"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Bullet!"
"Uchiha-ryū Sword Style: Blazing Gale Slash!"
"Light Style: Laser!"
A fierce combo from the group instantly cut down several Iwa-nin. The ones who arrived were none other than Renji's squad.
"What's your name, what's going on here? Why were you fighting Iwa-nin?" Uchiha Yan asked the Konoha ninja they had just saved.
"My name is Qianyuan Leshan. I don't really know the details. We received orders to scout this area, but we were ambushed by Iwa-nin," the man answered.
"Oh, your squad has a boy named Xiang Wu, right? The one who uses a sword," Uchiha Duantian asked.
"That's right. Xiang Wu should still be ahead. I got separated while searching for clues when I was ambushed. But logically, they should've come back to support me by now. Unless…" Qianyuan Leshan suddenly realized something and rushed ahead.
The others knew immediately what this meant, the rest of his squad must have been attacked too. Chances of survival were slim.
Soon, the sounds of battle echoed from up ahead. They quickened their pace and saw a sword-wielding boy desperately fighting two Iwa-nin. Not far away, a Konoha jōnin in uniform was locked in combat with four more Iwa-nin, barely holding on.
"Light Style: Refraction Flash Strike!"
"Uchiha-ryū Sword Style: Flashing Strike Combo!"
Renji's golden beam shot out, chaining the four Iwa-nin together. His body became a streak of light weaving between them, cutting them down in moments.
Meanwhile, Duantian dispatched one of the swordsman's opponents. The others stayed back, watching quietly as the boy continued his duel.
They all thought the same thing, this was the boy's own trial. Without such a fight, his swordsmanship would never advance.
"If you win, I'll let you go," Duantian said.
The Iwa-nin roared in defiance. "Die, brat!" He fought with reckless fury, willing to trade injuries, even die together.
At first the young swordsman faltered, rattled by his opponent's spirit. But as the fight went on, he grew calmer. Slowly, he seemed to grasp something mid-battle.
His style began to change. Movements between strikes grew more fluid, his swordplay more adaptable.
Duantian, Renji, and Kirin all nodded at once. As bladesmen, they recognized it immediately. The boy had broken through. Which meant the Iwa-nin had served his purpose.
"That's enough. We're all pressed for time, and playing with prey before killing them isn't very classy," Uchiha Kirin remarked.
"One-Sword Style: Godspeed."
Renji moved in, finishing the Iwa-nin before he could kill the boy. "He said he'd let you live. I didn't agree. Rest in peace."
"Duantian, I wanted to challenge you again. Looks like I'll have to wait. I won't give up. You're just further ahead than me, that's all," the boy, Xiang Wu, said firmly.
"I understand, Xiang Wu. I'll be waiting. Even I have someone I'm chasing. He's a monster." Duantian pointed at his junior, Renji.
Renji only shrugged helplessly. Talent wasn't something he could control.
"Shūge-sensei, is Rin really…?" Qianyuan Leshan asked.
The jōnin named Shūge shook his head silently. The boy Xiang Wu said nothing either. Clearly, their teammate Rin had fallen.
"Take your brother's body back. We'll continue the mission," Yan told them.
"No need. There's nothing left of Rin. He used explosive tags to die together with the enemy," Shūge replied.
"Then we'll go with you. I want to kill a few more Iwa-nin before heading back," Qianyuan Leshan insisted.
"Better to split up. Our squads are on different levels, and our missions aren't the same," Xiang Wu said.
"Agreed. We should stay on the perimeter, find other Konoha shinobi, and gather intel. Their strength clearly isn't just for scouting," Shūge added.
"Fine, then we'll go on ahead. From here all the way to Takigakure, we'll cut through anyone in our path. You can take note of the route," Retsu said.
Duantian and Xiang Wu exchanged a nod, then Renji's squad moved on.
"Xiang Wu, you shouldn't get too close to the Uchiha. It'll affect your future," Shūge warned.
"Sensei, Duantian and I are rivals from the sword tournament. I respect his skill and character. Isn't the village misunderstanding the Uchiha?" Xiang Wu asked, puzzled.
"Xiang Wu, we're common-born shinobi. Our squad is made of civilians. The Uchiha's conflict with the village is beyond us. I've seen too much. If you don't want yourself and your whole squad to die meaningless deaths, stay far away from them," Shūge said seriously.
"The village shouldn't be like this," Qianyuan Leshan muttered.
"Quiet. Trust me. These are decisions made by the top. We just avoid the Uchiha and we'll be safe. But side with them, and you're dead. You think they haven't lost enough already? How many Uchiha have fallen? And what has it accomplished? Everyone knows what they're like, but no one speaks for them. Those who did are all dead. The dead don't speak," Shūge said grimly.
"I see… So Duantian was right. Trying to blend into Konoha is impossible. I used to envy his clan. Now… it shouldn't be like this," Xiang Wu sighed.
Bang! Qianyuan Leshan slammed his fist into the ground. "They just saved our lives, and we repay them like this… I feel ashamed."
"I know how you feel. But even as civilians, we have families. Mothers, wives, children waiting at home. We can't change anything.
The best way to repay them is to stay as far away as possible," Shūge said. His clenched fists betrayed his own turmoil.
He didn't want to betray kindness, but to survive, they had to keep their distance. To die for such a Konoha… he didn't want that either. Living to go home was what mattered most.
Duantian, your dream can never come true. Do you know that? Xiang Wu thought silently.
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