Hunter and Prey

The climate of the Land of Fire was similar to that of the country Ryosuke had lived in during his previous life.

And because there were not so many real estate developers exploiting the land, forests and greenery covered fifty percent of the Land of Fire's territory, providing an excellent environment for ninja to fight and kill one another.

Within the dark, deep forest that sunlight barely reached.

Three figures darted swiftly between the trees, like agile wildcats.

"The three Hyūga left Tachibana Town only yesterday. Judging from their route, their next destination should be Chougenji Temple. Keep a close watch along the way so we do not miss those three."

The leader of the three spoke as he nimbly leaped between branches. "The clan head said this matter is extremely important. We must kill those three before they return to the village, take the relevant contract scrolls back to Kyoto to meet the Daimyo, and ruin the agreement they negotiated."

His voice was cold and quiet, yet it clearly reached the ears of his companions.

"But... this does not seem to be a mission issued by the clan head. Rather, it is..."

Faced with that cold voice, one of his two companions was about to speak.

But before he could finish, he was interrupted.

"I said the clan head said it, so the clan head said it!"

The man who had spoken first sharply rebuked his companion. "The relationship between our clan and the village has become increasingly tense."

"Clan Head Fugaku is indecisive and refuses to give the order, but those of us handling affairs cannot fail to build up our strength in advance and ease his burden."

"I believe the day of the coup, the day we take Konoha, is not far off. What we obtain from the Daimyo this time can increase our chances of success. We must carry this out perfectly, understood?"

"Yes!"

Their companions answered in unison, their hesitation gone.

They did not speak further. As they traveled, they carefully examined the forest around them.

Making sure they left no traces behind and overlooked none either.

But what they did not know was that their movements had long since been seen clearly by Ryosuke and the other two, who were lying prone atop a cliff outside the dense forest, watching from above.

Even the contents of their conversation had been detected by Seisai through Sensory Ninjutsu.

All three wore masks and had no Forehead Protectors or other markings to identify them, but there was no doubt that they were all ninja of the Uchiha Clan.

And judging from the way they moved, they were at least Chunin level.

Whether they were talking or searching along the way, they never slowed the flow of chakra through their bodies. Their chakra remained extremely stable throughout their movements, something only possible with considerable mastery over chakra control.

"My preliminary assessment is two Chunin and one Jonin. That is the highest estimate."

Based on what she had observed with the Byakugan, Seisai calmly analyzed the three men's strength. "But they may also be three Chunin. We will need to fight them to determine that."

After speaking, she turned to Ryosuke and waited for his response.

But Ryosuke did not answer immediately. He continued silently observing the three figures in the forest with the Byakugan as they rapidly approached.

It had not been easy to leave the village for a mission. If nothing happened at all, would that not turn it into a picnic?

Besides, sharpening his blade only when battle came was not his style.

Though he wanted a peaceful, secluded life devoted to improving his strength, combat was an indispensable element of this world.

Blindly avoiding it was not wisdom. It was cowardice.

Endless training and research would only leave someone with great power but no idea how best to use it against an enemy.

Therefore, before facing truly insurmountable danger, Ryosuke intended to accumulate practical combat experience through smaller problems.

He could not hide away forever, undergoing dull training, only to face the formidable enemies that would be difficult to confront in the future. That was unrealistic.

And an attack from the Uchiha was one possibility Ryosuke had anticipated.

The Hyūga and Uchiha had always been rivals. Thus, when Ryosuke heard that the Uchiha also wanted to raise their price with the Daimyo and seek greater benefits, he had expected there might be conflict.

The news that he, a main-family member of the Hyūga Clan, had left the village to visit the Daimyo was definitely no simple matter.

The Uchiha would surely soon guess that the Hyūga had the same intentions as them.

If nothing unexpected happened, they would send people to sabotage them. That was why Ryosuke had deliberately stayed in Kyoto City for several extra days, waiting for them to act.

And now, just as he had expected, they had come.

"We should retreat. Using Chunin as training opponents may cause deviations beyond the plan during the ambush."

Seeing that Ryosuke had not spoken, Souji and Seisai exchanged a glance and tried to persuade him. "Although we all know that Ryosuke-sama's strength has long surpassed that of a Genin, but..."

"Prepare to move."

Before they could finish, Ryosuke slowly rose and gave the order to ambush them.

The gentle smile he usually wore had faded into calmness.

Unlike the sparring with Hyuga Hiashi, where his life had been guaranteed, this was, strictly speaking, his first real battle and his first encounter with a fight where he might die.

Ryosuke needed to face all of it in the most relaxed state possible.

"My father should have instructed you that command is mine during the mission."

Rather than acting immediately, Ryosuke turned and looked calmly at the two of them. "Every decision I make has been judged against the greatest possible deviation."

"Even if there are two Jonin among them, both with their Three Tomoe Sharingan activated, we can handle them."

Confidence was a crucial element in any battle.

From Souji and Seisai's words, Ryosuke could already sense their fear and hesitation. It was a very bad mindset, one he needed to correct.

Facing their puzzled gazes, he continued, "The two of you should watch closely. These three Uchiha are moving carefully, but there is a faint murderous intent in their actions."

"They are cautious because they fear we will notice their tracks and have a chance to flee, not because they are being prudent about this assassination."

At that, Ryosuke paused, waiting for the two of them to observe before continuing. "Before coming here, they surely learned all they could about the two of you, as well as... the strength of a burden like me. They are very confident in this mission and do not think anything can go wrong."

"They have not even considered that, after discovering their movements, we might attempt an ambush and counterattack. They see themselves as hunters, and the possibility of becoming prey has not crossed their minds even once."

"We can completely take the initiative before they react, before they activate their Sharingan, and eliminate a Chunin—or even a Jonin—first!"