"What just happened…?"
The explosion drew every eye. A Ueshi ninja writhed on the ground, his legs blown to pieces by Raizen's clay spiders.
"Kill!"
Seeing the chaos, one of the Amamiya Chūnin surged forward, eyes glinting with determination, ready to finish off the target Raizen had struck.
Wait, don't steal my kill!
Raizen shouted, barreling toward his comrade. The Chūnin froze, then flinched as Raizen swung a kunai with uncanny precision, cutting through the enemy's neck.
"Damn, almost robbed of my first kill… family ninjas really have no sense of fairness." Raizen muttered, smirking despite the carnage.
Ding!
The system pinged. First Chūnin Kill Achieved. A silver treasure chest appeared, opening to reveal a humanoid clay figure.
"Clay Clone obtained. Accept?" the system intoned.
Raizen's eyes sparkled. The clay spider was basic, a simple explosive construct. The clay clone, however, was different — a full-fledged ninjutsu requiring chakra control and mastery of the clone technique. This filled a glaring gap in Raizen's arsenal.
Before he could savor it, a new threat appeared. A ninja, far more experienced than a Chūnin — likely an elite Jōnin — charged toward him, eyes blazing.
Of course. Nothing good ever happens in my first battlefield.
Raizen grinned wryly. A Genin like him couldn't stand up to this head-on. But with a sneak attack using Clay Explosion Style… maybe he could.
"Be careful!"
A shout rang from the Amamiya left wing as Raizen ducked behind cover. The sharp clang of kunai echoed in his ears, signaling the approach of the Jōnin.
He opened his palm, sending three clay spiders crawling toward the enemy, then grabbed Amamiya's left wing and stepped back. The Jōnin's eyes widened as the spiders attached themselves to his body.
"Art is an explosion!" Raizen shouted. The spiders detonated, and a pile of clay in his hands churned rapidly. His system-formed mouth chewed and spat out three clay birds, which flew straight at the Jōnin.
The explosions rocked the battlefield, engulfing the Ueshi Jōnin in smoke and fire. When the dust cleared, Raizen held his breath. A flicker of movement appeared — the Jōnin emerged, slightly singed but alive, eyes narrowing to slits.
"Dangerous ability… you'll live this time," the Ueshi Jōnin hissed, glaring at Raizen. "But if we meet again, you'll bring ruin to the Ueshi Clan. Today… you die."
The elite ninja advanced, blades flashing like lightning. Raizen's grin hardened. No running. The only way to survive was to fight back.
He summoned another batch of clay spiders, forming them into little explosive birds. As they swarmed toward the Jōnin, Raizen watched carefully, calculating every movement.
Ding!
Amamiya left wing rolled away from the chaos, recognizing Raizen's strategy. With perfect timing, the clay birds slammed into the Jōnin, detonating against an earth wall raised in defense.
Boom!
Smoke and dust filled the air. When it cleared, the wall lay shattered, and the Jōnin had vanished into the rubble, forced to retreat by Raizen's ingenuity.
Not bad for my first real fight. And this… this is only the beginning.