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Aki watched the carriage roll along the dirt road toward the Land of Waterfalls. Out of nowhere, her heart suddenly ached, and she felt like crying for no reason.
"I really hope nothing bad happens... Once this mission is over, I'm going straight to beg sensei for another special training session. That Sage Art technique he used was seriously amazing. Every time he casts a jutsu on me, I feel like my whole body gets recharged."
Lying on top of the carriage canopy, Aki slowly drifted off to sleep.
Five Days Later – Early Morning
Danzo stood in a secluded corner with Aki and Choza Torifu. He spoke seriously, "Since we left the Land of Fire, in just two days, Kagami has already taken out seven enemy shinobi. Three were chunin, the rest were genin. The good news is, they were all rogue ninja—not affiliated with the Waterfall or Stone villages. Still, I called you two here to tighten security. We're about to enter the heart of the Land of Waterfalls. There's a high chance we'll run into their patrols. Kagami and I can move in the shadows without issue, but you and Torifu need to be extra careful. Don't expose yourselves."
Just as he finished speaking, an eagle's cry rang out from the forest—four long, two short. Danzo's expression turned cold.
"Elite ninja incoming. More than ten of them. Split up!" he ordered, disappearing in a flash with a Body Flicker.
Choza turned to Aki, "I need to guard the supplies. Go back them up—there are jonin with them, and they might be overwhelmed."
Aki nodded. "Got it. I'll try to take down some genin to free them up to deal with the big guys."
They both vanished into the trees.
Aki used the Transformation Jutsu to hide in a tall tree. Activating her two-tomoe Sharingan, she scanned the area. Four ninja appeared below her—no visible headbands or markings.
Judging by their chakra, she confirmed it was one chunin and three genin.
Time to strike.
She quickly formed hand seals, activating the genjutsu she'd just learned: "Heart of the Fox Technique." It was a multi-target illusion. The moment she finished the seals, she dropped silently from the tree, her Sharingan spinning.
The sudden movement caught the attention of the ninja below—too late. All four looked up and locked eyes with her. Bam—trapped in the illusion.
With a short blade in hand, Aki leapt down toward the chunin. Take out the strongest first.
Just as her blade was about to pierce him, the chunin moved—Substitution Jutsu! Her blade sank into a wooden log.
He landed nearby, rapidly forming seals. "Earth Style: Quicksand Swamp!" The ground around her instantly turned to mush.
Aki launched herself into the air, planted her feet against a tree trunk, and blasted off toward him again. The chunin charged with a kunai, and their weapons clashed. Mid-air, Aki formed another seal: "Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!" She spat out a massive fireball, then spun midair toward the nearest genin.
Her assassination attempt had failed, so she switched tactics—take out the small fry first. She hurled kunai at two genin and drove her short blade deep into the third.
The chunin couldn't save them all in time. He dodged the fireball, but could only block the kunai and release the genjutsu from the remaining two genin.
This was Aki's first kill—but there was no time to dwell on it. With enemies still surrounding her, she used Body Flicker to retreat into the trees.
Only now did both sides really size each other up.
The chunin spoke up, "Didn't expect to run into a Leaf ninja out here. Seems Konoha's pretty interested in the Land of Waterfalls. Mind telling me your name?"
Aki stayed silent, scanning the battlefield. One chunin, two genin left. More than ten enemy ninja total. No idea how many jonin. I need to end this fast.
Seeing that they'd switched to a defensive triangle formation, she thought, Gotta split them up first.
She pulled out several shuriken and flung them around the trio's positions. Then came "Manipulated Shuriken Technique," and the wires wrapped around nearby branches. She followed up with "Fire Style: Phoenix Fire Jutsu!"
Flames surged along the wires—an instant inferno around the enemies.
The chunin shouted, "Don't panic! He's trying to separate us! Stay close—watch for ambushes!"
Too late—a massive fireball suddenly exploded in front of him. He quickly formed a seal: "Earth Style: Earth Wall!" A mud wall rose to shield him.
But then—a scream behind him.
He spun around just in time to see a Leaf genin slicing down his two comrades. When did he—?! The Aki he'd been watching was a clone!
