Chiba's Death

The sun blazed overhead as squads of ninja set out to kill the bandits and outlaws spotted nearby.

Some were wandering ninja who had seized the chance to gather followers. Others were strong men who had taken to the hills to steal money.

None posed a threat to the Konoha squads. They were little more than practice for the troops.

In the makeshift camp, Fugaku sat cross-legged, cultivating his Lightning Release Chakra.

The Land of Fire was one of the Five Great Nations. There was no way to wipe out every bandit in a day or two.

Elder Ize had been gravely wounded and had returned to the village to recover. Fugaku had divided the Land of Fire into eight regions, each covering a portion of its territory.

Command Headquarters had been established at the center of the region to coordinate the operation and respond to anything unexpected.

Each of the eight squads was responsible for one direction. Bandits had already been confirmed in some areas, while others still needed to be scouted.

Every squad had a signal for requesting aid. If trouble arose, they could fire it, and the squad at camp would rush to their aid.

Strands of Lightning Release Chakra formed inside Fugaku's body. After days of effort, his training was finally showing results.

The sun dipped westward. It was already afternoon when a signal flare suddenly lit up the sky.

A ninja assigned to watch the area rushed into Fugaku's tent. "Captain Fugaku, there's a distress signal to the southeast. It's from Shiranui Chiba's squad."

"We leave now. Move in to support them," Fugaku said, springing to his feet.

The call for help caught him off guard. In his experience, hunting bandits in the hills had always been practice for Konoha's genin. The missions were usually