While Seimei was deep in thought, Furukawa had already created some distance and said, "You all take your time to discuss. I'll be on my way."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Seimei lunged forward, pulling out several shuriken from his ninja tool pouch mid-leap.
Whoosh~ Whoosh~ Whoosh~
The shuriken flew through the air. Most of them were aimed at blocking Furukawa's escape route, while only two were directly aimed at his throat and heart.
Seimei's attack was swift and fierce. If it had been any other Genin, they might have been seriously injured by this sudden assault.
But Furukawa was different.
Just as Seimei thought, although Furukawa had suppressed his strength to the Genin level, his combat experience was not something an ordinary Genin could match.
The moment Seimei launched his attack, Furukawa reacted instantly.
Clang! Clang!
The two shuriken aimed at him were precisely blocked by his kunai.
This, however, gave Seimei an opportunity.
Seeing Furukawa's guard wide open, Seimei, who was already close, didn't hesitate at all and immediately swung his kunai, aiming for his chest and abdomen.
Feeling the chill emanating from Seimei's strike, Furukawa smiled faintly and simply took a light step back to evade the attack.
The difference in physique between adults and minors was starkly evident at that moment. Seimei's perfect strike was effortlessly deflected by Furukawa, solely due to the disadvantage in size.
Seimei had little complaint about this.
After all, on the battlefield, no one cared about whether you were an adult or not.
Since his physique was not as strong as his opponent's, Seimei had to find a way to turn this disadvantage into a balance or even an advantage, rather than complain about it.
With that thought in mind, Seimei's body swayed slightly, and he agilely maneuvered to the side of Furukawa, evading the counterattack.
Then, he executed a diagonal kick aimed at Furukawa's back.
Why not kick the back of the head?
Seimei wished he could, but unfortunately, he wasn't tall enough and could only target his back.
However, Furukawa was unwilling to give him such an opportunity.
With a swift motion, he ducked to avoid Seimei's diagonal kick while simultaneously thrusting his elbow, targeting Seimei's face.
"Not good!"
Seimei's heart sank as he quickly raised his arm to block.
Bang!
A dull thud resonated, and Seimei felt a wave of numbness in his arm, causing his body to uncontrollably fly backward.
In midair, Seimei adjusted his posture and landed on the ground in a relatively graceful manner.
"Seimei!"
"Seimei-kun!"
Only at this moment did Ryosuke and Mizutani Shizuko react. They quickly drew their Kunai and rushed to Seimei's side.
"Seimei, are you okay?"
Ryosuke stared intently at Furukawa, not turning his head as he asked.
"I'm fine," Seimei replied slowly as he got back up.
Not far away, Furukawa sheathed his Kunai and said flatly, "Seimei, your strength is quite good, but you can't take the scroll from me by yourself."
After saying that, he leaped a few times and disappeared from their sight into the depths of the forest.
"Phew—"
Once Furukawa left, both Ryosuke and Mizutani Shizuko couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Although they had stepped forward earlier, facing a Jonin still made them feel a bit intimidated.
Seimei didn't mind this much. The reason he had acted just now was simply to take a shot in the dark, hoping for the best; if it didn't work, he could at least gauge Furukawa's 'strength.'
This way, he could have a clearer understanding in his heart.
"Seimei, what should we do next?"
Ryosuke withdrew his gaze and looked at Seimei.
Not just him; Mizutani Shizuko also turned her attention to Seimei.
Clearly, these two had taken him as their pillar of support.
This was also one of Seimei's objectives.
Only by demonstrating his own strength would others listen to him; otherwise, why would they follow his ideas if he couldn't back them up?
Now it was good. With what had just happened, both of his teammates would likely follow his lead.
Although Seimei didn't care much about being the Team Captain, it was still better to avoid trouble when he could.
With that in mind, Seimei looked at the two of them and said, "Since Furukawa-sensei mentioned that this is a test, there shouldn't be any life-threatening danger. Let's give it our all from here on out."
"Yeah, how did I not think of that?"
Ryosuke smacked his palm excitedly and shouted, "So what are we waiting for? Let's hurry up and set off!"
'Ah, if only it were that simple.'
Seimei was certain that the road ahead would be far from easy, but he didn't say much more. It was best that his teammates remained this positive.
