One morning, a sharp knock at Satoru's door broke his sleep. Groggy, he pulled himself up and opened it, only to find Keiko standing there, looking stunned.
She hadn't seen him shirtless in ages, and the sight of his newly defined muscles, the result of weeks of Akimichi-style training, left her momentarily speechless. Her face flushed as she stammered, words slipping out haltingly.
"Uh... Satoru, you... um, you've been... really training, huh?" she managed, quickly averting her gaze. Gathering her composure, she continued, "Hokage-sama requested your presence for a mission regarding the bandits. He wants you there on time."
Satoru, surprised at her flustered demeanor, simply nodded, grabbing a shirt as Keiko tried to look anywhere but directly at him. He could sense her nervousness, but with the mission at hand, he decided to focus on the task, promising himself he'd follow up with her later.
With a final nod, he closed his door and headed out.
---
As Satoru met up with his team, Kaito eyed both him and Chosuke with curiosity. "So, how much stronger have you two gotten?"
Satoru shrugged modestly, "I focused on physical stuff mostly." He flexed his arm subtly, hinting at the muscle he'd gained.
Chosuke, meanwhile, grinned with pride. "I learned the Partial Expansion Jutsu and got the hang of the first stage of chakra augmentation."
Turning to Kaito, Satoru's curiosity got the better of him. "What about you, Kaito? You've been training, right? How strong are you now?"
Kaito opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted by Shinichi's brisk approach. "Let's not waste time on chatter," he said, glancing pointedly at the team. "We need to move out."
As they stepped outside the village gates, Satoru's curiosity surged again, and he nudged Kaito, hoping for a clearer answer. This time, Kaito simply smirked, "You'll see when I'm in action."
Shinichi overheard and looked at Kaito approvingly. "Good instinct," he said. "Keeping certain skills a secret is a key part of being a shinobi. In battle, knowledge is power, and the less your enemies know about you, the better."
He turned to Satoru and Chosuke. "Remember, only show what's needed. Even among allies, it's best to preserve some mystery about your capabilities."
Satoru and Chosuke exchanged glances, digesting the advice.
The team settled into their routine near the bandit outpost. Satoru was working with a massive log of wood balanced on his shoulder, using his Lightning Step technique to test how quickly he could maneuver under its weight.
His muscles strained with every step, and sweat ran down his face as he used short bursts of speed, closing the gap between the forest edge and their camp. But the log's weight was relentless, and he had to take frequent rests, catching his breath as he eyed the distance he still had left.
'I've got a long way to go,' he thought, recalling Shinichi-sensei's recent display. His sensei had effortlessly balanced an entire pile of trees on a single finger, a clear reminder of the mountain of training that still awaited them.
Satoru pushed on, and finally managed to drag the log all the way back to camp.
At the campsite, he noticed his teammates already engrossed in their own grueling exercises. Chosuke was focused on his push-ups, each repetition slow and deliberate, with heavy weights strapped to his arms and a massive boulder pressing down on his back.
The rock creaked under the pressure, but Chosuke showed no signs of stopping. To his surprise, Shinichi was casually laying on top of the boulder, fully reclined with a book in hand, as if he was just passing the time.
Nearby, Kaito was skillfully manipulating a single fireball through a narrow obstacle course, weaving it around rocks and tree stumps. As he grew more confident, he summoned another fireball and then another, steadily increasing the challenge. Beads of sweat dotted his forehead, but he kept the fiery orbs under control, demonstrating his own growing mastery.
Satoru let the log fall to the ground with a thud, panting as he stretched out his arms, feeling the burn from his workout. He gathered the smaller pieces of wood from the log and set them up for the campfire, trying to keep his hands steady despite the fatigue.
From his pack, he pulled out the ingredients they'd brought along for their meal, beginning to prepare them with a focus he'd honed over weeks of hard work.
The scent of the cooking soon filled the air, and Shinichi glanced up from his book. "Not bad, Satoru," he remarked, watching as Satoru carefully stirred the food.
After their meal, the team gathered around Shinichi-sensei, eager to hear the plan he had devised.
"Within four days," Shinichi began, "a group of bandits trained in infiltration will cross the border from the Land of Rain. They're planning to enter a nearby village in our country, disguised as civilians. Our task is to intercept them before they can blend into the local population. Once hidden, they could easily launch surprise attacks on innocent villagers, which would lead to countless casualties. That's why we're here – to prevent any harm to civilians."
The team listened in silence, their expressions solemn as they absorbed the gravity of the mission. Shinichi continued, "There's a possibility that a high-ranking member might be with them. This means the mission will be high-risk, but also high-reward. If we succeed, it will deal a major blow to this network of bandits."
After a pause, he looked at each of them. "Any questions?"
Kaito raised his hand first, his eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "Sensei, will Inoko be joining us this time? Her mind-probing jutsu could be a big help in interrogating any captured bandits."
Shinichi shook his head. "No, Inoko won't be joining us. She's currently embedded within another bandit group, gathering intelligence. That information will be critical for the Hokage's strategy in dealing with these groups across the region, so her work is equally important."
Chosuke was next, leaning forward as he asked, "What rank is this mission, exactly?"
"This is a B-rank mission," Shinichi replied, "though it's on the safer side compared to other B-rank assignments. Our objective isn't to face down a military force, but to intercept and neutralize a group of infiltrators. That said, we can't let our guard down – these are trained fighters, and they'll put up resistance if they feel cornered."
