The Konoha team finally reached Tieling Fortress on the sixth day.
A horse-drawn carriage would never match a ninja's speed, and the animals needed rest. Unless you paid for fresh horses at every relay town, you'd never make it in time.
Ninja, on the other hand—those high-grade "beasts of burden"—only needed a soldier pill to run at full power.
What took them six days, a jonin could clear in two.
"We're about to enter the Iron Country's Tieling Fortress. Their inspections are strict—take off your headbands."
Kaito removed his instantly. Better safe than to trigger unnecessary fighting at the border.
His three students nodded.
All four members of Team Eleven, along with the wealthy merchant and his two guards, had already changed into thick winter coats.
"So cold…"
The blonde girl—scarf wrapped tightly, breath misting white—leaned against the carriage window.
"Still… I'm really glad we got the chance to do an out-of-village mission together."
At those words, Uchiha Mikoto and Might Duy both looked a little downcast.
Kaito remained expressionless.
The clueless Mizutani Shōto blinked.
"What? Why do you look like that? Don't tell me—you're not planning to defect, right?!"
He shivered visibly. After all, he'd seen their strength along the road.
Those bandits and assassins were nothing compared to them.
The carriage surged forward with a violent rush of cold air.
The twins driving ahead were exhausted, too focused on controlling the horses to notice anything else.
War-time missions didn't allow for the leisurely pace of the infamous Wave Country escort.
"No," Kaito said flatly. "It's because she's too talented. She might be leaving the team soon."
"Oh?"
The merchant perked up, confused.
Before he could ask more, Kaito frowned slightly, gazing at the silent trees outside.
"Also… this road's been unusually quiet for a while now. Don't tell me there's an—"
He didn't even finish.
Both horses suddenly screamed, collapsing as the wheels hit a hidden trap.
The carriage flipped, the two guards were thrown face-first into the dirt, and before anyone inside could react—
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Four shuriken shot out from the bushes straight toward the guards.
"E–Enemy attack!"
A-Jin struggled out of a shallow pit, clutching his head.
A-Yin lay unconscious after smacking directly into a horse.
When A-Jin finally looked up, he saw Uchiha Mikoto already standing in front of him, kunai raised—deflecting all four shuriken in a single motion.
"Who's there?!"
"Tch. As expected, an Uchiha isn't so easily dealt with."
A man stepped out from the trees—dark red flak jacket, Iwagakure headband gleaming.
Just as Mikoto focused on him—
Two voices echoed behind her.
"Earth Release: Rock Bullet Technique!" ×2
"Not good—!"
Mikoto tried to turn, but the Iwa ninja lunged in, refusing to give her a chance.
"Don't forget—your opponent is me!"
Steel clashed—sparks bursting from kunai—and the force made Mikoto's grip tremble.
Sensing her tension and lack of strength, the man smirked and swung an elbow toward her face, ready to knock her out and take her.
"Leaf Whirlwind!!"
Bam!!
A blur of green crashed into the Iwa ninja, kicking him away.
The attacker staggered back and steadied himself.
"Who?!"
"Might Duy—Konoha's Taijutsu Beast!"
Meanwhile, Kaito slipped out of the overturned carriage.
Yakushi Nonō stayed behind to guard the unconscious merchant inside.
A rain of fist-sized stone bullets flew toward Kaito.
Compared to the real Earth Release technique, these were sloppy, weak—clearly C-rank at best.
But the outfit of the ninja facing Mikoto earlier…
Iwagakure.
"But why would Iwa shinobi be in the Iron Country? This makes no sense…"
The hidden men grinned as the barrage rushed toward Kaito.
"Whatever. We'll just capture you and ask."
The best move here was simple—expand ROOM and stop all stones midair.
Easy.
—Except… he was supposed to be a genin.
So Kaito reached for his blade instead.
A weapon he carried on every mission, rarely used, but always well-maintained.
His expression darkened.
"One-Sword Style: Web!"
Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!
Ten cuts in an instant—every stone deflected or shattered.
It looked like wild swinging to anyone else.
To him, it was practiced precision.
The two hidden attackers stiffened.
"…What the hell? Since when does he use a sword?! That wasn't in the intel!"
Kaito lowered his blade—and froze.
A huge tic-mark popped on his forehead.
The edge of his blade… was dented all over.
This was my 20,000-ryō sword… maintained every six months for 1,000 ryō each time…
"Twenty thousand ryō…" he muttered darkly.
"Huh? What's that kid saying?"
Ayei, the squad captain, frowned. He and Wei weren't using Transformation Technique—doing so would disrupt their ninjutsu.
Also, they were Kumo ninja, not Iwa. Earth Release wasn't even their specialty.
Which explained why their Rock Bullets were the size of peanuts.
"…Maybe he's too nervous?" Wei whispered.
On the side of the overturned carriage, Kaito continued mumbling to himself, audible only to him—
"A C-rank mission reward splits to only about forty thousand… my share maybe twenty… and then repairs… this stupid sword isn't worth maintaining…"
After a few seconds, his expression sharpened, voice dropping.
"So… if I report this as a rank-up mission… the reward should increase."
In the blink of an eye, Kaito vanished—only someone jonin-level like Ayei could track him.
"Move!!"
Ayei shoved Wei aside—
A white flash tore through the space they'd just been standing in.
The massive tree behind them split diagonally and collapsed.
"M–Monster…"
Wei trembled on the ground.
If Ayei hadn't pushed him, he would've been sliced clean in half.
Behind another tree trunk, Kaito stiffened as he heard that word.
He was ready to yell—
Why aren't you Iwa ninja at the warfront?! What are you doing ambushing a genin escort mission?!
But then—
He froze.
Reflected in his black eyes were two figures wearing blue-white vests, no headbands—Kumogakure attire.
"…Kumo?"
His mind spun instantly.
A terrifying realization hit him—
Young + Uchiha + genius = Uchiha Mikoto.
Damn it.
Of course.
Danzo, you old bastard—someone's obviously trying to kill me!
—Any suspicious plot? Just blame Danzo. Always works.
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