Chapter 32: The True Shinobi World
Kitsuchi offered no consolation to Ishiro's team. This kind of thing is something you get used to after a while—he'd gone through the same experience himself. As a shinobi, you have to endure stretches of dullness on missions and keep refining yourself day by day.
Still, the ninja world doesn't always follow one's wishes. Though they'd traveled safely during the mission, something unexpected happened on the way home.
As they were returning, Kitsuchi, running point ahead of Team Five, was unsurprisingly the first to notice something off. He discovered signs of another group in the vicinity they were passing through.
When Kitsuchi called for a halt, Ishiro and the other two quickly got their heads in the game, tensing up and assuming a battle formation alongside Kitsuchi as they began looking for clues.
Not long after, the three students, per Kitsuchi's direction, started piecing together the situation.
Shouhara spoke first: "From the tracks here, it looks like two groups—one in front, the other in pursuit—both heading east. Probably a chase."
Tanaka nodded in agreement. "Yes, neither group is large. The first set has four people, three of them kids, likely a team much like us. The second set has three people, all adults."
Kitsuchi stayed silent, turning his gaze toward Ishiro.
Ishiro reasoned: "From the stride length and weight, it looks like the adult in the first group is injured—his footsteps are uneven, and the spacing is inconsistent. Meanwhile, the second group's three footprints never changed, so I'd bet they're the pursuers.
"Among those three, two have light steps, likely taijutsu types; and the heavier-footed one is probably ninjutsu-oriented, same as me.
"Seeing as we're in the heart of the Land of Earth, if there's an adult leading three kids, that's presumably a squad from our own village. My guess is, they got ambushed."
Kitsuchi nodded. "Excellent analysis. It aligns with mine. Also, these three pursuers are probably chūnin at best—if any were jōnin, their footsteps would be even lighter."
Ishiro agreed. "Yes, if there was a jōnin among them, those three kids would have no chance."
Nobody was surprised at Ishiro's performance. He'd always been at the top in theoretical skills, and these details played to his strengths.
Seeing that the group had grasped the situation, Kitsuchi said, "Now we need to decide whether to help them."
Shouhara blurted, "If they're comrades in trouble, of course we help."
Tanaka added, "Exactly. Plus, with you here, Kitsuchi-sensei, we've got an edge over three chūnin. Let's do it."
Ishiro chimed in: "Agreed—this is our own territory, so the chances of a mishap are lower. Still, to be safe, we ought to leave a marker in case we need more backup."
Kitsuchi nodded: "Sounds good. Ishiro, leave a sign. We'll move in combat formation. Let's go!"
Ishiro marked a conspicuous boulder with the Iwa forehead-protector emblem, then an arrow pointing east. The four then sped eastward in a tight group.
They traveled mostly in silence. For Ishiro's trio, this would be their first real confrontation, so they were both eager and anxious. Kitsuchi, meanwhile, was all vigilance—he trusted his own prowess but worried about protecting his rookie squad.
Following the footprints, they soon heard explosions—probably from explosive tags.
They didn't slow down. Instead, they hurried toward the source of the blasts. The Land of Earth had plenty of wide-open terrain. As they neared the combat zone, they saw it clearly: a rocky area littered with crags and boulders. Outside that rubble field stood three adult shinobi, apparently in the midst of an assault. The chase group was carefully dismantling traps. Their quarry must have holed up amid the stones, presumably weaving improvised defenses. Those traps had only delayed the attackers, failing to kill or even injure any.
The moment Team Five spotted the three enemies, the enemies spotted them in return.
After a beat of hesitation, the trio pressed on, determined to kill those holed up in the rubble before retreating. This wasn't about revenge—they simply needed to tie up loose ends. The defenders had learned too much about them, so letting them live might bring the entire Iwa intelligence network down on them eventually.
Kitsuchi also noticed their movement. He turned to Ishiro and said, "I'll go help them. You take charge of Team Five." Then he sprang forward at jōnin speed toward the rubble.
