We found ourselves back at camp and began slowly recovering. Neji lay down, gradually regaining his senses. Chakra depletion, which he had experienced, wasn't particularly pleasant, and he needed some time to recuperate. Shiko, our captain, also went to rest, not forgetting to kick the archaeologists out of one of the mobile homes. Neji joined him.
"Well, genin," Captain Kiochi addressed us once we finished checking for any injuries or damage that could seriously affect our health. "How are you feeling?"
"Could be better," I replied to the captain.
"Oh?" he said, surprised. "In what way?"
"I feel like something's missing," I answered. "But I can't quite figure out what—probably offensive power."
"Ahh," the sensei drawled. "That can be fixed. We'll take care of it once we return to the village."
"Thank you, Kiochi-sensei," I responded, feeling a bit more at ease.
"What about the others?" he asked, turning to the other genin.
It wasn't just our team present; all the genin involved in the mission were there. Sarutobi's team had spent all their time guarding the camp, so they didn't get much of a chance to participate in the battle. They looked fine. Only their mentor seemed to have faced an opponent, I think, though I'm not entirely sure.
"When the skirmish started, all the archaeologists immediately hid in their wagons," Nara Iton said. "They almost lost all their animals. Luckily, they didn't run too far."
"Yes, we'd have had to search quite a large area," Captain Kiochi chuckled. "Team Twelve, did you encounter anything dangerous?"
"No, sir," Akimichi Douza replied, holding a large, slightly greasy sandwich, which he devoured with great enthusiasm. For a moment, even I began salivating at the sight of it. "We were lucky that you managed to stop the attackers before they could seriously harm us."
"Mm-hmm," Captain Kiochi sighed, glancing at Captain Sarutobi, who simply shrugged and resumed his previous activity: cloud-watching.
There was a brief silence until Maito Gai appeared, looking quite pleased. He approached us, immediately giving a big thumbs-up with a wide smile.
"The Green Beast of Konoha has returned!"
He announced it loudly and joyfully, clearly satisfied with himself. It seemed he had managed to encounter the team that had been skirting the edge of our sensory range. The fact that he returned without any significant injuries suggested the fight had been easy for him, perhaps even effortless.
"And how did it go, Gai-sensei?" Rock Lee asked as he finished bandaging his hands, which bore the marks of his intense training.
"How, you ask, Lee?" Gai replied with a questioning tone. "It was a small team of rogue ninja associated with the group that attacked us. They were more like observers and rear guards."
"Did you learn anything interesting?"
"Not particularly," Maito Gai shrugged. "They attacked us because they had orders to prevent the archaeologists from conducting their digs. They don't know who the client is. Nothing more of interest."
"I see," Captain Kiochi exhaled. "I'll inform the archaeologists about what happened. But first, I want to thank you all for your excellent work. You've proven that as future chunin, you're more than capable of handling such missions."
Grins appeared on our faces. We had managed to win a confrontation where the enemy outnumbered and outmatched us in training. When you think about it, we, a small group, were able to handle opponents with much more experience. Excellent.
While the captain was speaking with the archaeologists, we continued to recover slowly. We needed to rest since our work wasn't finished yet. The last task was to gather trophies from the fallen. Honestly, I didn't care much—I had already claimed a chakra-conducting blade, a very decent trophy for any shinobi.
Gathering trophies from bodies wasn't particularly pleasant. We had to locate the bodies, search them, and then pile everything into a large heap. I didn't add the blade to the pile because I had taken it from a living opponent during the fight, disarming them. It counted as a battle trophy, not something looted from a corpse.
The archaeologists, along with their students and assistants, eyed our trophies with great interest, but they had no claim to them, so they could only watch. Without Shiko and Neji, we hadn't divided the spoils yet, but it was already clear who would get what. The captains, of course, would take the largest share. After that, I'd be fourth in line, followed by Neji and Rock Lee, who would share equal portions. Slightly smaller, but still equal shares, would go to Ten Ten, Shiko, and Ayamane. The rest would be divided among Team Twelve.
Neji woke up around evening. He still didn't look great, but at least he no longer resembled a walking corpse. We had to wait another two days for Shiko to recover. Her injury had affected her badly, and without the captain's healing abilities, the situation could have turned much worse.
When she finally woke up, we could proceed with dividing the trophies. There was almost everything among them, from ordinary cash to some rather raunchy novels. The captains quickly claimed the smallest yet most valuable items—money and various trinkets. I got a few remaining trinkets that could fetch a good price, along with some weapons like shuriken, kunai, senbon, and other small items. Nothing else caught my attention, so I let the others take their time rummaging through the loot.
