Kaito Chapter 47
Hotaru chimed in with excitement, "Are there any ninja in the Land of Iron, sensei?" Shikaku shook his head and replied, "No, the Land of Iron is protected by the samurai."
Itachi then asked curiously, "Sensei, how strong are the samurai?" Kaito had vague memories about the samurai of the land of iron, he knew that they hosted the 5 kage summit. but wasn't sure of their strength compared to shinobi. Shikaku paused for a moment before answering, "There is a reason why no one has ever successfully invaded the Land of Iron. The samurai may not possess individual strength like that of the strongest shinobi, but their numbers make up for it."
….
The morning in the land of iron was cloaked in a thick layer of gloom as snow fell from the grey sky. The land, normally known for its strength and resilience, was now blanketed in white. Through the snow-covered landscape, a small group of travelers could be seen making their way along a winding path. A team of genin, led by their sensei Shikaku Nara, were escorting a merchant caravan through this wintry terrain.
As they trudged through the snow, it became apparent that this mission was far from exciting. It had been five days since they left Konoha and the journey to the land of iron had been uneventful and monotonous. The young genin had little to do but keep watch and follow their orders.
During one of their breaks, Kaito couldn't help but ask their sensei, "Sensei, is there any chance that a C-rank mission could go wrong? Like encountering an enemy ninja?". Kaito couldn't help but recall Naruto's first C-rank mission to the land of waves, where they had faced off against an A-rank ninja named Zabuza Momochi and took down a business man named Gato.
"Although rare, there is always a possibility for things to escalate beyond the assigned mission rank," Shikaku replied calmly. "But before any mission is issued, the village gathers as much information as possible."
Kaito nodded, understanding that it was unlikely for a C-rank mission to go wrong. The village would not assign such missions without thorough investigation beforehand. But still, he couldn't shake off the thought that Naruto must have been incredibly unlucky during his first mission.
After several more hours of travel, they finally arrived at the bustling capital of the Land of Iron. As they entered the city gates and made their way to check in, Kaito couldn't help but ask, "So, sensei, how long will we be staying here?"
Shikaku replied, "We will stay for the night. For now, we must escort Mr Kazuma to his destination."
Once they had registered their entry into the city, they guided Mr. Kazuma through the busy streets to his store on the edge of town. The client turned to them and said with a grateful smile, "Thank you for your assistance. It's just around this corner."
As they reached the store, Shikaku instructed them, "Alright, you three, help the client unload his goods. I have some business to attend to in the city. I'll come and get you when I'm finished."
"Hai," they chorused before getting to work.
Kaito thought to himself, "Shikaku sensei must be delivering the second scroll from the Hokage. It's probably for Mifune."
Once they were done unloading, Hotaru, Kaito, and Itachi sat down on a nearby log to wait for their sensei. The client approached them with a kind gesture, offering them each a bottle of water. "Here you go, kids. We couldn't have done it without your help."
Hotaru graciously accepted the water and replied, "Thank you, Mr. Kazuma. We were simply doing our job."
Kaito and Itachi also expressed their gratitude before taking a refreshing sip from their bottles
Suddenly, a flash of metal flew toward Mr. Kazuma from the dense bushes. Itachi's keen reflexes kicked in and he swiftly hurled a shuriken to intercept the oncoming kunai. With a thud, Mr. Kazuma fell to the ground and began frantically scanning his surroundings. Itachi, Kaito, and Hotaru immediately sprang into defensive positions around him.
Hotaru activated her Byakugan, her eyes widening as she detected three figures lurking in the shadows nearby. "There are 3 individuals over there," she announced, pointing to a spot hidden behind the trees.
Without hesitation, Itachi launched another kunai towards the spot Hotaru had indicated. and three individuals jumped out of the place.
A young girl with light blond hair tied in a tight ponytail, black eyes, and a smirk adorning her face. Beside her stood a boy with dark skin and a lazy expression, but his sharp gaze showed he was no pushover. The last member of their team was a blonde girl with short hair, that gave off a calm energy.
All three of them wore the kumogakure headband, a symbol of their allegiance to the vilage hidden in the clouds.
