"Mieko is a sensory ninja who also handles medical treatment. I specialize in Taijutsu too."
Aoki Tsuki waved the long sword in his hand.
The original owner of his body had used a sword since childhood, and after two months of hard practice, he had ground his swordsmanship to minor mastery.
The Body Flicker Technique he had mastered, his swordsmanship at minor mastery, and the Water Clone Technique for luring out enemies and scouting.
There was nothing watered down about his standing as a Chunin.
After learning his teammates' abilities, Aoki Tsuki immediately devised a tactical plan.
"Once we reach the destination, Mieko will sense the number and locations of the enemies. I'll infiltrate with a clone and respond according to the situation."
"Plan A: the clone succeeds and kills the target.
Plan B: the clone fails, and we engage them head-on. Ryōta and I will hold them off, Shinichi will look for a chance to kill them with hidden weapons, and Mieko will monitor from a distance and warn us of anything unexpected.
Plan C: the enemy has a powerful ninja beyond our ability to handle. We split up and run for our lives. Understood?"
"Understood!!"
"Good. Let's go over the code words."
As they traveled, Aoki Tsuki took into account that this was the rookies' first mission and deliberately controlled their pace, leaving them enough energy to face any sudden battle.
Bishui Town was a medium-sized town.
Waterways crisscrossed the area, and the town was close to the Land of Fire. Merchants and wandering ninja from various countries gathered there, making it look quite prosperous.
Amegakure had personnel stationed there: two Genin with pitiful fighting power. The mission had been issued based on the intelligence they submitted.
Aoki Tsuki entered the outpost alone first, checked in about the mission, and learned the basics about the town.
Shinichi and Ryōta disguised themselves as wandering ninja and entered the town to gather information, while Mieko stayed on watch around its outskirts.
At three in the afternoon, the group met again and pooled their information.
"Captain, we saw a few wandering samurai at the tavern. They seem to belong to a group called the Gokudo Group. They only arrived in town at noon today," Ryōta said.
Mieko shook her head. "I didn't find any ninja among the people entering or leaving town."
"I learned about two major forces in the area from the stationed personnel. One is the Gokudo Group Ryōta just mentioned.
"It's mainly made up of wandering samurai, and most of its members come from the Land of Iron. They still uphold samurai traditions and are extremely hostile toward ninja.
"The other is called the Araki Ronin, and it's mainly made up of wandering ninja. The preliminary suspicion is that they're the target's main customers."
Seeing that there was no other information, Aoki Tsuki said, "Get some rest. We move tonight."
Every so often, someone would trample the red line Amegakure had drawn for the sake of profit. The village's response was simple: kill them.
That would serve as a warning to other lawbreaking merchants.
Afterward, the squad found a place to eat soldier pills and replenish their strength.
They waited quietly for nightfall.
Ryōta and Shinichi, the two rookies, especially needed to prepare themselves mentally for battle. It would be trouble if they were too frightened to move at a critical moment.
That sort of thing was actually quite normal. They were still children, after all.
As night fell, the atmosphere grew oppressive.
The squad took up concealed positions near the target's residence.
Aoki Tsuki turned to look at Mieko. She understood and immediately made Hand Seals to scout the enemy.
According to Mieko, the sensory ninjutsu she used had been passed down in her family, developed through the efforts of several generations. It could roughly determine the distance and number of enemies.
It was enough for ordinary reconnaissance and sensing.
Aoki Tsuki had never asked how a ninjutsu involving such personal matters worked.
A moment later, Mieko opened her eyes.
"Judging by their Chakra signatures, there are at least five ninja in the target's residence. There are no ambushes nearby."
"Follow the plan. I'll go take a look first."
Aoki Tsuki made Hand Seals and created a water clone that crept toward the residence, while his original body led the rest of the squad around to surround it.
Inside the residence, Ogawa Kōhei was entertaining his new clients.
The Land of Rain was in the midst of internal strife, with countless forces of all sizes. They were all potential clients of his.
The client he was currently dealing with was the Gokudo Group.
Sitting across from him were Okamoto Hisao, the representative they had sent to negotiate, and his two subordinates.
"Hisao, this is our first deal, so I won't make a profit off you. I only want to make a friend. We'll have plenty of time for business in the future."
Ogawa Kōhei raised his cup in a gesture, then drained it in one gulp.
Okamoto Hisao glanced at the samples beside the table.
The katanas were indeed standard models from the Land of Iron, but one look showed they were equipment discarded by its army and reworked.
That was one thing, but the real problem was that they weren't cheap at all.
And there were the Kunai and Shuriken beside them: secondhand, resharpened weapons.
Ogawa Kōhei had been pushing these ninja weapons hard throughout the meal, but he was bound to be disappointed.
All a samurai needs is a sword.
Okamoto Hisao firmly believed that. He picked up his cup and was about to drink.
"Hm? Who's out there?!"
Years of fighting had made him extremely wary in unfamiliar surroundings. That was the key to his survival until now.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
Three Kunai burst through the window, flying straight at the group.
