I'll be the elder, what do you think?

Not long after Konoha's White Fang died, a figure like him was ostracized by the village for choosing to save his comrades, which led to a mission failure, and ultimately committed suicide.

Not to mention minor ninjas like them, father and son.

Moreover, that was Konoha.

Since Grass Village had arranged the mission, they could only go.

"Yue... I'll go alone, you..." Fuma Ryoma suddenly stopped.

Regardless of the village's arrangements, as a father, he couldn't let his son take risks.

"Let's rest a bit..."

However, as soon as he looked up at Yue's position, he heard a sound by his ear.

Then, his body immediately went limp and he fell unconscious.

Yue had knocked his father out.

He understood his father's personality very well. Since it was a certain death situation, Fuma Ryoma would rather risk his life to get his son out of danger.

Someone had to die to give the village an explanation.

Yue could somewhat guess Fuma Ryoma's thoughts.

With his death, he would exchange it for Yue's safety, thus closing the matter and preventing the higher-ups from pursuing it further.

Although the mission failure would cause some grumbling, as long as Yue could live, it would be good.

Little did he know, he didn't want Yue to die, and Yue wouldn't just watch him die for nothing.

The former's thoughts were a bit naive, because... as long as the village feared trouble from Rain Village, if they couldn't kill him this time, there would be a next time.

Yue took out the secret letter from his father's pocket, put it away, placed his father in a hidden spot, and then headed alone to the meeting point.

Fuma Ryoma's strength was very ordinary, and Yue didn't want him to take risks.

Since they, father and son, were sent, it meant that the opponent sent by the village to silence them was definitely not strong.

A Chunin, plus a newly graduated kid... the opponent would be at most Special Jonin level.

Considering the overall level of Grass Village...

Yue's current physical strength definitely surpassed ordinary Chunin. The improvement he gained after going to Bleach was not just in flesh and blood, but also in spirit and will, which also gave him an exaggerated amount of Chakra. Because Chakra itself is 'life energy', it is closely related to the individual. As for Ninjutsu and techniques, thanks to the training in Akatsuki during this period, they were also rich. Even without any powerful trump cards... they were definitely enough for situations that were not so critical.

What he lacked now were the details in his training, such as fine control and response speed of Chakra, flaws in hand seal techniques, and some micro-operations in actual combat. Some Ninjutsu were also not very proficient. The main reason was that although his body had been strengthened, it was limited by his age, and the development of his muscles and bones was not yet mature. Although he had obtained a powerful 'internal drive', he still needed extensive practical combat experience to get used to and develop it to fully display it.

After all, the combat styles of Bleach and Naruto were significantly different.

In the end, it was still a lack of combat, a lot of combat.

Swish, swish, swish.

Among the dense foliage, Yue flew like an arrow released from a bow.

He wasn't wearing a ninja uniform, still in the attire he wore when he left Akatsuki, carrying a backpack.

After a long time, an hour later.

Yue hooked a tree branch with one hand, using the inertia to swing his body to the ground.

He looked around, but saw no one.

This was a shallow part of a river, with bushes all around, and a steep cliff in front.

He took a few steps and frowned.

He held a long sword in his hand.

It was with this sword that he had ultimately protected the Akatsuki's stronghold and beheaded that rogue ninja.

Suddenly, his eyes darted, staring at the river surface.

In the next second, the river water slowly rose and condensed into a human form, revealing its appearance.

Water Release Jutsu, very similar to Water Clone Jutsu, but clearly more refined.

The person was not wearing a forehead protector, so their identity was unknown. They were supposed to be from Waterfall Village.

But there was only one person here.

Clearly, this was the person Yue was supposed to meet.

"You're quite clever, kid... you seem to have some talent in Chakra sensing."

This person had shoulder-length hair, a hooked nose, and a slightly sinister look.

"Weren't you supposed to be two people? Where's the other one?" the latter narrowed his eyes.

"You don't need to know..."

Yue's expression was blank as he took out the secret letter, "Anyway, handing this over to you means my mission is complete."

