Shinichi led Kaito to a quiet area, giving him a final, intense look. "You ready to use that jutsu you've been building chakra for?" he asked, his tone serious.
Kaito nodded, determined. "Yeah, I've got this." With that, he moved into position, mentally prepared for his role in the plan.
Meanwhile, Satoru and Chosuke, disguised as the captured captains, worked to subtly isolate the inebriated grunts. They led them, one by one, to remote spots, where each was swiftly subdued and bound.
When Chosuke had rounded up his share of captives, he quietly slipped into his designated position, leaving Satoru to manage the remaining tasks alone.
Satoru moved with purpose, subtly steering the remaining bandits toward the camp's innermost area. His disguise as a captain helped him blend in seamlessly, directing the grunts under the guise of emergency orders.
As he guided them deeper into the camp's center, he and Shinichi also began discreetly gathering the stolen spoils, determined to return what they could to the people.
Once he had a good portion of the bandits where he wanted them, Satoru placed a paper bomb in the camp's corner. The explosive went off, ripping through the air and drawing everyone's attention with its sharp, echoing blast.
Bandits jolted awake, instincts flaring, as they rushed to find their "captain" in the chaos.
Using the commotion, Satoru—still in disguise—shouted orders, instructing all remaining bandits to gather in the center and form a defensive line. The camp's unsuspecting grunts complied, crowding into a vulnerable cluster.
On the northern and southern edges, Chosuke and Kaito readied themselves. Chosuke launched his Fire Style: Fire Forest, while Kaito, using almost all of his remaining chakra, conjured as many fireballs as he could manage.
Meanwhile, Satoru's shadow clone on the eastern edge released a powerful Wind Style: Breakthrough, while Shinichi mirrored him from the western side, unleashing an even stronger version of the jutsu. Together, the coordinated fire and wind techniques struck the camp from opposite ends, igniting the carbohydrate dust that Satoru and Shinichi had meticulously scattered earlier. The resulting explosion ripped through the entire camp, a fiery cyclone engulfing everything as the dust and wind accelerated the inferno, turning the camp into a blazing maelstrom.
The majority of the grunts were immediately overwhelmed, caught in the deadly blast. Only the captains, with their higher skill and chakra control, managed to shield themselves, some barely surviving amidst the flames and chaos.
---
With the captains subdued and bound, the team swiftly delivered the captives to the border patrol, where a stationed Yamanaka awaited to conduct interrogations.
While the Yamanaka began extracting crucial intelligence, Satoru and his team settled down, finally able to unwind after the intense mission. They feasted heartily, replenishing their energy and reveling in a well-earned respite.
After finishing his meal, Satoru wandered over to chat with some of the border guards. As he was exchanging small talk, a girl approached and stood beside him.
Noticing her curious gaze, she asked, "So, what exactly was your mission? Those captains look like fried chicken with all those burns."
Satoru grinned, casually explaining, "We used a dust explosion. Set the whole camp ablaze." The girl chuckled, clearly entertained by the mental image. "Sounds like an interesting life," she remarked. "Getting to pull off things like that must be exciting."
Satoru raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "What's a usual day like for you if my missions seem exciting?" he asked, genuinely curious.
She laughed lightly. "Mostly just patrolling, training, and sleeping in sleeping bags filled with bugs. Oh, and cold showers. Every day."
Sympathy crossed Satoru's face as he reached into his pocket, pulling out a small chocolate and handing it to her. "Here, maybe this'll make the day a bit better."
She laughed again, amused by the gesture. "Once you get used to it, it's not so bad," she replied, a hint of warmth in her smile. They exchanged introductions, and Satoru realized her name sounded familiar.
"Wait, are you the same Reiko who went up against Kaito in that tournament?" he asked.
She nodded with a smirk. "The very same." Just then, Shinichi called out for Satoru, prompting him to part ways with Reiko.
As Kaito recounted his close call with the captain, he laughed nervously. "I can't believe I thought I could take him out like that," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.
Chosuke chuckled, clapping him on the shoulder. "Hey, those mistakes happen. Besides, Shinichi-sensei had our backs."
Kaito's expression turned serious. "But sensei won't be with us forever. There'll come a time when others will rely on us like we rely on him." His words hung in the air as they both considered the weight of future missions.
Just then, Shinichi appeared with Satoru, bringing news from the Yamanaka ninja who had been interrogating the captured bandits. The man came running over, breathless.
"Those bandits were a decoy. The real groups are still out there—likely already targeting other villages."
The team tensed up immediately, and another ninja approached, confirming that these groups were positioned near the borders of the Land of Fire, preparing to raid. "They're scattered along the edges of the country. Each one could reach a village in the next day or two."
Shinichi assessed the map that the ninja had spread out. Pointing to the southeast near the Land of Tea, he said, "I'll handle this group alone."
Satoru raised a brow, questioning, "You mean we're each going after a group on our own?"
