Konoha Truly Was a Cradle of Geniuses

At the foot of Mount Batō, Orochimaru followed Miya and released several small snakes to scout the situation on the mountain.

Although he knew the mission posed no difficulty for Miya, what he wanted to see was how Miya performed in a life-or-death battle.

Miya might expose some weakness in the process!

"Hehe-"

On the lookout platform, Miya's eyes lit up the instant he saw the three main targets of the mission appear.

Here he comes, here he comes.

They're coming over with little looks of surprise.

Now that the targets had appeared, Miya planned to finish them off quickly and return to Konoha as soon as he completed the mission.

Akito Otsuka, Chunin of Iwagakure.

Tomoyuki Sugiyama, Chunin of Iwagakure.

Nao Yara, Chunin of Iwagakure.

Those three were the leaders of the bandits on Mount Batō, and they were carrying out a mission to infiltrate the Land of Fire and gather intelligence.

"That's a Shadow Clone. This brat..."

The three recognized at a glance that the Miya slaughtering his way through the crowd was a Shadow Clone. Akito Otsuka looked up and saw Miya's small figure, his voice grave.

"He's a genius. His strength is no less than ours."

Standing to Akito Otsuka's left, Tomoyuki Sugiyama also watched Miya with a grave expression as he spoke slowly.

They had to admit that Miya's talent was plain to see, considering he had mastered the B-rank Shadow Clone Technique at his age.

Besides, Miya could now create two Shadow Clones and have them slaughter their way across the field. No ordinary Genin could have done that.

To Akito Otsuka's right, Nao Yara looked at the bandits on the field. Half had fallen dead, and the rest were scared out of their wits. He clenched his fists, ready to fight at any moment.

"Konoha truly is a cradle of geniuses. Get ready to fight!"

"After we finish him off as quickly as possible..."

"Then I suggest we leave this place."

Hearing that, Akito Otsuka and Tomoyuki Sugiyama also prepared for battle. Tomoyuki Sugiyama, who specialized in swordsmanship, drew the Ninja Blade from his back.

"Agreed."

"Agreed."

In an instant, the eyes of all three filled with killing intent.

"Help! I don't want to die yet..."

"Devil! He's a devil."

"Run! Run!!!"

From his elevated position, Miya looked at the more than a hundred corpses on the ground. With a light leap, he landed just outside the area stained red with blood.

"Boss, help, help me, help..."

One of the bandits fleeing in panic turned and saw the three leaders standing behind him. He immediately cried out to Akito Otsuka for help.

But before he could get close,

Tomoyuki Sugiyama appeared at his side.

Swish.

One stroke took his head off. The panicked bandit died with his eyes open, the terror in them fading to a dull gray.

"Anyone who dares retreat will be killed without mercy."

"Get in there, all of you. He dies, you live."

Seeing Tomoyuki Sugiyama kill a man with his blade, Nao Yara also used the moment to put fear into the bandits.

Of course, what he said was a lie. Even if they managed to kill Miya, they still wouldn't live.

Before the three of them withdrew, every trace on Mount Batō would be destroyed and buried forever.

They would die if they advanced, and die if they retreated.

In the end, the remaining bandits chose to charge Miya. The three Iwa ninja, who had long held them in fear, were far more dangerous than Miya.

"Kill!"

"Kill!"

"Kill!"

To stay alive, they overcame their fear. Desire and courage really did always depend on each other.

Unfortunately, in that short time, fewer than fifty ordinary bandits remained in the stronghold. Miya's two Shadow Clones had gone on a killing spree.

A little while later, as the last ordinary bandit fell, only Miya and the three Iwa ninja remained on the field.

More than two hundred corpses lay scattered between them.

Bang, bang.

At the same time, Miya dispelled his Shadow Clones and said,

"You're from Iwagakure, aren't you?"

"If you don't want to die, tell me what you know."

Miya's tone was exceedingly arrogant and insolent, instantly conveying that he didn't take the three Iwa ninja seriously at all.

"Go! Kill him!"

Nao Yara called for battle and was the first to charge at Miya.

"All right."

As soon as Nao Yara made his move, Tomoyuki Sugiyama refused to fall behind. Gripping his Ninja Blade, he charged at Miya alongside Nao Yara, one attacking from each side.

"Be careful, you two."

Akito Otsuka remained behind the pair. As he warned Tomoyuki Sugiyama and Nao Yara to be careful, he began forming hand seals.

Swordsmanship, Taijutsu, and Ninjutsu.

Those were the fighting methods Tomoyuki Sugiyama, Nao Yara, and Akito Otsuka respectively specialized in.

"Ninja Art: Hardening Fist!"

"One Sword Style: Tiger Slash!"

Tomoyuki Sugiyama and Nao Yara opened with killing moves, clearly intent on ending the fight quickly.

Behind them, Akito Otsuka had also prepared to support them.

All they wanted now was to finish Miya off quickly, erase every trace, and move elsewhere. Having seen Miya kill more than two hundred people, they were certain he had expended considerable energy.

"You don't know when to accept an offer."

Seeing the two charge at him without answering, Miya immediately grew angry.

In his eyes, Tomoyuki Sugiyama and Nao Yara were already dead men.

One person alive was enough to interrogate for intelligence.

Atomic Rasengan.

Though Miya moved after them, he reached them first. Neither Tomoyuki Sugiyama nor Nao Yara could compare to his speed.

Miya appeared before Tomoyuki Sugiyama in an instant. Before Tomoyuki Sugiyama could bring his fist down, Miya pressed the basketball-sized Rasengan in his hand against his chest.

So you open with killing moves?

As if I can't do the same.

Boom.

Under Miya's Atomic Rasengan, Tomoyuki Sugiyama's chest was blasted apart in an instant, his back bulging as his body curled like a shrimp.

"Tomoyuki..."

Seeing Miya's attack hit Tomoyuki Sugiyama and leave him looking at least gravely wounded, Akito Otsuka couldn't help crying out in grief.

Just now, when Tomoyuki Sugiyama saw Miya's figure suddenly disappear, he immediately realized something was wrong.

But before he could call out a warning, Miya's attack had struck Tomoyuki Sugiyama.

Tomoyuki Sugiyama was sent flying, his internal organs pulverized and his breath gone.

He then crashed heavily into the pile of corpses.

Beside them, Nao Yara saw Miya send Tomoyuki Sugiyama flying with a single blow. He had originally held back three-tenths of his strength in his blade attack, but now he instantly turned and struck with everything he had, holding nothing back.

But what good was all his strength?

If he couldn't hit Miya, it was useless.

Miya easily dodged Nao Yara's slash. Not only that, he stepped forward and seized Nao Yara's wrist.

"If you're in such a hurry, I'll send you down to keep him company!"