At the Daimyō's mansion, in an expansive training ground, Shūichi Hoshita and his team came face-to-face with the six ninja recruited by the Land of Fire's Daimyō.
All six were men.
Two of them were older, appearing to be in their forties.
The other four were slightly younger but still seemed older than Minato Namikaze, likely in their mid-twenties or older.
They had fierce expressions!
Where did he find these rogue ninjas?
Shūichi silently mocked.
A young man dressed in a black robe on the opposite side sneered, "Has Konoha run out of people? They sent a bunch of kids to assess us?"
He was being incredibly arrogant!
A middle-aged man with a goatee beside him chuckled, "Don't underestimate these kids. They're from a major ninja village. If you underestimate them on the battlefield, you'll end up dead."
Although his words suggested caution, Shūichi could see the contempt, malice, and excitement in the man's eyes.
What's wrong with being a kid? Did kids steal your milk?
Kurama Sanyō couldn't help but clench his fists in anger. "These two guys are really pissing me off!"
Minato Namikaze calmed him, "Sanyō, take it easy."
At that moment, another young man from the opposing group spoke, "So, how are we going to start this assessment?"
"We have six people. If we all go at once, it might be too much of a bully move."
The black-robed youth shouted, "Hey, boss, if we accidentally kill them, Konoha won't come after us, will they?"
His words made the other four turn to look at their leader.
The man called "boss" was a middle-aged man with scars on both sides of his face.
He had a stern expression and mostly kept his eyes on Minato Namikaze.
Hearing his subordinate's question, he responded coolly, "If you don't want to die, I suggest you don't do something that stupid."
Arrogance is one thing, but don't be foolish!
At this moment, the Daimyō's attendant announced in a loud voice, "Namikaze-sensei, Ken'ichi-sensei, the exchange will be conducted in two phases."
"First, individual matches. Both sides will each send out four people for one-on-one matches."
"Second, a team battle—four against four."
"Do either of you have any objections?"
Minato responded, "None."
Ken'ichi also replied, "None."
The attendant nodded, "Very well, let's begin!"
"The Daimyō has declared that for each victory, the winner will receive a reward of 100,000 ryō."
"And each victory earns one point. The team with the most points at the end will be awarded a special treasure by the Daimyō—a Kusanagi sword from ancient times. It can cut through iron like butter and has excellent chakra conductivity."
Hearing this, Ken'ichi's stern face finally showed a hint of seriousness.
Money is important, but a good weapon is essential for survival.
And even with money, it might not be possible to buy a Kusanagi sword, especially one that can conduct chakra.
With this in mind, Ken'ichi cast a cold glance at his five subordinates and said, "Take this seriously. Don't get careless, or I won't hesitate to make you pay."
The five underlings, including the black-robed youth, immediately tensed up and dropped their playful attitudes.
"Boss, let me go first!"
The black-robed youth volunteered.
Ken'ichi nodded slightly.
On the other side, seeing the black-robed youth step forward, Minato Namikaze looked towards Uchiha Shisui.
But Shūichi Hoshita raised his hand and said, "Sensei, let me take the first match!"
Minato didn't refuse and nodded, "Alright, Shūichi, you go first. Don't worry too much about winning or losing."
"Understood!"
Shūichi nodded and stepped forward, pulling out a kunai, holding a senbon in his mouth, and drawing his Totsuka Blade with his right hand.
"A kid who specializes in close combat, huh?"
The black-robed youth eyed Shūichi, "But then again, at his age, even if he's a genius, how much chakra could he possibly have for ninjutsu?"
Before the battle even began, the black-robed youth had already pigeonholed Shūichi.
It was because Shūichi's stance was too well-prepared.
Minato Namikaze and the other two weren't surprised by Shūichi Hoshita's actions—this was his style. What he revealed was always meant to mislead the enemy.
While it was true that Shūichi was skilled in close combat, to someone like Uchiha Shisui, unless one possessed ultra-fast reflexes, Shūichi's taijutsu and use of ninja tools would be considered subpar.
