Itoshiki's thoughts darted through the branches as he gathered chakra in his legs. With a light leap, he could propel himself over ten meters.
With about five kilometers remaining to the target location, Itoshiki calculated in his mind as he advanced towards the destination recorded in the mission scroll. Factoring in potential errors, he was very close to the target.
Itoshiki halted, stopping his rapid advance, transitioning from high speed to complete stillness in an instant.
From here on, he needed to conceal his presence and approach the target slowly. There was a high probability of Iwa-nin being present, so it was best not to alert them and wait until nightfall to act.
As time passed, a silent killing intent brewed in the quiet darkness. Itoshiki, who had been quietly timing things from a treetop, suddenly opened his eyes.
It was around three in the morning, the time when people are at their deepest sleep, making it the perfect opportunity for him to act.
Mission start!
Various insect noises echoed through the night, seeming especially loud in the silent camp of bandits.
The sentry holding a torch yawned leisurely, his empty gaze sweeping the dark surroundings. Only when he looked at his companions lurking in the shadows would his gaze linger slightly.
Itoshiki, observing from the shadows, took everything in. There were only two hidden sentries and two standing guard.
Based on the people entering and exiting during the day, he could deduce that this group of bandits numbered just over twenty. Including the Iwa-nin, there were no more than thirty people. The numbers weren't high, but a plan was still needed to eliminate them all.
As a gust of wind blew through, the surrounding branches began to sway, creating a "whooshing" sound that drowned out the already faint footsteps.
The hidden sentry in the bushes didn't even feel the pain before his mouth and nose were covered, and his neck was broken. He couldn't even make a sound to raise the alarm as darkness enveloped his vision.
Itoshiki supported the sentry's body, slowly and carefully lowering it to the ground. Then, silently, he moved towards the next sentry and repeated the process. From a distance, the two sentries would only appear to be lying on the ground, slacking off and sleeping.
After taking out the hidden sentries, Itoshiki moved into the camp at a speed that wouldn't be noticed, taking advantage of the guards' blind spots. Unbeknownst to them, clouds quietly obscured the moon, and the temperature dropped to its lowest point of the night.
"Things are about to get lively," Itoshiki mused, planting explosive tags in various corners of the camp while also checking for the possible location of the hidden Iwa-nin.
With the explosive tags in place, Itoshiki threw two kunai, killing the two standing guards.
At the same time, he detonated the explosive tags to kill the bandits still in their sleep, using the intense explosions to conceal himself.
"Boom, boom, boom..."
As the bodies of the two guards fell, a series of explosions erupted, burying the sleeping bandits.
Only two Iwa-nin reacted, using Earth Release ninjutsu to create mounds of earth to shield themselves, but the continuous explosions still severely injured their internal organs.
Itoshiki threw several more kunai, aiming directly at the earth mounds where the Iwa-nin were located. The kunai were burning with explosive tags, with the intention of forcing the Iwa-nin out of their earthen shelters.
"Boom!"
The kunai, wrapped in explosive tags, accurately struck the earth mounds. The deafening explosion sent debris flying, and the mounds were instantly shattered.
Two disheveled figures leaped out, the very same two Iwa-nin who had tried to defend themselves with Earth Release.
One of the Iwa-nin was clearly faster to react. At the moment of the explosion, he forcibly formed hand seals, and chakra surged around him. He forcefully used Wind Release: Great Breakthrough to scatter the shockwave and flames of the explosion, but even so, he was still forced to cough up blood, and his breath was erratic.
The other Iwa-nin was not so lucky. Although he barely managed to defend with Earth Release, the power of the explosion was simply too great.
He was directly blown away, crashing heavily to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood, making his already serious internal injuries even more fatal.
Itoshiki's eyes sharpened. Without the slightest hesitation, chakra erupted beneath his feet, and his figure shot towards the Iwa-nin who had been blown away like a phantom.
It's better to break one finger than injure all ten. Kill one first to prevent being attacked from both sides later.
The other Iwa-nin also saw Itoshiki's intention. Enduring the pain, he formed hand seals again, trying to use Wind Release to help his companion block Itoshiki's attack.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
A gale howled, sand and stones flew, and a whirlwind assaulted Itoshiki. However, Itoshiki's speed was even greater. He directly withstood the wind pressure, forcefully breaking through the obstruction of the Wind Release, appearing in front of the Iwa-nin.
"What?!"
The severely injured Iwa-nin was shocked. He never expected that Itoshiki could withstand his companion's Wind Release, and his speed was so fast.
Itoshiki wouldn't give him any chance to catch his breath, easily shattering his weak defense and plunging a kunai into his chest.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
After killing one person, Itoshiki quickly formed hand seals and spat out several fireballs, which flew like meteors towards the other Iwa-nin who was running towards them.
The Iwa-nin's pupils shrank, and he quickly formed hand seals to defend: "Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"
A thick wall of earth rose from the ground, blocking the Iwa-nin's path.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
The phoenix sage fireballs collided with the earth flow wall, making dull sounds. Flames splashed everywhere, but they could not penetrate the defense of the earth wall.
"Hmph, petty tricks!"
The Iwa-nin snorted coldly, about to counterattack, but suddenly felt a strong sense of crisis coming.
Itoshiki had appeared in front of the earth flow wall at some unknown time, his right fist clenched, chakra surging wildly, and a terrifying power was brewing.
"This... this is..."
The Iwa-nin widened his eyes in horror. He felt the terror of that power, but he no longer had time to escape.
"Super Strength!"
Itoshiki roared, his right fist falling like a meteor, high-intensity chakra wrapping his arm, slamming heavily on the earth flow wall.
"Crack!"
The earth flow wall instantly shattered, debris flying everywhere. A huge gap appeared in the earth wall, and the Iwa-nin's body was pierced through the chest like a broken doll, hanging limply on Itoshiki's arm, blood flowing freely.
Itoshiki casually withdrew his arm. Losing support, the Iwa-nin knelt weakly on the ground, one hand blankly covering the huge hole in his chest.
He struggled to get up, but found that the punch had not only pierced his body, but also shattered all the bones in his body.
"You... you..."
The Iwa-nin struggled to raise his head, looking at Itoshiki, his eyes full of unwillingness and despair.
He never imagined that he would be defeated by a Konoha Chunin, and so thoroughly.
Itoshiki slowly walked to the Iwa-nin, looking down at him, his eyes cold, without the slightest pity.
"It's over."
Itoshiki said lightly, slowly raising his right hand and gently pushing his head back. The Iwa-nin fell to the ground, his body twitching a few times, completely losing his vitality.
Completely killing the two Iwa-nin, Itoshiki breathed a sigh of relief. He looked around.
The once lively bandit camp had now become a ruin, with broken walls and corpses everywhere, and the air was filled with a strong smell of blood and burning.
He silently cleaned up the battlefield, separating the bodies of the Iwa-nin and the bandits, and then set fire to all the bodies of the bandits. As for the bodies of the Iwa-nin, he needed to bring them back to the Konoha camp as evidence.
After doing all this, Itoshiki did not immediately return to the Konoha camp, but found a hidden place nearby and began to recover his chakra and stamina.
He knew that although he had completed the mission, he had also consumed a lot of energy. He had to recover his state as soon as possible, and also observe the scene to ensure that there were no hidden enemies.
Nothing happened overnight. The next morning, Itoshiki returned to the Konoha camp with the bodies of the Iwa-nin.
...
and as usual guys ... Support me on my patreon Seasay for more than 30 chapters.... Giving 30% off the usual 5 dollar monthly patreonage after the first month, kindly visit, I need your support...