Genjutsu: Self-Healing.
Satoru fed Hogoromo Ken medicine, then used Genjutsu to trick his body into self-healing.
He tossed aside the blood-stained Senbon in his hand.
"Mr. Hogoromo Ken, it seems something has happened to your clan!"
Hogoromo Ken felt the injury on his leg beginning to heal, and his expression turned grim upon hearing Satoru's words.
"It was my clan's miscalculation; we didn't ask for your help in dealing with the enemy."
Regret showed in his expression.
But now was not the time to dwell on that.
Hogoromo Ken continued, "Sir, the mission has temporarily changed. Please lead your team to take my clan's ten youngsters away, otherwise, they might be hunted down by the enemy."
He knew that the most urgent task was to protect the remaining descendants.
"Mr. Hogoromo Ken, you know that this mission is no longer A-rank."
Any mission involving Jonin is A-rank, or even S-rank.
And this time, there were more than just one or two Jonin among the enemies.
It was S-rank.
Hogoromo Ken choked, but still displayed a merchant's decisiveness: "No problem, elevate the mission to S-rank and double the reward. Please, sir, you must protect us."
"Don't worry, my clan has arrangements for contingencies; your mission reward will not be shortchanged."
"Deal. I also hope Mr. Hogoromo Ken will not be unable to pay."
Satoru smiled and agreed.
With someone watching, it wasn't good to continue researching Ninjutsu.
Earning some money along the way was also good.
Moreover, the Hogoromo Clan would probably only have these few people left, and the territory of Wind Breath Valley would likely be unmanaged in the future.
He could come anytime then.
Hogoromo Ken breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. He was afraid that Satoru wouldn't dare to agree, or wouldn't believe the clan had backup resources, and then leave with the team.
Whoosh, whoosh!
Satoru led the way, with the four-person team protecting Hogoromo Ken and the ten Hogoromo Clan members in the centre in a Manji formation.
They advanced quickly on the wide road.
Not fighting if possible was Satoru's idea.
After all, the mission was to escort people, not to fight.
If the Hogoromo Clan had issued a mission to annihilate the enemy before, it might have been a fight.
This was a bit easier.
In less than half an hour, they arrived at a road flanked by forests.
Satoru slowed down.
Hyuga Chong and the other two immediately understood.
In a hidden spot beneath Aburame Shikyō's feet, tiny insects burrowed into the ground and disappeared as they moved.
Inuzuka Tsuyoshi's husky's nose twitched incessantly.
Hyuga Chong guarded the side of the Hogoromo Clan.
Satoru formed hand seals: "Be careful, the enemy is here."
Earth Release: Earth Crust Rolling.
From the forests on both sides ahead, a 'rumbling' sound erupted, and the ground, along with trees, flipped over for tens of meters.
More than a dozen figures instantly burst out from the shadows.
Bang, bang!
Not a single person was injured.
"We've been discovered, go."
The leader, a muscular man, formed hand seals as he flew to avoid the attack.
He spat out a huge waterfall, attacking them.
Whoosh!
The others also used their respective methods.
Fire Release, Wind Release, Shuriken, poison...
"Don't resist."
Satoru said to Hogoromo Ken and the other ten.
Before they could react, a giant Chopped Pepper Fish Head emerged from the ground, swallowed them whole, and then disappeared back into the earth.
"Alright, now it's your turn to stretch your muscles. I'll provide support."
Satoru said to his teammates.
"Yes."
Rumble!
Facing the attack, Satoru blocked all attacks with an Earth Release: Earth Wall.
"Fang Over Fang."
Inuzuka Tsuyoshi's husky transformed, and the two of them became a tornado, attacking the enemy.
And Hyuga Chong also threw a few Shuriken as a feint, then quickly rushed forward.
"What about Konoha Ninja? I've studied your Ninjutsu very clearly."
The Ninja wearing a Grass Village rogue Ninja headband sneered as he looked at their headbands.
Then he spat out a huge fireball, attacking them.
He gave them no chance to get close.
Those with dogs and those with Byakugan were too easy to identify. As long as they blocked the two ninjas who used taijutsu, they would be much easier to deal with.
More than a dozen people against four was a piece of cake.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Not only him, but one of the Ninjas wearing a gas mask used Ninjutsu to make an umbrella fly in the air, continuously throwing spherical objects at them.
As they got closer, they exploded, emitting a purple mist.
"Are there only so few Ninja? This is probably just an ambush on this road; there must be others elsewhere."
Satoru looked at the dozen or so people who appeared.
From their headbands and Ninjutsu characteristics, he could roughly analyse their origins and most of their intelligence.
Line of Sight Displacement.
Form Manipulation.
He formed hand seals with one hand, using different Ninjutsu.
Before they could respond to Inuzuka Tsuyoshi's attacks, Satoru completed the release of his Genjutsu.
Rumble!
The Great Fireball that was supposed to attack Inuzuka Tsuyoshi sprayed onto the ground next to him, adding +1 to ground attack achievements.
The poison balls thrown by the Rain Ninja also landed next to them.
"How is that possible?"
One Ninja looked at the two tornado attacks, each as big as three buildings, which slowed down the hand seals he was making.
Then Inuzuka Tsuyoshi and his husky passed by, instantly tearing his body apart.
Inuzuka Tsuyoshi, from his opponent's reaction, also realised this was his captain's technique, and his face showed excitement.
And Hyuga Chong's charge brought him in front of a Rain Ninja.
In the Rain Ninja's eyes, a huge palm covered the sky and attacked him. He wanted to raise his weapon to attack and block, but found that the huge palm he struck was as illusory as nothing, and his blade cut through space.
Then Hyuga Chong's hand brushed past his body.
They passed each other.
The Rain Ninja's internal organs shattered, and after spitting out fresh blood, he fell to the ground and died.
Whoosh, whoosh!
"Damn it, everyone be careful, this is the enemy captain's Genjutsu, don't look at him."
The leader of the attacking team, seeing his teammates acting like idiots, immediately warned them.
But his warning was too late. By the time some of them broke free from the Genjutsu, only eight people remained.
They gathered around their leader, looking at Satoru's team with grave expressions.
"Captain, what should we do? Konoha Ninja are too strong, aren't they?"
This was everyone's thought.
In just an instant, they had lost nearly half of their teammates.
"No, their captain is too strong..."
The leader looked at Satoru and felt the urge to retreat.
He had assassinated Konoha Jonin several times, but this time, the Konoha Jonin he encountered was the strongest Ninja he had ever seen.
A Genjutsu Ninja, what a troublesome fellow.
Their mission this time was aimed at the Hogoromo Clan, and they hadn't brought any teammates specialised in dealing with Genjutsu Ninja. It was a miscalculation.
"Damn it."
Whoosh!
As he thought, he fired a signal flare.
Bang!
A huge fireworks display spread across the sky.
It was at this moment that a rogue Earth Release Ninja suddenly clutched his neck, his face turning purple.
Then he collapsed to the ground.
"What?"
This greatly alarmed the leader. He had already warned them about the Genjutsu Ninja, so how could he still fall for it?
Rustle, rustle!
Black insects crawled out of the Ninja's purple pupils and mouth.
Then they continued to attack them.