Chapter 18: Ambush
Two days later, at four in the morning, Neji opened his eyes and went alone into the small woods to continue his research on Black Lightning.
[You have practiced chakra refinement. Your understanding has increased.]
[You have practiced Lightning Release chakra nature transformation. Your understanding has increased.]
[You have attempted to infuse Yang Release chakra into Lightning Release chakra. Your understanding has increased.]
[Congratulations! You have learned the Secret Lightning Release Jutsu: Black Lightning Lv1 (1/500)]
As the series of notifications popped up on his system panel, Neji had finally mastered the Black Lightning he had been so focused on. A violent current of black electricity coiled around his palm. He could clearly feel that with the same amount of lightning chakra, the power of Black Lightning was more than double that of a normal electrical current.
This was the power of mastering the pinnacle of chakra nature transformation.
"Neji?"
Yugito, having just woken up, was surprised to see Neji emerging from the woods. "You're up early," she said, walking over to greet him.
For the past few days, Neji had been waking up at four o'clock like clockwork, training for three hours before eating and getting back on the road. Today, he was more than an hour ahead of schedule.
Neji was confused by the way she was staring at him. He touched his face. "What is it, Captain? Is there something on my face?"
Yugito's eyes narrowed. "Did you have a breakthrough in your training?"
Neji nodded. "Hard work pays off. I had a small epiphany."
"Congratulations!"
Yugito suspected that Neji's "small epiphany" was anything but. It was likely the completion of a powerful new ninjutsu.
The days passed. Neji used a Shadow Clone to stand guard while his real body either practiced chakra control or trained his Byakugan. The days on the road were not as dull as one might think.
On the fifth day, the convoy finally left the Land of Lightning.
"The smaller countries are unstable. Everyone, stay sharp!" Yugito called out from the top of a wagon.
As the convoy entered the Land of Iron, Neji keenly observed that the guards had all become more vigilant. They had even added two more patrol teams. Neji dismissed his Shadow Clone and began to survey the surroundings with his own eyes.
It wasn't long before they faced their first attack.
From the slopes on either side of the road, dozens of shabbily dressed bandits suddenly appeared, brandishing farm tools as they swarmed the last wagon in the convoy. They were disorganized and undisciplined, a true ragtag mob. Yugito didn't even have to lift a finger; the patrol guards dealt with them easily.
Neji had spotted the dozens of people on the hillsides from a long way off with his Byakugan. But he hadn't detected any chakra signatures from them. Seeing them with farm tools, he had mistaken them for farmers. He had given a small warning to the guards but hadn't thought much of it. Who would have thought that a group of a few dozen men would dare to attack a convoy of this size?
They must have been starving.
After an explanation from Tokugawa Takahara, Neji understood. Those people were bandits, yes, but they were also farmers. When a merchant caravan passed by, they were bandits. When there was no caravan, they were civilians.
After a short rest, the convoy continued on.
Over the next few days, they were attacked by bandits six more times. Although there were no casualties, a heavy atmosphere began to settle over the group.
After leaving the Land of Iron, they entered the Land of Frost, and the tension grew even thicker. The Land of Iron was a nation of samurai that was hostile to shinobi, so the only threats they had faced were common bandits. But the Land of Frost, and the Land of Waterfalls beyond it, were a different story.
In a hidden valley in the Land of Frost.
"We've confirmed it. The convoy has entered the Land of Frost. They're being escorted by a two-man team from the Hidden Cloud. Their strength is unknown," a middle-aged ninja with a long scar across his forehead reported respectfully.
"A two-man team?" The leader, a rogue-nin from Iwagakure, raised an eyebrow.
A standard Genin squad from one of the great villages consisted of one Chūnin leading three Genin. A Jōnin-led squad was one Jōnin and three Chūnin. A two-man team, at a minimum, would consist of two Chūnin.
His own mercenary team consisted of ten members: two Tokubetsu Jōnin, three Chūnin, and five Genin. They were a force to be reckoned with.
"If it's two Chūnin, the price remains the same. If there's a Jōnin, you'll have to pay more," the rogue-nin said, turning to look at his client.
The client was a man of about the same age as Tokugawa Takahara and even bore a passing resemblance to him. He wore round glasses and had a scholarly air.
"As long as you complete the mission, money is no object. But if you fail, you won't see a single Ryō."
"Deal," the rogue-nin said, his face grim.
He had already made up his mind. If the mission succeeded, great. If it failed, he would just kill the client. He wasn't going to make this trip for nothing. Killing a client was a major taboo in the mercenary world; it broke the rules of the trade and made it hard to find work again. But those rules were for the big players. He was a nobody. He could kill the client, make a huge score, and then just throw away his forehead protector and start over with a new identity.
The convoy traveled through the Land of Frost for two days in peace. It was a stark contrast to the Land of Iron, where they were constantly being attacked. The members of the convoy began to let their guard down.
On this day, as the blood-red sun sank behind the mountains, casting its last rays over the land, Neji suddenly approached Tokugawa Takahara and signaled for him to halt and make camp.
It was still early, but Tokugawa didn't dare to disobey a ninja. He ordered the guards to set up for the night.
Neji leaped onto the roof of the lead wagon, spinning a kunai on his index finger as he stared intently at the surrounding forest.
The next moment...
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A series of explosions erupted around them.
"Explosive tags! It's ninja!" Tokugawa's face paled.
The tags were of limited power and hadn't gone off within the convoy itself, so there were no casualties. But the horses panicked, pulling the wagons in every direction.
Before the guards had time to react, hundreds of bandits charged out of the forest, screaming as they attacked.
These were not the part-time bandits of the Land of Iron. These were hardened killers who had seen real combat, and they fought the guards to a standstill.
Neji's eyes narrowed. He created a Shadow Clone to protect Tokugawa while his real body shot forward at incredible speed.
He had spotted them. Six ninja, disguised as bandits, were making a beeline for a specific wagon.
The woman and the boy were in that wagon.
Based on their chakra levels, it was one Jōnin, two Chūnin, and three Genin.
Black electricity sparked to life in his palm. Neji used the Body Flicker Technique, and in an instant, he was behind one of the Chūnin.
"Lightning Release: Black Lightning!"
A piercing shriek of electricity filled the air.
The Chūnin felt a sharp pain in his chest. He looked down and saw a hand wreathed in black lightning bursting out from his torso.
"The kid?!"
The Iwagakure rogue-nin's face contorted in shock. His comrade was a Chūnin. He might not have been on the level of a Chūnin from one of the great villages, but he was a Chūnin nonetheless.
And he had been killed in an instant.