As the first student in the Shinjō to Hanabi the Chakra Enhanced Strength Technique, Hanabi certainly had every right to be proud.
The other three students also heard Shinsei's explanation, but their Chakra control was insufficient. Even though they knew how to do it, they couldn't meet the actual requirements.
Next, Xingchen explained the Ninjutsu he was going to teach them. The detailed explanation allowed these ninja students to quickly grasp the basic principles of performing Ninjutsu. All that was left was to keep practicing and deepen their muscle memory of the Ninjutsu.
The morning sun had just begun to shine on the earth when the four young ninjas gathered at the village entrance. Shinsei didn't choose to join them, but instead silently followed behind.
20km is not too far for ninjas, but it still takes a long time to travel. Without the burden of their client, Konohamaru and his group continued to move through the tall trees.
An hour later, they arrived at their mission objective, Tangerine Mountain. Tangerine Mountain is flanked by steep cliffs, with a narrow path leading deep into the mountains. From a distance, the entire mountain resembles a peeled orange, hence its name.
According to the villagers' intelligence, the bandits' stronghold was deep in the mountains. The ninjas, who had learned to Tree Climbing and Water Walking, could not be stopped by the steep terrain.
So, after discussing it, the four decided to bypass the bandits on lookout at the foot of the mountain and instead climb up the cliff on the side.
As Udon scrambled up the cliff using both hands and feet, he circled around to Konohamaru's side and whispered, "Boss, something feels off."
Konohamaru turned to him, frowning, and asked, "Did you sense something? Could it be because you're scared?"
"No, no, no! Boss, it's too quiet here."
A single sentence instantly reminded Konohamaru. According to the villagers, there were at least dozens of bandits in this stronghold, but they seemed to be making no moves.
They had been traveling since morning, and with the time spent discussing tactics, it was almost noon. They were about to enter the mountain stronghold, but hadn't heard any movement inside; this didn't seem like a bandit's den at all.
But since they were already there, they had to go up and see what was going on. Konohamaru gestured to his three companions and took the lead, climbing up the cliff.
He had just poked his head out of the cliff when suddenly, with a "whoosh," an arrow shot towards him. Konohamaru quickly ducked, dodging the sharp arrow. "We've been discovered!"
He pressed his hands down sharply, and his body landed on the cliff. Before him was a tall forest, with dozens of bandits dressed in various styles standing among them. About 20 of them were holding bows and arrows, constantly shooting at Konohamaru.
"Watch out! They're shooting arrows!" Konohamaru quickly warned his companions who hadn't yet climbed up. He sprinted sideways and hid behind a large tree.
"Bang bang bang bang," several arrows struck the large tree behind Konohamaru, their fletchings emitting a series of cicada-like sounds.
The other three ninjas quickly climbed the cliff and hid under a large tree. Hanabi Hyuga frowned and asked Konohamaru, who was hiding on the other side, "How were we discovered?"
Konohamaru was also puzzled. They were all students of the same teacher, and facing bandits, it was impossible for anyone to tip them off. So how did these bandits discover their whereabouts?
Moegi asked in a low voice, "Was our whereabouts accidentally discovered when we went up the mountain?"
Konohamaru thought for a moment and quickly rejected the idea, "Impossible. Even if we were discovered, they wouldn't have gathered here in such a short time. Climbing the cliff only takes two or three minutes; that's not enough time for these bandits to assemble."
Simply hiding like this isn't a solution. The bandits on the other side are firing arrows at us relentlessly, as if they're free. The big tree behind us will probably give way soon and be pierced through by these arrows one by one.
Hanabi Hyuga shouted, "I'm going to launch a surprise attack on them!"
Konohamaru didn't want to be looked down upon by a girl, so he quickly objected, "No, you cover me, I'll take care of them."
Hanabi didn't refuse. She suddenly sprang out from behind the tree, stomping her feet hard on the ground. The immense force kicked up a cloud of dust, and countless clods of earth crashed towards the bandits.
A large amount of mud came flying over, and the once orderly ranks instantly fell into chaos, with many bandits scrambling to avoid the rubble and mud.
At the same time, Konohamaru had also completed the hand seals behind the tree. He suddenly turned around, completed the last hand seal, and finally spat out fist-sized balls of flame.
Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Fire!
A fist-sized flame hurtled towards the bandits. Just as the Fire Style was about to strike the crowd, a sudden gust of wind blew the flames aside, causing them to fall to the ground and blast into craters the size of heads.
"They're my most capable men, you can't let them all be killed." A magnetic female voice came from the woods.
The four young ninjas then looked over and saw a woman in a white dress, holding an umbrella, slowly walking out of the woods.
This woman has extremely beautiful eyebrows and eyes and a slender figure; every move she makes exudes a mature charm.
Hanabi opened her Byakugan and was startled to see the abundant Chakra within the woman's body. She quickly relayed the woman's information to Konohamaru, who was standing nearby.
Konohamaru stepped forward and questioned the woman, "Who are you? Why are you helping these bandits?"
The woman covered her mouth with her slender hand and giggled, "Who am I? Can't you tell? I'm the boss here, the bandit leader you're talking about."
Konohamaru found it hard to believe. The woman before him possessed both stunning beauty and considerable strength, so why was she here as a bandit?
"We are ninjas from Konoha, entrusted by our lord to clear out the bandits here."
"Big sister, you're a ninja too. Why don't you join us in clearing out these bandits? I can introduce you to Konoha, how about that?"
"Haha, hahaha!" The woman clutched her slender waist, almost breathless with laughter. "This little brother, he's quite amusing. So you're acting on behalf of the lord here? But have you ever considered that I'm also one of the lord's men?"