Kaito's voice broke through the tension as he asked, "Why did you attack us?"
The girl with the ponytail scoffed, her lip curling into a cruel smirk. "Looks like Konoha is getting desperate, sending kids on missions now."
The dark-skinned boy glanced at her with a lazy expression. "We should leave, Yugito. Before someone comes."
Yugito's amber eyes narrowed in defiance. "This won't take long, Darui. And we can't let Leaf shinobi go unpunished, even if they are just kid."
Darui let out a heavy sigh. "Let's just get this over with."
The blonde-haired girl nodded. "We'll finish them quickly." Their words were laced with malice and it was clear that they had no intention of showing mercy to their enemies, no matter how young they may be.
Kaito's eyes widen as he recognized the figures by their names - Yugito Nii and Darui. He wasn't sure who the third person with them was. but she too looked familiar. "Hotaru, Itachi," Kaito whispered to them. "Don't kill them, it will only lead to more problems. Incapacitate them quickly and help the other." They both nodded in understanding.
"I'll take the blonde with the ponytail," Kaito continued, his mind already strategizing. "Itachi, you take on the dude and Hotaru, handle the other blonde." They all knew that killing these enemies on foreign soil could cause a political uproar, especially with the samurai present.
As they prepared to engage in battle, Kaito couldn't help but think about Yugito being a jinchuriki - a host of a tailed beast. He didn't want either Itachi or Hotaru to face her in battle. He was the most suited to fight her.
The third great shinobi war had finally come to an end after years of bloodshed. However, there were no treaties in place between the two villages and tensions still ran high at their borders - especially after Minato's death.
With their target, Kaito, Itachi and Hotaru, in mind, the two ninja made their first moves. Kaito was determined to end the fight quickly and went all out, unleashing his full power. Yugito was caught off guard as Kaito suddenly appeared in front of her and threw a punch towards her face. She barely managed to dodge the attack, but she soon recovered and both of them exchanged a flurry of punches and kicks, blocking each other's strikes with precise movements.
Yugito couldn't believe that this kid, barely 7 years old, could keep up with her. "I underestimated you, brat," she gritted out through clenched teeth as she pushed back and ran through hand signs, spitting out rat-shaped blue fireballs shouting "Nezumi Kedama". The flames came at Kaito relentlessly, but he managed to dodge and weave through them, using his speed and agility to his advantage. However, they seemed to follow him around, making it difficult for him to find an opening.
Thinking quickly, Kaito pulled out a few kunai knives and threw them at the attacks, destroying them before they could reach him. But just as he thought he was done with that, Yugito charged at him with long sharp claws that resembled nails. He narrowly avoided a swipe at his face but was cut on his arm.
Gritting his teeth in pain, Kaito used the body flicker technique to create some distance between himself and Yugito. He knew he needed to come up with a better plan if he wanted to defeat her. kaito unsealed a tanto from the seal on his wrist-band channeling lightning chakra into his tanto blade and attacked Yugito once again.
The two continued to clash blade against claw, neither one gaining the upper hand, evenly matched until Yugito unleashed a fire-style fireball jutsu at Kaito in her frustration. But Kaito was prepared and countered it using water-release water trumpet jutsu overpowering her attack.
Seeing that she was being beaten by a mere kid, Yugito tapped into her Biju's chakra, giving her increases in strength and speed. She rushed at Kaito with even greater ferocity than before, but he remained calm and focused. As she reached him, she swiped her claws at his head, expecting to end the fight. However, to her surprise, her claws passed right through him as if he were a ghost.
Kaito reappeared behind her and landed a powerful kick to her back, causing her to crash to the ground. Before she could get up, chakra chains wrapped around her arms and legs, binding her and suppressing her biju chakra. Kaito stood in front of her and declared "Playtime is over." He then slammed his finger into her abdomen muttering "Gogyō Fūin" and sealing her chakra and cutting her access to her biju.
Yugito went limp, knocked out from the intense battle. Kaito stood up and looked towards his friends.
....
meanwhile Itachi and Darui danced across the battleground, trading punches and kicks with speed rivaling chunin. Itachi's movements were fluid and precise, while Darui's were powerful and calculated. The air crackled with energy as they leapt and dodged, each one trying to get the upper hand.
