Cleanup Mission

In the late autumn of Konoha Year 46, the jungle on the border of the Land of Rivers had already taken on a faint yellow-brown hue, and the air was thick with the damp smell of earth and a faint killing chill. Uchiha Narong had arrived at the border camp with Orochimaru's unit several days ago, and the tense atmosphere of war preparation had replaced the relative peace of the village. Soon, his first A-rank mission was issued: wipe out the rogue ninja organization known as the "Blood Wolf Gang," which had been active along the border for years. The commission was generous, but the risk was just as great.

The temporary squad assembled at the edge of the camp. The one leading them was Hyuga Yu, a branch-family chunin of the Hyuga Clan. He was around twenty-eight or twenty-nine, with a steady face, and the Caged Bird Curse Mark that represented the branch family's fate was carved on his forehead. He was a veteran chunin, experienced and especially skilled at scouting and tracking, making him the ideal choice for a cleanup mission like this. The other teammate was named Aokawa. He looked to be in his early twenties, a civilian ninja with an honest face and a hint of nervousness in his eyes. He had been promoted to chunin thanks to solid fundamentals and a decent mission completion rate, but his resources were limited, and he did not know many ninjutsu.

"I'm Hyuga Yu, and I'll be in command of this mission." Hyuga Yu was concise. He opened a simple map scroll. "The target is the 'Blood Wolf Gang.' There are approximately fifteen to twenty known core members. Their leader's codename is 'Blood Wolf,' suspected to be a former chunin of the Hidden Hot Water Village, skilled in Fire Style and swordsmanship. They're entrenched in an abandoned mine base thirty li from here. The terrain is complex, easy to defend and hard to attack."

He looked at Narong and Aokawa. "Uchiha Narong, I've heard of you. Lord Orochimaru's disciple, and your performance in the chunin exams was excellent. Aokawa, your Earth Release and Wind Style have been recorded in previous missions. For this mission, we need to work closely together. Narong, you'll be in charge of the main assault and support. Aokawa, use Earth Release to control the terrain and defend, and use Wind Style to assist Narong's Fire Style. I'll use the Byakugan for full-time reconnaissance and provide pressure-point support. Any questions?"

"Understood." Narong nodded, his gaze sweeping over the map. Hyuga Yu's arrangement was very reasonable, fully bringing out each person's strengths. Aokawa also hurriedly replied, "Yes, Mr. Yu!"

"Good. Move out. Stay alert and be ready to fight at any time." Hyuga Yu put away the map and leaped into the dense jungle first. Narong and Aokawa followed close behind.

The three of them moved swiftly through the trees. Hyuga Yu activated his Byakugan from time to time, its three-hundred-sixty-degree penetrating vision sweeping over the area ahead and around them like the most precise radar, allowing them to avoid possible traps and patrol sentries in advance. He was experienced, and the route he chose was both concealed and efficient.

"Eight hundred meters to the left, two chakra signatures. They should be hidden sentries," Hyuga Yu said in a low voice. He made a hand signal, and the three immediately changed direction, circling around the warning line.

Aokawa seemed a little nervous. The palm gripping his kunai was faintly sweaty. This was his first time participating in such a difficult A-rank cleanup mission. Narong, by comparison, was calm. Though his Three-Tomoe Sharingan was not activated, his powerful perception also made him highly sensitive to changes in the surrounding environment. He noticed Aokawa's tension and said quietly, "Relax. Just follow the plan."

After nearly two hours of stealthy travel, the three arrived at a hidden mountain hollow. Not far ahead, a pitch-black mine entrance appeared on the mountain wall, with simple wooden fences and watchtowers around it. Human figures could be faintly seen moving about.

"This is it." Hyuga Yu crouched behind the bushes, his Byakugan operating at full power. "There are dense chakra signatures inside the cave, about eighteen people. The core members are all in a larger cavern deeper inside. There are four guards at the entrance and two in the watchtower. The passages inside are complicated, with multiple forks and traps."

