First Blood! Outsmarting an Iwagakure Chunin!

The carriage wheels rumbled as the wagon jolted along the dirt road leading to the Land of Waterfalls.

Lin Hai lay atop the carriage canopy, gazing up at the sky.

For some reason, his heart suddenly clenched, and an inexplicable sorrow welled up inside him. Even the corners of his eyes grew damp.

"What's going on? Did something happen back in the village? I hope it isn't bad news. When I get back from this mission, I have to pester Master into giving me another Wood Release senjutsu baptism. That felt even better than a massage..."

Lin Hai rubbed his eyes and gradually fell asleep amid the rocking of the carriage.

Five days later, early morning.

They were less than a hundred li from the border of the Land of Waterfalls.

Danzo called Lin Hai and Torifu into a corner and lowered his voice. "Since we left the Land of Fire two days ago, Kagami has secretly dealt with seven ninja who were following us. Three chunin and four genin. Fortunately, they were all rogue ninja, not from Takigakure or Iwagakure."

"We're about to enter the heart of the Land of Waterfalls. At any moment, we may encounter inspections by regular forces. Kagami and I can handle ourselves in the shadows, but you and Torifu will be out in the open. Don't let anything slip."

The moment he finished speaking, a sharp eagle cry suddenly echoed from deep within the forest.

"Four long, two short!" Danzo's expression changed dramatically. "An jonin is leading them! There are more than ten enemies! Spread out and engage!"

With that, Danzo vanished in an instant using the Body Flicker Technique.

Torifu's expression was grave. "I need to guard the goods. Lin Hai, go support them. There's a jonin on the enemy side. Danzo and Kagami may not be able to handle it."

"I understand. I'll clear out the fodder and take some pressure off them." Lin Hai nodded, then flashed into the forest.

Deep within the dense woods.

Lin Hai used the Transformation Technique, turning himself into a piece of deadwood hanging upside down from a thick tree trunk.

His two-tomoe Sharingan slowly turned, and four ninja without forehead protectors soon entered his field of vision.

Their chakra levels were obvious at a glance: one chunin and three genin.

Lin Hai silently formed hand seals. This was a group-control genjutsu he had learned just two days ago.

"Genjutsu: Fox Mind Technique!"

The instant he completed the seals, Lin Hai leaped down from the canopy like a hunting cheetah, his eyes fixed directly on the four people below.

The movement in the tree alerted the enemies, and all four looked up at once.

The instant their gazes met, their eyes froze, and they all fell under the genjutsu.

"Kill the strongest one first!"

Short blade in hand, Lin Hai kicked off the trunk and shot toward the chunin's heart like an arrow loosed from a bow.

Just as the blade tip was about to pierce his skin, the chunin's eyes suddenly cleared, and his body turned into a broken log.

"Substitution Technique!"

Lin Hai's strike missed, and the ground beneath his feet instantly turned into a sticky swamp.

"Earth Release: Underworld Swamp!" the chunin's voice came from behind and to the side.

Lin Hai reacted swiftly. Before his feet could sink, he forcefully kicked off the tree trunk and launched himself into the air. The chunin rushed at him with a kunai.

Midair, Lin Hai formed seals with one hand.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

A blazing fireball forced the chunin back.

Using the recoil, Lin Hai descended toward the nearest genin.

With a flick of his wrist, several kunai flew toward the other two genin, while his short blade mercilessly sliced across the throat of the genin before him.

Blood sprayed out.

This was the first time Lin Hai had killed someone across both his lives.

But he had no time to feel nauseated or sick. Powerful enemies surrounded him, leaving no room for even the slightest distraction!

The chunin was forced onto the defensive, swinging his kunai to knock down the hidden weapons aimed at his companions while dispelling the genjutsu on the two genin.

Lin Hai used the Body Flicker Technique and landed steadily on a branch, watching the people below with icy eyes.

"A Konoha brat? Looks like you care quite a bit about this shipment too." The chunin sneered. "You think you can stop us alone?"

Lin Hai said nothing. There was still one chunin and two genin before him, and he had no idea where their main force was. He had to end this quickly!

"First, split the battlefield." Lin Hai reached into his ninja tool pouch and flung out more than a dozen shuriken, pinning them precisely into the tree trunks around the three men.

"Shuriken Manipulation Technique!"

Invisible steel wires instantly tightened, sealing off the three men's escape routes.

"Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Fire Technique!"

Lin Hai spat out flames. The fire rapidly spread along the steel wires, weaving into a fiery net in the blink of an eye and trapping the three men tightly within it.

"Don't panic! He wants to split us apart! Stay together and watch out for sneak attacks!" the chunin shouted.

Before his words had even faded, a massive fireball crashed toward him head-on. The chunin slammed both hands against the ground. "Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"

A thick stone wall rose from the ground, blocking the fireball.

Yet two shrill screams suddenly rang out from behind the wall.

The chunin spun around, his eyes nearly splitting apart.

Two Lin Hais had appeared behind the genin at some point, their short blades already driven through the genins' hearts!