Suddenly, Itachi blew out a stream of fire from his mouth, the flames coming together to form a massive fireball. Itachi's eyes gleamed with the glow of the sharingan as he exclaimed his jutsu's name "fire-syle great fireball jutsu", he launched the ball of fire towards Darui.
But Darui was ready for it. He quickly moved through a series of hand signs and countered with his own jutsu, "Water Style: Water Wall Jutsu!" A wall of water rose up in front of him, meeting the fire head on. The clash of their jutsu created a thick mist that covered the field.
Itachi withdrew a set of shuriken from his pouch, their sharp edges glinting in the sunlight. He expertly spun and tossed them through the air, each one guided by thin threads of ninja wire as they flew towards their target:
Darui was ready for the attack, swiftly unsheathing his sword and using it to deflect and cut through the strings attached to the shuriken.
The clash of metal against metal rang out as they continued their intense battle. Both were determined to overpower the other, their movements graceful yet deadly.
As the fight raged on, Itachi's sharingan spun wildly, eventually unlocking the third tomoe and granting him even more enhanced abilities. Each step, each strike, was strategically calculated as they fought for dominance.
...
Hotaru wielded her kunai with practiced precision as she parried her opponent's sword strike. The clash of steel echoed through the air as they continued to exchange blows, each one trying to gain the upper hand. Finally, they separated and jumped back, taking a moment to catch their breath.
The blond girl smirked confidently. "Not bad, kid. But this is as far as you go." She began channeling lightning chakra into her sword, sparks flying off its blade.
Hotaru quickly dodged and weaved through her opponent's lightning-infused strikes, using her kunai to block when necessary. However, in one swift move, the blade sliced cleanly through her weapon, leaving Hotaru defenseless.
Not one to be deterred, Hotaru attempted to perform the 32 palms technique on her opponent. "You are within my divination," she declared, focusing all of her chakra into the attack. But just as she was about to strike, the blond girl swung her sword out in a desperate attempt to block.
Despite being able to land 16 of the 32 palms, Hotaru had to abandon her attack in order to avoid a potentially fatal blow. Both girls landed on opposite sides, panting heavily and clutching their injured arms.
The atmosphere was tense as they sized each other up, both determined to emerge victorious from this fierce
Just then Kaito interrupted with a stern warning, "Enough! If you don't stop, I'll kill her." He held his sword at Yugito's throat, causing both Darui and the blonde girl to back away from their opponents.
The blonde girl spoke up, "We surrender." Darui nodded in agreement, "Samui and I surrender. Please don't harm her." Kaito recognized the name and hesitated for a moment before putting down his sword.
just then group entered the surrounding area, In their midst was Shikaku, his sharp eyes taking in every detail of his surroundings. Addressing his team with a serious expression, he inquired, "What's going on here?"
Kaito, still panting from their recent altercation, quickly explained to Shikaku, "We were resting after aiding Mr. Kazuma when we were suddenly attacked."
All eyes turned to Mr. Kazuma as he nodded in confirmation. "Hai, we were ambushed without warning."
An aging samurai stepped forward, his gaze stern as he addressed the Cloud genin. "You better have a good explanation for your actions."
Just then, their Jōnin sensei arrived at the clearing, demanding to know what was happening. His attention was immediately drawn to the sight of a young boy holding a knife to Yugito's throat.
After being briefed on the events that had transpired, their sensei shook his head in disbelief. "Why would you do something so foolish?"
Offering sincere apologies to Mifune and Shikaku and his team, their sensei took responsibility for the situation. The Kumo genin and their sensei were asked to leave as they had caused enough trouble.
Meanwhile, Kaito made his way over to Hotaru and began healing her injuries. Concern etched on his face, he asked "are you ok hotaru-chan".
A small smile graced Hotaru's lips as she replied, "I'm fine, just a few scratches."
Itachi also approached them and inquired about their well-being. Shikaku watched from a distance before walking over and asking if everyone was alright.
With nods of assurance from all three of them, Shikaku let out an exasperated sigh. "What a drag." He then escorted them to the place where they would be staying for the time being.
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