As for the other details, they could be discussed later.
Thinking this, Seimei spoke up: "Alright, let's set off. I'll lead the way, Shizuko will stay in the middle, and Ryosuke, you keep an eye on the back."
"What?"
Hearing Seimei's arrangement, Ryosuke asked in confusion, "Didn't Furukawa-sensei say he wouldn't initiate an attack? Why do we need to watch the back?"
"Better safe than sorry."
Seimei replied.
"Fine!"
Ryosuke reluctantly nodded, agreeing to Seimei's arrangement.
"What about you Shizuko?"
Seimei asked.
Mizutani Shizuko shook her head and said timidly, "I have no problem."
"Then let's go."
With that, Seimei took the lead and headed in the direction Furukawa had gone.
Mizutani Shizuko and Ryosuke followed closely behind.
Meanwhile, underground and unbeknownst to the three of them, Furukawa utilized Earth Release: Underground Projection Fish Jutsu to conceal himself beneath the ground, secretly observing their every move.
When he heard Seimei say, "Better safe than sorry," he nodded in satisfaction.
For a ninja, caution and carefulness are qualities that must be possessed at all times.
The fact that Seimei still acted this way after Furukawa informed him that he wouldn't initiate an attack was enough to demonstrate his cautious nature.
If that were all, it would be fine.
However, considering Seimei's earlier proactive attack, it was clear that he did not lack a spirit of adventure.
'Caution and prudence coupled with decisive courage—this is a born ninja.'
Seimei was unaware that by simply acting according to some memories from his past life, he had left a highly favorable impression on Furukawa.
However, even if he were to find out, he wouldn't care.
Others' evaluations are merely others' opinions. One must still rely on their own strength; as long as he improved his own abilities, then everything he did would make sense.
Let's shift our focus back to Seimei and the others.
Seimei and his two companions raced through the forest, using the knowledge taught by their school sensei to search for the traces intentionally left by Furukawa.
Along the way, they encountered numerous traps and dangers, but with their combined efforts, Seimei and his team managed to eliminate them one by one.
As noon approached, the three finally reached the mountain peak and spotted Furukawa, who had arrived there before them.
Seeing them, Furukawa tossed the scroll in his hand and said, "There isn't much time left. What are you going to do?"
Seimei and Ryosuke exchanged glances and then simultaneously dashed out, launching themselves at Furukawa from both sides.
At the same time, Mizutani Shizuko steeled herself and quickly threw several Shuriken and Kunai to restrict Furukawa's movements.
Furukawa's figure flickered as he dodged Mizutani Shizuko's attacks.
Seizing the opportunity, Seimei moved to the side of Furukawa, his Kunai slicing directly towards Furukawa's waist.
Clang~
The crisp sound of metal clashing echoed as Furukawa blocked Seimei's attack with his Kunai.
At that moment, Ryosuke charged in, thrusting his Kunai straight towards Furukawa's back.
Just as it seemed he would hit, he hesitated for a moment, unsure if he might injure Furukawa or for some other reason.
But that hesitation cost him the opportunity, allowing Furukawa to sidestep the attack.
"Kid, when facing an enemy—"
Having dodged the attack, Furukawa was about to say something when he suddenly noticed Ryosuke smile slightly. Ryosuke's left hand darted swiftly towards Furukawa's chest, where he concealed the scroll, much more agile than before.
"Not good!"
Furukawa cursed under his breath, "Cunning little brat," and quickly leaned back.
Due to their positions and the difference in height, Ryosuke's left hand barely managed to reach Furukawa's chest, insufficient to retrieve the scroll.
Seeing this, Furukawa let out a long sigh of relief, thinking to himself, "That was close!"
However, at that moment, Ryosuke quickly reversed the Kunai in his right hand and cleanly stabbed it into Furukawa's lower abdomen.
"Ah!"
Seeing this scene, Seimei, who had rushed forward first, exclaimed, and his form suddenly changed, transforming from Seimei's appearance into Ryosuke's.
Furukawa glanced down at the Ryosuke in front of him, a hint of admiration showing in his eyes.
Then, his figure transformed into a cloud of Chakra smoke.
A scroll fell from the smoke, which was precisely the mission target for Seimei and the others.