Three days later.
Mount Kikyo, eastern encampment.
Inside Team 9's tent, four cots were lined up neatly side by side, with every blanket folded into perfect tofu blocks.
Yet none of them were resting.
Might Guy squatted on the ground while carefully cleaning his blade.
Ebisu stood before a small mirror adjusting the angle of his forehead protector again and again.
Meanwhile, Shiranui Genma leaned lazily against the corner of the tent with a brand-new toothpick hanging from his mouth.
What had they been doing during these past three days?
The first day had been spent familiarizing themselves with the terrain.
Akimichi Choza personally led them through a five-li radius around the encampment while pointing out every possible hiding place, ambush point, and defensive position.
The second day had been spent memorizing procedures.
What time supplies would arrive.
Where they needed to be delivered.
Who handled handovers.
How to react during an ambush.
How to send emergency signals.
They memorized every detail thoroughly.
The third day had been spent visiting the wounded.
Inside the medical tents, they saw countless injured Ninja lying on stretchers.
Some had lost arms.
Some had lost legs.
Some had massive holes in their stomachs.
Others had their entire faces wrapped tightly in bloodstained bandages.
When Ebisu first saw a wounded Ninja whose abdomen had been pierced open, his sunglasses nearly fell off his face.
The man lay there breathing weakly while thick bandages wrapped around the enormous wound in his stomach, yet fresh blood still continuously seeped through.
Ebisu vomited immediately on the spot.
After throwing up, he wiped his mouth and whispered shakily:
"I'm fine."
Then the next day, he still followed everyone back into the medical tents again.
By the third day, he was already capable of calmly handing over bandages without even changing his expression.
Might Guy watched him force himself to adapt and did not say anything.
He simply reached over and patted Ebisu lightly on the shoulder.
At that moment, footsteps suddenly sounded outside the tent.
The tent flap lifted immediately afterward.
Akimichi Choza's broad round face appeared at the entrance, his expression unusually serious.
"Assemble."
The three children immediately stopped what they were doing before standing up at once.
Choza had already turned around and walked away.
The three hurried after him.
Outside the tent, Akimichi Choza stood holding an unfolded map in his hand.
"The supply route has been ambushed four times during the last three days."
He pointed toward a red line marked across the map.
"This is our supply route. From here to here, the entire distance is approximately thirty li."
His finger slowly moved across the map again.
"This section is surrounded by dense forest on both sides, making it highly vulnerable to ambushes."
"This section is open terrain, making it vulnerable to long-range attacks."
"And this section is a narrow passage with no alternate route available."
Then he raised his head and looked directly toward the three of them.
"Your mission today is to accompany me while patrolling the supply route."
"This time, I will personally lead the team."
Then he paused briefly before looking deeply into each of their eyes.
"But next time…"
"…you may have to go alone."
Might Guy nodded immediately.
Ebisu swallowed nervously.
Shiranui Genma removed the toothpick from his mouth briefly before putting it back again.
"Move out now."
Choza folded the map calmly.
"Travel light and bring only essential equipment."
"Yes!"
The three quickly returned inside the tent.
Thirty seconds later, Team 9 had already departed from the encampment together while escorting supplies eastward along the mountain path.
The road itself was not difficult to travel.
However, dense forests lined both sides continuously.
The towering trees and thick vegetation severely obstructed visibility.
Occasionally, distant bird calls echoed through the woods alongside the low growls of unknown beasts.
Akimichi Choza walked at the very front.
Ebisu and Shiranui Genma followed behind him.
Might Guy guarded the rear.
After walking for roughly an hour, Choza suddenly raised one hand.
Everyone stopped immediately.
Might Guy's hand had already reached the hilt of his blade.
Choza listened carefully for several seconds.
Then he slowly shook his head.
"False alarm. Keep moving."
The group continued advancing.
Another hour passed.
Suddenly, Choza raised his hand once again.
This time, however, he did not relax afterward.
Instead, his eyes narrowed sharply toward the forest on the left side.
"There's something there."
The words had barely left his mouth before a sharp sound suddenly pierced through the air.
Whoosh!
A Kunai shot out from the forest at terrifying speed straight toward Ebisu.
Ebisu had not even reacted yet.
But a flash of steel suddenly intercepted it.
Clang!
The Kunai was knocked flying instantly.
Might Guy had already appeared directly in front of Ebisu with blade in hand.
"Enemy attack!"
Before his warning fully echoed out, ten figures suddenly burst out from the forest simultaneously.
All of them wore Iwagakure forehead protectors.
Grey combat uniforms covered their bodies.
Several wielded Kunai while others carried short swords.
Two even held full Ninja blades.
The leader appeared to be around thirty years old with a scar running across his face and vicious eyes filled with killing intent.
