Renjiro took about 10 seconds to quickly scan the Genki Clan's secret Taijutsu technique, Hardened Flesh Technique, using Arkain's fast scan ability.
As soon as he closed the scroll, Arkain's voice rang in his mind:
[Beep! Content Saved! Added to Long-Term Task: Taijutsu Development… Starting Simulation… Analyzing Now.]
"Are you okay, Renjiro?" Maemon noticed Renjiro had gone quiet and asked, thinking something might be wrong.
Renjiro snapped out of it and replied: "Oh… it's nothing."
He looked at the boy's body lying still on the cold ground, then said in a serious and quiet voice: "Don't worry. I'll make sure this scroll gets back to the Genki Clan."
They gave the young man a quick burial under the forest trees. After that, Renjiro called the team together to talk about their next plan.
Renjiro put the book into a small pouch under his green vest, then looked at his teammates and spoke in a serious tone: "Our enemy is a Special Jonin—that makes this mission much harder and more dangerous. I understand the risk if we continue… but this is our first mission as Team Renjiro. You know better than anyone what it would mean if we gave up now, even knowing the enemy is stronger than us."
Then, with an encouraging smile, he added: "But look at the bright side—if we complete this mission and defeat the Special Jonin, it'll bring us great benefits. We might even get a special reward from Lord Hokage himself."
Maemon adjusted his glasses and said calmly: "Renjiro's right. And even if we ask the village for help, I don't think Lord Hokage will send anyone. The village is low on manpower—that's why we were sent here in the first place."
He was right. Konoha was facing a serious shortage of shinobi. Even though the village had recently won two major battles, they came with heavy losses. Most of their forces were now spread thin across the borders with the Land of Water and the Land of Wind.
Luckily, Minato—the Yellow Flash— had been sent to help keep things stable. But the truth was clear: Konoha had no extra troops. Renjiro's team was on their own.
Tsugami looked straight at Renjiro and said seriously: "Captain… this chance won't come again. That Special Jonin doesn't know we already killed his men. He's in the dark. If we wait too long, we'll lose our advantage."
"Hm..." Renjiro went quiet, deep in thought. He knew they were right. This was the perfect chance to strike.
The enemy was stronger, but he had no idea his subordinates were already dead. It was a dangerous situation—but also a rare chance they might never get again.
Although the enemy was a Special Jonin—not a full Jonin—he still possessed high-level skills in certain areas, their strength was no jock.
Attacking now—while the enemy was still in the dark—was their best shot. But even so, the risk was enormous.
The real reason Renjiro hesitated wasn't doubt in their strength—it was fear. Fear that his decision might send his team to their deaths. He knew danger was part of being a shinobi… but the thought of losing his friends because of a single command weighed heavily on him.
Being a captain might look impressive—especially for a civilian-born shinobi like Renjiro—but behind the title was a crushing burden. It wasn't just about completing the mission. It was about protecting his team, making choices that could mean life or death. And in that moment… he didn't know what choice to make.
Then, Arkain's cold voice echoed in Renjiro's mind, suddenly pulling him out of his thoughts:
[Beep! Simulation Complete! Use Case Matched! Connecting to Database… Matching… Match Found! Taijutsu Concept Identified: Tekkai (Iron Body)! Gathering Data… Initiating New Simulation…]
"Tekkai?" Renjiro blinked in confusion. He had never heard the term before: "What's going on?"
In the next moment, Arkain began streaming knowledge directly into his mind—and everything started to make sense.
The Hardened Flesh Technique was an ancient Taijutsu from the Warring Clans Era. It had once been praised for its defensive power, but over time, it had been discarded.
Why? Because although it was originally designed as a defensive technique, the Hardened Flesh Technique was outdated—plagued by flaws and weaknesses.
It did increase physical defense, but at a terrible cost: it reduced flexibility and slowed the user's movements. In battle, that kind of drawback was a death sentence.
But Arkain didn't stop there. It began breaking down and re-engineering the technique, synthesizing something entirely new. A next-generation defense technique—crafted from four powerful components:
The core principles of the Hardened Flesh Technique
Renjiro's unique Chakra Nature and Physical Biology
Insights from modern physiology and training science
And the foreign combat principle of Tekkai (Iron Body)—a technique from One Piece World, known for turning the body into living steel.
"How long until the simulation is complete?" Renjiro asked eagerly.
[Estimated time: 72 hours.]
"Three days?" Renjiro muttered, his expression darkened slightly.
