The Renjiro Squad passed through the Konoha gate and headed towards their destination.
They only had one meal and spent the rest of the time running at full speed without using any Chakra.
At 7 PM, they arrived at a patrol outpost. Kazemasa looked at the outpost, his eye twitching. He thought.
“Is this even an outpost? This is a completely independent small village!”
The outpost was very large. In the center was a two-story building, surrounded by many small houses. The entire outpost was enclosed by a wooden fence.
As soon as they arrived, they saw a burly man standing in front of them. He smiled and said.
“Renjiro! How have you been lately?”
Renjiro smiled and replied.
“I'm doing well, Seiichi. Come meet my students.”
Akimichi Seiichi looked at the three children behind him and said.
“I heard that in this exam, three talented Genin were promoted to Chunin. Congratulations on your quick promotion.”
The three politely thanked him. Renjiro introduced them.
“They are Suzuki Kazemasa, Uchiha Mieko, and Hyuga Hodaka.”
He looked at his students and said.
“This is Akimichi Seiichi. He used to be my teammate, is a Jonin, and is also the captain of all patrol teams on the East Coast.”
The three looked at him with increased respect. The East Coast of the Land of Fire stretches for hundreds of kilometers! Kazemasa was very curious.
“How did Akimichi become teammates with Senju?”
Renjiro asked.
“Seiichi, what's the latest news on the Hidden Mist Ninja?”
Akimichi Seiichi replied.
“We tracked them a few times, but they quickly escaped. My guess is that one squad entered here to evade pursuit, while the other squad has been pursuing them within the Land of Fire. However, neither of those two squads approached us, so we can only treat them all as enemies.”
Renjiro nodded. He looked at his students and asked.
“Do you want to rest today, or find them and attack them?”
Mieko immediately replied.
“Teacher, let's attack today!”
Hodaka thought about it and agreed with her. He wasn't tired either.
Kazemasa looked at Seiichi and asked.
“Have we engaged with those two teams?”
Seiichi nodded and said.
“We engaged with one group once and the other group four times. However, they always managed to escape using traps they set. Since they wear masks, we can't identify them.”
Kazemasa asked.
“Masks? Are they…”
Seiichi interrupted.
“No, they don't act like Anbu. If they were Anbu, this would be an S-rank mission.”
Kazemasa nodded and asked.
“Are they injured or tired?”
Seiichi replied.
“No serious injuries. Only some minor wounds and fatigue from operating behind enemy lines for a few days.”
While answering, Seiichi secretly praised Kazemasa. Kazemasa looked at Renjiro and said.
“Teacher, let's attack today. It's best to catch them before they escape.”
Renjiro nodded. Mieko snorted and said.
“That's what I said from the beginning!”
Kazemasa ignored her childish behavior.
Seiichi said.
“Alright, you focus on capturing them, and I'll make sure they can't escape. Take Inuzuka Hoka with you; he'll give you the detailed information.”
Renjiro nodded. Inuzuka Hoka walked ahead. A fierce-looking Ninja dog followed behind him. Hoka was a Chunin in his twenties. The group departed.
After walking for a while, they arrived outside a village. Inuzuka Hoka said.
“This is Tsumagoi Village. They were last spotted near here.”
Renjiro nodded, looking at his students.
Kazemasa shook his head and said.
“Teacher, there's no one within a kilometer radius.”
Hodaka and Mieko activated their ocular Ninjutsu. Mieko also found nothing. Hodaka looked for a few minutes and said.
“Six hundred meters to the east, Teacher.”
They immediately moved in that direction. Upon arrival, they found a hole in a large tree. The hole was large enough to accommodate several people hiding inside.
Hodaka went in and picked up several blood-stained bandages. He reported.
“It looks like they rested here for a while.”
He handed the bloody bandages to Inuzuka Hoka and his dog. Mieko, meanwhile, activated her Sharingan and began to observe.
After a while, she said.
“Found a trail!”
