"First, find the Hidden Mist's hiding place... Since the area is quite large, search in pairs. Report any traces immediately, but do not act yet, understand? Also, the distance between the two groups should not be too far, so you can support each other if something happens."
After a while, the five-man team arrived at a cliff. Yubi gazed at the rocky mountains below, checked the map in his hand, and ordered.
They had passed a village on the way that must have been attacked recently... many leftover fragments and items were still quite new.
"Yes."
The four nodded and immediately dispersed.
If the Hidden Mist wanted to operate within the borders and avoid Sunagakure's tracking, they would inevitably seek a temporary Stronghold as a safe house.
Years of harassment had allowed the Hidden Mist to create many secret hiding spots along the border, like rats digging holes.
Sunagakure failed to resolve the Hidden Mist trouble immediately, and as things developed to this point, the situation had become increasingly difficult to handle.
Yubi, on the other hand, acted alone.
Finding the Hidden Mist meant a potential direct encounter with the opponent... there was danger.
It was also a way to train Pakura and the others in the tracking skills they had learned at the Ninja Academy.
Whoosh... Yubi moved through the jagged rocks of the mountains, his gaze scanning back and forth.
He also intentionally stayed close to Pakura and the others... so he could support them immediately if something went wrong.
In less than fifteen minutes, Yubi made a discovery.
There was a crack in the rock face of a mountain... although it was camouflaged, he keenly noticed it.
He narrowed his eyes, leaping across the rocks to get closer... On the other side, Sakamoto and Pakura's group moved through the complex terrain.
The surrounding environment seemed normal... the two of them had no clues at all.
The hot sun baked overhead... before long, Sakamoto felt exhausted.
"Any findings?"
Sakamoto looked at Pakura, asking even though he already knew the answer.
Pakura remained silent; regardless of whether enemies were in the area... the opponent was perfectly camouflaged.
No flaws could be seen.
"..."
Seeing Pakura ignore him, Sakamoto tactfully shut his mouth.
Time passed, and with no progress, Pakura began to get a bit impatient.
To find the enemy faster, their actions were no longer cautious but gradually became bolder... to speed up the investigation.
Suddenly, Pakura caught a glimpse of a dark shadow flashing in the crevices of a mountain.
"Watch out!"
She shouted immediately.
Several Kunai were already flying through the air toward her and Sakamoto.
The two flipped to dodge, and by the time they landed, two Hidden Mist ninjas had already swept behind them.
The enemies were too fast... she and Sakamoto couldn't react in time.
Pakura's expression changed drastically; she forced her body aside, but her shoulder was still pierced by the enemy's weapon. She then turned to engage in close combat.
Bang!
However, not far away... Sakamoto let out a scream.
Blood gushed from his neck as he was kicked away by a Hidden Mist ninja.
"Hehe... one brat down!"
"What's going on... has Sunagakure run out of people? Sending a bunch of wet-behind-the-ears rookies to their deaths?"
The Hidden Mist ninja who severely injured Sakamoto laughed mockingly.
With those words, he coordinated with his companion to attack Pakura from the side.
At the same time, his hands formed seals.
"Water Release: Water Fang Blade!"
A rotating stream of water wrapped around the Hidden Mist ninja's arm, forming a blade over a meter long.
The look in his eyes as he watched Pakura was full of killing intent.
At this moment, Pakura felt panicked.
She was entangled by the enemy, unable to pull away, and injured, making it difficult to form seals for her Scorch Release.
One Hidden Mist ninja might be manageable, but two together... she couldn't handle it.
And in this real life-and-death struggle, under the enemy's pressure, she couldn't help but feel a chill in her bones, and her movements became stiff.
Snap!
Just as she was feeling despair, the charging Hidden Mist ninja suddenly took a heavy blow and shuddered violently.
A flash of crimson shadow flickered past.
Instantly piercing the Hidden Mist ninja's head.
Killing him.
The Hidden Mist ninja who had been standing in front of her also fell to the ground, lifeless.
