Shigure narrowed his eyes, his senses sharpened. Something's off… He kept walking, but a creeping tension coiled in his chest. After a few hours of uneventful travel, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
"Something wrong?" asked Hyuga Hizashi, glancing back with a frown.
"Sensei, I feel like we're being watched," Shigure said quietly, his tone calm but alert.
Hizashi's expression turned serious. He immediately looked to the others. "Everyone, form up. Protect Mr. Noguchi."
Kusuo and Hyuga Kocho swiftly moved to surround their charge, while Shigure positioned himself defensively.
"Byakugan!" Hizashi activated his dojutsu with a burst of chakra. Almost at the same moment, Shigure opened his own unique dōjutsu—his Byaringan—allowing him to sense chakra signatures hidden in the forest around them.
"Ambush!" Shigure warned. "We're surrounded!"
In a split second, a volley of shuriken came flying from the trees.
"Eight Trigrams: Palm Rotation!" Hizashi spun with perfect form, deflecting the incoming projectiles in a dome of chakra.
"Tch. Not bad," came a gruff voice from the trees as dozens of bandits revealed themselves, surrounding the team. The leader, a scarred rogue with a jagged blade, stepped forward arrogantly. "We're here for that merchant. The rest of you? Just lose an arm and we'll let you live."
"Not happening," Hizashi said coldly. "Kocho, Kusuo, Shigure — do not let them near Mr. Noguchi!"
He surged forward with the Hyuga clan's signature Gentle Fist. His Byakugan revealed enemy chakra points with deadly precision, and every strike crippled limbs and severed chakra flow.
"Incredible…" Noguchi whispered, watching Hizashi cut through a wave of attackers with ease.
"He's a Jōnin of the Hyuga clan — you don't get stronger than that in close combat," Kocho muttered, then turned to face their own group of attackers. "Let's go!"
"Soft Fist!" Kocho moved with practiced grace, disabling enemies with precise chakra strikes.
"Wooden Style: Cleave!" Kusuo, a kenjutsu specialist, parried a bandit's blade and countered with swift, controlled strikes from his wooden sword.
Meanwhile, Shigure took a deep breath and formed hand seals rapidly. "Shadow Clone Technique!"
Four clones appeared, flanking him immediately. Together, they began a powerful barrage.
"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Bomb!"
"Lightning Style: Thunder Dragon Bullet!"
"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"
"Wind Style: Wind Dragon Bullet!"
The combination was devastating. Fire and wind fused midair into a roaring inferno, a Fire-Wind Dragon, scorching the ground and vaporizing anyone in its path. The lightning and water combined into a crackling surge that electrocuted and drowned attackers caught in its wave.
The ground quaked as the elemental blasts clashed and exploded outward, overwhelming the enemy.
Dozens of bandits fell screaming. Those who didn't perish fled in terror.
"What the hell!? That's a Chūnin at best? Impossible! Retreat! Retreat!!" the bandit leader cried out as he bolted into the forest.
Seeing their leader flee, the remaining enemies broke and ran.
Silence returned to the clearing. Smoke curled from charred earth.
Hizashi exhaled, clearly impressed. "That was… compound ninjutsu. You fused elemental releases together?"
Shigure nodded, a little winded but standing firm.
"That's something even elite shinobi struggle with. The Third Hokage was known for mastering the elemental dragons. For someone your age to pull that off—remarkable."
Kocho and Kusuo looked at Shigure with newfound respect.
"You three did well," Hizashi added, nodding approvingly. Then his gaze turned sharp as it landed on Noguchi.
"Mr. Noguchi… you said this was a safe escort mission. That ambush was organized and large-scale — a hundred bandits don't just attack a merchant for no reason."
Noguchi looked pale, trembling. "I… I don't know what they wanted!"
Hizashi's voice turned hard. "If you're hiding something, we have the authority to abort the mission and return to Konoha."
"N-No! Please wait! I'll talk! I'll tell you everything!" Noguchi finally broke, his voice shaking with fear.
"The final destination of this escort mission is the Village of Artisans, located in the northeastern region of the Land of Fire, near the border with the Land of Craftsmen," Noguchi explained. "It's a humble place—poor and isolated—but renowned for its blacksmithing. Recently, we unearthed a rare mineral deep underground: a mysterious meteorite iron that's nearly indestructible. Unfortunately, the news leaked before we could secure the site."
"I developed a refining technique for it here in the Land of Fire, but as soon as my village learned of it, they sent urgent word to escort me home. The hope was to safely continue research on the meteorite iron back at the Village of Artisans. But... all the money I had left only covered the cost of a C-rank mission..."
Hyūga Hizashi's expression darkened. "So you deliberately withheld critical information and endangered the lives of my team?"
"The Village of Artisans lies beyond Konoha's direct jurisdiction, near the Land of Craftsmen," Hizashi continued coldly. "That alone would have raised the mission's rank. You concealed the true scope, danger, and location of this mission. These are still children under my command. I can't let you endanger them for a personal agenda."
Hizashi turned sharply, his anger barely restrained. It was clear—despite his harshness—he cared deeply for his students.
"Please, Jōnin-sama!" Noguchi fell to his knees, pleading. "Our village is on the brink. Multiple rogue factions have already set their sights on the meteorite iron. All we want is to study it, understand it! If successful, we plan to share the data with the Five Great Nations. It could revolutionize weapon crafting across the shinobi world! But in the wrong hands... that same technology will fuel war!"
For a moment, silence fell over the group. Hizashi narrowed his eyes, lost in thought. Then, without a word, he stepped forward and helped Noguchi to his feet.
"This isn't about you," Hizashi said solemnly. "Nor is it about the glory of invention. As shinobi of Konoha, our duty is to protect peace above all else. That's what I intend to do."
Shigure, who had remained quiet, finally spoke in his mind. If Noguchi had been honest from the start, even Konoha might have claimed that technology for itself... Still, this idealistic old man means well. Either way, it doesn't matter. I welcome the challenge... I want to face stronger enemies.
"The next phase will be more dangerous than anything you've faced before," Hizashi addressed the team. "Your mission is simple: protect Mr. Noguchi at all costs."
Just then, a mocking voice echoed from the treetops.
"Ha! Trusting your fate to petty thugs was a poor choice, Noguchi. Looks like we'll have to finish the job ourselves!"
The voice was disembodied, ethereal, its source impossible to pinpoint.
"Quit pretending to be some kind of ghost!" Kusuo growled under his breath.
"Hmph. You'll regret underestimating us," the voice replied smugly.
"Byakugan!" Hizashi activated his dōjutsu in an instant, his veins bulging at his temples. He spotted movement in the trees and launched a shuriken—its tip already rigged with an explosive tag.