Ishiro responded affirmatively, promptly commanding Tanaka and Shouhara to shift formation. With Shouhara in front and Ishiro and Tanaka behind on either side, they advanced.
The three hostile shinobi saw Kitsuchi's acceleration and were startled. One of them muttered to the others, "That's a jōnin…we won't get away." Turning to the ninjutsu user among them, he said, "Mukajima, blow open the rubble. Force him to save those three inside."
As that man began forming seals, the first speaker said to the other taijutsu user, "Take out those three kids. We'll stall the jōnin."
Without a moment's hesitation, that second taijutsu specialist looped around Kitsuchi and dashed for Ishiro's group from the flank.
Because Ishiro and the others were far slower, Kitsuchi had left them behind in mere moments. Now that they were separated by a gap, the enemy's plan was to send one man to handle these "kids," hoping to exploit them as hostages.
Ishiro recognized that this was shaping up to be his first genuine fight since crossing over to this world. He decided at once:
"Slow down and turn—face him head-on!"
Shouhara, though typically at odds with Ishiro, instantly complied without complaint, trusting Ishiro's intelligence in critical moments.
As the distance shrank, Ishiro mentally sized up the foe. Kitsuchi had deduced these men were chūnin from their footprints. On the way, Ishiro himself had studied them carefully. That chasing formation told him the lead runner was a strong taijutsu type, the ninjutsu user was behind, and the third man's style probably resembled Tanaka's – swift and agile. Now that a single foe was approaching them, Ishiro concluded:
"He's that nimble taijutsu type, probably akin to Tanaka. Once we engage, Tanaka—stay near me. Don't reveal your speed at first. We can lure him in with a show of weakness, then strike hard."
Tanaka quietly agreed.
Ishiro added, "He's bound to try finishing us fast, fearing his teammates can't hold off Kitsuchi-sensei for long. That's our opening. As soon as we clash, throw shuriken any which way, so he underestimates us."
Before long, the enemy came within projectile range. Ishiro and the others reflexively flung a flurry of kunai, shuriken, and senbon with minimal coordination. As expected, the man easily evaded with quick footwork. "They truly are fresh genin," he thought. "I've killed enough like them since I fled my village. As long as I avoid that initial flurry, they'll panic and slip up."
Sure enough, the trio's formation appeared disordered once their first volley missed. The back two slowed down, seeming to form hand seals. The foe blinked. Could one of them be a ninjutsu prodigy? But the next second, he realized Ishiro and Tanaka's sealing speed was only about three seals per second—far too slow to threaten him from such close range.
Pressing his advantage, the foe sidestepped a few paces to block Shouhara from covering them, then hurled some kunai at the pair, forcing them to dodge. Tanaka's attempt to form seals was immediately interrupted, leaving only Ishiro continuing.
The enemy frowned but swiftly decided he couldn't afford even a half-complete ninjutsu. He had no time to drag it out. Sidestepping Shouhara, he inhaled deeply and used a Body Flicker to appear near Ishiro and Tanaka. Wielding a kunai, he slipped past Tanaka and lunged for Ishiro, whose eyes widened in apparent terror. "Got him," the man thought.
But that was the moment of his own downfall. A sharp pain speared his abdomen, forcing him to stop and leap to the side. Turning, he saw the female ninja—Tanaka—closing in at startling speed, a bloodied kunai in her hand.
"Hmph…they tricked me. Didn't realize she was a speed-type ninja like me, and she faked using ninjutsu. Dammit!"
Though wounded, he didn't retreat. He and his companions had no option but to fight to the death now.
Yet just then, a surge of dread made his heart clench. The boy's ninjutsu is ready!
Glancing at Ishiro, sure enough—he had finished forming seals, both hands pressed to the ground.
"How is he done this fast? He's using Earth Spear Gun—Wait, that can't be right…" The man's face twitched. Another one who was hiding his real skill?
In truth, Earth Spear Gun is widely known among ninjas, and the ways to defend against it are well-understood…
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