Fire Release: Great Fireball!
Clang!
Almost at the very next second after Kosuke deflected the pursuing katana, a scorching wave of heat came roaring in!
A gigantic fireball—its diameter far exceeding normal standards and its brilliance so intense it was impossible to look at directly—pressed down so heavily that sand and gravel on the ground rolled. Carrying a shriek that seemed intent on devouring everything, it thundered toward Kosuke!
Ninjutsu chaining!
Triple pursuit!
"Excellent coordination!"
Not a trace of panic appeared in Kosuke's eyes. Instead, a hint of sincere approval flashed across them. At the same time, his hands rapidly formed two seals as well.
Water Release: Water Formation Wall!
Splash!!!
In an instant, the ground beneath his feet churned as a vast torrent of water surged skyward. It was not merely an ordinary water dome or water wall; taking his standing position as the core, it rotated rapidly in a circular pattern, interweaving!
Layer upon layer of turbulent currents formed a high-speed rotating vortex wall of water, tightly filling every gap, like a moving ring-shaped fortress of water!
Boom!!!
Flames and water wall collided violently! A blinding white light exploded outward. The deafening blast, accompanied by intense "sizzling" sounds of rapid evaporation, echoed throughout the training ground.
Orange-red tongues of fire frantically licked at the rotating water wall, raising dense white mist that filled the air and completely swallowed the figures of the two.
Yet that vortex water wall stood firm as a rock, blocking the raging flames entirely outside.
Moments later, the steam gradually thinned.
Clap, clap, clap.
Crisp applause sounded from within the fading white mist. Kosuke stepped out slowly, a gentle smile on his face, now carrying a deeper meaning.
"Not bad. Truly not bad." He nodded, his gaze falling on Shinichi, whose breathing had not changed much. "The integration and application of swordsmanship, taijutsu, and ninjutsu; the decisiveness in adapting on the spot… This old man has roughly understood the extent of your strength."
He gently sheathed the katana back into the large iron pot on his back.
"Then the test ends here. Make preparations—we are about to carry out our first mission."
"Yes, senpai."
…
Unlike most newly graduated genin, who begin by catching cats, finding dogs, or helping villagers with chores, Shinichi's first mission was a C-rank assignment that required leaving the village.
Walking along the road out of the village, as the lush trees on both sides gradually receded, Kosuke, in his calm and unhurried tone, slowly introduced the mission: "The mission is tentatively classified as C-rank. The location is in the northeastern part of the Land of Fire, near the border with the Land of Hot Water, in an area called Narumi Town. The client is a representative jointly chosen by several villages near Narumi Town. Recently, multiple cases of children going missing have occurred there in succession. The employer's request is to investigate the cause of the incidents and, if possible, recover the missing children."
"Children going missing?" Shinichi sharply caught the key point. "Did the local villagers not report it to the local constable or the town lord and have them intervene in the investigation?"
"They did report it." Kosuke nodded, then gently shook his head. "The lord of Narumi Town dispatched local guards to conduct searches and inspections, but they found nothing—no valuable clues whatsoever. That is why the villagers of several villages pooled together a sum of money and formally issued a commission to Konohagakure."
"Even organized local soldiers could not find the slightest clue…" Shinichi frowned slightly and pondered. "This is likely not something ordinary human traffickers or bandits could accomplish. Senpai, it is highly possible that this matter involves ninja, or at least an organization possessing certain unconventional means. Logically speaking, this has already exceeded the scope of a C-rank mission."
"Your judgment is very accurate." Kosuke glanced at Shinichi and nodded. "The employer is also aware of this point. In the commission, they promised that if ninja or forces beyond the ordinary are encountered during the mission, they are willing to provide additional payment afterward. The village, after comprehensively considering the initial intelligence and the employer's promise, tentatively classified this mission as C-rank and assigned it to us. Of course…"
He paused. His tone remained calm, yet carried an added note of gravity.
"Once it is confirmed that ninja are involved, the mission rank will be adjusted upward immediately, and our response strategy must change accordingly. That is also the first matter we must clarify on this trip."
Starting the very first mission at C-rank, perhaps even higher.
The village truly thinks highly of me.
Shinichi understood inwardly, yet he felt no apprehension. Instead, he felt a faint eagerness to try.
On one hand, his teammate was Maruboshi Kosuke, whose strength was that of an elite jōnin; on the other hand, he had considerable confidence in his current strength.
Not to mention, he was now someone who wielded destiny itself!
Well, that might be just a tiny bit exaggerated…
...