He observed carefully for a moment, then added, "The traps are mainly explosive tags and wire trip lines, arranged very crudely. The guards are relatively lax. They may be changing shifts or resting."

"Do we storm it or infiltrate?" Narong asked.

Hyuga Yu thought for a moment. "Infiltration is too risky. The situation inside the cave is unclear. We'll create a commotion and lure them out, then settle the fight at the relatively open terrain by the entrance. Aokawa, use Earth Release to seal off the mine exit and prevent them from escaping or calling reinforcements. Narong, you and I will handle the frontal elimination."

"Understood!" Aokawa took a deep breath and began forming hand seals.

"Earth Release: Earth-Flow Wall!"

A thick earthen wall rose from the ground, blocking the mine's main exit at just the right spot, leaving only a few gaps.

The commotion immediately drew the guards' attention!

"Enemy attack!" the rogue ninja on the watchtower shouted, blowing the warning whistle.

A wave of disturbance broke out inside the mine. Soon, seven or eight rogue ninja rushed out with weapons in hand. The one leading them was a burly man with a scar on his face and fierce eyes. He was probably a minor leader.

"Konoha ninja? You're asking to die!" The scar-faced burly man grinned viciously and charged with his blade. The rogue ninja behind him also threw shuriken one after another or began forming seals.

"Move!" Hyuga Yu barked. His Byakugan locked on to the target, and his figure flashed like lightning, pouncing straight at the scar-faced burly man. "Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms!"

Hyuga Yu's Gentle Fist was precise and swift, specifically attacking chakra points. Though the scar-faced burly man was quite strong, he was tied up under the pressure-point attacks and soon fell into a disadvantage.

Narong faced the other rogue ninja. He did not immediately use powerful ninjutsu. Instead, he drew his kunai and relied on superb taijutsu and the Sharingan's insight to weave through the crowd.

"Sharingan Windmill: Triple Blade!"

The kunai drew a cold gleam, precisely blocking the incoming attacks, then following through to cut the enemies' wrists and ankles, weakening their combat ability. His movements flowed like water, as though he were dancing on the edge of blades. It looked dangerous, yet he always managed to avoid attacks at the crucial moment.

Aokawa followed the plan, continuously using Earth Release to provide support.

"Earth Release: Earth-Flow Spears!"

Sharp stone spikes jutted from the ground, disrupting the rogue ninja's formation and creating openings for Narong and Hyuga Yu.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

The occasional blast of strong wind swept up sand and dust, blocking the rogue ninja's vision.

At the start, the battle was one-sided. Hyuga Yu soon struck down the scar-faced leader, Narong also dealt with three rogue ninja, and Aokawa's support proved effective.

However, right at that moment, an enraged roar came from deep within the mine!

"Which bastard dares run wild on my turf!"

A powerful burst of chakra erupted. A tall man with a savage wolf-head tattoo on his face charged out. It was the leader of the "Blood Wolf Gang"—Blood Wolf! Behind him followed four or five core members whose auras were clearly stronger.

When Blood Wolf saw the entrance sealed by an earthen wall and his subordinates suffering heavy casualties, his anger instantly flared. "Kill them!"

His hands formed seals quickly. "Fire Style: Searing Migraine!"

A dense mass of fireballs shot toward the three Konoha ninja like a swarm of locusts!

"Careful!" Hyuga Yu cried out. This Fire Style covered a large area.

"Earth Release: Earth-Flow Wall!" Aokawa hurriedly formed seals again, raising an earthen wall in front of the three of them.

Rumble! The fireballs smashed into the earthen wall, blasting rubble everywhere. The wall shook violently, and cracks appeared.

"It won't hold much longer!" Aokawa's face turned pale.

Narong's eyes sharpened. He knew they had to end this quickly. He looked at Hyuga Yu. "Mr. Yu, help me hold off the others. Leave this leader to me!"