The moment he noticed Akimichi Choza, a sinister smile appeared across his lips.
"An Akimichi Clan member?"
"What luck."
He waved his hand sharply.
"Attack!"
All ten enemy Ninja rushed forward at the same time.
Choza's eyes tightened briefly.
But immediately afterward, they relaxed again.
He rapidly assessed the enemies before him.
One Chunin.
Nine Genin.
The strongest among them was clearly the scar-faced Chunin.
"That's fortunate…"
Choza quietly exhaled.
"It's fortunate I came personally this time."
However, another thought immediately surfaced inside his mind.
"What if I hadn't come today?"
His gaze unconsciously shifted toward Ebisu and Shiranui Genma.
Both looked tense.
Then he looked toward Might Guy, who had already unsheathed his blade calmly.
Three children.
Facing ten enemies.
One Chunin and nine Genin.
What would the outcome have been?
Choza did not dare think too deeply about it.
After these three days together, he already had a basic understanding of their strengths.
Might Guy possessed solid Taijutsu, powerful kicks, fast reactions, and the courage to charge directly into combat.
But his speed was still lacking.
Ebisu possessed excellent theoretical knowledge.
However, his actual combat experience was practically nonexistent.
Shiranui Genma was calm and highly accurate with shuriken.
But his Chakra reserves remained limited.
Could the three of them defeat a Chunin?
Probably not.
At least not yet.
But—
Choza's eyes shifted toward the nine remaining Genin.
Could these three children defeat all of them?
No.
But could they handle three?
Yes.
Choza inhaled deeply before charging directly into battle.
His body rapidly expanded midair.
"Multi-Size Technique!"
Two gigantic palms slammed downward like enormous gates crashing from the sky.
Bang! Bang!
Two Iwagakure Genin were instantly sent flying backward before smashing into trees and collapsing motionlessly.
Choza did not stop moving.
With terrifying momentum, he directly scattered the Chunin and five additional Genin away from the others.
Only three enemy Genin remained standing nearby, still stunned and unable to react properly.
"They're yours!"
Choza's voice thundered from the battlefield.
The three children froze briefly.
But immediately afterward, they understood.
This was an opportunity.
An opportunity Choza intentionally created for them.
The battlefield was not a training ground.
If you wanted to survive, you had to fight.
If you wanted to become stronger, you had to witness blood.
And nothing was more suitable for practical combat experience than these three enemy Genin.
Might Guy inhaled deeply.
"One each."
Ebisu swallowed nervously before nodding.
Shiranui Genma removed the toothpick from his mouth and clenched it inside his palm.
The three Iwagakure Genin finally recovered from their shock.
First they looked toward Choza's battlefield where the massive Akimichi Ninja had already overwhelmed several of their allies.
Then they looked back toward the three children before them.
Eight years old?
Nine years old?
The tallest one looked somewhat intimidating, yet his face was still clearly childish.
At most, he looked ten years old.
The enemy leader among the three Genin was a stocky man around twenty years old with a face full of coarse flesh.
He suddenly burst into ugly laughter.
"Practice targets for a bunch of little brats?"
"What a joke!"
He waved his hand violently.
"Kill them!"
The three enemy Genin charged forward simultaneously.
Might Guy moved first.
He rushed straight ahead, accelerating rapidly with every step.
Ebisu and Shiranui Genma followed closely behind him.
The distance closed rapidly.
Ten meters.
Five meters.
Three meters.
Suddenly, Might Guy bent his body low before sweeping his right leg outward violently.
Whoosh!
The powerful wind whistled loudly.
The three enemy Ninja instinctively retreated apart from one another.
But separating them had been Might Guy's true goal from the beginning.
"Konoha Leaf Great Hurricane!"
This was no ordinary sweeping kick.
It was an advanced Taijutsu combo derived from Konoha Senpu.
A three-stage attack sequence.
The first stage was the low sweep.
A kick targeting the lower body to force enemies backward or knock them down.
Its purpose had already succeeded.
The second stage came immediately afterward.
Might Guy suddenly leaped upward while delivering a violent mid-level kick.
Bang!
The kick slammed directly into one enemy Genin's abdomen.
The man's eyes bulged outward instantly as his body bent like a shrimp.
But it still was not over.
The third stage followed immediately.
Using the recoil from his previous kick, Might Guy spun once in midair before delivering a devastating downward strike.
Bang!
His heel crashed violently into the enemy's back.
The man spat blood while flying several meters across the ground before crashing and rolling twice.
Then he stopped moving entirely.
The entire sequence had taken less than three seconds.
Out of the three enemy Genin, one had already fallen.
Whether he was alive or dead remained unclear.
Might Guy landed smoothly before steadying himself immediately.
Then he turned toward Ebisu and Genma.
The two had already engaged the remaining enemies separately.