By evening, after walking for an entire day, the two stopped at the edge of a wooded area to set up camp.
Kosuke went out for a short while. When he returned, he carried two plump pheasants and a handful of fresh wild vegetables.
He untied that distinctive large iron pot and skillfully started a fire and prepared the ingredients. Shinichi, likewise proficient in cooking, naturally stepped forward to help.
The campfire crackled, and an enticing aroma gradually rose from the pot.
"Senpai's cooking skills are truly excellent." Shinichi took a sip of the soup and praised him sincerely.
Kosuke smiled and adjusted the firewood. "When traveling outside, one must know how to take care of one's own mouth."
At that moment, as if suddenly remembering something, Shinichi spoke with a hint of curiosity. "Senpai, I once read in some books that within the ninja world there seems to exist a very special type of ninja known as Ninja Chef. I wonder if senpai has heard of them?"
"You… are trying to ask in a roundabout way whether this old man is a Ninja Chef, aren't you?" Kosuke glanced at him, as though having seen through his thoughts.
Shinichi, having been exposed, was not embarrassed. He nodded calmly. "I was indeed a little curious."
"Ninja Chef…" Kosuke's movements paused slightly. His gaze drifted toward the flickering campfire, as though falling into some distant memory. A faint trace of emotion tinged his tone. "Speaking of it, I can barely count as one myself."
"Oh?" Shinichi immediately sat up straight, genuine interest appearing on his face.
He was truly curious.
Based on his observations over the years, for a profession to generate an Entry on the panel, it first had to receive formal "recognition" and "acceptance" from a complete inheritance system or authoritative lineage.
Moreover, that inheritance system had to involve the application of extraordinary power or chakra.
So did Ninja Chef qualify?
After all, a Ninja Chef could be considered a cook who used chakra.
If Ninja Chef did not qualify—if even medical ninja in the future did not qualify—
Then that would mean the profession must be an independent and complete extraordinary inheritance system, rather than a derivative branch of such a system.
That would imply the inheritance system predates ninja themselves and had already achieved stable application of extraordinary power before chakra became widespread.
It was only after chakra, as a more efficient and versatile form of energy, became prevalent that these professions replaced their energy with chakra.
For example, swordsmen—or rather, samurai!
Seeing Shinichi's serious expression, Kosuke smiled and began to explain slowly: "Ninja Chef are a special group formed from the combination of ninja and culinary masters. Their primary responsibility is not combat, but to prepare food infused with chakra or special nutrients, so as to rapidly replenish stamina and restore chakra for ninja teams carrying out long-term, high-intensity missions."
"The essence lies in applying chakra control—especially the fine manipulation of Fire Release—to precisely regulate the heat and energy activation of ingredients."
He paused, sprinkled a handful of salt into the pot, and continued: "However, with the rapid development of medical ninjutsu and pharmacology in the ninja world—especially after soldier pills, which are easy to carry and have concentrated effects, were developed and widely applied—the supply method of Ninja Chef, which requires on-site cooking and depends on fresh ingredients, gradually appeared inefficient."
"Over time, this group declined completely. In today's ninja world, unless it is some ancient family inheritance or an extremely niche lineage, you can hardly see them at all. So it is only natural that you have heard of them but never seen one."
"Senpai, then what would qualify someone as a formally recognized Ninja Chef?" Shinichi asked.
Although he had already roughly judged that Ninja Chef, as a derivative profession combining ninja and cook, likely did not meet the conditions for generating a profession Entry on the panel, he still decided to test it personally.
Just in case.
There was no loss in trying.
"Become a Ninja Chef?" Kosuke let out a helpless laugh. "Shinichi, although I don't know why you are taking this matter so seriously, in my view, you are already a Ninja Chef."
"Oh?" Shinichi's gaze shifted slightly. "Why does senpai say that?"
"Look—you are a ninja yourself, you have mastered Fire Release, and your culinary skills are quite good. Would that not count as a Ninja Chef?"
"But senpai just said that the food prepared by Ninja Chef can rapidly replenish stamina and restore chakra…"
"Food itself already has those effects—only the magnitude differs. If you want the effect to be more noticeable, you can simply add some medicinal herbs during cooking and make medicinal cuisine. That is not difficult." Kosuke waved his hand dismissively.
Shinichi did not stop there. Instead, he looked at him even more seriously, his tone formal. "So in senpai's view, I can already be considered a Ninja Chef, correct?"