"Renjiro! You damn bastard—stop just standing there like that!" Maemon snapped, nudging him with irritation:
"What's wrong with you? You completely zoned out."
Renjiro blinked, snapping back to reality. He said awkwardly: "Ah—sorry, I spaced out again."
Tsugami stepped forward, his voice tense: "We don't have time to waste. With every minute that passes, the enemy gets closer to realizing something's wrong."
"Right… we're out of time." Renjiro pushed aside his doubts and focused. He looked at Meri and the others, then let out a sigh and a half-smile.
"You guys really suck at hiding your thoughts. It's all over your faces." He shrugged: "Fine—decision made. We move forward."
"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Meri grinned, fired up.
None of them hesitated. After witnessing the enemy's cruelty, they couldn't just walk away—not without doing something about it.
And the odds weren't as bad as they seemed: four shinobi and a ninja hound against one man. Yes, he was a Special Jonin, but they had the element of surprise, they had teamwork, and above all—they had each other.
---
With the decision made, the team quickly moved into tactical planning.
They couldn't risk alerting the civilians in the camp. They might not be a threat, but their panic could throw everything into chaos.
Worse still, they had no intel on the enemy's abilities. What kind of ninja was this Special Jonin? Without knowing his specialty, planning a proper counter-strategy was impossible.
Their only option was clear: locate and isolate the target, wait until the entire squad was in position—then strike with everything they had, all at once.
After reviewing the plan several times and confirming there were no weak points, Renjiro gave the signal—a sharp hand gesture.
The infiltration began.
Moving like shadows through the trees toward the enemy camp, Renjiro spoke silently in his mind: "Arkain, can we speed up the simulation for the defensive technique?"
[Beep! Affirmative. If all other processes are suspended, full computational power can be redirected to accelerate this simulation.] Arkain answered.
"Do it. Suspend everything else." Renjiro's eyes narrowed, voice firm in thought: "Focus all power on the defensive technique. And one more thing…"
His gaze steeled as he whispered in his mind: "Rename it. From now on, this technique is called—Tekkai."
[Beep! New Command Accepted!
— Long-term Task: Ninjutsu Simulation — Paused
— Long-term Task: Genjutsu Simulation — Paused
— All Background Simulations Suspended
— Full Power Redirected to Active Task: Taijutsu > Tekkai
— New Estimated Completion Time: 30 Minutes]
"Half an hour, huh… That should be enough." Renjiro finally felt a sense of confidence about the coming attack. His mind was calm now, focused and ready.
With a new trump card in the making, Renjiro snapped back to the present, fully focused.
His team had already slipped past the camp's outer perimeter, moving like shadows.
They had split into two groups: Tsugami, Domaru, and Maemon formed one unit, while Renjiro and Meri made up the other.
The mission was clear: Locate the Special Jonin. Ambush him.
And if the chance presents itself—eliminate him in a single, decisive strike.
---
The architecture of the bandit stronghold left Renjiro genuinely baffled. After a moment of reflection, the only term that came to mind was 'post-modern absurdity'— and even that felt far too kind.
The so-called 'village' looked like it had been slapped together by a gang of half-drunk amateurs rather than seasoned criminals. Calling them 'bandits' almost felt insulting to real ones.
This place wasn't built to last—just barely enough to keep the rain off and give them a spot to pass out after a binge.
The layout was as crude as the construction: a long, narrow rectangle with buildings awkwardly aligned like a fake street in a child's drawing.
---
Renjiro and Meri moved in from the eastern edge, slipping between shadows,
while Maemon, Tsugami, and Domaru flanked in from the west—closing the trap.
By the time they arrived, night had fully fallen—the perfect cover for infiltration.
To Renjiro's relief, everything had gone smoother than expected.
These so-called 'bandits' had no sense of vigilance. The moment the sun dipped below the horizon, they started gathering to drink, sing, and make fools of themselves.
Not a single lookout in sight. Maybe they were too confident—relying on the presence of the Missing-nin to protect them. Whatever the reason, their carelessness was a gift.
Renjiro and Meri spotted a drunken thug wandering alone and moved in.
Before he could react, they grabbed him, dragged him into an abandoned shack, and silenced his slurred protests.
"Pour me another—hic—just one more…" The man mumbled, barely conscious.
Spshhh!
Renjiro splashed a bucket of cold water—grabbed from nearby—straight into the drunken man's face, snapping him awake instantly.
"Y-You—who are you people?!"
The man sputtered, eyes wide with panic as he stared at Renjiro and Meri, struggling to process the situation.
---
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