The Final Step of the Plan

However, the Rasengan vanished from Yin Xiang's hand halfway through, and the two Shadow Clones that had just finished off the genin also popped and exploded.

"Damn it, my chakra is running dry," Yin Xiang cursed under his breath. He then kicked the jonin, who had already lost the ability to fight back, right in the stomach, sending him crashing onto the ground.

Yin Xiang followed up by whipping a kunai into the man's head. Half the blade sank into his skull, and the man collapsed, his eyes wide and staring.

"Dynamic! Prelude!" Guy kicked out, taking down every ninja except for Yamaha. Seeing that their comrades had been defeated, Yamaha and Yamashin stopped fighting as well.

"I'm exhausted," Yin Xiang said, collapsing onto the ground and gasping for air. Neji and Rock Lee also sat down, drained.

"Are those ninjutsu all your own creations?" the Third Hokage asked, walking up behind Yin Xiang.

"Huh?" Yin Xiang blinked, then realized the Third was referring to the extensions of the Chidori—the Chidori Current and Chidori Sharp Spear. "Yes, they are. Kakashi taught me the Chidori, and I developed these variations afterward," Yin Xiang nodded and said.

"Both techniques could be considered A-rank ninjutsu. They are quite powerful," the Third nodded with a smile.

"Once my chakra reserves are large enough, I'll learn the Chidori from Kakashi. An S-rank technique is bound to be incredible," Yin Xiang said, leaning back on his hands.

"Your chakra levels are already far higher than your peers. You're at least at the level of a chunin," the Third continued.

"I've been refining my chakra since I can remember, so of course it's high, but it's still far from enough," Yin Xiang nodded.

"What do you two intend to do?" the Third asked, looking at Yamashin and Yamaha. Both men stood where they were, no longer making a move.

"This..." Yamaha looked at the fallen ninjas of the Land of Filling, at a loss for words. He hadn't expected the Konoha ninjas to be this formidable; they had wiped everyone out.

"Sigh," Yamaha sighed. "I didn't truly betray the country, Yamashin," he said, looking at his companion. "Honey Shadow is not dead."

"My brother isn't dead?" Miji, hearing this, ran out from the cave and looked at Yamaha.

"Your Highness!" Yamaha's eyes widened as he looked at the young woman. "So you really were with Yamashin."

"What exactly is going on in the village?" Miji ignored everything else and demanded of Yamaha.

"Alright, go inside and talk. We'll handle things out here," Yin Xiang said to Miji, gesturing for them to head back into the cave.

After Miji nodded in agreement, she led the others into the cave. Yin Xiang and his team began clearing the bodies, tossing them into the valley. The corpses had already piled up into a small hill—all of them ninjas from the Land of Filling.

By the time Yin Xiang and the others returned, the conversation inside the cave had concluded.

It turned out this was a trap set by the Land of Honey. Honey Shadow had faked his death and had actually seized the headquarters of the Land of Filling. The Daimyo of the Land of Filling was likely already dead; they were just waiting for the day Yamashin and the others could take out the Honey Shadow currently in Honey Flower Village. With that, the war between the two lands would end, and the Land of Honey would be unified.

Miji being hunted down was the first step in creating the illusion. Just as the plan was nearing success, they hadn't expected Miji to double back with so many Konoha ninjas in tow.

"So... did I mess things up?" Miji asked, head bowed.

"Not exactly. Those four chunin were genuine traitors, so you helped us take them out. With so many ninjas from the Land of Filling dead, their combat strength is negligible now," Yamaha said, letting out a sigh of relief. "The war between our two countries is finally coming to an end."

"How many ninjas does the Land of Filling have left?" Yin Xiang asked, looking at Yamaha.

"One Xian Shadow, two Anbu, two jonin, and about a dozen genin. With your strength, it will be easy to finish them off once you go in," Yamaha told Yin Xiang. He didn't look down on the child at all; he had witnessed Yin Xiang's performance, and the boy was incredibly strong.

"To resolve a conflict between two nations, involving one Kage-level, four Anbu, five jonin, twelve chunin, and thirty-three genin... since there are jonin involved, it's an A-rank mission. But with five jonin and four Anbu, it's easily an S-rank. Add in a Kage-level threat and the liberation of a country, and an SS-rank mission is justified. For this mission, I want three million ryo," Yin Xiang said, looking up at the ceiling of the cave.

"Three million ryo?" Yamaha's eyes widened. That was no small sum.

"Done!" Miji agreed instantly. She would pay them no matter what; she had been the one to lure them here under false pretenses, and she would take responsibility for it to the end.

The Third Hokage watched from the side, nodding in satisfaction. Yin Xiang really knew how to secure benefits for Konoha. He had just brought three million ryo into the village's coffers. The boy not only had strength and brains but also political acumen—the more he saw, the more he liked him.

"Then it's settled. Once we've recovered, we'll head straight to Honey Flower Village in two days," Yin Xiang nodded, then leaned against the wall. Suddenly, he sat up and pulled a kunai from his ninja pouch.

"Just remembered something," Yin Xiang said, coating the kunai in lightning chakra and throwing it. It pierced the head of the chunin he had captured earlier. Now, the only captive left was the traitor Biji.

"As for him, you handle it," Yin Xiang said, dragging the chunin he had just killed to the back of the cave. The person back there was already dead, his flesh gnawed away piece by piece in a gruesome sight. Yin Xiang swallowed hard, suppressing the urge to vomit, dumped the chunin's body on top of the corpse, and walked back.

"Biji, you were bent on treason. That is not for us to judge. I will hand you over to Lord Honey Shadow, and he will deal with you," Yamaha said, looking at Biji.

"I understand, Lord Yamaha," Biji nodded, keeping his head low, not daring to look at Yamaha or Miji.

"Tenten, are you hurt?" Yin Xiang asked as he walked out and saw Tenten sitting by the fire, wrapping a bandage around her hand.

"It's nothing, just a small scratch," Tenten said while wrapping the bandage.

"Let me," Yin Xiang said, taking the bandage from her. "You're not wrapping it right."