"Heh heh... Interesting, you don't even confirm my identity?"

"No need to confirm... you're not from Waterfall, and as for this letter..." Yue sneered, and then, he actually opened the letter and pulled out a blank piece of paper.

That's right, it was just a blank piece of paper with not a single word on it.

"Heh heh."

"No wonder you survived the last incident. It seems... Muramasa and the others dying probably has something to do with you. As for that Ryuga and that brat named Yoshitaka... we know exactly how much they're worth."

His words practically confirmed that he was from the village, one of Grass Seed's people.

"It doesn't matter... the person I want to kill is you anyway. As for your father, let him live a few more days. Killing him would be too easy."

With that, the man suddenly shouted, "Hya!"

He attacked abruptly, unleashing an unrestrained killing intent.

Powerful ninjas' killing intent felt almost tangible, capable of creating mental illusions.

For example, when Orochimaru left Konoha, Kakashi tried to stop him, believing he could fight Orochimaru. However, Orochimaru merely glanced at him, and Kakashi's head was 'blown off' by the killing intent. This made Kakashi realize how ridiculous he had been.

The same thing happened many times throughout the story.

Normally, high-level ninjas had absolute dominance over lower-level ninjas.

Of course, some special freaks were exceptions.

As the killing intent surged, the Binding Jutsu, which Yue was all too familiar with, was also unleashed.

A powerful controlling force instantly 'locked' his limbs.

"Special Jonin... what a joke."

It was incredibly easy for a Special Jonin to deal with a freshly graduated brat.

However, the man heard the youth's scoff.

"A spineless village, plus a bunch of pampered trash... At your level, don't even talk about the Five Great Shinobi Villages. Even in the Land of Rain, you'd be lucky to be a Chunin at best." Yue remained motionless, seemingly immobilized by the Binding Jutsu. "It seems... you've lived too comfortably."

But the next second, the long-haired man's features contorted.

His pupils dilated.

Disbelief, as if he had seen a ghost.

In his vision, the world instantly seemed to be dyed a blood-red hue.

His forehead was pierced by a sharp blade.

He died instantly.

As for the youth standing before him, he was enveloped in a black aura, like a raging inferno, constantly expanding within the crimson world, eventually transforming into a massive black hole. Only two white eyes, like blazing torches, were visible, like a colossal entity looking down on him.

The terrifying killing intent washed over him like waves, again and again.

This kid's killing intent... was several times, even more than ten times, stronger than his own!

It not only drove him insane but also disrupted the flow of chakra within his body.

Yue's bound hands and feet began to lift, as if breaking free from shackles, gradually regaining his mobility.

"You!"

The long-haired man snapped back to reality, his scalp tingling.

"Special Jonin... in a place like Grass Village, it seems anyone can become one. Ranks and titles are just names, and whether you achieve them depends on the word of those old guys, not on actual strength... How pathetic." Yue, while breaking free from the jutsu, said coldly.

"Since strength isn't the only standard, then... I wonder, can I also become an elder?"

Yue flashed a bloodthirsty smile at the man. "What do you think?"

"..."

The man was speechless and immediately changed his hand seals.

But Yue didn't give him a chance to make his next move.

Wind-natured chakra was infused into the long sword, making the weapon even sharper. Enhanced by his powerful physique, his speed became a swift, silver-white line, streaking through the air.

Then, Yue appeared behind the man.

He calmly sheathed his sword.

A single, fatal blow!

The corpse behind him maintained its hand seal posture. It hadn't even had the chance to dodge or counter before its head rolled into the shallow river.

The blood from the severed neck paused for a few seconds before gushing out.

"Let's start with you..."

"Suddenly, I feel like the Blood Mist Village of the Mist Village is quite suitable for Grass Village."

"A bunch of stubborn old dogs... it's time they all died."

Yue bent down, picked up the wet head, and muttered.

Then, without even glancing at the headless corpse, he stepped on the blood-stained water and returned the way he came.