Hoshita Shūichi ignored the enemies flanking them and lunged forward, joining Uchiha Shisui in dispatching the foe he was engaged with. With a swift slash of his blade, he cut the enemy's throat.
Without hesitation, the two of them channeled chakra into their feet, pushing the Shunshin no Jutsu to its limits. Uchiha Shisui, naturally faster, overtook two enemies within seconds. The clashing of steel echoed through the forest as he engaged them.
Hoshita Shūichi, though slightly slower, intercepted two others. In his left hand, he gripped a kunai; in his right, the Ame-no-Murakumo Chakra Blade gleamed. Between his teeth, a senbon rested, ready to strike.
"Brat, scram!"
"Annoying little pest—die!"
The rogue shinobi, dressed in tattered garb, snarled as they charged at him, their blades flashing. Hoshita Shūichi met them head-on. In his heightened state of focus, their movements seemed sluggish.
Clang!
Thud!
"Ah! My eye!"
Three sounds erupted almost simultaneously. Hoshita Shūichi dodged one strike, blocked another with his kunai, and in the same motion, his chakra blade sliced open one enemy's throat. The senbon he spat out pierced the other's eye.
With a quick follow-up stab to ensure the kill, Hoshita Shūichi spun and dashed forward. As he ran, he swallowed another soldier pill and replaced the used senbon with a fresh one.
For most, consuming a soldier pill mid-battle would yield little immediate benefit. But Hoshita Shūichi's [Robust Constitution] trait doubled his recovery rate, granting him near-superhuman digestion.
Burning through stamina and chakra without restraint, he soon caught sight of the fleeing enemies. Ahead, Shinda Masaru and his group were stunned.
A kid? A Konoha genin, chasing us?
Though they weren't elite shinobi from a major village, they were seasoned mercenaries from the Land of Rain. The boys they faced looked freshly graduated.
Konoha prodigies? Shinda Masaru's thoughts flickered briefly before he barked orders. "Two of you, hold off that brat! The rest, move faster!"
Five shinobi acknowledged, and the two at the rear halted, turning to face Hoshita Shūichi.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Shuriken and kunai sliced through the air. Hoshita Shūichi deflected them effortlessly. As the distance closed, he spat his senbon like a dart.
"You think that'll work on me?!" The bearded enemy sneered, tilting his head to avoid the needle.
But Hoshita Shūichi's lips parted again—this time, a streak of fire erupted from his mouth.
Fire Release: Flame Bullet!
At point-blank range, with no hand seals or warning, the attack was impossible to evade. The fireball struck the man square in the face, blasting him backward before he could even scream.
The second enemy froze in shock, then seized the opportunity to close in, his blade arcing toward Hoshita Shūichi's neck.
This strike—honed over a decade—will finish him!
Yet, to Hoshita Shūichi, the slash crawled through the air. He dropped low, bracing his arms against the ground, and kicked upward with both legs. The blow landed squarely in the attacker's gut, sending him flying.
Hoshita Shūichi flipped back onto his feet and hurled his kunai.
The enemy, however, was no amateur. Gritting through the pain, he swatted the kunai aside mid-air, rolled with the impact, and sprang up—only to find Hoshita Shūichi already upon him.
The smaller boy barreled into his chest, the chakra blade plunging in and out in a rapid flurry before tearing upward in a vicious uppercut. The man crumpled, guts spilling.
Hoshita Shūichi kicked off the falling body, propelling himself forward without missing a beat. Blood—warm and metallic—splattered his face, but he had no time to wipe it away. He snatched another senbon with his teeth and drew a fresh kunai.
By then, Uchiha Shisui had caught up, overtaking him. When Hoshita Shūichi reached the scene, Shisui was already locked in combat with Shinda Masaru's group. Though outnumbered four to one, Shisui's Sharingan whirled as he parried and countered, but two fresh cuts marred his arms.
Hoshita Shūichi acted instantly. His kunai shot toward Shinda Masaru, forcing the leader to sidestep. Then, with his left hand, he flung three shuriken—each igniting mid-flight as he exhaled a stream of fire.
Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!
Shinda Masaru dodged the kunai effortlessly, but the other three scattered to avoid the flaming shuriken. Though none connected, the distraction gave Uchiha Shisui the opening he needed to break free.
Seeing this, Shinda Masaru retreated a step, reassessing. Hoshita Shūichi joined Shisui, panting. "You okay?"
"Just scratches," Shisui replied, eyes never leaving the enemies.
Shinda Masaru's gaze locked onto Hoshita Shūichi. This brat's stamina is flagging. Take him out first—no, kill them both!
Whoosh!
A shuriken flew at Hoshita Shūichi. "Now!" Shinda Masaru roared.
Three enemies charged. Uchiha Shisui's hands flew into seals—Shinda Masaru recognized the signs for a fire jutsu and mirrored him, slamming his sword into the ground to free his hands.
Water Release: Water Wall!
A curtain of water surged up, shielding the attackers. But Uchiha Shisui's hands slowed—a feint.
"Cheeky little—!" Shinda Masaru snarled, realizing he'd been tricked into wasting chakra. As he prepared to drop the barrier, Hoshita Shūichi struck.
Three projectiles flew in rapid succession: a shuriken, a grenade, and a kunai, spaced so closely they pierced the water wall with minimal slowdown.
"Clever, but pointless!" Shinda Masaru scoffed.
He kicked his sword up, intercepting the kunai and sending it spinning away. The shuriken, weakened by the water, fell short.
Hoshita Shūichi smirked. "Fall back!"
He and Uchiha Shisui dove behind a tree.
The grenade detonated mid-air.
The explosion's shockwave was secondary—the real danger was the hail of shrapnel. Shinda Masaru's head disintegrated instantly. The water wall collapsed, and the remaining three enemies barely had time to turn before the metal pellets shredded through them.
Blood and viscera painted the trees.
Silence.
Then, Uchiha Shisui let out a breath. "That was... risky."
Hoshita Shūichi wiped his blade clean. "Worked, didn't it?"
A distant shout echoed—Kurama Sanyō's voice. "Shūichi! Shisui! Over here!"
The two exchanged glances and sprinted toward their teammate. The mission wasn't over yet.
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