However, in reality, those ultra-fast reflexes were Shūichi's innate talent—something that couldn't be overlooked.
"He's just a kid who doesn't know how to hide his abilities!"
The black-robed youth inwardly mocked Shūichi, but he also decided to go all out, aiming to give this kid a real shock.
Of course, he was also motivated by the 100,000 ryō reward!
"Hey, kid, don't cry later!"
With a loud shout, the black-robed youth charged forward, his hands emerging from his wide sleeves, flinging several shuriken at Shūichi.
Shūichi easily deflected them with a simple motion, not even moving an inch.
Suddenly, the black-robed youth changed direction, throwing shuriken from the side. As Shūichi blocked the shuriken, the youth quickly moved into his blind spot, lunging straight at him.
At that moment, two sharp swords emerged from the youth's wide sleeves.
Shūichi sidestepped and fell to the ground, narrowly dodging the two swords that whizzed past his ears.
Thud! Thud!
Supporting himself with one hand, Shūichi kicked at the black-robed youth's wrists. Although he didn't disarm the youth, the kick made him wince in pain and forced him to stagger backward.
Flipping back onto his feet, Shūichi charged at the youth with blinding speed, his arms moving like a blur as the gleam of his blade surrounded the youth.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sound of clashing metal echoed, sparks flying in all directions.
"Too slow!"
"Too slow!"
Shūichi's movements grew faster with each strike, his taunts never ceasing.
"This kid's speed…"
The black-robed youth's eyes widened in shock, sweat forming on his brow.
"I can't keep going like this…"
Sensing that the situation was becoming dangerous, the youth shook his sleeves, releasing two plumes of black smoke that enveloped both him and Shūichi.
Poison gas!
"Kid, die!"
The youth laughed maniacally, as two chains shot out from his sleeves, wrapping around Shūichi.
The youth had already broken the antidote capsule hidden in his mouth, so he had no fear of the poison.
Seeing Shūichi holding his breath, his hands bound by the chains, the black-robed youth slowly approached.
Outside, Kurama Sanyō was alarmed. "Shūichi!"
Minato Namikaze placed a hand on Sanyō's shoulder. "Stay calm. Don't forget that Shūichi is a medical ninja."
Within the black poisonous fog, the black-robed youth suddenly froze. The Shūichi he had chained up had suddenly transformed into a rabbit, easily slipping out of the chains.
But how did he perform a transformation jutsu with his hands bound?
Before the youth could react, the rabbit kicked off the ground, soaring into the air and dispelling the transformation to return to human form.
Mid-air, Shūichi, with a senbon in his mouth, swallowed an antidote pill, took a deep breath, puffed out his cheeks, and exhaled.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!
On the ground, the black-robed youth simultaneously finished his hand seals and unleashed a dragon-shaped flame into the sky.
Boom!
The flames exploded, the heatwave scattering the poison gas.
But then, the black-robed youth couldn't help but exclaim in shock, "How is this possible?"
He saw several fireballs raining down from the sky.
Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The black-robed youth scrambled to dodge the incoming flames.
As Shūichi landed on the ground, the senbon in his mouth suddenly shot out, hitting the youth who had just dodged a fireball, striking his neck with pinpoint accuracy.
Clutching his neck, the black-robed youth looked at Shūichi and quickly shouted, "I surrender!"
Shūichi extended his hand. "The antidote!"
Although he had only inhaled a small amount of poison and had already taken an antidote pill with no obvious signs of poisoning, he still decided to get the antidote, just in case.
Reluctantly, the black-robed youth pulled out a small box and handed it to Shūichi.
Shūichi opened the box and saw two pills inside. He immediately took one and tossed it to the black-robed youth.
The youth's expression soured, but he had no choice but to swallow the pill.
Seeing that the black-robed youth was unharmed, Shūichi nodded in satisfaction.
(End of Chapter)
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Almost Done!! Just a Little more!
Extra chapters will be uploaded on Monday as I will be busy this Saturday/Sunday.
(Translating batches of new chapters ~keke(insert evil laugh gif))
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