On Genma's side, three shuriken flew rapidly through the air, forcing his opponent backward repeatedly.
Genma moved quickly and calmly while conserving Chakra carefully.
He did not use Ninjutsu.
Only shuriken and movement control.
Meanwhile, Ebisu's battle looked significantly messier.
The enemy facing him was nearly two heads taller while continuously stabbing forward with a Kunai.
Ebisu dodged desperately left and right, nearly getting stabbed multiple times.
Yet he still gritted his teeth and endured.
Might Guy remained standing where he was.
He did not interfere.
He glanced briefly toward Choza's battlefield.
Choza had already completely suppressed the enemy Chunin while several unconscious Genin lay scattered nearby.
The battle there was already one-sided.
There was no need to assist.
Might Guy withdrew his gaze before focusing entirely on Ebisu and Genma again.
He understood clearly.
Helping them now would only harm them.
This was their battle.
Their first real fight against enemy Ninja.
Ebisu needed to transform his theoretical knowledge into genuine combat instinct.
Genma needed to learn how to control battlefield rhythm during actual life-and-death combat.
Might Guy could not interfere.
Unless—
They truly faced death.
Only then would he step in.
So he simply stood there quietly while observing both battles closely.
Soon afterward, Genma's side suddenly shifted momentum.
He seized an opening in the enemy's defense before using three shuriken to block all retreat paths simultaneously.
Then he rushed forward instantly and stabbed his Kunai into the enemy's thigh.
The enemy screamed painfully while stumbling backward.
Genma did not pursue recklessly.
Instead, he retreated calmly while maintaining distance and continuing ranged suppression with shuriken.
For an eight-year-old child, his calmness was terrifying.
Meanwhile, Ebisu still struggled desperately.
But he endured.
Several times, the enemy attempted to break through his defense completely.
Yet every single attack narrowly missed.
Sweat covered Ebisu's face.
His sunglasses had slid halfway down.
But his hands never trembled.
And his footing never faltered.
After dodging another stab, Ebisu counterattacked clumsily with his own Kunai.
Although he failed to hit, the enemy was still forced backward one step.
Ebisu's eyes suddenly lit up.
"I can do this!"
He immediately rushed forward again.
Watching this scene, the corners of Might Guy's mouth slowly lifted upward.
Soon.
Very soon.
Bang!
Genma's battle finished first.
He kicked the enemy sharply behind the knee, forcing the man onto the ground.
Then Genma immediately stepped forward and drove a Kunai directly into the back of the enemy's neck.
The body twitched twice.
Then stopped moving completely.
Genma stood there breathing heavily before turning toward Might Guy.
Might Guy nodded toward him approvingly.
Then he shifted his attention back toward Ebisu.
Ebisu's battle was also nearing its conclusion.
For some reason, inspiration suddenly struck him.
After dodging another attack, he rolled across the ground, grabbed a nearby stone, and smashed it directly into the enemy's face.
The enemy staggered briefly in shock.
That single moment was enough.
Ebisu instantly stood back up while gripping his Kunai tightly.
"Fire Release!"
His hands rapidly formed seals.
"Great Fireball Technique!"
A blazing fireball erupted from his mouth directly toward the enemy's face.
The man screamed while clutching his burning face desperately.
Ebisu gave him no opportunity to recover.
He rushed forward instantly.
One Kunai strike.
The enemy collapsed.
Ebisu remained standing there gasping heavily for breath.
Then he slowly looked down at the fallen enemy before staring at his own trembling hands.
Finally, he raised his head toward Might Guy.
"I… I won."
Might Guy grinned brightly.
"I saw."
Ebisu froze briefly.
Then he suddenly smiled.
He laughed so hard tears almost spilled out.
"I won…"
"I really won…"
He wiped his eyes hurriedly before pushing up his sunglasses proudly once more.
"Hmph! This is only natural for a future elite Ninja!"
Meanwhile, Akimichi Choza had also finished his own battle.
He knocked the enemy Chunin unconscious with one final punch before casually clapping the dust off his hands and walking back over.
First he looked toward the three fallen Iwagakure Genin.
Then toward the three children.
Might Guy stood calmly with his blade already sheathed again.
Shiranui Genma panted quietly while still gripping his Kunai.
Ebisu stood upright despite the tears and sweat still visible across his face.
Choza silently observed them for several seconds.
"To think they finished even faster than I expected…"
His expression became unreadable.
Finally, he nodded once.
"Not bad."
His tone remained calm.
But something inside it had clearly changed.
Then Choza turned around and continued walking forward.
"Keep up."
The three exchanged glances briefly.
Then they hurried after him together.
The fourth day at Mount Kikyo.
Team 9's first battle.
Enemies: Three Iwagakure Genin.
Result: Victory.
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