Teacher and Student Turn Against Each Other

Following the route provided by the bandits, the three of them easily made their way to the enemy's hideout.

Along the way, they frequently encountered targets in groups of two or three.

The gap between these ordinary people and ninja was especially obvious. Even freshly graduated brats from the Ninja Academy could handle them with ease.

But Yue barely made a move; Ryuga and Yoshitaka did most of the work.

In just over ten minutes, more than a dozen bandits had fallen at their hands... After being knocked unconscious, they were tied up in a designated spot.

With the mission progressing so smoothly, the two brats' confidence swelled, and they unconsciously let down their guard.

Eventually, they arrived before the cave where the bandit leader was located.

Using the Tracking Technique, they hid in the trees and observed the area first.

Watching from a certain distance, the three of them could see burning torches and several blurry silhouettes within the cave.

Ryuga began silently gesturing again, issuing the attack order and indicating that the three of them would launch a surprise attack from different directions. With the mission having progressed this far and Yue remaining uninvolved the entire time... Ryuga had begun to consciously see himself as the squad leader.

After making a few preparations, Ryuga and Yoshitaka instantly dashed out from the shadows and charged into the cave.

The moment they rushed in, they indeed saw five or six bandits sitting around a bonfire, scattered across different positions. Since they had struck suddenly, they needed to catch their opponents off guard. Thus, Yoshitaka and Ryuga did not hesitate in the slightest. Each pounced on an opponent, taking the advantage while the bandits stared in shock and had yet to rise.

Their movements were clean and efficient, but after knocking down their enemies... they discovered that the target assigned to Yue had not been attacked.

Because Yue had not moved with them at all.

"You're only getting here now... You're really slow."

At that moment, the bandit leader with the thick beard slowly rose to his feet.

As though he had not been surprised by their appearance at all.

"Attack!"

Ryuga shouted softly.

There was no time to worry about anything else. Three people remained; aside from Big Beard, who looked difficult to deal with, the other two should not have been a problem.

With that in mind, Ryuga and Yoshitaka attacked again, intending to use the same method to deal with everyone except the leader first.

But this time, they had miscalculated.

The two intended to use their excellent Taijutsu to attack at close range, but they had not expected the men standing beside the bandit leader to effortlessly block their punches and kicks, even drawing kunai to fight them. After only a few exchanges, Yoshitaka, who was slightly weaker, took a punch to the abdomen. His eyes bulged as he dropped to his knees.

"They're ninja!"

Ryuga's mind went blank.

Then, a short blade plunged into his body.

White smoke suddenly rose as Ryuga used the Substitution Technique.

As a wooden log fell to the ground, the displaced Ryuga finally realized something was wrong and turned to flee the cave.

His face was filled with panic.

But Big Beard, standing behind him, grinned and formed hand seals with both hands.

In an instant, Ryuga's true body could no longer move.

He remained frozen in place... with one foot raised.

"This is..." Ryuga's pupils contracted.

The enemy's identity was confirmed. They really were ninja.

Most of the jutsu they learned at the Ninja Academy were E-rank support techniques, such as the Three Basic Jutsu, the Tracking Technique, the Escape Technique, as well as some low-level Taijutsu and hidden weapon techniques. But the immobilization jutsu being used on him was different. Even if it was merely a low-rank D-rank jutsu, it still required at least the skill of a Genin to use.

Big Beard walked over and roughly grabbed a lock of Ryuga's white hair. "Heh... He really is from that clan. No mistake."

"Where's Teacher Masada... Teacher Masada."

Ryuga had no idea what had changed. He only knew that he and Yoshitaka were in danger.

His eyes trembled as he called Teacher Masada's name in his heart.

Hadn't Teacher Masada said that he would save them if their lives were truly in danger?

Where was he?

"But... there were supposed to be three of them. Why is one missing?"

"That little brat... He sure ran fast."

Big Beard stared at the forest outside the cave and ordered the two people beside him, "Don't let him get away."

"Yes."

After speaking, the two grass ninja exchanged glances and vanished from the cave.

Meanwhile, Yue was rapidly leaping through the forest, racing down the mountain with the help of the branches.

His premonition had come true.

Almost the instant Yoshitaka and Ryuga had failed, he had turned and run without hesitation.

Good thing I stayed on guard, Yue thought.

But he was not safe yet. The enemy would certainly pursue him.

And then there was...

Teacher Masada.

There was no doubt about it. Masada and the others were definitely working together.

With a thought, Yue stopped atop a tree trunk and no longer moved.