It was Yubi arriving with Yashamaru and the other.
With just a simple move, Yubi instantly killed these two Hidden Mist ninjas.
Yubi picked up the severely injured Sakamoto, looking calmly at his pale face and dilating pupils.
His throat had been slit... in this situation, even using the Mystical Palm Technique might not save him.
Because... the Mystical Palm Technique takes time to heal; it can't restore someone instantly.
"Teacher..."
As a Medical Ninja, Yashamaru knew exactly how serious Sakamoto's injury was. Gentle as he was, he couldn't help but feel pained for Sakamoto.
Their team had just arrived... was someone going to die on the very first day of the mission?
Chakra burst from Yubi's palm as he gently pressed it against Sakamoto's wound.
Soon... in less than a few seconds, although Sakamoto was still covered in blood, his breathing gradually became smooth, and the torn flesh miraculously healed.
This gave Yashamaru, who thought Sakamoto would die, a massive shock.
What kind of Medical Ninjutsu is this?
"There..."
After a moment, as Yubi lifted his hand, Sakamoto regained consciousness, without even a scar left on his neck.
Next, Yubi stood up and treated Pakura's injury.
This time, what he used... was the genuine Mystical Palm Technique.
Pakura lowered her head in silence... biting her lip.
She thought Yubi would scold her, but he kept a smile on his face the whole time.
He didn't say anything.
"Learn from this experience... now you know how formidable the enemy is, right? The Hidden Mist excels at assassination; hiding, tracking, and counter-reconnaissance are their specialties. To find their traces, you must be extremely careful and patient... A blatant search like yours was probably noticed by the enemy long ago. They didn't strike immediately only because they were observing you." Although Yubi didn't scold them, he still pointed out their problems.
"Well... how should I put it? I seem to have overestimated the four of you. Real combat is a different matter from daily training, after all. Never mind... I'll just stick with you for now."
Yubi looked at the four people standing before him, especially the disheveled Pakura and Sakamoto, and after a moment of thought, spoke slowly.
These were all descendants of high-level officials. Logically, their strength, the resources they could obtain, and the training they received should far exceed others in the Ninja Academy.
So... Yubi thought the three of them would perform relatively well.
Not to mention, Pakura was a possessor of a Bloodline Limit.
However... reality was a bit of a slap in the face.
He decided to follow Arai's method: hide in the shadows first to protect them while they acted... until they gained some ability to protect themselves and more experience.
Yashamaru and Fukushima Taki had also run into trouble, facing a Hidden Mist attack as well. But with Yashamaru there and only two enemies, they handled it relatively easily.
But as a Medical Ninja... Yashamaru's combat level was currently limited, even though he had some basic mission experience.
Yubi had resolved their trouble first before rushing over to Pakura and Sakamoto.
"I've already cleared this whole area. It was a team of eight Hidden Mist ninjas... I've also destroyed their hiding spot, so we can move on." After speaking, seeing the somber atmosphere of the team, Yubi laughed to boost morale. "Don't be discouraged... this is the first time for all of you, so this kind of performance is normal. Just work hard in the future; I have great confidence in you!"
Beside him, Yashamaru was also comforting the three.
"Teacher, you searched this entire area all by yourself?"
Fukushima Taki swallowed, asking in disbelief, "And the enemies... were they all taken out too?"
"Yeah... it was alright, not very difficult."
Yubi laughed heartily.
"..."
The four of them had different expressions upon hearing this.
What kind of efficiency is this?
Their two groups hadn't even finished checking their assigned areas, yet Yubi had scouted the entire region alone... Not only did he rescue both groups, but he also took care of all the Hidden Mist ninjas along the way... And in such a short time, it meant killing the Hidden Mist ninjas didn't waste much of their teacher's time at all.
"So strong..."
Fukushima Taki's mouth hung open as he sighed subconsciously.
With their young minds, they couldn't even imagine how Yubi had done it...