Shiori said, "As long as we wear the masks, we won't use our real names. I don't need to explain why, right? Until the end of the mission, call me Onimi or leader."
Umiko simply said a name and fell silent: "Onika."
"As for me, you can call me Kiichi," said Takashi.
Hisashi said, "Kitaro."
Tanaka was thoughtful for a moment before saying, "You can call me Yūgi."
He chose this name on purpose, as 'Yūgi' can mean 'Game', a nickname he found fitting for himself.
After this brief introduction, they boarded the sailing boat.
As the anchor was pulled to set sail, the ninja in charge of navigating the boat seemed very tense.
It was no wonder, the journey itself to the coast of the Land of Fire was dangerous. Even being a ninja, he was only level 25. He was probably only in charge of simpler missions.
"Stay alert!" Shiori exclaimed in a controlled voice: "You never know when those vermin will start sneaking around."
Looking at her with the halberd resting on her shoulder and a fierce expression, Tanaka felt she was right to say that. Especially a few minutes later when something appeared before him.
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After being surrounded by a significant amount of continuous bloodlust, you unlocked the skill [Detect Bloodlust].
[[Detect Bloodlust (Passive)] LV1: EXP: 0.00]
A skill that detects any bloodlust directed at the user.
Detects bloodlust within 50 meters of the user's location. Also alerts the user about its source.
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'In the end, she was right, but...' he thought: 'Where are they hiding?'
Opening the map. Everything was quickly filtered at an alarming speed, and then, several blue dots and some green ones appeared, coming from the sailing boat and then, not far away, he saw 4 red dots coming from the direction the boat was heading.
Naturally, there was no one visible above the sea, which suggested the enemies were hiding underwater.
Going to the bow, climbing up, Tanaka's eyes sharpened as he grabbed several ninja stars, four in each hand, and threw them towards the sea while activating 'Precise Throw' and reciting in his mind.
In an instant, the ninja stars traced a path through the air towards the sea.
"Yūgi, what was that just now?" Shiori approached.
Tanaka did not respond to her, but instead activated the skill again, grabbing more ninja stars and throwing them into the sea again.
Soon, a kind of blood cloud began to rise.
"Enemies?" Shiori gripped the halberd shaft tightly as her eyes became as sharp as a razor looking at the sea: "Reef the sails!"
However, she gave Tanaka a stern look right after. This was because what came floating up was not a ninja ambushing them, but a shark.
"Yūgi, you..."
"Smart, but... you don't fool me!" Before she could continue, Tanaka did not stop. He performed several hand seals and murmured: "Water Style: Water Dragon Bomb Technique!"
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LV45 Kaito Tsukishima
HP: [2,122 / 2,998]
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The moment the water dragon was formed, causing ripples in the sea, at Tanaka's command, the water dragon roared and headed towards the 'bleeding' shark.
"Damn!"
A curse came, and soon the shark transformed into a ninja wearing a white mask with blue tribal details and the symbol of Kirigakure (Hidden Mist Village) on the forehead.
Shiori seemed surprised by this revelation, but she was quick to command, "Enemy attack, prepare yourselves!"
Meanwhile, the water dragon created by Tanaka hit the target.
As the attack landed, he saw the Hidden Mist Village ninja's health gradually decrease to 30%.
'How tenacious...' he thought.
At the same time, four other ninjas wearing masks similar to that of the Hidden Mist Village ninja appeared.
"Formation!" one of them shouted while standing on the water.
Shiori jumped from the boat, landing on the water, followed by Hisashi and Takashi.
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LV?? Daiki Shigure
HP: [??/??]
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LV?? Riku Kirisame
HP: [??/??]
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LV39 Ren Sazanami
HP: [2,099/2,099]
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LV50 Sora Fubuki
HP: [3,124/3,124]
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Tanaka did not lose focus on the target, which was the ninja they were supporting with half health. As he jumped from the boat, he performed several hand seals and, before even landing on the water, he murmured, "Water Style: Water Dragon Bomb Technique!"
"Damn, it's him again!" exclaimed the ninja named Ren, who was supporting the ninja Kaito.
"Ahhhhh!"
A scream echoed.
While they were distracted by Tanaka's attack, Shiori took advantage of the moment when their attention was diverted from her. With the passive concealment of the mask, she struck the chest of the ninja Sora Fubuki squarely.
