Chapter 57: Sand Ninja's Objective
Shiden's caution proved correct. Just as she leaped back, a blade flashed through the exact spot she'd occupied moments earlier. Startled, she quickly retreated further and turned to see the attacker—it was the Root ninja she'd dismissed earlier, poisoned by the puppet master's toxin and assumed to have lost combat effectiveness.
Unexpectedly, this poisoned ninja was actually a Jonin, capable of such a swift, deadly attack despite his condition. Had he been at full strength, she likely wouldn't have stood a chance. It seemed the earlier conversations among the Root members were merely cover to disguise this Jonin's true strength. Fortunately, she hadn't underestimated them.
However, this desperate strike clearly took a heavy toll. The Root Jonin's complexion grew visibly darker, toxins spreading through his body.
By this time, Shironeko and Little Stone arrived, encircling the remaining Root members. Under Shiden's gesture, they held their positions without immediately attacking, forming a triangle around their enemies.
A tense stalemate lasted several seconds before Ishiro finally caught up. Assessing the situation instantly, Ishiro wasted no time, immediately unleashing his Water Pressure Line Jutsu at Shiden's instruction—targeting the poisoned Jonin.
Seeing the deadly power of Ishiro's technique, one of the uninjured Chunin quickly threw a kunai to disrupt Ishiro's attack, but Shiden effortlessly deflected it with her own projectile.
Ishiro launched three consecutive Water Pressure Lines, each narrowly dodged by the Jonin despite Shironeko and Little Stone's additional volleys of shuriken. However, the poison finally overwhelmed him. After another desperate dodge, he coughed up blackened blood, stumbled, and was struck directly through the thigh by Ishiro's fourth attack. Immobilized, he became an easy target for the following barrage of shuriken and kunai, collapsing dead instantly.
Ishiro swiftly fired another Water Pressure Line into the fallen Jonin's head for good measure. Only after confirming the enemy's death with his sensory jutsu did Shiden swiftly dispatch the final surviving Root ninja.
Without hesitation, the four members of Team 18 rapidly gathered spoils from the battlefield, collecting scrolls and sealing the two intact Root corpses. They avoided touching the heavily poisoned Jonin, and the body of the ninja who detonated explosive tags was unrecoverable.
Their cleanup concluded swiftly. Within moments, Team 18 disappeared from the area, sprinting toward the Land of Earth.
Hours passed quietly before the main Root force returned to find a grim scene awaiting them. The Root commander's expression darkened further at the disastrous outcome.
The pursuit hadn't gone smoothly. Though they'd decimated Sand Ninja ranks, four elite Jonin had managed to escape, even taking two Root operatives down with them. Losing five men to eliminate two enemies was acceptable to Danzo, but the inexplicable death of the four Root ninja left behind was another matter entirely. It meant another hidden enemy had interfered, manipulating the entire scenario. Recalling the suspicious intel they'd received earlier, he now realized they'd been used as pawns.
Fully aware Danzo wouldn't tolerate such failures, the Root commander understood his fate upon returning. Yet, he had no choice but to head back and report, already sensing his subordinates subtly distancing themselves from him.
Confirming that the unknown enemy had long vanished, Root withdrew without pursuit.
---
After the battle, Ishiro's team hurried non-stop for two days and nights until finally reaching the border of the Land of Earth, where they paused briefly to rest. Shiden contacted the border patrol Anbu, and after a short recovery, they returned to the village.
Back at the village, Team 18 fully reported their mission details and Ishiro's strategic insights, promptly catching the attention of the village's higher-ups.
In the Tsuchikage's office, Team 18—including Captain Shiden and even Owl—was thoroughly debriefed by Tsuchikage Ohnoki and several advisors.
Although they failed to retrieve the original spy's intel, their findings more than fulfilled the mission objectives. Coupled with the substantial intel gained from the recovered corpses, the village leadership decided this mission warranted an S-rank classification.
Unlike Shironeko and Little Stone, who were thrilled about their first S-rank mission completion, Ishiro was relatively indifferent, having previously earned considerable contributions through his sealing techniques.
After carefully reviewing Ishiro's report and reasoning, the higher-ups accepted his conclusions. However, any decisions regarding potential policy changes toward the Land of Rain remained beyond Ishiro's knowledge.
Tsuchikage Ohnoki then explained the Sand Ninja's motivations. Analysis of the retrieved corpses revealed the Sand team they'd previously killed at the border wasn't from Konoha after all, but Sand Ninja disguised as Konoha operatives. Sand Ninja had intended to use this false identity to bribe an Iwa Chunin, who had already been arrested. Their ambush this time aimed to investigate their previous team's disappearance.
Realizing the high-ranking officials were offering an explanation for the unexpected complications, Ishiro understood this was partly to reassure Team 18 that village intelligence hadn't failed them.
Privately, Ishiro suspected that the generous S-rank reward also included an element of consolation. Regardless, an S-rank mission provided at least 10,000 contribution points, a substantial sum.
---
Returning home after the meeting, Shiden informed Ishiro they'd received another ten-day break. After settling his promised payment with the merchant branch in the village, Ishiro spent the remaining money to commission another B-rank training mission—this time to master the Mind Disturbance Technique.
Given it was his first Yin-release ninjutsu, Ishiro remained cautious despite his exceptional spiritual energy. Hence, he requested assistance from an experienced Jonin specialist.
The training went exceptionally smoothly. Not only did Ishiro quickly master the technique, but due to his powerful spiritual energy, his Mind Disturbance Technique even surpassed his instructor's potency.
Impressed and inspired, the Jonin took the training further, helping Ishiro refine and simplify the hand seals dramatically. Eventually, through joint effort, they reduced it to just a single hand seal—a result even the experienced Jonin hadn't anticipated.
Though initially meant to guide a talented junior, the Jonin himself benefited greatly. As a Yin-release expert, simplifying this technique greatly boosted his own combat prowess.
Before leaving, he recommended Ishiro submit the simplified technique to the Ninjutsu Contribution Office for additional rewards. Yin-release techniques, unlike common ninjutsu, weren't well-developed in Iwa. A one-seal Mind Disturbance Technique would significantly enrich the village's collection.
Eagerly, Ishiro presented his simplified version. Unfortunately, despite initial excitement, the reward was modest—just 300 contribution points. Simplifying techniques greatly depended on personal talent and understanding, making it hard for others to replicate directly.
Though disappointed, Ishiro accepted the reward without complaint. While there, he also collected his share from the completed S-rank mission, receiving an additional 5,000 contribution points. Although still insufficient to exchange for higher-level ninjutsu, it was a useful reserve.
More importantly, the mission's cash reward relieved Ishiro's immediate financial difficulties, giving him a comfortable reprieve.
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