Hyuga Yu glanced at Narong and saw the confidence in his eyes, then nodded. "All right! Aokawa, work with me!" He immediately charged at the core members behind Blood Wolf, unleashing Gentle Fist and tying down two of them. Aokawa desperately maintained the earthen wall while using Earth-Flow Spears to disrupt the other enemies.

When Blood Wolf saw Narong coming at him alone, he grinned viciously. "An Uchiha brat? The Sharingan is a rare thing! Too bad it's staying here today!" He swung a heavy cleaver, chopping toward Narong with the force of wind and thunder. His blade style was wide and forceful, and his strength was astonishing.

Narong nimbly leaped back, avoiding the blade edge, while forming seals with both hands.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

A huge fireball roared out, rushing straight toward Blood Wolf.

Blood Wolf did not dodge. Instead, he actually slashed at the fireball! "Mad Wolf Slash!"

Chakra clung to the blade, and he split the Great Fireball down the middle! Sparks scattered everywhere. Blood Wolf only took half a step back, his momentum growing even stronger. "Petty tricks!"

He really has some skill. Narong thought to himself. It seemed he could not hold back. His Sharingan rotated slightly, seeing through the flaws in Blood Wolf's swordsmanship. Blood Wolf's strength and chakra were both powerful, but his moves were too aggressive and lacked variation.

Blood Wolf charged again, his blade force even more berserk. This time, Narong did not completely dodge. Instead, he seized the timing and, the instant the blade reached him, used his kunai to precisely block the weakest point of the blade's force!

Clang! With a crisp ring, Narong slid back with the force, shedding most of the impact.

At the same time, his other hand quietly completed a set of seals.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

A powerful current of air did not blow toward Blood Wolf, but toward the ground beneath his feet, sweeping up dust and shattered stones!

Blood Wolf's vision was blocked, and his movements paused slightly.

Now!

Chakra surged through Narong's body, and fire-nature and wind-nature chakra swiftly combined!

"Composite Ninja Art: Blazing Breakthrough!"

A scorching breath several times larger than an ordinary Great Fireball, turned reddish-white from the Wind Style enhancement and resembling a fiery tornado, roared toward the vision-blurred Blood Wolf!

Feeling the lethal threat, Blood Wolf let out a wild roar and held his cleaver horizontally in front of him, erupting with all his chakra in an attempt to defend!

Boom—!!!

A violent explosion rang out. Flames and shockwaves swept in every direction! A large crater was blasted into the ground, and smoke and dust filled the air.

When the smoke and dust scattered slightly, a half-meter-deep crater appeared on the ground, blackened inside, with no human figure remaining. Blood Wolf had been directly vaporized.

Narong pretended to gasp, maintaining a composite ninjutsu was not a small expenditure. But with his current strength, it was nothing. He looked to the other side. Hyuga Yu had also dealt with his opponents and was helping Aokawa clear out the last remaining enemies.

The battle soon ended. The core members of the "Blood Wolf Gang" were wiped out, and the remaining few small fry surrendered one after another after seeing their leader fall.

Hyuga Yu walked to Narong's side, looked at the gravely injured Blood Wolf, then looked at Narong, a trace of amazement flashing through his eyes. "Composite ninjutsu... impressive. You take first credit for this mission."

Aokawa also walked over, looking at the devastated battlefield, his heart still pounding as he looked at Narong with admiration. "Narong-kun, you're too strong..."

Narong calmed his breathing and shook his head. "It was everyone's coordination. Mr. Yu's scouting and command, Aokawa's Earth Release defense—none of it could have been missing."

Hyuga Yu nodded, rather appreciating Narong's attitude of not claiming all the credit. He turned to handle the captives and clean up the battlefield.

Standing at the mine entrance, looking at the subdued rogue ninja and the blackened earth, Uchiha Narong took a deep breath of air tinged with gunpowder. The danger of an A-rank mission was far beyond anything a previous C-rank mission could compare to. This was only a microcosm of the chaos along the border.