Armament Haki!

Kirigakure's "Demon Brothers"-Meizu and Gozu!

The two moved extremely fast, attacking from tricky angles.

Although Hinata had activated her Byakugan, she had almost no actual combat experience. Faced with this sudden, lethal attack, she could not quite react in time, her little face turning deathly pale!

Even Kurenai Yuhi and Kiba Inuzuka beside her were caught off guard by the ambush, seemingly a beat too late to come to her rescue!

But someone was faster than the Demon Brothers!

Clang!!!

A brilliant flash of steel suddenly blazed like lightning splitting the darkness!

At some point, Ye Chuan had drawn Wado Ichimonji from his waist. His figure appeared in front of Hinata as though he had teleported, and the famous sword in his hand delivered two consecutive slashes too fast for the naked eye to follow!

Slash! Slash!

Fast! Far too fast!

The two Kirigakure Chunin who had just burst out of the puddle did not even have time to react before those two precise, lethal flashes of steel cut them in half at the waist!

Blood and entrails mixed with muddy water, splattering across the ground.

Shock and disbelief still lingered on the two Kirigakure Chunin's faces as their bodies collapsed limply to the ground, utterly lifeless.

An instant kill!

In just a single instant, a boy who looked only twelve had cleanly and decisively killed two experienced Chunin assassins!

Deathly silence instantly fell over the scene.

Hinata's pure white Byakugan eyes widened, her small mouth slightly open. As she stared at the back of the boy standing in front of her, her mind went blank.

Kiba Inuzuka and Akamaru were dumbstruck as well. They had not even had time to launch an attack before the battle was over.

Kurenai Yuhi's pupils contracted slightly. She looked at the two neatly severed corpses on the ground, then at Ye Chuan calmly sheathing his sword, her eyes filled with shock.

She knew Ye Chuan was strong, but she had never expected him to be this strong!

Instantly killing two Chunin... was that really something a newly graduated Genin could do?!

Only their client, Tazuna, turned deathly pale, his eyes filled with fear.

"Kirigakure ninja... and Chunin, at that..."

Kurenai Yuhi examined the forehead protectors and equipment on the corpses, her expression instantly turning ice-cold.

"Mr. Tazuna! Didn't you say there was no threat from ninja?! What exactly is going on?! This isn't a C-rank mission at all!"

"I, I..."

Tazuna's eyes shifted evasively as he stammered, trying to make excuses.

"I don't know either! Maybe... maybe they made a mistake..."

"A mistake?" Kurenai Yuhi sneered.

"Two Chunin lying in ambush here, with a clear target-they were obviously after you! This is at least a B-rank mission!"

Facing the Jonin's fury, Tazuna broke out in a cold sweat, but he still seemed unwilling to tell the truth.

"Under regulations, if a client provides false information and the mission's rank is seriously misrepresented, we can terminate the mission immediately and take you back to Konoha to be dealt with!"

Hearing that he would be taken back, Tazuna immediately panicked. He was just about to say something when Ye Chuan interrupted him.

"Let's continue the mission, Sensei Kurenai."

His face remained expressionless, but Kurenai Yuhi keenly caught what seemed to be a barely perceptible hint of excitement deep in his eyes.

"Ye Chuan?" Kurenai Yuhi hesitated.

"They were just two Chunin. No big deal."

Ye Chuan spoke calmly, as though stating a fact.

"Besides, we've already started the mission. Giving up halfway isn't my style."

Kurenai Yuhi looked into Ye Chuan's calm eyes, remembering the judgment he had demonstrated during the bell test.

She hesitated for a few seconds before finally making her decision.

"All right."

"Mr. Tazuna, we've decided to continue escorting you for now."

"But!"

"Before we reach the Land of Waves, you must tell us everything, exactly as it happened!"

"If the danger exceeds what we can handle, Team 8 will retreat immediately. Understood?!"

Tazuna looked at the murderous female ninja before him, then at the boy beside her with his indifferent gaze, and nodded dejectedly.

The Land of Waves was an island nation surrounded by sea, its economy long underdeveloped because of its remote location.

In recent years, it had fallen under the control of a shipping company owner named Gato.

Using money and violence, Gato had monopolized the Land of Waves' maritime transport, plunging the entire nation's people into misery.

The bridge across the sea that Tazuna was building had become the only hope of saving the Land of Waves.

Gato had hired ninja to kill Tazuna, and those two Kirigakure Chunin had clearly only been the first wave of assassins.

Short on funds, Tazuna could not afford higher-ranking ninja at all and could only lie about the mission's rank.

After hearing Tazuna's account, Kurenai Yuhi's expression grew even grimmer.

The group set off again. The atmosphere remained tense, but their objective was much clearer.

As for Ye Chuan, his consciousness had already sunk into the system after the battle ended.

[Detected host's elimination of Kirigakure rogue Chunin x2...]

[Conducting a comprehensive assessment based on enemy strength and host performance...]

[Inheritance experience gained: +40 points!]

[Current inheritance progress: 48.9%]

Just as I thought! Ye Chuan felt a surge of joy.

Killing enemies really did grant experience, and just two Chunin had given him this much.

Forty experience points were equivalent to the daily mission experience he could earn through ten days of arduous training.

This was undoubtedly a faster path to strength than daily missions.

The group reached the coast, where Tazuna had arranged for a concealed little boat. The boatman was his friend, risking discovery by Gato to ferry them across the sea.

The small boat moved slowly through the thick morning mist. Everything around them was silent except for the sound of oars cutting through the water.

Hinata and Kiba Inuzuka remained on high alert, using their respective abilities to watch for activity around them.

Ye Chuan sat at the bow with his eyes closed. He appeared to be resting, but his mind was immersed in the battle that had just taken place.

Instantly killing two Chunin was not particularly difficult for him.

With the swordsmanship granted by his nearly 50% Hawkeye inheritance, ordinary Chunin stood no chance of reacting when he caught them off guard.

But the tangible sensation of cutting down an enemy's life with his sword had acted like some sort of catalyst, stirring something within him that had long lain dormant.

He had never been able to master Armament Haki before, always feeling that something was missing.

Now he understood. What he lacked was not physical conditioning, but a real battle.

Armament Haki was an extension of one's will, requiring an unstoppable force of spirit.

With a thought, Ye Chuan tried channeling that will into his right fist.

Hum!

An invisible ripple instantly enveloped his fist.

It worked... Ye Chuan felt a jolt.

Although it was still very rudimentary and covered only a small area, this was indeed Armament Haki.

The little boat finally reached the coast of the Land of Waves.

The group quietly went ashore and, led by their guide, passed through a dense forest toward Tazuna's home.

The mist around them seemed even thicker than it had been at sea, and visibility was poor.

Walking in the middle of the group, Ye Chuan suddenly frowned slightly.

Almost at the same moment-

"Someone's there!"

Hinata, who was responsible for scouting, abruptly stopped in her tracks, her face instantly turning pale.

"S-such powerful chakra! Straight ahead!"

Everyone immediately stopped and went on guard.

Kiba Inuzuka also bared his teeth and moved in front of Tazuna to protect him, while Akamaru let out a low whine toward the thick mist ahead.

Kurenai Yuhi drew a kunai and stepped in front of Hinata and Kiba, staring gravely ahead.

Thud... thud... thud...

Heavy footsteps came from within the dense mist.

The outline of a tall figure gradually became clear.

He carried an enormous cleaver on his shoulder, his face wrapped in bandages that left only a pair of cold, merciless eyes exposed.

The Demon of the Hidden Mist-Zabuza Momochi!