Watching the flames ahead gradually die out, Yechen went over to inspect the area. Nothing remained but ashes.
What a waste, he thought. A Special Jōnin should have carried plenty of good stuff, but the fire had burned it all away.
Yechen gazed into the distance. It was time to head back.
He did not leave immediately, though. Instead, he decided to find somewhere to recover his energy first.
His fight with Fujiwara Jicang had not seemed particularly long, but Yechen had used one ninjutsu after another. The final level 12 Fire Release, in particular, had consumed most of his energy.
An ordinary Chunin could never have sustained level 12 Fire Release, but Yechen's cultivation method was absurdly powerful, ten times as effective as an ordinary Chakra Refinement Method.
That was what made Yechen so terrifying.
About an hour passed, and a pale glow gradually appeared on the horizon.
Yechen hurried back toward the combat zone. Suddenly, he came across a four-man ninja squad on patrol.
The Jonin leading them casually threw a Kunai, planting it in the ground in Yechen's path.
"Who goes there?"
Yechen relaxed when he saw their clothing. They were a Konoha squad, though their faces were unfamiliar. Could they be reinforcements sent from headquarters?
That made sense. So much time had passed since the fighting began that reinforcements from headquarters should have arrived long ago.
With squads now providing support, it seemed the fighting was already over.
Yechen showed them his Forehead Protector. His entire body was covered in blood, and his clothes were in tatters, but his Forehead Protector remained intact.
"Konoha Ninja."
The squad leader did not lower his guard at the sight. He called out to Yechen.
"Which detachment are you from? Who is your teacher?"
He asked because Yechen was young and was probably one of the newly promoted Genin.
New Genin should have a teacher leading them. Once he had those details, he could verify Yechen's identity.
"Nakagawa Ichirō is my teacher."
Yechen explained everything in detail, including exactly why he had ended up here.
Lying would only cause more trouble.
When the Jonin leading the squad heard that Yechen had faced a Special Jōnin alone and survived, he was genuinely astonished.
Yechen had still concealed something. He only said he had escaped from the Special Jōnin, not that he had killed him.
Looking at the blood covering Yechen, the squad leader believed him to some extent, but he was not entirely convinced.
About an hour later, Yechen was brought to a nearby outpost. Only after Nakagawa Ichirō came to verify his identity was he cleared of suspicion.
On the way back, Yechen also learned the full story from Nakagawa.
From the start, he had felt that the Rock Ninja attack on their outpost made little sense. After hearing Nakagawa Ichirō's explanation, he finally understood.
Their outpost had not been the only one attacked last night. Several neighboring defensive sectors had also come under attack.
And the attackers had not just been Rock Ninja. Sand Ninja had taken part as well.
No one knew what agreement the two villages had reached, but they had joined forces to attack Konoha's headquarters in the Land of Rain.
The attack on their outpost had merely been a feint. The true target was headquarters.
When the outposts came under attack, headquarters would dispatch ninja squads to seek help. That was precisely what the enemy wanted.
They had only managed to salvage the situation because Orochimaru had immediately returned to headquarters and turned the tide, saving it.
"Teacher..."
Yechen looked at the empty space where Nakagawa Ichirō's left arm should have been. Clearly, he had lost it in last night's fighting. It showed just how brutal the battle had been-even Nakagawa Ichirō, a Jonin, had lost an arm.
That was not even the worst of it. Of the two Jonin and three Special Jōnin in Konoha's First Detachment last night, only Nakagawa Ichirō and one Special Jōnin had survived.
The detachment commander, Aoki Midorino, and the other two Special Jōnin had all died in battle.
Only two Chunin had survived as well.
Ito Miyuki and Abe Rō, on the other hand, had suffered only minor injuries. They had survived thanks to the First Squad arriving to rescue them.
Indeed, although headquarters had been unable to send help in time, the First Squad had been in the outpost camp. They had reached the battle in time to save the few remaining survivors.
"What matters is that you survived that Special Jōnin."
Nakagawa Ichirō had thought Yechen had already been killed.
Yechen was strong and could easily kill Chunin, but a Special Jōnin was different, with strength on an entirely different level. The fact that Yechen had survived meant his own strength had reached an unimaginable level.
Nakagawa Ichirō even found himself wondering, Don't tell me the kid actually killed him!
As soon as that thought arose, Nakagawa Ichirō felt he was getting carried away.
Back at the outpost, Yechen saw Ito Miyuki and Abe Rō. Seeing that they had suffered only minor injuries, he finally felt a weight lift from his heart.
They were so happy to see him that they were practically crying with joy. Ito Miyuki even threw herself straight into Yechen's arms and burst into tears.
Abe Rō was consumed with jealousy. I got hurt too! Why doesn't Miyuki come comfort me? Even a hug would be nice!
He did not read anything else into it. He was happy that Yechen had returned alive, too.
Now it was Yechen's turn to feel awkward. This was the first time a girl had clung to him so tightly, her tear-streaked face still lovely as she sobbed.
Gesturing toward the other two with his eyes, Nakagawa Ichirō grinned and headed back to his tent. He was tired, too.
Abe Rō sulked with a stiff expression. Eventually, Ito Miyuki finished crying and, perhaps sensing that something was off, finally let go of Yechen.
The three chatted briefly before Yechen found an excuse to slip away. The way Abe Rō kept looking at him was honestly a little unnerving.
Just as he entered his tent, Yechen stopped in his tracks. The system notification sounded.
Ding-dong! Congratulations, host, on completing the mission to protect the outpost. The kill objective was not completed. Reward: evolution points +100, incomplete manual for the A-rank ninjutsu Rasengan.
What the hell...!
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