On the city wall, when the wandering ninja leader drank the mysterious potion, Asuma and Kurenai immediately sensed something was wrong.
But at that time, they still wanted to wait and observe.
Unexpectedly, in just a few seconds, the situation flipped completely.
The reversal was so sudden that it caught them off guard.
"Hurry up and save him!" Asuma reacted first, leaping down from the wall.
The appearance of four enemy chunin was already beyond the mission's stated difficulty—but still within the capacity of the six genin.
As teachers, they hadn't intended to interrupt such a rare chance for real training.
But with the enemy leader enhancing himself with drugs, this was far beyond what the children could handle.
Boom!!
The next instant, a chain of explosive tags ignited in succession. Flames erupted, engulfing Asuma in a massive fireball.
"Asuma!" Kurenai's face paled, her body halting abruptly.
She hadn't been at the center of the explosion like Asuma, but the scorching wave still swept over her, forcing her back.
The violent blast drew everyone's attention on the battlefield.
The wandering ninja leader sneered. "So your support is gone, huh? Did you really think I wouldn't notice stronger shinobi lurking in the shadows?"
"Those surface traps were only bait. The real layer was buried deeper—designed to activate once reinforcements appeared. Whether you came forward or retreated, you'd trigger them all the same!"
Other than Kiba, who was still trying to recover, the other five genin turned pale.
"I-I'm sorry! It's my fault!" Hinata's eyes filled with tears.
She had been using her Byakugan to scout, yet she hadn't detected the second layer of traps hidden beneath the first.
Judging from the power of the explosion, their teachers might be in grave danger.
"Don't panic! Blaming yourself now won't help!" Shikamaru gritted his teeth, pinching his thigh hard to stay focused.
But the strength gap was enormous, and the crisis left him with no clear solution.
At the same time, the Itsuki harem chat group erupted.
[Haruno Sakura: What do we do?! Even Ino and Hinata are in danger!]
[Yamanaka Ino: Don't state the obvious, forehead! Help us think of something!]
[Haruno Sakura: …Even I don't have a plan this time.]
Everyone in the group was worried about Hinata and Ino, and even Sakura, who usually liked to argue with Ino, was desperately trying to find a way to help.
But no matter how noisy the chat grew, distant water could not put out a nearby fire.
Beneath the river, Itsuki finally released his grip on Tsubaki, giving her a small smile.
"So, I guess it's my turn now?"
"Captain, are you… sure?" Tsubaki's voice trembled, her face pale.
This had only been meant as a simple bandit suppression mission—yet it had turned into this.
If she had been assigned such a task, she wouldn't have survived even with ten lives.
"Oh, sure?" Itsuki chuckled, patting her shoulder. "Chun, never doubt your captain's strength. I'm a hundred percent certain."
This time, Tsubaki didn't argue back. She even looked at Itsuki with a dazed, infatuated gaze.
So cool…
So reliable…
What a man—no, what a boy!
Somehow, his simple words carried a strange weight. Her panic began to melt away, replaced by calm.
Itsuki turned, preparing to leap from the water, then paused.
"Anything else I should know? You're the strategist, after all."
Tsubaki blinked, flustered. She'd almost forgotten her role.
"First—ensure the safety of the children. Use shadow clones. One can distract the enemy, the other can move in to rescue them. But you'll only get one chance, so you must act decisively."
"Second—don't engage head-on. If my guess is right, that potion's effects won't last. The side effects will be severe. All you need to do is buy time, and he'll collapse on his own."
She hesitated, then added, "And one last thing… please be careful."
"Mm." Itsuki smiled. "Good advice."
With that, he vanished.
Left alone, Tsubaki finally surfaced for air. Her eyes followed the battlefield, full of deep worry.
As Tsubaki predicted, the wandering ninja leader didn't have patience to toy with the kids.
"Originally, I just wanted to teach you brats a lesson—make you back off. I don't want to provoke Konoha. But things have gone too far. So now, you'll die here!"
His eyes blazed with fury as his massive hand squeezed Kiba's throat tighter.
"Woof! Woof!"
Akamaru suddenly lunged, biting into the giant's arm. Blood splattered onto the ground.
"You damn mutt!" the leader roared, loosening his grip in pain.
Then, snarling, he kicked viciously at Akamaru.
This strike was far more brutal than before. With Akamaru's small frame, it could easily kill him outright.
At the last second, Kiba twisted his body, shielding Akamaru with his own.
The kick smashed into his waist, sending him and Akamaru flying together.
"Kiba!!" Shikamaru and the others cried out.
Shino dashed forward, his Parasitic Insects swarming to cushion the fall.
He managed to catch them, but the damage was already done.
Blood poured from Kiba's mouth as he clutched Akamaru tightly.
Akamaru was unconscious, his small body trembling, injuries nearly as bad as Kiba's.
Kiba smiled faintly, forcing the words out. "It's okay… as long as I'm alive…"
Then his eyelids fluttered shut, and he fainted.
The others' eyes burned red with rage, grief, and helplessness.
This… this was the real shinobi world.
Their very first mission, and already they were drowning in blood and cruelty.
But reality would not stop for their feelings.
The leader, arm still bleeding from Akamaru's bite, charged them in a frenzy.
"Guess I'll start with you brats!"
"There's no choice—we have to fight!"
Shikamaru gritted his teeth, forcing his shadow to stretch across the battlefield.
The others steadied themselves. Even if their chances were zero, they had resolved to make a final stand.
Hinata's Byakugan flared. Ino pressed her palms together for her jutsu. Shino pushed out his last swarm of insects. Choji clenched his fists.
Their combined effort was crushed instantly.
Hinata was hurled aside, coughing blood. Ino collapsed, chakra drained. Choji was flung into a wall. Shikamaru's shadow shattered under a surge of chakra.
Only Shino managed to survive with an insect clone, but his chakra was completely spent.
In the span of a breath, the entire squad was wiped out.
Even the bandits froze in terror, forgetting what they were even here for.
The leader's grin widened as he loomed over Shino.
"Let's start with you!"
His giant fist swung down.
Shino tried to dodge, but his body collapsed, too weak to move.
Am I going to die? he thought calmly. What a shame… so many species I haven't studied yet.
"Earth Style: Earth Wall!"
A wall of stone burst from the ground, blocking the blow.
The leader's fist cracked the wall but failed to break it.
And atop that wall, a new figure appeared—quiet, steady, and unflinching.
Itsuki had arrived.
...
Author's Note:
The full completed version of Konoha Harem Chat Group: I Can Fabricate the Future (Completed) is now on Patreon!
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