The road northeast stretched long and heavy under the morning sun. Five travelers walked in tense silence—Noguchi's worried mutterings behind them, three young Genin flanking him, and Hizashi Hyūga at the lead. Shigure's pale Sharingan flickered quietly, scanning every flicker of light and shadow.
But peace was brittle. His gut gnawed with warning.
Something was wrong.
He slowed suddenly. His teammates halted, startled.
"What is it?" Hizashi asked, eyes narrowing.
Shigure's gaze swept the treeline. "Teacher… something's off."
Hizashi turned his face toward the forest, veins bulging around his eyes as his Byakugan snapped open. At his side, Shigure's mutated dojutsu whirled alive, crimson tomoe glowing faintly against a pale iris. In an instant, both pairs of eyes pierced through branches and brush, exposing countless chakra signatures lurking unseen.
"Protect the client!" Hizashi barked.
At once, Kusuo and Akane tightened their guard around Noguchi while Shigure shifted smoothly into position. Every muscle in their bodies was wound taut.
The silence shattered.
A storm of steel rained out from the trees—shuriken, kunai, crafted blades slicing the air with lethal intent.
"Rotation!" Hizashi spun into a blur, chakra flooding from every tenketsu, his body whirling like a storm. "Hakkeshō Kaiten!"
The absolute defense expanded outward in a dome of blistering winds. Metal whined, sparks scattering across the ground as dozens of deadly blades ricocheted harmlessly away.
A whistle cut the air. "Oh ho! Not a bad trick, old man."
Figures stepped from the shadows—bandits. Scores of them, nearly a hundred clogging the road, tightening the circle. Coarse armor, cruel eyes, bloodthirsty smiles. Branches rustled as more dropped lightly from above.
The leader strode forward. His hair was wild, his jaw scarred. Eyes sharp and mocking, he studied Team 7 as one might a flock of sheep.
"My apologies," he said, though his tone reeked of cruelty. "One of you comes with us. The rest may keep your lives—minus an arm or two."
Noguchi paled instantly. "No—nooo!"
Before terror could grip him fully, Hizashi stepped calmly forward. "Protect the client. I will thin their numbers."
And like a storm unleashed, Hizashi moved. His Byakugan mapped every vein, every flow of chakra. With elegant, merciless efficiency, Gentle Fist collapsed bandit after bandit. Each strike silenced its victim, nerves severed, muscles slackening to collapse like broken dolls.
"So strong!" Noguchi gasped.
"Don't admire—kill him!" one robber shrieked, panicked. "That's a Konoha jonin! Hold him back if you can! Kill the brats! Bring me the bearded man!"
The mob moved as one, rushing Kusuo, Akane, and Shigure.
"Soft Fist!" shouted Akane, pale eyes flaring as her palms struck with practiced motions. She was clumsy, scared—but still pierced several attackers' cores, sending them crumpling.
"Hatake Ryu-ha!" Kusuo's blade gleamed, silver arcs cutting clean through. Gray Fang hummed as his slashes carved precise lines, dropping wolves of men with each step.
But the numbers were still overwhelming.
Shigure exhaled, calm and cold, his hands a blur of seals. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
In a crack of smoke, four clones flanked him, forming seals at blinding speed. Elemental energy surged, fivefold.
"Kat—Katon: Karyū Endan!" Fire cloaked like dragons erupted outward, jaws snapping.
"Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu!" Galloping torrents of water coiled into biting waves.
"Raiton: Raijūdan no Jutsu!" Lightning shrieked across the ground, splitting the air.
"Fūton: Kazeryūdan no Jutsu!" A gale sharpened into tearing dragon claws.
The field howled with overwhelming destruction.
But it was not the single jutsu that terrified—it was their fusion.
Fire and wind merged into an infernal blaze, wind fueling flame until it expanded monstrously. The Fire-Wind Dragon surged, a hurricane of searing heat and slicing gales, incinerating everything in its path.
Across the field, lightning cracked into coursing water, two dragons twisting together. Thunder-Water Dragons collided against the rushing bandits, electrocuting dozens at once, bodies twitching before falling lifeless to mud.
The clearing shook violently, screams filling the woods. The stench of scorched flesh and ozone burned the air.
