"Just up ahead!"
In the dense forest, Shin'un led several Konoha ninja through the treetops toward Yūichi's location.
Anxious about his teammate's safety, Shin'un hurried on with an expressionless face.
The Konoha ninja behind him, however, acted somewhat strangely, whispering among themselves from time to time and glancing at Shin'un as he led the way.
Finally, seemingly unable to hold back any longer, they pushed the task onto one another until a rugged-looking Konoha ninja spoke up.
"Hirakawa Shin'un?"
The sudden voice from behind made Shin'un turn his head.
"Hmm? Do you need something?"
Seeing the child ahead turn to look at him, the rugged-looking Konoha ninja asked with a smile:
"I remember you only graduated from the Ninja Academy this year, right?"
"You should be... ten this year?"
Shin'un found the question somewhat strange.
"Yes, it's been less than a month since I graduated from the Ninja Academy. I'm exactly ten this year. So?"
Seeing the confusion on Shin'un's face as he led the way, the Konoha ninja mentally arranged his words before asking tactfully:
"That Stone ninja-I mean the Stone ninja you killed-he was a Jonin, wasn't he?"
"That's right."
At Shin'un's affirmative reply, not only the rugged-looking ninja but all the others looked shocked.
They exchanged glances, all conveying the same thing.
Killing a Stone Jonin at ten years old...
Leading the way ahead, Shin'un felt puzzled. Hadn't these senior ninja behind him been rather stern?
He remembered that earlier, when Orochimaru had brought Shin'un's squad over and announced they would join the operation to clear out the Stone ninja outpost, these senior ninja had been aloof and barely responsive when Shin'un and his teammates spoke to them.
At that thought, Shin'un glanced back.
"Is something wrong, seniors?"
Hearing Shin'un call them seniors, the Konoha ninja hurriedly shook their heads and denied it with smiles.
"No, no, no. There's no need to call us seniors..."
"Exactly. We're all part of Konoha."
"Right, since when do ninja care about seniority?"
"With your talent, I'm sure you'll be promoted to Chunin or Jonin very soon..."
"..."
As the Konoha ninja each chimed in, Shin'un figured out what was happening after just a few remarks.
So these Konoha ninja had changed their attitude because he had killed an Iwagakure Jonin.
That was hardly surprising. The Shinobi World was a place that valued strength, after all.
Jonin were the true pillars of a ninja village, and every elite Jonin was qualified to become a Kage.
Under those circumstances, Shin'un's ability to kill a Jonin naturally made him worthy of being taken seriously.
Seeing the amazement in the eyes of the Konoha ninja behind him, Shin'un turned back and continued toward Yūichi's location.
His brows furrowed as he silently considered the matter.
I'm probably going to become famous... What a hassle...
Earlier, he had been preoccupied with his teammate and had not given it serious thought.
Only now, prompted by the Konoha ninja behind him, did Shin'un notice the repercussions this incident would have.
It was wartime, and countless people from the major ninja villages died or went missing every day. Even the death of a Jonin-level ninja was merely a relatively conspicuous loss among them.
Normally, it would not have been something people widely publicized, but a Jonin dying at his hands was a different matter.
A Stone Jonin had died at the hands of a ten-year-old child who had graduated from the Ninja Academy less than a month ago. What a conversation piece!
Presumably, people would call that Jonin who died at a child's hands a disgrace to Jonin while marveling at Shin'un's extraordinary talent as a ninja.
Before long, probably every Konoha ninja throughout the Land of Rain would know Shin'un's name.
At that point, as long as Shin'un's subsequent performance did not fall short, he would probably be hailed as a genius of Konoha's new generation and immediately appear on the desks of the major powers' intelligence agencies throughout the Shinobi World.
"What a... hassle..."
Shin'un once again voiced his exasperation at the hassle.
Although it was impossible, his original plan had been not to become famous in the Shinobi World this early. He had at least wanted to wait another decade or more.
By then, Shin'un would be in his twenties, his body fully developed, his chakra reserves grown to a certain level, and his Lightning Release honed to perfection through over a decade of training.
More importantly, at the Skill Editor's rate of materializing one skill every few years, Shin'un would probably have several skills at his disposal by then. Against the Shinobi World's publicly known powers, he could certainly be said to slay any god or Buddha that stood in his way.
Unfortunately, that was only something he could imagine now.
Boom!
A sudden, violent explosion from ahead jolted Shin'un out of his thoughts.
Raising his head, Shin'un looked toward the sound.
"That's where Yūichi is!"
Realizing this, Shin'un immediately accelerated, advancing with the Body Flicker Technique.
Behind him, the Konoha ninja followed his lead, drawing kunai and silently preparing for battle.
Whoosh!
Shin'un's Body Flicker Technique was faster than that of the Konoha ninja behind him. Leaping through the branches, he reached the source of the sound a few steps ahead of them.
Billows of black smoke covered the area, with flickers of fire visible deep within the thick smoke.
Clearly, the sound just now had most likely come from Yūichi's Fire Style.
Shin'un crouched on a branch, completely unable to see the details of Yūichi's battle with the Stone Chunin through the thick smoke.
Whoosh!
The Konoha ninja Shin'un had called over arrived, each taking a position in the nearby treetops and raising a kunai as they warily watched the depths of the thick smoke.
One of the Konoha ninja specialized in Wind Release. Seeing the dense black smoke blocking their view, he immediately formed hand seals.
"Wind Release: Blow!"
A gust of wind poured from that Konoha ninja's mouth, sweeping away all the thick smoke before them. Their view immediately cleared, gradually revealing the scene at the center of the smoke.
Two figures lay on the ground, and Shin'un spotted Yūichi's limp form at a glance.
At the sight of Yūichi, Shin'un hurriedly leaped down from the treetops in several bounds and reached his side.
"Yūichi!"
Seeing Yūichi lying on the ground with his eyes closed and his body covered in blood, Shin'un's heart jolted, and he feared something terrible had happened to him.
Fortunately, after examining him, Shin'un discovered that the boy was still breathing. Not only that, though he had many wounds, most were superficial and posed less danger than Shin'un's own broken ribs.
His unconsciousness might simply have been caused by exhaustion.
After letting out a long breath of relief, Shin'un took out a Military Rations Pill and fed it into Yūichi's mouth.
Then he woke him with a few slaps.
"Huh? Who's hitting me!"
"Huh! Shin'un? You're still alive!"
Perhaps from inhaling the thick smoke, Yūichi's voice was somewhat hoarse.
At Yūichi's words, Shin'un was rather speechless. The corner of his mouth twitched, but he finally replied:
"Sorry. My apologies for still being alive."
Seemingly realizing that his words had come out wrong, Yūichi hurriedly corrected himself.
"No... That's not what I meant."
"It's just that I heard that Iwagakure Chunin say your opponent was a Jonin."
As he spoke, Yūichi seemed to realize something and looked at Shin'un as though he had seen someone brushing their teeth with a toilet brush.
He asked incredulously:
"You took out that Jonin?"