. "Nice work, Yin Xiang!" Guy kicked the jonin back and gave Yin Xiang a thumbs-up.

"Small matter," Yin Xiang smiled, then ran over to engage the chunin.

Although Rock Lee and Neji were both strong—surpassing the average genin—they were struggling to hold their own against the two Honey Flower Village chunin. Yin Xiang knew he had to finish his opponent quickly to go and assist them.

"Rasengan!" As the chunin just managed to stand up, a large sphere of chakra slammed into his face. It left him a bloody mess, his head nearly exploding. This wasn't like the anime; the Rasengan's high-speed rotation, slamming directly into a person's face, tore the skin right off.

"Ah!!" The chunin was sent flying by the Rasengan, crashing into a tree before falling motionless.

"Teacher Shikaku, aren't you going to go out and help?" Tenten asked, looking outside at Shikaku.

"They can handle it," Shikaku replied with a smile, watching the scene outside without any intention of intervening.

"Rock Lee, I'm coming to help you." Seeing the chunin collapse, Yin Xiang moved to assist Rock Lee. Neji was still holding his own, but Rock Lee was having a bit of trouble with his two-on-one fight.

"No need!" Rock Lee kept a smile on his face, trading blows with the two men. "Leaf Whirlwind!" Rock Lee braced his hands on the ground and spun his legs, knocking both chunin back.

"I'm having a great time fighting them," Rock Lee said as he landed, one hand behind his back and the other extended toward the two chunin.

"What about Neji?" Yin Xiang looked toward Neji. "Rotation!" Neji had just used Rotation to deflect several kunai thrown at him. It was unexpected that he had already mastered the technique on his own.

"I don't need help either. Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms!" After answering, Neji unleashed the technique on the chunin before him, forcing the man to retreat in a panic. The other chunin behind him didn't dare to step forward after seeing that display.

"Alright then." Yin Xiang nodded and glanced back at the cave. Shikaku had been acting strange throughout this journey; he hadn't helped, and he seemed to be smiling more than usual, which gave Yin Xiang a very odd feeling.

"Leaf Great Whirlwind!" Guy spun in mid-air, kicking toward the jonin. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" The jonin jumped back and launched a massive fireball at Guy, but Guy kicked right through it, dispersing the flames.

The jonin was stunned; he hadn't expected someone to be able to kick through a Fireball Jutsu using only taijutsu. "Leaf Strong Whirlwind!"

Before he could recover from his shock, Guy was already in front of him, kicking him square in the face. The jonin was sent flying, blood streaming from his nose as he traced an arc through the air.

"Dynamic Entry!" Before he could land, Guy chased him down and delivered another kick.

Thud!

The jonin slammed into a tree, his eyes glazing over as he nearly lost consciousness.

"Don't struggle. Teacher Guy hasn't even gotten serious with you yet," Yin Xiang said with a smile, walking over to bind the jonin tightly with rope.

"So fragile. I haven't even had my fill of fighting yet," Guy added with a helpless expression. The strength of these small-nation ninjas was truly pathetic.

Hearing Guy's words, Yin Xiang felt a strange tremor in his heart, though he didn't dwell on it as he dragged the bound jonin into the cave.

"Shadow Leaf Dance!" Rock Lee had already finished off one chunin. Moving at a speed invisible to the naked eye, he appeared before the other, kicked him into the air, and delivered a heavy blow. The two chunin collapsed together, both unconscious.

"Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!" Neji also used his technique, striking both of his opponents and sending them vomiting blood before they passed out.

"That makes five down," Yin Xiang said with a smile. "Hey, are you really a jonin? How are you so weak?" Yin Xiang crouched down to speak to the captive.

The man looked middle-aged. As Yin Xiang crouched beside him, the jonin merely glanced at him. This kid had taken down a chunin in just two moves. Were all Leaf ninjas monsters?

"Lee, come help move the bodies," Neji called out, dragging two of the corpses. "Coming." Rock Lee grabbed the legs of the other two, and together with the chunin Yin Xiang had killed, they dragged them toward the cliff.

"You Leaf ninjas, what are you doing here?" the jonin asked, watching Guy walk back.

"Executing a mission," Guy replied bluntly.

"A mission?" The jonin was baffled. What kind of mission involved killing so many ninjas from the Land of Filling?

"Our two countries are different. The mission we accepted is to resolve the war between your two nations. It's an S-rank mission," Yin Xiang said with a smile.

"You're just... telling me about your mission?" The jonin was stunned again. This kind of mission should be classified, right? Why was he being told so easily?

"You're going to die anyway, so it makes no difference whether I tell you or not." Yin Xiang squinted and smiled at him. Looking at the boy's expression, the jonin shivered. Why was it so terrifying?

"This kid..." Shikaku, standing behind Yin Xiang, heard his tone and recalled the chilling smile Yin Xiang had given the chunin earlier. He muttered to himself behind the boy's back.

Soon, Rock Lee and Neji returned, and the jonin was dragged to the back of the cave. When he saw Yamashin, Miji, and the other two chunin already there, his heart sank completely.

However, just as Yin Xiang and the others returned to the cave, several figures appeared from the forest.

"Leaf ninjas. This matter is indeed suspicious," a middle-aged man said, standing at the front with two masked ninjas behind him.

"Go back and call for reinforcements. I'll guard the cave entrance and finish them all off," the man continued.

"Yes," one of the ninjas replied before vanishing.