Feng Zheng sat on a branch and began his Meditation. Soon, he could sense all Chakra within a 1.2-kilometer radius.
Feng Zheng thought to himself.
“I haven't trained my perception abilities for several months. However, simply due to my increased Chakra reserves, improved Chakra control, and frequent battles, my progress has been quite good.”
“I should try to maintain this state for a full two hours. This should be a good training exercise. My Chakra reserves are currently full, so let's see how long I can last.”
Feng Zheng meditated for a full two hours. During this time, he used all his sensory abilities to inspect the merchants and their goods, finding nothing unusual.
He also had to constantly adjust his sensory range between 600 meters and 1.2 kilometers to achieve optimal Chakra management, and he successfully maintained it for a full two hours without any issues.
In the end, he still had about sixty percent of his Chakra left. He woke Hodaka and then fell asleep.
Thus, the group traveled smoothly for 4 days without encountering any problems.
Around 9 AM on the fifth day, the group was surrounded by a band of bandits hiding behind trees or in them.
All four Ninja noticed the bandits but did not react.
Feng Zheng asked softly.
“Who will deal with them?”
Hodaka immediately said.
“I'll deal with them! I haven't fought or trained for four days straight!”
However, Mieko argued.
“Neither have I. And you know, ladies first!”
Hodaka commented.
“You're just a little girl. Talk when you become a lady.”
This immediately angered her. She turned back and shouted.
“What did you say...”
However, Renjiro interrupted her, saying.
“Quiet.”
Mieko closed her mouth, glaring angrily at Hodaka.
Renjiro said.
“The three of you will deal with them together. I won't help you, but remember, you must also protect the goods.”
Feng Zheng asked.
“Should we kill them directly, or find their base and destroy it?”
Renjiro said.
“Of course, both. But only for this bandit group. Each time a bandit group attacks, you must first get my permission before attacking their base.”
The three nodded.
Hodaka looked at Feng Zheng and asked.
“Where to check?”
Feng Zheng said.
“Seven hundred meters northwest, nine hundred meters east.”
Hodaka activated his Byakugan, checked, and said.
“Nine hundred meters to the east are several ordinary residences. The base is seven hundred meters to the northwest.”
Feng Zheng asked Renjiro.
“Teacher, when we attack the base, will you protect the goods, or should we also defend them?”
Renjiro said.
“After you eliminate the bandits here, the three of you can leave.”
Feng Zheng said.
“Alright, let's begin.”
The three moved incredibly fast, appearing as if they had vanished instantly. Both the merchants and the bandits secretly watching were greatly surprised.
In less than a minute, all the surrounding bandits were dead. Some bodies, and even heads, fell from the trees next to the merchants.
Whether by accident or not surprisingly, they did not panic, as they had seen similar scenes many times before.
However, what surprised them was that the killers were three innocent-looking 9-10-year-old children.
Subsequently, the Genin flashed to the bandit base and eliminated everyone there.
They killed two more bandits in another part of the forest, completing the sub-mission of eliminating the bandits within 5 minutes.
The group continued their journey.
Over the next 8 days, 14 bandit bases were eliminated.
The three wondered if they would earn the nickname “Bandit Slayers” upon their return to Konoha. What they didn't know was that their squad was already known by this name among the Chunin who distributed missions.
By this point, the Renjiro Squad's rapid and brutal anti-bandit operation around Konoha had become widely known.
Many bandit groups had already left Konoha. Some even began to leave the Land of Fire entirely, moving to weaker neighboring countries like the Land of Rivers, Land of Grass, Land of Rain, and Land of Rice Fields to continue their bandit activities.
This time, it was the turn of the bandits along this route to suffer.
In less than a month, news of the slaughter would reach the nearby bandits. Some would come to see if anything was truly happening.
They would witness the bloody scenes and eventually either abandon their bandit lives or move away, making trade smoother for Konoha.
Hiruzen would soon notice these developments and launch even more brutal attacks on these bandits.
This would not only boost the Land of Fire's economy through increased trade but also enhance the reputation of Konoha Ninja, leading to more and easier missions for them.
Konoha would also receive more funding from the Lord of Fire Country as a result.
This was a huge help for Konoha to recover from the losses of the Third Shinobi World War.
Especially in the next 3 years, over 1,000 Genin would join the reserve forces, and hundreds of Genin would begin training under the guidance of their teachers.
Of course, the loss of Jonin due to the Nine-Tailed attack would be difficult to compensate for within the next decade.
More importantly, during the recovery process, Konoha would eventually lose its strongest clans due to internal strife!
---
It was the 13th day of the journey for the Renjiro Squad and the Land of Tea merchants. Iha Toshio said.
“We should enter the Land of Tea by evening, but it will still take two more days to reach the port.”
Renjiro nodded and said.
“Stay alert.”
The Genin obeyed the order.
The group traveled until noon, arriving at an open plain.
They decided to rest there and eat lunch.
The plain was about the size of a football field. One side was a dense forest, and the other was a small hill.
Feng Zheng and Hodaka checked the area for safety and found no one.
While eating lunch, Renjiro noticed something but said nothing.
Neither his students nor the merchants noticed the change in his expression. However, he was carefully observing his students.
While eating lunch, Feng Zheng habitually activated his Chakra Field.
When he activated it, he was shocked!
About two hundred people had entered the forest, approximately six hundred to nine hundred meters away from them! They were moving quickly towards them.
Unlike Renjiro, Feng Zheng's change in expression was easily noticed by Hodaka and Mieko.
They became alert and looked at him.
Feng Zheng said.
“About 200 bandits have surrounded us and are closing in. Approximately 150 are in the forest, and about 50 are on the hill.”
Mieko frowned and asked.
“Are they all bandits again?”
Feng Zheng looked at Renjiro and said.
“Not just bandits. About 50 people have high Chakra levels, with about a dozen at Chunin-level Chakra and two at Jonin-level Chakra!”