The rewards might seem small, as the rogue ninja traveled light on their mission, but even so, we made a decent profit.
"Suzuki," Captain Kiochi called to me, his eyes scanning my new blade with interest. "I see you've acquired quite a nice sword."
"Yes, sensei," I replied, carefully unsheathing the blade. The sword gleamed coldly, reflecting the morning light. I made a few test swings, feeling the blade slice through the air effortlessly. Then I channeled chakra into it, feeling a pleasant heaviness and enhanced sharpness in the weapon. "But I still need to work on my skills with it."
"That's exactly what we'll focus on," the captain said, his eyes gleaming with excitement at the prospect of training. "While we have some free time."
"Now?" I asked, surprised.
"Why not?" the man smirked, drawing his kunai. His movements were graceful and precise. "Come on, attack."
Without hesitation, I lunged at Captain Kiochi. My blade sliced through the air with a sharp whistle. Captain Kiochi, demonstrating his mastery and speed, deftly dodged and parried the blow with his kunai. Our movements intertwined in a complex dance of sparring, where the senior shinobi taught the younger one new techniques and strategies.
He made quick, precise strikes, forcing me to use all my skills and instincts to dodge or parry. With each move, each dodge, and every counterattack, I could feel my abilities improving. I didn't expect to be fighting and moving at the edge of my capabilities so soon.
I leaped forward again, jumping over the captain's head in an attempt to catch him off guard. But Captain Kiochi remained unfazed, reacting swiftly to my actions. To him, it seemed like a child's game. He ducked, twisting slightly, allowing his hand to deflect my strike with ease. Sparks flew in all directions. Momentarily distracted by the sparks, I missed a powerful kick to the chest that sent me tumbling to the ground.
"Tsk," I clicked my tongue in frustration. The hit was unpleasant and, to be honest, wounded my pride a bit. But no matter.
Kiochi-sensei glanced at his kunai, now dulled from the sparring, and placed it back in his pouch. The kunai was nearly useless now. He pulled out another one, tossing it a few times and catching it by the ring at the end of the handle. He spun it on his finger, then caught it fully in his hand. After spinning it in the opposite direction, he put it away once again.
"In any case, we'll work on improving your weapon skills," the captain said. "But I want you to remember one thing: don't let the blade become your primary or only weapon. You must develop many techniques that can surpass even the sword."
"Yes, I understand, sensei," I replied. "My main weapons will always be my fists and chakra techniques, but I still want to add the sword to my arsenal. Who knows when it might come in handy?"
"True enough," the jonin agreed. "All right, I have some experience with swordsmanship. I'll show you the first proper move now."
I carefully handed him the weapon, becoming an attentive observer. The jonin took the blade, his hands steady and confident. He began with a basic stance: feet shoulder-width apart, holding the sword in both hands in front of his body. Then came a smooth motion as he slowly raised the sword over his head, demonstrating control and strength.
The next move was a swift downward strike, delivered with power and precision, aimed at an imaginary opponent. He then turned the blade and performed a sideways slash, smoothly transitioning from one movement to the next. The jonin emphasized how to maintain balance and engage the entire body with each strike, making the movements efficient and powerful.
On an exhale, he finished and relaxed slightly, allowing himself to take a deep breath.
"Your turn now, Suzuki," Captain Kiochi said, handing the sword back to me. "Show me what you've learned."
I couldn't replicate all his movements on the first, second, or even third try. The sensei patiently corrected me until I could perform the strike with accuracy and form. Once I memorized the proper movements, everything started to go much more smoothly.
"Excellent," the captain nodded with a smirk. "Now, we just need to work on this until it's second nature, and you'll have mastered the basic foundation."
"Hai, sensei."
I continued to train nearly every day. Of course, I didn't spend all my time with the blade, as I had other responsibilities. I had to go on patrols, meditate, and attend Gai's training sessions, which had resumed.
Recently, we received a delegation from the daimyo of the Land of Frost. Their arrival was unexpected but pleasant. The group consisted of several peaceful and friendly envoys, accompanied by a group of chunin whose faces showed no emotion—they were models of professionalism and composure. Occasionally, however, their eyes lingered on us with interest, as if assessing us.
Captain Kiochi met them at the entrance to our camp, greeting them with a warm smile and showing respect for their status. Everything followed the rules of diplomatic etiquette. Captains Gai and Sarutobi stood nearby, clearly visible but staying in the background.
