Lucien's instincts never failed him—Noguchi was hiding something.
As Team 7 and their charge pressed onward through the woods, a sudden unease swept over him. He stopped dead, Sharingan flickering.
"What is it?" Hizashi asked cautiously.
"Something's off," Lucien replied grimly.
In that very moment, Hizashi opened his Byakugan, scanning their surroundings. His tone hardened immediately. "Protect the client—now!"
Lucien, Kusuo, and Hongdie quickly formed a protective circle around Noguchi.
"Byakugan!" Hizashi shouted, and Lucien's Sharingan flared in unison. Their vision pierced the foliage, revealing dozens… no, hundreds of chakra signatures all around them.
Enemies.
"Ambush!" Lucien bellowed.
From every direction, a storm of shuriken rained down.
"Eight Trigrams: Kaiten!" Hizashi spun in a blinding whirl of chakra, swatting away the deadly barrage with an impenetrable barrier. Metal clattered across the ground harmlessly.
A guttural laugh split the air. Almost a hundred rough-looking men stepped from the shadows, armed to the teeth. Their leader sneered, a scarred face twisted with greed.
"Hand over that man," he pointed at Noguchi, "and the rest of you can leave alive. Refuse, and you'll crawl away missing arms."
The Battle
"Protect Noguchi. Leave the rest to me," Hizashi ordered and vaulted forward, his Byakugan piercing through the mob. His palms lashed out with Gentle Fist precision. Each bandit he touched dropped screaming—their muscles paralyzed, their chakra severed.
"So strong…" Noguchi gasped, awe briefly relaxing his fear.
"Kill the Jonin!" the leader barked. "Slaughter the brats and seize the bearded man!"
With a fierce shout, the bandits rushed in.
Hongdie held her kunai shakily, but forced herself into stance. "S-Soft Fist!" Her strikes lashed out, pushing one attacker back.
Kusuo gritted his teeth, unsheathing his blade. "Hatake Swordsmanship—Grey Fang!" He cut through two bandits with swift arcs of steel.
Lucien's eyes glowed cold with his Byakuragan—both Sharingan and Byakugan six tomoe spinning in strange harmony. His clones sprang to life at a seal.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Four Luciens flanked him, hands flying through deadly seals.
"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
"Lightning Style: Thunder Dragon Bullet!"
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet!"
"Wind Style: Wind Dragon Bullet!"
Elemental dragons roared into existence.
In perfect harmony, fire coiled with wind, igniting into a blazing inferno spiraling outward. Lightning crackled through torrents of water, exploding in electrical eruptions. The compound forces engulfed the bandits, ripping their ranks into chaos.
Shrieks rang out as dozens fell in an instant, scorched or convulsing from the combined destruction.
"The intel—was wrong!" the bandit leader shouted, horrified. "This isn't a Genin! Retreat! RETREAT!"
Their leader bolted, his men scattering like startled crows. The forest, rattling moments ago with violence, fell quiet save for the groans of the fallen.
Truth Revealed
Hizashi lowered his stance, turning sharp eyes to Noguchi. "Mr. Noguchi. Now explain yourself."
"I-I don't—"
"Enough games!" Hizashi's tone sharpened, commanding. "You brought my squad into hostile territory with incomplete intel. Do you expect me to believe this was mere coincidence?"
Noguchi quivered, finally sinking to his knees. "I'll speak! Please… forgive me…"
He confessed everything: the Village of Craftsmen, hidden in the northeast beyond the Land of Fire. Their discovery—an indestructible meteorite deep underground. His mission—to return with protection, research its properties, and develop rare alloys.
"But the news leaked," he confessed bitterly, "and everyone who hears of it wants the meteorite iron—for weapons. If it's monopolized… wars will spread across the ninja world. I had no money to hire an elite guard—so I disguised the truth as a C-rank mission!"
"You concealed it, risking my team's lives," Hizashi said coldly. "As a Jonin, it is my duty to protect children. If this had been an S-rank ploy, their blood would be on my hands."
The bearded man wept, bowing low. "But if we succeed, we might stop another ninja war! Please, I beg you!"
Hizashi's eyes flashed with struggle. After a long moment, he spoke again: "For peace, we will continue. But Noguchi—there will not be a second lie."
Lucien studied him quietly. This idealist… foolish yet sincere. If Konoha learns the truth, they'll covet the meteorite for themselves. His eyes glinted with suppressed excitement. But for me? More enemies means more power to gain.
The Next Threat
As Hizashi prepared to move again, a mocking voice rang out, slithering from the forest's shadows.
"Hahaha… did you really expect cheap bandits to stop you? We'll have to deal with this ourselves."
The air trembled with killing intent.
"Show yourself!" Kusuo snarled, gripping his blade.
"You're just Genin. Your lives end before you even know it," the voice sneered.
"Byakugan!" Hizashi's eyes flared, and his shuriken shot forward, wrapped in explosive tags.
The forest lit up with fire.
And in that fire—figures finally revealed themselves.
P.S. This chapter showcases Team 7's first true battle, with Lucien unveiling compound ninjutsu devastating enough to mimic Hokage-tier power. Yet beyond the chaos, deeper truths emerge: Noguchi's secret, the cursed meteorite, and a greater enemy lurking still.
--
If you want to read 50 additional chapters early, visit my Patreon — the link is in the novel's description.