That afternoon, Aoki Tsuki went to the mission office and accepted the B-Rank Mission to wipe them out.
Takeda Town.
It was said to be the Araki Ronin's main gathering place. The bamboo forests covering the surrounding hills provided them with excellent hiding places.
The town was not far from Bishui Town, but it was noticeably more dilapidated.
Stray dogs chased one another and fought over food in the streets. Homeless children leaned against walls, watching passersby with numb expressions.
The squad split into two groups.
Aoki Tsuki and Ryōta entered the town disguised as ronin, while Shinichi and Mieko scouted its outskirts.
They bought bread, rice balls, and other food, gathered some information from a few homeless children, then spent a while sitting in a tavern.
They learned that most wandering ninja from outside the area went to a dōjō in town to make a living.
It was the Araki Dōjō. Its members operated under the name of the Araki Ronin, accepting missions and fighting for territory.
When the squad regrouped, Mieko and Shinichi had discovered something new.
"Captain, there's an abandoned shrine west of town. There are signs of ninja activity around it, and quite a few ninja are stationed inside."
Aoki Tsuki realized that the shrine was probably their real hideout.
"What do you think?"
Mieko immediately realized he was giving her a chance to prove herself, and that it would also be included in the mission report later.
She thought for a moment and said, "We should split into two groups again. Ryōta, Shinichi, and I will attack the dōjō and draw the people at the shrine over.
"Captain, you're the strongest, so you can use the opportunity to sneak into the shrine and see what's going on."
"Mm, for now, that seems to be our only option. What else?"
"Uh... That's all I can think of." Mieko stuck out her tongue and spoke sheepishly.
Usually, she didn't have to worry about any of this. She only had to use her sensory abilities to locate the enemy, and she rarely even took part in combat.
Now that she was actually being asked to make a decision, she grew nervous and her mind went blank.
"I've stressed this over and over: safety first. Always prepare an escape route before anything else," Aoki Tsuki reminded her, frustrated by her failure to learn.
Before thinking of advancing, first think of retreating.
Mieko hurriedly patted her ninja tool pouch. "Right, right, right! I almost forgot. I made a point of preparing several special smoke bombs before we left. We can use them if things get critical."
"Good. If something unexpected happens and you can't carry on, run at once. We can figure out how to make up for it later," Aoki Tsuki stressed.
The group discussed the details of their plan.
Then Aoki Tsuki waved his hand. "That's the plan, then. Move out."
"Ah...! Shouldn't we wait until night?" Mieko was confused again.
"Are you silly? This town is tiny. A few unfamiliar faces like us already stand out, and we've been wandering all over the place. They're not blind.
"We have to strike quickly and catch them off guard before they come up with a response."
Bishui Town was a transportation hub, so people coming and going didn't attract attention. Takeda Town, on the other hand, was the Araki Ronin's hideout. It was remote, and the people living there were all familiar faces.
The situations were completely different.
"Understood!!!" the three answered in unison.
Mieko felt she had learned something new. As expected of our captain.
A short while later.
Boom, boom, boom...
A series of explosions utterly shattered the town's long-standing peace.
People looked toward the Araki Dōjō in the center of town, and many ronin raced toward it, brimming with killing intent.
That was where they earned their living. They had to stand up and fight.
Even those inside the shrine outside town could hear the sounds coming from it.
"My lord, someone's attacking the dōjō. Could the Gokudo Group's samurai have declared war on us?"
"Those samurai have had some friction with us, but not enough to come here looking for trouble. The only possibility is that Amegakure has sent people."
"Do you mean the recent cleanup operation initiated by that lord?" The subordinate looked alarmed.
They were merely ronin who had banded together to survive. To them, Amegakure was like the heavens.
"That should be it. Take some men to support them. I'll handle things here."
"Yes."
Soon, a group of armed men ran toward the dōjō.
Aoki Tsuki emerged from the bamboo forest nearby. He knew they would leave someone behind to guard the place, so a fight was unavoidable.
Sure enough, when he entered the shrine's main hall, he saw a man standing there, watching him calmly.
"I've been waiting for you for a long time. You caused such a commotion at the dōjō to draw the others over there, didn't you?"
The man glanced at the Amegakure Forehead Protector hanging at Aoki Tsuki's waist.
He slowly extended a finger, and a tiny insect flew down and settled on his fingernail.
Aoki Tsuki narrowed his eyes.
He had guessed that people from Konoha might be secretly backing the Araki Ronin, but he hadn't expected them to station a member of the Aburame Clan here.
Could this be a supply depot?
Konoha Ninja had come a long way to stir up trouble around the Land of Rain. They surely had a permanent base, and their supplies needed regular replenishment.
"So you're from the Aburame Clan. Looks like you discovered us long ago."
"That's right. Not a single move you've made since entering town has escaped my eyes. What I didn't expect was for you to act so decisively.
"That was a little unexpected. I'll just have to kill you."
Aburame Shinobu thrust one hand forward. Countless Kikaichū swarmed in from every direction, enveloping Aoki Tsuki.
"Secret Technique: Insect Sphere!"
Kikaichū attacked by devouring a ninja's Chakra.
Through this technique, the user could clearly sense the target's condition.
