Chapter 5: The Jonin Squad
A few days passed quickly. They didn't go to the academy for training, instead preparing on their own for the mission. Everyone needed to be in their best condition.
The mission was officially rated C-level, but you can never be too prepared. As the saying goes, even the best can make a simple mistake.
Neji had mostly recovered. His face was still a little pale, and he coughed now and then, but he could move without a problem. Using ninjutsu wouldn't be an issue.
Takahashi had gone to see him at the hospital once. It was clear Neji was now more careful around him. He still didn't speak to Takahashi, but the raw hatred from before was gone. He seemed to have accepted the new situation, even if he didn't like it.
Finally, the day of the mission arrived. It was their first real mission as a team.
Might Guy and Takahashi walked at the back of the group. After a long silence, Guy spoke in a low voice.
"Takahashi, I know it might not be my place to ask... but I have to know. That incredible speed of yours... it reminds me of the Fourth Hokage. Is it possible... did you learn the Flying Thunder God technique?"
Takahashi couldn't help but laugh.
"How could that be, Guy-sensei? Why would I know a Hokage's secret jutsu? I'm just a little faster than most, that's all. There's no special trick to it."
Guy thought to himself, A little faster? That's the biggest understatement I've ever heard.
He could see he wouldn't get a real answer, so he let it go. He was still the teacher, after all. Chasing a student for secrets was a little embarrassing. But he believed Takahashi would tell them when he was ready. In his eyes, someone who worked as hard as Takahashi couldn't be a bad person.
Up ahead, Tenten was asking Neji how he was feeling. He just gave a light reply. "I'm fine."
As they walked, Neji often seemed lost in thought. This was the truth. The fight had hit him hard. He had believed that at the Konoha Ninja Academy, only Sasuke Uchiha was his equal.
Aside from Sasuke, only Shikamaru was even worth a glance. But now, this boy he had always looked down on had shot so far ahead that Neji couldn't even see his back. The shock was something he couldn't put into words.
But getting distracted on a mission was a good way to get killed. He forced himself to focus. He was an elite of the Hyuga clan. He would not be broken. He had to get stronger. He had to surpass Takahashi.
With his mind made up, the fighting spirit returned to his eyes. He didn't know yet that there's a saying: the higher your hopes, the harder you fall.
After leaving the village, they followed the route given by the Anbu. They traveled for about a day.
Guy looked at his map, frowning. "This path leads toward Kirigakure. Did they send ninja to spy on us? But nothing big has happened in Konoha lately. Why would they take such a big risk? Aren't they afraid of starting a fight between our villages?"
Kirigakure had been beaten badly in the last war and was still recovering. This kind of reckless move didn't make sense.
A half-moon hung in the sky, and a dark veil slowly spread over the forest. They sat around a campfire, the flames casting a warm, romantic glow in the woods.
But this was also the most dangerous time. It was the perfect time for a ninja ambush. Most battles happened at night.
Tenten, who was in charge of cooking, pulled pots and pans from a scroll. She glanced at Takahashi with admiration. At the very least, their quality of life was guaranteed. The title "Rich Girl of Konoha" wasn't just for show.
After they ate, Guy spoke up. "Let's rest early. We'll start at first light tomorrow. We're less than half a day from our destination. If all goes well, we can be back in Konoha the day after tomorrow."
Everyone settled down to sleep. Takahashi was just about to drift off when he saw a very faint glint of light. Ever since he ate the Glint-Glint Fruit, he had become extremely sensitive to light. It was the moonlight reflecting off metal.
He looked over at Guy and saw he was still resting, noticing nothing wrong.
Takahashi immediately whispered, "Everyone, wake up. We have a situation. But don't move. Don't let them know we're aware. They don't know we've spotted them."
They were quiet, and his whisper didn't carry.
Guy woke up and also felt the several presences hiding in the shadows. He cursed himself for being so careless. It was shameful that a genin had to be the one to notice.
Before he could speak, Takahashi went on. "Guy-sensei, something's wrong here."
"What is it?" Guy knew Takahashi must have realized something.
"Our mission is C-rank. We should only be facing low-level ninja, maybe a few chunin at most. But the people hiding out there... you didn't even sense them. What kind of chunin has that kind of skill and experience? This is strange."
When he said it, the others understood. Was the intelligence from their own Anbu wrong? Did they get false information?
On a mission, the most dangerous thing is wrong information. If what you prepared for doesn't match what you're facing, it can get you killed.
While they were thinking, a thick mist began to form around them.
"Be careful!" Guy said quickly. "This is a Kirigakure technique. They're being very careful. They think we're asleep and are using this mist to confuse us. It seems they plan to wipe us out here."
At that moment, a faint light appeared in the distance. It was bigger this time. Takahashi was startled.
"No! Get away from here, now!"
After what had just happened, they trusted Takahashi's perception completely. They all moved away from the spot instantly.
Right after, a violent Water Dragon bullet shot through the place where they had just been resting, blasting a huge hole in the ground.
Guy, with his experience, recognized it immediately. "That's the Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet technique. The enemy is at least jonin-level. I sense... at least eight of them. Four jonin and four chunin. That's a powerful team."
Takahashi thought for a moment, his voice low and serious. "No. It's five jonin and four chunin. There's one who hides very well, but he slipped up in the end."
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