Because someone had appeared on the ground ahead, standing there and blocking his path.

"Yue... what's wrong?"

It was Teacher Masada.

The man approached with a concerned expression and asked in a nervous tone, "Did something happen?"

Hearing that, Yue jumped down from the tree.

Looking terrified, he said, "Teacher Masada... Ryuga and Yoshitaka were captured by the bandits."

"What?"

Masada looked "shocked." "I only left for a little while, and I never expected you to run into danger. I thought you had already found the enemy's hideout, so to make it easier for you to carry out the mission, I went ahead and cleared out any bandits that might be nearby, so none would slip through the net."

"Logically speaking, with the strength of this group of bandits, there should have been no problem for the three of you. How did this happen?"

"They aren't bandits. They're ninja in disguise, and they're very strong... They may be enemy ninja who infiltrated our territory. I don't know what they're planning."

Like a helpless child, Yue quickly approached his teacher.

"Enemy ninja? Damn it, I was careless!"

Masada's expression changed slightly. "This is a serious matter. We need to notify the village immediately."

"Here, I'll escort you out safely first."

As he watched Yue approach, Masada sneered inwardly.

Still too green. No matter how outstanding he usually seemed at the Ninja Academy, he had no actual combat experience and had never set foot on a battlefield... The moment something really happened, he panicked.

After Yue came close, a hint of darkness flashed through Masada's eyes.

"He's just a little brat with a bit of cleverness..."

He reached out and placed a hand on Yue's shoulder, pretending to comfort him. "Don't worry, with..."

Pfft.

Before he could finish speaking, Masada's body suddenly trembled.

He lowered his head and discovered that Yue, who had looked frightened just moments ago, had already regained his composure. With an icy expression, he had plunged the kunai in his hand into Masada's chest without warning.

"You!!"

Masada's eyes widened in shock.

He immediately spat out a mouthful of blood.

Staggering backward.

"You were going to say, 'Don't worry... with me here'?"

Yue's expression felt unfamiliar to Masada.

"Dear teacher... it's precisely because you're here that I should be worried."

"At a time like this, you still have the mood and time to waste calming me down instead of fleeing quickly or swiftly making a plan to respond. Really... it makes no sense at all, and you completely lack even the most basic qualities of a ninja."

Yue gave his assessment.

"You noticed long ago!"

Masada steadied himself and pulled the kunai from his chest. His once-gentle features immediately twisted into a ferocious mask.

"Of course... This trap you arranged was riddled with holes. It could only fool idiots like Ryuga and Yoshitaka."

Yue had expected that Masada would not die.

The man was a Chunin, after all. The instant he felt pain, he would react. It was unlikely that a sneak attack could kill him in one blow.

Wounding him was already quite good.

As Yue spoke, he raised a hand toward the backpack on his back and unfurled a scroll between his fingers.

As a cloud of smoke appeared, a special ninja tool materialized in his hand.

"The troublesome part now is that he's stalled me..."

Yue took a stance, gathered his breath, focused his mind, and entered a combat state.

With two whooshes, the two grass ninja appeared behind him.

If Masada had not appeared, Yue would have had a chance to escape.

"Yo... what's going on?"

One of the grass ninja whistled at the sight. "You really are pathetic... You actually got hurt by a little brat."

"Is this teacher and student turning against each other?"

The other did not rush to attack either, instead teasing him.

After all, in their eyes, Yue was already fish on the chopping block.

It was just that this situation surprised them.

"Hmph, I was merely careless for a moment."

Mocked by his two companions, Masada felt both humiliated and enraged. He took a deep breath and gradually calmed down.

Then he looked at Yue across from him. "Yue... We've known each other for so long, yet I never knew you could act."

"Ever since you entered the Ninja Academy, I've been the one teaching you... I treated you so well, and you still had the heart to attack me. Honestly, as your teacher... I'm a little hurt."

"Since we've torn off the mask now... I'll say it plainly. Out of the entire class, you're the one I hate the most!"

Masada suddenly roared.

His current appearance completely overturned the image he had maintained at the Ninja Academy.

Seeing Masada get angry, one of the grass ninja in the distance hurriedly reminded him, "Teach him a lesson if you want, but don't kill him."

"I know."

Masada replied coldly.

His gaze fixed brutally on Yue.

"Come, my dear student... Let me show you what happens when you anger your teacher..."

As he spoke, Masada instantly pounced like a tiger released from its cage.

Thankfully... the other two don't seem to intend to make a move for now.

Yue's body tensed as he secretly felt relieved.