Scores of bandits fell in an instant. Panicked shrieks rose from the survivors.
"This is… impossible!" one howled. "A Genin—no, that's not—!"
"That's compound ninjutsu—the Hokage's own!" screamed another.
The leader's wild arrogance shattered as sweat poured down his face. His bravado crumbled before pure terror. "Retreat! RETREAT! The intel was wrong! He's not a Genin—he's a monster!"
He turned tail, vanishing into the trees. The survivors scattered after him like frightened rats.
Silence fell on the blood-soaked clearing.
Shigure exhaled, clones dissipating around him. The acrid air clung to his skin.
Hizashi studied him silently, astonishment flickering in his pale Byakugan eyes. "To wield not only each element… but combine them… It shouldn't be possible. Even at your age, Shigure… you are rewriting expectation itself."
Akane and Kusuo said nothing, both staring wide-eyed.
Noguchi, meanwhile, collapsed onto his knees, trembling.
Hizashi turned sharply to him. "Mr. Noguchi. Explain. Now."
The bearded man stammered, pale. "I-I don't know—!"
"You hide things, endanger my squad, and now ambushes come from organized groups of hundreds. That's no 'wild bandit pack.'" Hizashi's voice cut like thunder. "You concealed the truth."
Noguchi opened his mouth, about to deny again—then faltered. The weight of Hizashi's pale gaze, steady and merciless, broke him.
"…Alright! You deserve to know." He fell prostrate, cheeks pressed to the dirt. "Our destination isn't just safe ground. It's the Village of Craftsmen, northeast of the Land of Fire."
"That place?" Hizashi's fair brows furrowed.
Noguchi nodded hurriedly, voice quaking. "We are poor there… but proud artisans. Months ago, digging beneath our village, we discovered it—an indestructible stone. A meteorite, unbreakable by any blade, unburnable by fire. The purest ore the world has ever seen."
Shigure's eyes narrowed faintly, calculating. Meteorite iron?
Noguchi continued, his voice desperate. "I was tasked to return—with research! With technique to refine and forge the ore! But whispers spread. Word leaked. Mercenaries, bandits, even shinobi from other lands… are all watching!"
His hand clutched the earth tight. "I had no choice. I could not afford more. A mere C-rank mission… was all my village's treasury could buy. But if this iron falls into the wrong hands, it will become war's fuel. Entire armies… forged anew."
Hizashi's jaw clenched. "So your greed risked my Genin."
Noguchi shook his head vehemently. "No greed! Only desperation! If we succeed, the findings will be public—every nation will reap the knowledge, balance will be preserved. Used wrong… the ninja world burns forever!"
The clearing fell silent.
Hizashi's brows knit. His lips tightened. But he breathed once, and extended his hand, pulling the man to his feet. "I will aid you. Not for you, nor even for your ore. But because a ninja's duty is peace."
Shigure studied them both, pale eyes unreadable. If Konoha knew fully… the Hokage would seize this iron in secret. Danzo would weaponize it. Hn. This 'bearded idealist' may be a fool—but through him, fire awaits the forge. His chest burned with excitement. And I welcome stronger enemies.
"From here, danger will only grow," Hizashi warned. His expression sharpened. "Children, you have one task. Protect Noguchi. At all costs."
Laughter echoed then—a voice sharp, smooth, mocking.
"Well, well. It seems those hired bandits failed."
The sound bounced from tree to tree, impossible to pinpoint.
Kusuo spat. "Cowards, hiding their tongues."
"Heh. How brave." The voice chuckled. "But Genin shouldn't bite so loud. You won't even see death arrive."
"Eyes—Byakugan!" Hizashi's gaze pierced the treeline instantly. His hand snapped forward—shuriken whistling through the air.
Four tiny paper tags shimmered faintly on the blades.
"Detonation tags—scatter!" Hizashi shouted.
BOOM!
Columns of fire tore through the forest as the fight to guard Noguchi—and the secret of the meteorite iron—truly began.
The pack of wolves had only been a test. The bandits, only an appetizer. Now the true assassins revealed themselves… and Uchiha Shigure was eager to meet them head-on.
--
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