A shadow appeared like lightning.
Before Baishi could touch the ground, Gen was already upon him.
His cold eyes showed no hesitation. With a swift motion, his arm tensed, and he struck.
Crack
His fist did not miss, sinking directly into Baishi's throat.
The trachea shattered under the pressure, and the sound of splintering bones echoed.
The force was such that even the vertebrae at the back of his neck broke, protruding outward. His now lifeless body was sent flying backward like a broken doll, hitting the ground with a dull thud.
!
But Gen left nothing to chance.
A black flash cut through the air.
With a precise movement, he drove a kunai into Baishi's head, piercing the skull mercilessly.
Only then, with blood still dripping from the blade, did he allow himself to breathe.
"You really caused me quite a problem..."
Gen let out a whisper after ensuring his opponent was completely dead. His expression, cold just moments ago, relaxed for an instant, though his gaze remained fixed on the corpse.
The problem he referred to had nothing to do with injuries or exhaustion from the fight but rather the consequences this battle would bring.
Although he didn't know exactly who Baishi was, the fight alone was enough to make something clear: his strength was far beyond that of a mere Chūnin. Without a doubt, he was a Jōnin.
Defeating a Jōnin was undeniable proof of his level. But it was also a problem.
Until now, he had carefully controlled how much of his talent he revealed, showing it little by little to gain resources without drawing too much attention. But this time, everything had been different.
He had no doubt that Hayato had been paying close attention to the fight. And, worse yet, he had surely assessed Baishi's strength with precision.
Given the enemy's name, there was no escaping it. When he returned to the village, his performance would inevitably reach Hiruzen's ears.
And he distrusted Hiruzen as much as he did Danzō. He knew perfectly well what that meant: more trouble.
But now was not the time to worry about that.
The fight was not over yet.
Shaking those thoughts from his head, he turned and immediately ran toward the others.
The mist that had covered the battlefield dissipated, revealing the fierce struggle still raging. Hayato and the rest of the team were locked in a brutal battle against the remaining enemies.
When Gen reached the road, his gaze instantly fell on Azora and Momo. Both were engaged in combat.
Momo, the weakest of the group, was being supported by Hayato, who held the defensive line around her. The corpses of several enemies already lay scattered around them.
With his eyes flashing, wasting no time, he sped toward Azora.
Unlike Momo, who had Hayato's support, Azora was alone. He had managed to take down several enemies by using the cover of the mist, but even so, the odds were not in his favor.
…
At the edge of the road, several carts loaded with goods were stopped while the members of the caravan took the opportunity to rest.
A few of Hayato's shadow clones patrolled the surroundings. Meanwhile, Gen, Momo, and Hayato himself rested to the side of the group, trying to recover from their exhaustion.
"I almost had a heart attack! My legs are still shaking..."
"Tell me about it! We've been attacked before while escorting goods, but never something this big. I'll never forget this in my life!"
"Good thing we hired the Konoha ninjas. Otherwise, who knows what would have happened to us..."
As they ate dry rations to regain their strength, the caravan members spoke excitedly, still processing the fact that they had made it out alive. From time to time, some cast furtive glances at the three ninjas sitting to the side, a mix of relief and respect in their eyes... but also a certain fear.
Gen, Hayato, and Momo, however, seemed oblivious to those looks.
Gen ate calmly, chewing each bite without rushing, while his gaze carefully scanned the surroundings, always alert to any possible threat.
Hayato did the same.
Momo, for her part, finished bandaging her wounds quickly before closing her eyes, focusing on recovering her strength and restoring her chakra. Unlike the other two, not only had she taken down fewer enemies in battle, but she had also spent much more energy and suffered several injuries. She needed to recover well before moving forward.
Time passed in silence, only interrupted by the crunch of dry food and the murmur of the wind through the trees.
Then, from the forest, a figure emerged.
It was Azora.
"How did it go? Did you get any information?"
Seeing his return, Hayato set down his dry ration and asked immediately.
Azora sat in front of the three and nodded.
"Basically, we've figured everything out. These guys belong to a mercenary group called 'Night Owl.' They attacked us because someone hired them to eliminate the entire caravan and destroy the goods."
Outside the ninja villages, there were numerous organized groups of wandering ninjas, formed mainly by rogue ninjas and mercenaries, similar to the future Akatsuki organization.
These groups often took on assassination missions and other illicit jobs.
Since their rates were lower than those of the ninja villages and they had no ethical restrictions, many people hired them.
Azora continued, "Also, their leader's name is Baishi Ryunosuke, and he used to be a Jōnin from Kirigakure..."
"He's now an A-rank rogue ninja from Kirigakure, the same one who used the 'Water Dragon Technique' and whom, Gen, you just eliminated."
Azora hadn't been present earlier because he had gone off to interrogate the captives.
Leaving some enemies alive to extract information was a common practice.
After the victory, although Gen's group had emerged as the winners, they had immediately relocated as a precaution, bringing the captured prisoners with them for interrogation.
Of course, the fact that only Azora had returned clearly indicated that, once all necessary information had been extracted, the prisoners had been eliminated.
"What…? A ninja from Kirigakure?! Wait, wait, wait… Are you telling me that Gen defeated a Jōnin?!"
Momo, who had been resting with her eyes closed, suddenly opened them wide upon hearing Azora's words. Her eyes widened like saucers, and her expression shifted from surprise to absolute disbelief.
________
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