She immediately began to follow the trail. The group advanced about 4 kilometers. But Kazemasa, Hodaka, and even Hoka found no clues.
The group arrived at a small pond. Mieko frowned.
“Their trail ends here.”
Hodaka looked with his Byakugan and then said.
“I don't see anyone.”
Hoka commented.
“We can't smell those Ninja either.”
Kazemasa frowned.
“There's nothing within my Chakra sensing range either.”
Renjiro smiled and made Hand Seals. He said.
“Your ability to track and detect enemies is excellent, but I've never taught you any Sealing Jutsu. Let this be a lesson to you: never underestimate Sealing Jutsu! Even if you don't detect anyone, it doesn't mean you can relax your guard.”
He slammed his hands on the ground, performing Earth Release: Flowing Earth Current!
Renjiro sent a large amount of Chakra into the ground. The entire lake became unstable.
Soon, a sharp small stone appeared in the center of the pond and rose up. Beneath it, a needle-shaped mountain was forming! That sharp small stone was the peak of that mountain!
Renjiro said.
“Of course, even if you take all precautions, it doesn't mean no enemy can track you.”
Just as the mountain was rising, Kazemasa suddenly sensed six Ninja! Hodaka and Hoka also noticed them.
Soon, six Ninja jumped out of the pond, trying to escape!
Renjiro saw them, and suddenly, needle-like stones shot out from the mountain towards them.
The two quickly made Hand Seals. A water wall and an earth wall formed successively, defending against the attack.
Kazemasa, Mieko, and Hodaka were about to attack, but Renjiro stopped them.
He looked at them. They looked back. Both sides were in a standoff.
Kazemasa observed them carefully. All six wore masks. They were likely all in their twenties to thirties. Two of them had Jonin-level Chakra, while the rest had Chunin-level Chakra.
Renjiro asked.
“State your names and your purpose for entering the Land of Fire.”
Some Hidden Mist Ninja recognized Renjiro and immediately became tense!
Renjiro threatened.
“Surrender and identify yourselves, or else…”
He released an extremely strong killing intent and continued.
“Die!”
Kuriwaki Kazuki, the leader of the six Hidden Mist Ninja, said.
“Senju Renjiro, we just want a safe passage back to Hidden Mist. Give us a way, and we'll leave. Otherwise, don't think you'll be unharmed!”
He was making a compromise. He actually still wanted to pursue the rogue Ninja of Hidden Mist. But he didn't expect to encounter a powerful expert like Renjiro!
Renjiro ignored his threat and said.
“Kill them!”
As soon as he spoke, Kazemasa, Mieko, and Hodaka immediately sprang into action!
Before Renjiro's command was fully given, Kazemasa launched the Great Breakthrough Technique.
Mieko immediately made several Hand Seals, and in less than a second, she launched a Fireball Technique into the Great Breakthrough Technique.
Hodaka gathered Chakra in his palm, preparing to use Vacuum Palm.
The Hidden Mist Ninja didn't expect the children behind Renjiro to make such swift and powerful moves.
However, they had been in a state of tension for the past few days, so their vigilance was very high!
As soon as Kazemasa made his move, Kuriwaki Kazuki made Hand Seals, and a water wall appeared between them.
Due to the speed, Kazemasa had no time to increase the power of his Ninjutsu. So the water wall successfully blocked the wind until three more water walls formed.
However, soon, a raging fire spread with the wind!
The Earth Release Hidden Mist Ninja was about to build an earth wall when Kazuki shouted.
“Disperse!”
The group immediately scattered in different directions. As soon as they moved, the ground beneath their feet turned into deadly spikes and spears.
Seeing this, Kuriwaki Kazuki remembered the dozens of Hidden Mist Ninja killed by Renjiro's move.
Renjiro frowned. He didn't expect his attack to cause no damage. He quickly created a Shadow Clone and said.
“They have dispersed. Each of you find an opponent and kill them, then go help the others.”