"Humph! That's what you get for underestimating us too much!" Shiori pulled the halberd horizontally, tearing Sora Fubuki in half.
With a cold and impassive face, she swung the halberd towards the sea, splattering the residual blood off the blade.
'As expected of a Jonin,' Tanaka thought.
And she didn't seem to be just any Jonin. Even the two Jonins on the enemy's side took a few steps back on the water, staying alert as they looked towards Shiori.
"Idiots~!" Shiori pronounced, and then Tanaka's attack hit them squarely.
"Boom!"
The moment the water dragon hit, Tanaka clenched his hand, making the water dragon explode.
Shiori didn't look at him but gave him a thumbs-up with her free hand.
Meanwhile, a notification appeared in front of Tanaka.
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[You gained 36,900 EXP!]
[You leveled up 11 times!]
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[You obtained
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'From level 1, I went straight to level 12...' An imperceptible smile curved his lips.
Of course, he understood this was due to his low level and the high level of the target he killed.
'And, I didn't expect there to be something like a drop...'
His thoughts were interrupted when the Jonin of the Hidden Mist Village, Riku Kirisame, used the very jutsu he had obtained from killing one of them.
"Ninpou: Kirigakure no Jutsu (Hidden Mist Technique)!"
"I won't let you!" Shiori advanced with her halberd. Soon, flames were produced at the tip of the halberd as she swung it from bottom to top, attacking them diagonally.
Daiki Shigure, who was also a Jonin, grabbed a short sword from his waist, holding it sideways, positioning it to defend.
"Humph!" Snorting, Shiori didn't seem to struggle with the opposing defense as her halberd clashed with the sword, which split in two.
"What the—?" In shock, Jonin Daiki tried to retreat, but to his complete surprise, the speed of the halberd didn't diminish at all. It was as if the clash with his sword had been entirely insignificant, leaving him vulnerable and defenseless before the relentless attack.
"Daiki!" The Chunin behind him, Ren Sazanami, pulled him by his clothes, managing to pull him back just in time to avoid the flaming blade of Shiori's halberd.
"Whoosh!"
Even with a graze, a slash marked from Jonin Daiki's nose to his navel.
"Didn't they ever teach you to never lose sight of your enemy?" A cold voice sounded behind Ren Sazanami.
Before he could react, Umiko appeared like a shadow, a kunai gleaming in her hand. With a swift and precise movement, she slashed his throat. Blood spurted, and Ren released Jonin Daiki, his hands desperately trying to staunch the flow of blood escaping his throat, his eyes wide with surprise and pain.
Tanaka saw an opportunity while Jonin Daiki was stunned, even if for a moment, and used 'Great Destruction,' murmuring in his mind.
"Whoosh!!"
The instant he blew the wind from his mouth, a very strong gust resembling a windstorm was produced. In moments, even the mist surrounding them began to disperse as the gust of wind created strong ripples in the air.
Jumping back, Tanaka successfully dodged a surprise attack from Riku Kirisame.
[You took 988 damage]
Even with a graze, Tanaka placed his hand on his belly where he was hit by a sword blade.
"Very good, you managed to dodge that, but..." Jonin Riku's cold voice echoed, "I want you to die!"
"We won't let you do that." Hisashi appeared on Jonin Riku's left side while Takashi appeared on the right.
The two finished making the necessary seals and said at the same time, "Sealing Technique: Water Seal!"
In an instant, large waves were created from opposite sides and then rushed towards Jonin Riku at great speed.
"Damn Uzushiogakure ninjas and their damned sealing techniques!" Jonin Riku shouted in frustration. However, Tanaka noticed something—it was a hint of a smile.
When he realized it, Jonin Riku had already submerged into the sea, escaping the sealing jutsu of the two.
[You gained 1 level in detecting bloodlust.]
The moment he saw this, it didn't take a genius to understand that Jonin Riku's primary target was him.
Running, he headed towards Shiori, who had just beheaded Jonin Daiki.
As he ran, he used 'Mystical Palm' to heal himself.
Instead of using it in the standard way, healing with the skill active, he kept activating and deactivating it to heal faster, even if it required more MP.
When he looked at the map, he could see Jonin Riku's location and, before he could reach Shiori, an attack from below came towards him at great speed.
"Damn..." he murmured, "Water Style: Water Wall!"
Instead of spitting water, he chose to use the water from the sea itself, constructing a water wall.