Hyuga Seisen suddenly understood. "So we missed a bandit!"
The next instant!
A blue-white arrow of light pierced the young bandit squarely through the forehead.
His body stiffened before the tremendous force sent him flying backward, pinning him motionless against the wall.
The three regrouped at the fork in the road.
Two terrified children trailed behind Yuhi Kurenai, while Uchiha Tetsuka supported a frail woman.
Hyuga Seisen carefully swept his gaze across the rescued captives' faces.
Only after confirming that their faces held nothing but gratitude and fear at surviving the ordeal did he quietly disperse the Gentle Fist chakra gathered at his fingertips.
"Seisen, was there no one on your side?" Yuhi Kurenai asked in confusion when she saw him return alone.
"I ran into a bandit in disguise. I already dealt with him. Looks like we missed one when we counted them earlier."
Hyuga Seisen answered calmly, his tone devoid of ripples.
"These bandits are horrible." Yuhi Kurenai fumed.
Uchiha Tetsuka found it somewhat strange.
"Missed one? The number outside matched the intelligence report."
But seeing Hyuga Seisen's normal expression and that the captives had already been rescued, he suppressed his doubts. Without thinking further, he followed the others toward the cave entrance.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
The moment they stepped out of the cave, a clear round of applause came from the shadows ahead.
Yuhi Shinku slowly emerged, a pleased smile on his face. "Very good."
"Your tactical division was clear, your attacks were layered, and your coordination was quite seamless. From infiltration and assault to cleanup, the entire mission was carried out cleanly and efficiently."
"Overall, you performed exceptionally well on this mission."
Hearing such direct praise, all three could not help but smile. Even Uchiha Tetsuka, who usually kept a stern face, could not suppress the