Satoru asked, "What's our responsibility, specifically? How do we ensure the civilians stay safe?"
Shinichi looked at Satoru with approval, appreciating the focus on protection. "Your main responsibility is exactly that – keep the civilians out of harm's way. Every bandit must be captured, ideally alive, so they can be interrogated later. We also have to be alert; last time, one of the bandits escaped, which tipped off their leader. This time, they'll be expecting resistance and may be on high alert."
As they reached the outskirts of the target location, Satoru and the team crouched behind thick bushes, watching the group of bandits from a safe distance.
The bandits, soaked from the relentless rain, appeared restless as they gathered in a makeshift camp, laying out their recent spoils. Chests filled with valuables were unceremoniously dumped onto the wet ground, revealing the ruthlessness of their recent raid.
Shinichi's expression grew grimmer as he silently performed a sensing technique, focusing on the chakra signatures of their targets. The team watched him intently, waiting for an assessment of what they were up against. After a few tense moments, he finally broke his silence, his voice low but commanding.
"You're all going to be taking on a significant number of enemies," Shinichi said. "This won't be like any D-rank mission you've done. Almost every one of these bandits has some level of chakra control."
Kaito, who had been watching the bandits with a mixture of curiosity and nervous energy, asked, "What's going on? Are these bandits... ninja-trained?"
Shinichi nodded, his expression hardened. "Most of them can manipulate chakra to a degree, enough to make them more dangerous than the typical rabble we usually deal with."
Satoru's eyes widened slightly. "How many of them are there, exactly?"
"There are about sixty bandits in total," Shinichi replied, his tone edged with caution, "and among them are twelve captains. Those captains are on the level of high genin or chunin. They'll be our biggest challenge."
As the reality of the mission sank in, the team nodded in unison.
Once Shinichi quickly laid out the plan, Satoru, Chosuke, and Kaito worked to prepare the materials they'd need for the trap. They gathered every trace of sugar dust from their food supplies and carefully extracted sawdust using Satoru's wind style technique to cut down some nearby branches.
Adding a lot of gunpowder, they ended up with two large bags filled with carbohydrate dust.
Satoru used his Texture-Surprise technique, layering an invisible effect over the bags of dust. Shinichi gave him an approving nod, acknowledging the extra effort. With the dust now cloaked from sight, Shinichi activated a stealth technique, helping them slip undetected into the camp.
They divided the bags, each taking one, and moved with careful precision, spreading the dust in a thin, invisible layer across the entire small camp. The soft murmur of bandits' conversations and clinking of gear masked their steps as they moved quietly among the tents.
Satoru took this time to study their targets, noting distinct differences in their attire. The captains wore better-quality clothes and carried larger, slightly more ornate weapons, which marked them as leaders even without needing a closer look.
Shinichi verified this by sensing their chakra signatures. Once they had the layout and positions of every bandit memorized, they slipped back to the team's hidden position.
Kaito and Chosuke, in the meantime, had been pooling their chakra, preparing their fire style techniques for the incoming assault. Satoru quickly briefed them on the locations of the captains and key areas within the camp.
Then, in a final touch, he used Texture-Surprise again, casting an invisible cloak over both Kaito and Chosuke, allowing them to move unnoticed.
As they prepared for the final stage of the plan, Shinichi gave Satoru a curious look. "What exactly can this jutsu of yours do?" he asked, impressed by its versatility.
Satoru smiled slightly, explaining, "Right now, it can create visually deceptive images, hide objects, or enhance appearances—kind of like creating special effects."
Shinichi nodded thoughtfully, he signaled for them to proceed.
Moving like shadows, Satoru, Chosuke, and Kaito coordinated to isolate a lone captain. Each of then positioned themselves, bodies tensed as they prepared to strike.
Satoru went first, using Arashi-ken with swift precision. His fist collided with the captain's guard, breaking his defenses as his target stumbled in shock. Seizing the opportunity, Satoru followed up with another quick strike, taking down the captain silently.
Nearby, Chosuke had laced his hands with a poison Satoru had prepared beforehand. With his hand expanded to an intimidating size, he gripped his own target and squeezed, his poison doing its work in moments as the captain slumped, immobilized without so much as a cry.
Kaito crept towards a captain dozing nearby, knife in hand. He drove it down, and the captain went limp. With three captains down in seconds, they regrouped and moved on, their silent efficiency creating minimal disturbance.
They continued, staying low and quiet as they approached the next target area. Satoru peeked into a dim room filled with grunts laughing and recounting their recent raids, oblivious to their fate. He slipped in, releasing an carefully concocted gaseous poison into the air.
With the humidity, the poison dissolved quickly, reaching the grunts before they even noticed his presence. Satoru silently struck, finishing off anyone still standing as the poison weakened them, making escape impossible. Encouraged by their success, Kaito's ambition grew. Spotting another captain, he advanced quietly ready to strike. But as his blade neared, the captain's eyes snapped open, reacting instantly.
Before Kaito could retreat, the captain countered, nearly alerting others. In a blur, Shinichi appeared, intercepting and swiftly neutralizing the captain before any noise escaped.
Kaito released a breath, glancing gratefully at his sensei as they both watched the captain's body fall.