The real Aki had used Shadow Clone Jutsu to make three copies. One cast the fireball to keep the chunin distracted, while Aki and two clones zipped behind enemy lines and killed the genin instantly.
Standing tall, Aki faced the stunned chunin. "Just you and me now."
Furious, the chunin formed another seal: "Earth Style: Stone Pillar Spears!" The ground beneath Aki erupted with spiked pillars.
She leapt away just in time, landing on a tree branch. He's clearly good at Taijutsu and Earth Style… and Earth Style's all about defense. If I drag this out, I'm screwed. Reinforcements could show up any minute.
Then she noticed—Most of the wires are still intact!
She launched Phoenix Fire Jutsu again at the steel wires.
The chunin scoffed, "That trick might've worked on those rookies, but against me? Don't insult me."
He formed a quick seal: "Earth Style: Earth Rampart!" A massive wall shot up, lifting him high into the air.
As he searched for Aki's location, a circle of fire suddenly ignited around him. Then from above:
"Wind Style: Gale Burst!"A raging whirlwind descended, fanning the flames into an inferno. In seconds, the chunin was engulfed.
Aki let out a breath—then her Sharingan flared.
He's still alive!
She gripped her blade and kicked off the tree, launching herself at the wall. A voice rang out—"Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet!" A dragon head formed on the wall, its mouth shooting multiple mud bombs at her.
One hit her hard. She crashed back onto a branch, blood gushing from her left arm. Her forearm had blocked a direct hit to the head—bones shattered, skin torn open.
Breathing hard, she slumped on one knee, applying medicine to stop the bleeding.
The chunin laughed from above. "You really are a rookie! Don't you know Earth Style is strongest in defense?"
His skin began turning to stone. "You're done for, brat. Die here."
But Aki grinned through the pain. "You're the one who's finished. Remember what happens when you numb your body to pain?"
The chunin froze.
Then—BOOM!An explosion tore through his gut.
When—?!
Before he could finish the thought, Aki appeared before him, blade in hand, and drove it straight into his chest.
After the chunin fell, Aki collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.
Damn… I really messed up. I knew Earth Style was defensive, but I didn't know their full arsenal. Got hit by that mud bomb 'cause I was too cocky. If I hadn't tossed those kunai with explosive tags on instinct, I'd be dead right now…
Suddenly, a hand clapped his shoulder.
"You should never stay at the scene after a battle," a voice scolded from behind. "Clean up, and move fast. Lingering like this is how people die."
Aki froze—cold sweat running down her back. Shit, I'm done for—!
Then he recognized the voice. "Danzo-sama… Sorry. I got hit pretty bad just now. I really can't move anymore…"
Danzo glanced around at the four bodies. "You did well. Took down four genin all by yourself. Impressive."
Aki corrected him. "It was one chunin and three genin."
Danzo raised an eyebrow. "Really?" Aki quickly explained the whole fight—from the genjutsu trap to the final kill.
Danzo nodded. "Not bad. But it's not safe here. Let's move."
He handed Aki a soldier pill. Aki swallowed it, rested for a few seconds, then nodded. They vanished into the trees.
They returned to the camp by nightfall. Everyone shared their experiences.
That's when Aki learned: the attackers were from Iwagakure—fifteen ninja total, led by two jonin. Kagami had assassinated one with a sneak attack, then joined up with Danzo to take down the other jonin, two chunin, and four genin.
Meanwhile, Aki had intercepted and eliminated a rogue team led by a chunin, and Choza had defeated a trio led by another chunin.
Later, Danzo sat down with Aki and reviewed her mistakes—especially when fighting Earth Style users. As a wind-style shinobi, Danzo had a huge advantage over Earth-style enemies, and since Aki also had wind chakra, he passed along a few tactics and tricks for dealing with them.
After that, Danzo dismissed everyone to rest.
Since Aki was injured, she didn't have to take a watch. Instead of sleeping out in the open like the others, she was invited to rest inside the merchant's cart.
Lying down, she closed her eyes, her mind drifting.
So… this is war. That was the first time I ever killed someone. I wonder how many more I'll have to kill for the village…
Too exhausted to think anymore, she quickly fell asleep.
"....."