In the forest.
Several figures moved like phantoms, stepping swiftly across tree branches and leaving the surrounding giant trees behind them.
Aburame Shibi's low voice sounded, carrying to the ears of the three people behind him.
"Lately, quite a few merchant caravans have been ambushed and plundered in the southern part of the Land of Fire. Our mission is to wipe out that band of bandits. Don't underestimate them; according to intelligence, there are Chunin among their ranks."
"That's secondary, though. The main point is that this group of bandits is quite cunning. The intel marks four different locations that could all be their hideouts, so we might split up later."
"Understood."
Hyuga Satoru spoke with a hint of resignation.
Judging by the nature of the mission, this was probably another ANBU assignment. Was the Hokage treating them like ANBU reserves?
However, as far as missions went, this one suited them quite well. Mountain bandits excelled at hiding, while both he and Aburame Shibi possessed decent investigative abilities. As for the payout, it was far more lucrative than ordinary missions.
Clearing out the bandits in that region would complete an A-rank mission, and the reward was quite generous.
How delightful.
Hyuga Satoru couldn't help smacking his lips.
After two days of traveling, the group arrived at the location specified in the intelligence.
Hyuga Satoru noticeably felt the humidity in the air increase significantly. Sweeping his gaze past the forest, he could see a blue ocean lying beyond that gray boundary.
Though they were still far apart, Hyuga Satoru had a vague feeling that he could hear the sound of the waves.
Having spent his entire past life living inland, this was the closest he had ever been to the ocean, leaving him feeling slightly melancholic.
Noticing that Hyuga Satoru was gazing at that expanse of ocean, Aburame Shibi also looked out into the distance and remarked with emotion.
"Every year, the countries on the other side of the sea ship a large volume of goods to the Land of Fire-ninja tools from the Land of Crafts and specialties from the Land of Sea. That's why merchant caravans travel this route so frequently."
"Only after we clear out those bandits will they be able to ship their goods in peace. This is what you hoped for as well, isn't it?"
Aburame Shibi looked toward Hyuga Satoru, wearing a hint of a cunning smile.
"Satoru, the number-one genius of the new generation, successor to the Will of Fire, whose dream is world peace."
Hyuga Satoru smiled with a helpless expression.
"Shibi-sensei, stop teasing me."
Sure enough, Aburame Shibi had heard those rumors floating around the village, and moreover, he still remembered the dream Satoru had casually mentioned when they first met.
"Satoru, don't be so modest. At least the title of number-one genius of the new generation is yours to keep." Uchiha Rin wore a look of envy.
Truth be told, when she saw Hyuga Satoru defeat Kakashi so decisively, her heart had been deeply shocked. After all, she had only just fought Kakashi herself and knew how troublesome he was.
"Rin, even you..."
Anko, unusually, did not join in on the topic, keeping her head lowered silently as she wondered about something.
"Then let's begin the mission." Aburame Shibi took a breath. "There are four locations marked in the intel. Given that the enemy's overall strength isn't high, splitting into groups will be more efficient."
Aburame Shibi looked at Hyuga Satoru.
"So Uchiha Rin and I will be in a group, and you and Anko will be in another, Satoru. Any objections?"
"No problem."
Hyuga Satoru nodded. Judging by the strength of the bandits described in the intelligence, he was more than enough on his own.
With the grouping settled, the two teams split up and went their separate ways.
Hyuga Satoru advanced toward the location specified in the intel. Before long, he spotted the target cave. Its position was quite concealed, hidden beneath the cover of dense bushes with only the entrance vaguely visible.
"Byakugan, activate!"
Through the vision of the Byakugan, the situation inside the cave was laid bare.
The interior space was much larger than it appeared from the outside. He could see quite a few ninja moving about in an orderly fashion with clear divisions of labor.
"Anko, there are nine bandits in total. Three of them are Chunin, two are Genin, and the remaining four don't even have chakra levels reaching the Genin rank."
"I'll leave the three Chunin and the Genin to you, and you can handle the rest. Sound good?"
"Anko?"
Receiving no reply, Hyuga Satoru turned his head in confusion.
He saw Anko with her head lowered and a listless expression, lost in thought.
"Anko?"
Hyuga Satoru nudged her shoulder.
"Oh!"
Anko immediately lifted her head.
"Did you hear what I just said?"
"Oh, got it." Her voice was still as listless as before, with a thoroughly dejected demeanor.
"Never mind." Hyuga Satoru shook his head helplessly. "You can rest here for now. I'll handle this bunch of bandits myself."
As his voice trailed off, he retrieved a scroll from his robe. The white smoke dispersed, and a slender ninja blade appeared in his hand.
Ninja Blade: Fang!
When dealing with this kind of clustered group of enemies, a ninja blade with such a long reach was exceptionally effective.
"Wait here for me; I'll be right back."
With that instruction, Hyuga Satoru gripped his ninja blade and charged into the cave.
"Enemy attack!"
"What the hell? A brat?"
"Have you got a death wish? Let this big guy teach you..."
The voice cut off abruptly. His pupils trembled in terror as a bloody gash spread from his forehead down to his chest, and his body fell backward limply.
Beside him, Hyuga Satoru curled his lip in annoyance.
"You talk way too much."
"Bastard! All of you, rush him together! Isn't he just a brat? I don't believe so many people can't take him down!"
"Kill him!"
In an instant, a massive flurry of shuriken and kunai surged toward Hyuga Satoru.
An incredible scene unfolded. The moment the shuriken drew close, as if gently brushed aside by a giant hand, they curved around his body.
"What's going on? Can this kid use sorcery?"
Hyuga Satoru abruptly lunged toward the nearest bandit. Fang swept through a tricky angle, slashing fiercely across the man's throat.
"Brat! Go to hell!"
Some unknown bandit suddenly ripped open a scroll. The white smoke dissipated, and a massive barrage of metal ninja tools shot toward Hyuga Satoru at explosive speed, with explosive tags hissing and smoking as they trailed behind.
A fierce glint flashed in Hyuga Satoru's eyes. He assumed a bizarre stance, using one foot as a pivot, and spun around with sudden, extreme velocity.
"Heaven Rotation-Yang!"
A high-speed spinning blue hemisphere abruptly enveloped his body. Those surging ninja tools, upon contact, froze briefly in midair before scattering outward in all directions at blinding speed.
In a mere instant, the violently flying metal ninja tools engulfed the entire interior of the cave.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The fiery explosions of the explosive tags lit up sequentially within the chaotic cave.
The bandit who had torn open the scroll never imagined, even in death, that his own hateful move would wipe out his entire squad.
Until a certain moment, the explosions subsided. As far as the eye could see, the scene was one of utter devastation, with not a single living bandit remaining.
Hyuga Satoru shrugged helplessly. "I was actually planning on leaving you guys with intact corpses."
Heaven Rotation-Yang was a secret technique he had developed based on Heaven Rotation. While executing Heaven Rotation, he used electromagnetic force to construct a repulsive magnetic field, instantly repelling approaching objects.
Heaven Rotation-Yin, developed at the same time, instead attracted surrounding objects, functioning similarly to Banshō Ten'in.
Having lingered in the shinobi world for so long, he was no longer as vulnerable as he had been after his first kill, when he had been tormented by insomnia.
A ninja was forever a profession accompanied by death.
Storing the items required as proof of mission completion inside a scroll, Hyuga Satoru left the cave and returned to Anko's location, where she still maintained that listless appearance.
"What is wrong with you, Anko?" he couldn't help asking.
Before you continue