What made Okamoto Hisao's eyelids twitch even more was the Explosive Tag tied to each Kunai.
Three fiery red lights flared simultaneously inside the room.
"This is bad!"
Okamoto Hisao flipped over the table in front of him and rolled backward to the side.
Thud, thud, thud...
The Kunai struck the tabletop, and a violent explosion swept outward. Flames instantly engulfed the entire room.
Boom!!!
"Ah..."
Several screams rang out beside him.
Okamoto Hisao knew the two subordinates he had brought had gone to see the great god Amaterasu.
He turned and saw that Ogawa Kōhei was actually unharmed. At the critical moment, his two guards had shielded him beneath their bodies.
Both hired ninja had had their backs blown apart and clearly wouldn't survive.
They went that far?
The thought flashed through Okamoto Hisao's mind. Risking their lives for their employer like that was truly admirable, but he knew he couldn't do it himself.
"Kohei, we'll have plenty of time. Let's talk another day."
With those words, Okamoto Hisao left at once, leaving Ogawa Kōhei furious.
"Which bastard dared ruin my plans?!"
Ogawa Kōhei cursed, then said to his only remaining guard, "Kareki, kill him!"
Kareki nodded, his expression blank, and turned toward the direction of the attack.
What puzzled him was that the attacker should have burst through the door right after the explosion and caught them off guard.
Yet even now, the attacker had made no further move.
What Kareki didn't know was that the water clone, having inherited Aoki Tsuki's cautious mindset, wouldn't take risks either.
He couldn't keep waiting. If the enemy continued throwing Explosive Tags inside, the consequences would be unthinkable.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
Kareki flicked several Shuriken backhanded at the window to create an opening, but chose to rush out of the room through the front door himself.
A figure came charging straight at him.
"Hmph, you saw through my strategy?"
Clang, clang, clang...
Their Kunai collided, and they exchanged more than a dozen blows in an instant.
Judging by the force behind the blows, his opponent was no weaker than he was.
"Your skills aren't like a wandering ninja's. Which village are you from?!"
As soon as they clashed, Aoki Tsuki knew his opponent wasn't self-taught. His attacks were clean and efficient, following a distinct pattern.
That could only be gained through long training. Aoki Tsuki knew he couldn't defeat him.
"You think I won't know if you stay silent?"
Kareki remained silent, but increased his speed, eager to kill his opponent.
Aoki Tsuki defended as he observed his opponent's reactions. Bishui Town bordered the Land of Fire.
He was most likely a ninja from Konoha.
Konoha's favorite thing to do was disguise its ninja as those from other countries and stir up trouble everywhere.
Ultimately, it was because they weren't strong enough themselves, so they could only throw others into disorder and make everyone wary of one another, unable to unite.
"Die!"
During the fight, Kareki suddenly noticed Aoki Tsuki's moves slow down, leaving his center wide open.
He swiftly seized the opportunity and darted forward.
Pfft...
He drove the Kunai in his hand straight into Aoki Tsuki's heart.
"It's over," Kareki said coldly.
It was as though he were declaring his victory.
Aoki Tsuki gripped Kareki's arm tightly with both hands, his expression calm. "You should say that to yourself."
A familiar yellow light shone from Aoki Tsuki's chest, dazzlingly bright.
"Ah, this is..."
Kareki's pupils contracted. Without thinking, he kicked Aoki Tsuki's body.
Pfft...
A splash of water soaked his feet.
"It was the Water Clone Technique!!!"
Boom...
After the explosion, a figure was hurled through the air and lay motionless after landing.
Aoki Tsuki then arrived at the scene with Ryōta. Looking at the charred body from a distance, it seemed to be dead.
"Ryōta, go check."
"Yes!"
Ryōta glanced at Aoki Tsuki, who stood on guard where he was, and grew wary himself.
As he approached the body, he suddenly threw a Kunai at it.
Thud!
It sounded nothing like a Kunai piercing a body. It was more like it had struck a wooden stump.
Ryōta immediately jumped away and darted straight into the house.
Poof...
Kareki's body turned into a tree stump.
"The Substitution Technique?"
Aoki Tsuki murmured. He then realized someone had stabbed him in the lower back with a Kunai, but there was no panic on his face.
He raised a hand and pointed at the sky.
Kareki looked up in confusion and saw an umbrella floating above the courtyard.
"Ninja Art: Rain Shower Senbon."
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
Countless Senbon poured down like a torrential rain.
The enemy before him turned into a splash of water again. Without a doubt, it was another water clone.
It was a trap. The enemy had guessed he wasn't dead and deliberately let him launch a sneak attack, drawing him out so a companion could attack with hidden weapons.
Pfft, pfft, pfft...
Senbon pierced Kareki all over, and numbness spread rapidly through his body.
The Senbon were poisoned!
Pfft...
A long sword pierced his heart, its bloody tip emerging from his chest.
"You're dead this time, right?"
An icy voice came from behind him.
"Heh... what a cautious bunch of brats!"
Kareki spoke his last words in this world, then his body fell forward to the ground.