"Hm? Something's wrong. It's a clone." Aburame Shinobu hurriedly gave an order. "Scatter!"
"Too late. Explode!"
Without knowing the enemy's capabilities, Aoki Tsuki wouldn't risk his real body.
Having a clone carry an Explosive Tag was standard practice.
Boom...
Flames instantly engulfed every living thing within several meters. They were especially effective against the little Chakra insects.
The death cries of countless insects reached Aburame Shinobu's inner world, infuriating him.
"You bastard! I'll have my insects drain you dry."
Pfft...
A long blade pierced Aburame Shinobu from behind.
"I'm afraid you won't get the chance."
Aoki Tsuki's real body had used the explosion as cover to sneak behind him and launch a surprise attack.
Aburame Shinobu's lips curled. "You're celebrating too soon."
His body suddenly turned into a mass of insects, which whirled around and lunged at Aoki Tsuki from point-blank range.
"So it was an Insect Clone. I was wondering why it didn't feel right."
There was no reason he should be the only one who could use the Clone Technique. He quickly leaped through a window, smashing it open and landing outside.
As he moved, his hands rapidly formed Hand Seals.
Buzz...
The Kikaichū followed close behind like missiles with built-in tracking systems.
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
Splash...
Under Aoki Tsuki's control, a trumpet-shaped torrent of water crashed into the Kikaichū head-on and swept them inside.
Once the water hit the ground, to keep the Kikaichū from flying up again,
he immediately followed up with an Explosive Tag.
Boom...
Only two exchanges into the fight, Aoki Tsuki had already used two Explosive Tags.
"This guy..."
Having come outside, Aburame Shinobu stared at the scene. From the very beginning, the enemy had adopted a strategy of steadily reducing the number of his Kikaichū.
It made him feel threatened.
"I'm curious. How many insects do you have left?"
Aoki Tsuki moved his hands, each gap between his fingers holding a Shuriken, and hurled them at Aburame Shinobu.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
"Hmph. More than you think."
Aburame Shinobu waved his hand again. Countless Kikaichū immediately flew out of the shrine, densely packed as they formed a protective wall in front of him.
"Secret Technique: Insect Wall!"
They intercepted every Shuriken.
Now it was Aoki Tsuki's turn to be surprised. "What's going on? Where did all those insects come from?"
There was limited space in the body's meridians; they couldn't possibly hold so many insects. His opponent wasn't carrying a jar or anything else to hold them, either.
Soon, he noticed Aburame Shinobu gasping for breath. He had evidently used up a great deal of Chakra.
"I see. You're stimulating the insects with Chakra to make them reproduce rapidly?"
Body Flicker Technique.
Aoki Tsuki repeatedly used the Body Flicker Technique to evade the pursuing insects.
He couldn't use Fire Release, and sword techniques were ineffective against the insects, so he could only rely on Explosive Tags.
But Aburame Shinobu was now on guard, making it difficult for him to succeed again. At the slightest movement, his opponent hurriedly scattered the insects.
He gave him no opportunity at all.
Meanwhile, Mieko, Ryōta, and Shinichi had also reached a critical point.
The rogue ninja were generally weak, but there were too many of them.
They had thought a dozen or so would be a lot, but after the explosions went off, twenty or thirty people had converged from around town, with some ordinary thugs mixed in.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
After a rain of Senbon killed a wave of enemies, Shinichi's face was pale.
He had thought that increasing the number of mechanical umbrellas to three would be enough to handle most battles, but he hadn't expected it to be so far from enough.
"Miss Mieko, what do we do now?"
"No choice. We'll fight them up close."
Mieko was under tremendous pressure. B-Rank Missions really aren't easy. I wonder how the captain is doing.
"Understood."
Ryōta and Shinichi simultaneously took out several special smoke bombs they had prepared and threw them into the area. Black smoke instantly filled the entire dōjō.
"Ah...! Damn it, I can't see!"
"I can't see either!"
"Cough, cough... This smoke is poisonous! Cough, cough..."
The rogue ninja fell into a panic, slashing blindly around them.
Whether they killed enemies or their own people, only heaven knew.
Mieko and the other two put on the gas masks they had prepared in advance. These were one of Amegakure's signature ninja tools.
They might have been ugly, but they were very practical.
Mieko formed Hand Seals and activated her Sensory Ninjutsu, using Chakra to pinpoint the remaining rogue ninja alive in the dōjō.
"Follow me. Once we kill these rogue ninja, the rest will scatter on their own."
Under Mieko's lead, the three picked off targets one by one, successfully killing some of the rogue ninja before the smoke completely dispersed.
The smoke had been mixed with anesthetic and some poison.
Once dispersed over a wide area, its effect on ninja wasn't that strong. It was mainly used to confuse and frighten the enemy.
Quite a few people were scared out of their wits. They felt their way out of the dōjō and fled.
Loyalty and courage meant nothing to them.
They were wandering ninja to begin with. At worst, they could join another faction and carry on.
That was also why Amegakure had never managed to wipe them out. When the enemy advanced, they retreated; when the enemy retreated, they advanced. They could gather or disperse at will.
By this point, the three squad members had used up a great deal of Chakra.
Mieko said, "We finally took care of them. Let's hurry and regroup with the captain."