Shinichi nodded. "Exactly. You'll each have your own mission. Satoru, there's a group in the northwest near the Land of Rain. They have the largest number of bandits. You have the most balanced skill set, so you'll have to prepare well and use your time wisely."
Chosuke was assigned the group near the Land of Rivers. The Yamanaka ninja added a cautionary note, "One of our own, Inoko, is undercover with this group. Do not harm her."
At the mention of Inoko, Kaito's demeanor shifted to determination. "Let me handle that group. I want to make sure she's safe."
Shinichi cast him a sharp look. "Kaito, that's risky. You're still the least experienced in combat. Once I deal with my own mission, I won't be able to come for backup in time."
But Kaito was resolute. "I'll manage," he insisted. Seeing his determination, Chosuke accepted the group near the Land of Iron.
With a sigh, Shinichi looked at Satoru. "Assist Kaito as soon as you can. Chosuke, hold off the bandits near the Land of Iron until I finish with the ones by the Land of Tea."
The team quickly packed up, leaving the border camp at Shinichi's lead. Before heading out, Shinichi approached the jonin stationed there, hoping for backup. "Any chance you can spare some help?" he asked.
The jonin shook his head, sighing. "We just received orders from the Hokage to reinforce the camp with fresh genins—most of them barely trained. We're stretched thin ourselves, waiting on reinforcements to rotate them out."
Hearing this, Shinichi wasted no time.using the Summoning jutsu, he sent out a hawk to signal for reinforcements to key locations along the border.
Then, without delay, he set off in the direction of his assigned target.
Meanwhile, Satoru, sprinted ahead, pushing himself to cover the distance as fast as possible. An hour into his run, he paused to catch his breath and focused on healing his strained legs with a medical jutsu. Just as he finished, he heard an unusual clattering sound from behind and instinctively drew his blade.
To his surprise, a toy-like horse puppet trotted towards him. Perched on its back was Reiko, smiling as she dismounted. Satoru narrowed his eyes. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be back at the camp?"
Reiko gave him a confident grin. "You're headed to the toughest base, and I thought you could use a hand."
Satoru frowned, shaking his head. "I have a strategy, Reiko. Go back before you get in trouble for leaving your pos..."
She stepped closer and placed a finger on his lips shushing him, "No! You need my help, you dont get an opportunity like this everyday, now do you? Alone with a girl."
Without a word, she grabbed his hand and guided him onto the puppet horse. "Save your energy. Heal while we travel," she insisted as they began moving.
Curious, Satoru glanced at the horse. "This is a puppet, right? But I don't see any chakra strings. How's it moving?"
With a spark of pride, Reiko explained, "It's different from the puppets in the Land of Wind. This one operates on its own using my clan's technique. We imprint movement commands directly into the puppet's body using sealing jutsu. Using Yin Release chakra, I infuse it with intent, controlling its movements at will."
Satoru listened, intrigued. This was his first time encountering such a unique puppet.
The ride was surprisingly smooth, allowing him to focus on healing his legs as Reiko expertly guided them both toward their destination, unbothered by the wilderness around them.
Satoru retrieved a storage scroll, pulling out ingredients, a mortar, and pestle, and began grinding herbs and powders together. Reiko raised an eyebrow, watching his meticulous process. "Are you... cooking?"
He chuckled. "Not exactly. I'm preparing poisons." A sudden idea lit up his mind. "Hey, Reiko, can your puppets deliver poison by contact or through jutsu?"
A glint of excitement appeared in her eyes. "They can! My dad sealed water-style jutsus in my puppets. I could infuse the poison and spread it through water techniques."
With a shared determination, they brainstormed while the puppet horse carried them closer to their destination. An hour later, they arrived and Reiko stored the horse back into her scroll.
Reiko ascended the tallest tree in the area, giving her a clear vantage point over the bandit camp below.
Reiko unsealed a collection of bird puppets from another scroll, then reached into a separate scroll that held a vast reserve of water. Unsealing it, she carefully mixed the prepared poison with the stored water, infusing it directly into the scroll.
With a series of swift hand seals, she activated Water Style: Waterfall, sending her bird puppets high above the camp. They released a steady, gentle rain infused with poison, covering the entire camp in an innocuous drizzle.
Meanwhile, Satoru observed the bandits scrambling to pack, seemingly preparing to leave. He immediately went into action, running stealthily around the camp's perimeter while casting invisible chakra strings to form an entrapment around the entire area.
Accumulating lightning in his body, he concentrated his energy into his new technique, Lightning Style: Conductivity, a jutsu he'd learned from Chomi. It gave his chakra the unique property of conducting electricity through objects.
Watching the rain cascade over the bandit camp, Satoru unleashed the lightning into the strings, creating an unseen electric barrier. The combination of invisible threads and silent electrical current surrounded the camp, trapping the bandits without their knowledge.