"Welcome to our humble camp," Kiochi greeted them. "How may we assist the envoys of the Land of Frost?"
"Our daimyo recently learned that there are guests in his lands. He would like to know how long you plan to stay."
"We'll remain here as long as the archaeologists need to finish their excavation. Our mission is to assist and protect, nothing more," the sensei calmly replied.
"I see," the leader of the envoy group nodded, his face showing polite interest. "The daimyo will be pleased to hear of your noble intention to study history. He highly values such efforts and wishes your work here to be successful."
"We appreciate your daimyo's support," Captain Kiochi replied politely.
Afterward, the envoys requested to speak with the archaeologists, while their accompanying chunin stayed with us. We didn't talk or even look at each other, trying to avoid any potential conflict. And it worked well. Ignoring the chunin from the Land of Frost was easy since they, too, avoided crossing paths with us, preferring to stay somewhat out of sight.
Once the conversation between the archaeologists and the envoys ended, the visitors simply left. No one bothered or tried to start a conversation with us again, which was perfect. The archaeologists continued their research, and we carried on with our guard duty.
"Teacher Kia!" shouted a young apprentice. "Look what we've discovered!"
The apprentice's excited cry drew everyone's attention, as there had never been such an outburst from their side before. Had they found something truly interesting? Probably. I glanced at Captain Kiochi, who briefly turned his gaze in that direction.
"Captain, may I go see what they've found?" I asked, gathering some courage.
Captain Kiochi thought for a few seconds, looking at me, then waved his hand.
"All right, go take a look."
"Thank you, sensei," I nodded.
"Can I go too?" Ayamane asked, showing interest.
The captain nodded, and the girl quickly followed me. We calmly made our way to the spot where the archaeologists had gathered around a small pit. At the center of attention was the archaeologist, Kia, who was carefully brushing dirt from a figurine. The figure was slowly being revealed, and it already resembled something mysterious, possibly even dangerous.
Golden sections began to appear on the figurine, and there were ten strange protrusions at the bottom. Suddenly, eyes on the figurine opened, gleaming with a strange light that exerted a hypnotic influence. I watched closely, feeling a force trying to penetrate my mind. Inside me, a wave of resistance flared up, pushing back the strange tendrils attempting to invade my thoughts.
Frowning, I tore my gaze away from the figurine and looked at Ayamane, who, like everyone else, was staring at it with wide eyes and an expression of amazement.
Frozen in place, I tried to understand her expression, watching as green tendrils slowly emerged from the ground, wrapping around the archaeologist's arm and carefully taking the figurine from him. My attention was drawn to a strange black-and-white face peeking out of the earth.
Feeling the tendrils trying to invade my mind again, I quickly recognized their nature, recalling descriptions of mythical entities I had read about in the past. Inside me, a controlled surge of resistance rose.
Anger flared within me, and I mentally willed everything trying to invade my mind to die in agony. Within seconds, a crack appeared on the figurine, and then it crumbled into golden shards. For a moment, everything froze, and then all the tendrils vanished, along with the face.
I had no idea what that face was or why it wanted the figurine, but I was glad it didn't fall into its hands. Even if its intentions weren't harmful, it was still better that it couldn't take the figurine from the archaeologists. The destruction of the figurine brought everyone back to reality.
The archaeologist's face contorted, radiating disappointment and anger. Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and his eyes flared with rage as he stared at the shattered remains of the figurine. His heavy breathing filled the air with palpable tension. His gaze swept across everyone present, blazing with unmistakable fury.
"Apprentice! What the hell just happened?" His voice boomed like thunder in the silence.
"I—I'm sorry, Master Kia," the apprentice stammered, panicking and dropping to his knees. His face turned pale with fear, and his eyes filled with tears. "I don't know what happened! Please forgive me!"
"You worthless fool!" the archaeologist bellowed, his voice trembling with rage. Approaching the apprentice, he exploded with fury, swinging his hand through the air with force. He slapped the apprentice so hard that the boy lost his balance and fell to the ground, his face hitting the dirt. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. "How dare you not do everything to prevent this great artifact from falling apart!"
The archaeologist's anger did not subside. His eyes still sparkled with fury, and his face remained twisted in rage. The surrounding silence was thick with tension as everyone watched in shock at the harshness of the scene.
"Ke-khe -khe," the other archaeologists shook their heads, exchanging glances filled with sarcasm and disdain as they observed their unfortunate colleague.