Hearing this, Kosuke was momentarily stunned. Although he did not understand why Shinichi needed such solemn confirmation, he still smiled and nodded.
"Yes, Shinichi. I acknowledge that you are now a Ninja Chef."
After saying this, Kosuke glanced at the sky, then portioned out the remaining soup in the pot.
"Alright. After eating, rest early. We still need to travel tomorrow. As for keeping watch, I will take the first half of the night."
…
That night, deep within the lord's residence of Narumi Town.
The town lord, Kurokawa Yasumasa, suddenly felt a bone-devouring pain surge from within his body. His face turned pale. He immediately dismissed those at his side and staggered alone into his study, then opened a hidden chamber known only to himself.
The moment he closed the door, he could no longer endure it. He curled up on the floor, letting out suppressed and pained groans—an agony as if his bones were being crushed and pierced from within, inch by inch.
Trembling, he crawled toward a wooden cabinet against the wall and retrieved a porcelain bottle from the depths of a drawer.
The moment the stopper was removed, a heavy scent of blood spread through the air.
Kurokawa Yasumasa urgently poured the dark red liquid from the bottle into his mouth. After a short while, his rapid breathing gradually steadied. The intense pain receded like a tide, leaving behind only cold sweat from exhaustion.
"I told you long ago to act with more restraint."
Supporting himself against the wall, he slowly stood up and spoke hoarsely to the empty shadows: "And now look. I just heard from my subordinates that those mud-legged peasants pooled their money to invite ninja from Konohagakure to investigate! If this matter escalates, both you and I will be finished."
"Both of us? Hehehe…"
From within the shadows, a man clad in a black cloak slowly stepped forward, his voice low and cold: "My lord, do not forget—you have long been a member of the Church. We are on the same side now."
Yasumasa kept his face taut and did not retort, though his gaze grew darker. The cloaked man did not mind and continued in a casual tone: "As for the ninja of Konohagakure?"
He let out a low laugh, as if discussing the weather.
"Kill them."
"Have you lost your mind?!"
Yasumasa's expression changed abruptly, his voice nearly beyond control: "This is the Land of Fire—not the Land of Hot Water! Kill someone from Konohagakure, and what follows will be a full-scale investigation by the entire village! Then it will no longer be a simple case of children going missing!"
The man in clerical robes fell silent for a moment. Beneath the hood, the shadow seemed to shift slightly. That cold voice sounded again, tinged with mockery: "Then according to the lord's wise counsel, what should we do? The matter of the Holy Son must not be halted. Do not forget, my lord—your bone cancer is an incurable affliction even within the ninja world. Only when the Holy Son descends and you obtain divine grace can your illness… be completely cured."
"I know that! You need not remind me!" Yasumasa let out a low roar and began pacing anxiously within the narrow hidden chamber. "Precisely because it cannot stop, we must be even more cautious! Listen—starting now, until the ninja of Konohagakure leave or uncover the truth, every one of you must lie completely low. You are not to touch another child! I will make the necessary arrangements, find suitable culprits and reasons, and bring this disappearance case to an end. We will first deal with the immediate trouble."
A clear look of dissatisfaction appeared on the face beneath the hood of the robed man. Seeing this, Yasumasa stepped forward and spoke sternly: "I will say it again—I am not joking!"
"Think about the original purpose for which the leader sent you here—to take root in this place, to open a new land of faith for the Church, to operate for the long term and advance gradually! If, due to a moment's recklessness, you attract an uncontrollable powerful enemy, destroy the foundation here, and ruin the leader's long-term plans, can you bear that responsibility?!"
He drew in a deep breath and issued his final warning in a decisive tone: "Konohagakure stands foremost among the Five Great Ninja Villages. Its strength runs unfathomably deep! If, because of a few lives, you truly provoke their elite—those ANBU who move like shadows—then when that time comes, it will not only be you and I whose lives are forfeit. Even the leader in the Land of Hot Water, and the Church's long-established headquarters, may be exposed to a thunderous strike and face utter destruction! Do you wish to see such an outcome?"
Seeing that the robed man, Elder Takahashi, remained silent, a cold glint flashed in Yasumasa's eyes. He decided to press further.
He stepped half a pace closer, lowering his voice, yet his tone carried naked threat: "Elder Takahashi, you also would not wish the leader…"
"How do you know about the leader—"
Takahashi's expression changed abruptly beneath the hood. He instinctively demanded sharply.
The words had barely left his mouth halfway when he suddenly realized his slip of the tongue and immediately clamped his mouth shut.
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