Tracking and Encounter

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After turning through several pages, one mission caught Naoki's eye.

"Eliminate wandering shinobi operating inside the Land of Fire..."

A-rank missions all involved combat between shinobi, so Naoki had three principles when choosing one.

First, the location had to be close. If the mission site was too far away, accidents could happen on the road. After all, the war had only recently ended, and the world was still chaotic.

Second, the enemy could not be too strong.

Third, the enemy's background had to be simple. He could not create a mess of grudges because of one mission.

This mission to eliminate wandering shinobi inside the Land of Fire perfectly fit all three of Naoki's standards, so his eyes lit up.

He handed the mission sheet to Guy, pointed at the mission, and asked, "What do you think of this one?"

Guy answered, "I have no objections!"

After accepting the mission, the two wasted no time and set out at once.

On the road, Naoki and Guy analyzed the detailed information about the mission provided by the Mission Center.

The client was the daimyo of the Land of Fire. Recently, a group of wandering shinobi had attacked several Land of Fire villages near the border with the Land of Waves, causing heavy losses of life and property.

According to the intelligence, the group had five to seven members. They were suspected to be Hidden Mist missing-nin. Their strength was not low, and their methods were cruel.

Because of the war, the number of defecting shinobi had increased year by year in every major village, Konoha included. Most missing-nin who fled the war stayed in small countries without shinobi villages. Missing-nin who dared openly attack the Land of Fire like this were rare.

Naoki warned, "Since they dare plunder inside the Land of Fire, they are definitely not weak. Don't be careless."

Guy quickly nodded.

Seeing that Guy seemed a little tense, Naoki thought for a moment and added, "There's no need to be too tense either. Missing-nin who only dare attack civilians may not be that strong. As long as we perform normally, completing the mission should not be a problem."

Guy clenched his fist. "I'm not afraid of them!"

Several days later, Naoki and Guy followed the trail to a village that had recently been attacked.

The village was in ruins. Corpses lay scattered across the ground, and the thick smell of blood filled the air. Wails and sobs sounded without end.

Naoki came to one survivor and asked, "We are shinobi sent by Konoha. Please tell us who attacked you."

The survivor looked numb. He stared blankly at Naoki for a long moment before answering, "I don't know what those people were. They killed everyone they saw. Once they finished killing, they left."

Naoki was not affected by the village's misery. He calmly continued, "How many of them were there? When did they leave? Which direction did they go?"

The survivor pointed in one direction. "They left that way. I... I don't know how many there were, and I don't know when they left."

Naoki focused his gaze in the direction the survivor indicated, then said, his voice hard, "We pursue."

Guy, who was already filled with righteous anger, nodded hard. "Right!"

In the Hyuga clan, tracking was a basic course. Every Hyuga clan member who had been on the battlefield was a tracking expert, and Naoki was no exception. He quickly found the traces left behind by the enemy.

A short while later, the two landed beside a muddy pool.

After examining the footprints in the mud, Naoki said, "There were five to seven of them. Their steps are a little messy. It looks like they were traveling in a hurry."

Guy said anxiously, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's hurry after them!"

Naoki shook his head and pointed at a nearby tree. "Don't rush. Look at the moss on that tree."

Guy looked over and saw half of a blurred footprint on the moss. He asked in confusion, "Why is there a footprint there? Is someone else tracking this group of wandering shinobi?"

The footprint on the tree clearly did not belong to the same group as the footprints in the mud. If the prints in the mud belonged to the wandering shinobi, then the print on the tree should belong to another group of shinobi.

"Since we already accepted the mission, the village should not send anyone else. So I suspect the other group tracking these wandering shinobi is from the Hidden Mist."

Naoki's guess was not groundless. According to the intelligence, this group of wandering shinobi were Hidden Mist missing-nin. It was reasonable for the Hidden Mist to send a pursuit unit.

Once another shinobi village was involved, Guy lost his certainty. "Then what should we do?"

Naoki thought for a moment, then said firmly, "Anything that obstructs us from completing the mission is an enemy."

"But..."

"No buts. We keep tracking."

After pursuing for a while longer, Naoki and Guy had no choice but to stop, because two groups of shinobi were facing off in front of them.

One side had four people, all dressed like members of the Hidden Mist assassination unit. Only the leader wore no mask. Instead, the lower half of his face was wrapped in bandages. Based on his build and appearance, Naoki recognized him as someone who seemed to be Zabuza Momochi, known as the Demon of the Hidden Mist.

The other side had only two people. They were Konoha ANBU. One of them was not very tall and had white hair. Although he wore a fox mask, Naoki still recognized him as the genius shinobi from his own class, Kakashi Hatake.

The two sides were tense, as if a fight might break out at any moment.

Seeing more Konoha shinobi arrive, Zabuza drew the long blade on his back, looking ready to attack.

Standing on a tree branch above them with one hand on his waist, Naoki looked down at the Hidden Mist assassination unit with an arrogant expression and a contemptuous tone.

"Move."

Zabuza flew into a rage. "Looking to die, brat?"

Naoki ignored Zabuza and ordered calmly, "Guy, teach him a lesson."

Guy had long since grown used to following Naoki's orders on the road. Besides, the other party was a Hidden Mist shinobi. With a shout of agreement, he charged at Zabuza.

Neither the Hidden Mist assassination unit nor the Konoha ANBU seemed to have expected Naoki to act so forcefully, and both sides were startled. However, both had their own concerns and did not immediately intervene. They only opened up an area and allowed Zabuza and Guy to fight one-on-one.

As a taijutsu shinobi, Guy opened with close-range pressure, giving the enemy no chance to use ninjutsu.

Zabuza seemed confident in his swordsmanship and had no fear of a taijutsu battle. He swung his blade and fought Guy head-on.

For a time, fist winds surged and blade light flashed.

At this point, Zabuza had already gained some fame in the Hidden Mist. Although he had not yet been promoted into the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, he was still one of the standouts among his generation in Kirigakure. His moves were sharp, and killing intent poured from him.

Guy was also in a period of rapid growth. His speed and strength increased every day. He was no longer the dead-last from school.

The battle entered a heated state from the beginning. Its range spread wider and wider, forcing the watching Hidden Mist shinobi and Konoha ANBU to retreat farther back.

Before long, Guy kicked the flat of Zabuza's blade. The two of them each leaped back and separated.

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