Target! The First Kekkei Genkai: Explosion Release!

"The squad assignments are not set in stone. They will be adjusted to varying degrees depending on specific missions later on, but for now, ensuring your maximum chance of survival is the top priority!"

Long Ye was not the only one dissatisfied with the arrangement.

This division had practically broken up most of the teams that had participated in the Chunin Ninja Exams.

Having grown accustomed to working with their teammates, they inevitably felt some resistance at being suddenly reassigned.

But with the Hokage right before them, no one dared openly oppose the arrangement.

A ninja's most important quality was to accept orders unconditionally.

Besides, this was merely a grouping, not an order to send them to their deaths. It was not that difficult to accept.

The Hokage's guard continued reading the assignments...

Yet after listening all the way through, Long Ye found it strange that he had not heard his own name.

Shisui Uchiha shared the same confusion.

After all the assignments had been announced, Hiruzen Sarutobi said, "There are still two people among you whose names have not been called: Long Ye and Shisui Uchiha."

"The reason I saved you two for last is because of your outstanding performances in the Chunin Ninja Exams. I have decided to entrust an important mission to the two of you."

The others were led out of the office. Someone would explain their specific missions to them, while only Long Ye and Shisui Uchiha remained behind.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the two of them and began explaining the mission details...

"Iwagakure has a demolition unit with extremely terrifying combat power. Just now, we received intelligence from a spy that one of its members has left the unit to act alone on a special mission. I am sending you two there. You must eliminate him."

Hiruzen Sarutobi had weathered countless storms. When he spoke of killing someone, there was not the slightest fluctuation in his emotions.

"Since Lord Hokage is sending the two of us together, he must be a Jonin," Shisui Uchiha said calmly.

"In Iwagakure, this man is nominally a Chunin. But in terms of strength, even ordinary Jonin are no match for him, because he possesses an extremely terrifying Kekkei Genkai."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice turned somewhat grave.

"Kekkei Genkai!!"

Long Ye's heart jolted violently.

Ever since he had successfully advanced to become a One-Star Devil and gained the Human Modification ability, he had been searching for Kekkei Genkai users.

But he could not easily make a move in Konoha.

On one hand, he was now a member of Konoha. Stealing the Kekkei Genkai of Konoha's ninja left him with some psychological reservations.

On the other hand, the risk was far too great. He knew full well that Konoha had the Anbu, and every move within the ninja village might be under their surveillance.

If he acted rashly and was discovered by the Anbu led by Danzo, this ability of his would be completely exposed. There was no need to think about how badly that would end for him.

But what he had not expected was that he now had a perfectly legitimate chance to assassinate a Kekkei Genkai user from Iwagakure.

Suppressing his excitement, he asked, "Lord Hokage, what kind of ability does this person's Kekkei Genkai possess?"

"That is exactly what I am about to tell you."

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a puff from his pipe, exhaled a smoke ring, and continued:

"This man is named Shū. His Kekkei Genkai is called Explosion Release. The characteristic of this Kekkei Genkai is that no matter what he strikes, it will produce a violent explosion..."

"Explosion Release... Deidara..."

Long Ye muttered in surprise.

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded. "That's right. He is Iwagakure's second person to possess Explosion Release after Deidara. His future potential is therefore extremely frightening, and he must be eliminated as soon as possible."

"When the two of you fight him, avoid close combat whenever possible. Every punch he lands on an object can trigger a violent explosion."

Long Ye and Shisui Uchiha nodded to show that they understood.

"This is the map sent by our spy. He is somewhere in this area. We do not yet know what mission he is carrying out, but he will definitely appear here. You must eliminate him at any cost."

Shisui Uchiha took the map, glanced over it, then handed it to Long Ye.

Long Ye gave it a quick look and could not understand it at all.

The map was extremely rough, as if it had been drawn in a state of panic.

Unless one was extremely familiar with the terrain of the Shinobi World, an ordinary person would be utterly lost. Long Ye was clearly one of them.

"Rest assured, Lord Hokage. This is the first mission I've ever undertaken. I will be doubly careful and do everything in my power to complete it," Long Ye vowed.

This was also the resolve he had made to himself.

Explosion Release was incredibly powerful. Long Ye had already regarded it as the first Kekkei Genkai he absolutely had to obtain after coming to this world.

After the two of them left, a person suddenly appeared where they had been standing.

"Hiruzen, aren't you being too careless by sending those two little brats to assassinate Shū, who possesses Explosion Release?"

The man's tone suggested that he did not have much respect for Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed long accustomed to his manner of speaking and said indifferently:

"These two boys are among the finest of their generation. There is no need to mention Shisui. His Body Flicker Technique and genjutsu are nearly unmatched. As for Long Ye..."

"Since he was able to defeat Shisui in the Chunin Ninja Exams, his potential cannot be underestimated either. War is cruel, but it is also the best way to temper the strong. It is necessary to use this opportunity to test him."

The man who had appeared said nothing more, but shifted the subject.

"Speaking of that Long Ye, I feel that the Kekkei Genkai he possesses is rather unusual. If he survives this mission, hand him over to my Anbu. I'll have someone study him."

Hiruzen Sarutobi said flatly, "If he returns after completing this mission, I have even more important tasks for him. We can discuss everything after the war ends. By the way, shouldn't your assassination division be taking action as well?"

"I have my own judgment on that. You need not concern yourself with it."

With a bang, the man turned into a wisp of smoke and vanished.

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned slightly.

The Anbu were indeed a sharp blade, but it was a double-edged one, and he did not wield it easily.

Long Ye and Shisui Uchiha made no preparations or packed any luggage. The moment they received the mission, they left the village.

Long Ye had originally planned to say goodbye to Rin first.

But he received word that Kakashi's Team Three had already left the ninja village.

The worry lingering in his heart still had not faded.

Although he knew that Rin's life-and-death crisis would occur in the later stages of the Third Shinobi World War, the wheels of history had already veered off course. What he knew could no longer serve as a reliable reference.

"For now, the most important thing is to increase my strength. Otherwise, everything else is empty talk."

"Once I obtain that Iwagakure ninja's Explosion Release, my strength will soar. Even ordinary Jonin will be no match for me. Only then will I have the qualifications and ability to protect the people around me..."

As he sped onward, Long Ye silently made up his mind.