In the instant the fireball had drawn their attention, Lin Hai's true body had taken a shadow clone and used the Body Flicker Technique to circle into their blind spot, completing the backstab!

Lin Hai dispelled the clone, straightened up, and pointed his bloodstained short blade at the chunin. "Now, it's just you and me."

"You arrogant brat! I'll grind you into meat paste!" The chunin roared in fury, rapidly forming hand seals. "Earth Release: Rock Pillar Spear!"

The tree trunk beneath Lin Hai's feet was instantly pierced by sharp stone pillars. He leaped onto another branch, his brow tightly furrowed.

This chunin is highly skilled in Earth Release. His defenses are too strong. If I drag this out until enemy reinforcements arrive, I'll be the one who dies. I have to break his shell!

Lin Hai's gaze swept over the steel wires around them that had not yet burned through, and a plan immediately formed in his mind.

"Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Fire Technique!" He spat flames once more.

The chunin sneered disdainfully. "That move won't work on me! Earth Release: Earth-Style Rampart!"

The ground beneath the chunin suddenly rose, forming a small earthen fortress that lifted him high into the air and perfectly avoided the fiery net on the ground.

Just as the chunin searched for Lin Hai from his elevated position, a terrifying suction force suddenly descended from above.

"Die! Wind Release: Gale Wind!"

Lin Hai fell from the sky. The violent whirlwind not only trapped the chunin but also swept up the flames below.

The wind fed the flames, instantly forming a towering fire tornado that completely swallowed the chunin!

"Done..."

Just as Lin Hai relaxed slightly, his Sharingan sharply caught a flicker of earth-yellow chakra within the firelight.

"He's not dead?!"

Lin Hai gripped his short blade tightly and kicked off the tree toward the earthen wall.

"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet!"

A savage mud dragon head suddenly emerged from the wall. Opening its jaws, it fired several iron-hard mud bullets in rapid succession.

The distance was too close! Lin Hai had no time to dodge and instinctively raised his left arm to shield his head.

Crack!

The crisp sound of his left arm breaking rang out, leaving it a bloody mess. Lin Hai endured the agonizing pain and used the Substitution Technique to return to the branch. He panted heavily, cold sweat streaming down his face, then immediately pulled out hemostatic ointment and applied it to the wound.

"Hahaha! Brat, you know nothing about the defensive power of Earth Release!" The chunin emerged from the flames, his entire body covered in a layer of hard rock armor. "You're dead!"

Lin Hai grimaced from the pain, yet let out a cold laugh. "You're the one who's dead. Petrified armor may protect you, but it also dulls your sense of touch. You can't even feel pain anymore. Did you forget that?"

The chunin froze and abruptly looked down.

Two explosive tags had somehow been stuck to his abdomen!

BOOM!!!

The violent blast flung the chunin into the air. Enduring the intense pain in his left arm, Lin Hai used the Body Flicker Technique to arrive before him, gripping his blade in his right hand and viciously driving it into the chunin's throat midair.

The battle was over.

Lin Hai collapsed weakly onto the ground, gasping for breath.

I was careless! I thought Earth Release users could only take a beating. I didn't expect their counterattacks to be this fierce.

If I hadn't thrown out shuriken with explosive tags attached during the chaos, I would have died today!

At that moment, a large hand suddenly landed on his shoulder without warning.

"Once a battle ends, you must immediately erase the traces and retreat. Staying where you are like this is asking to die."

Lin Hai's hairs stood on end in fright. Only after hearing the voice did he let out a long breath. "Captain Danzo... Sorry. I was careless and got hurt. I really don't have the strength to move."

Danzo looked at the corpses around them, surprise flashing through his eyes. "You took out four genin?"

"One chunin and three genin," Lin Hai corrected him.

Danzo's pupils shrank slightly. "Really?"

Lin Hai briefly described the battle. After hearing it, Danzo nodded and handed him a soldier pill. "This isn't a place to linger. Retreat first."

Lin Hai swallowed the soldier pill, recovering some of his strength, then quickly withdrew with Danzo.

Evening, camp.

The four exchanged intelligence. It turned out that the attackers had been regular forces from Iwagakure, fifteen people in total, led by two jonin.

Kagami had relied on the Sharingan to assassinate one jonin, then joined forces with Danzo to eliminate the other jonin, two chunin, and four genin.

Torifu, meanwhile, had wiped out a chunin squad near the merchant caravan.

Including the four Lin Hai had dealt with, the Iwagakure squad had been completely annihilated.

During the battle review, Danzo pointed out Lin Hai's many mistakes when fighting Earth Release ninja and taught him a great deal of practical experience on using Wind Release to counter Earth Release.

The meeting ended.

Because his left arm was broken, Lin Hai was excused from night watch and invited into the wealthy merchant's carriage to rest.

Lying on the soft cushions, Lin Hai closed his eyes.

So this is war... Today was my first time killing someone.

There was none of the panic he had imagined, only relief at surviving the disaster and an intense thirst for strength.

To protect my family, to survive in this chaotic world, I'll probably kill even more people... Fatigue washed over him like a tide, and Lin Hai fell into a deep sleep.