The rain fell in a steady drizzle.
Hoshita Shūichi had barely patrolled for twenty minutes when he sensed someone approaching.
Unlike the dense forests of the Land of Fire, this area was barren and open. Even with the rain obscuring visibility, it was nearly impossible for enemies to approach undetected.
"Six people..."
Hoshita Shūichi watched as the figures stopped about ten meters away. None wore forehead protectors marking their village.
"A brat from Konoha!"
"Is he alone?"
"Seems that way."
"Heh, they're really looking down on us!"
The six men stared at Hoshita Shūichi, their lips curling into bloodthirsty, cruel grins.
"Let's start with this brat!"
"Go!"
"Kill this Konoha whelp!"
The six, who had momentarily paused, now charged forward, spreading out in a crescent formation.
Hoshita Shūichi, a senbon clenched between his teeth, swept his left hand across his tool pouch and flung out three shuriken.
In quick succession, he threw another three, this time with greater force and speed, causing them to collide with the first set mid-air and alter their trajectories.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Three of the attackers were hit, their screams piercing through the rain.
"Bastard!"
"Damn it!"
"Kill him!"
Cries of pain, roars of anger, and the sound of rain merged into chaos.
Hoshita Shūichi, gripping the Ama-no-Murakumo Sword in his right hand and a kunai in his left, lunged forward, heading straight for the enemy charging at him head-on. The two on either side immediately circled around to flank him.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Sparks flew as metal clashed.
"Too slow!"
"You're all too slow! How dare you make a living like this!"
Hoshita Shūichi's merciless taunts enraged his opponent.
"Brat, don't look down on us!"
Just as the enemy prepared to intensify his assault, Hoshita Shūichi's blade had already sliced across his throat.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Three bodies collapsed in quick succession, their blood quickly staining the muddy ground.
The remaining three, who had just dealt with the shuriken wounds, froze at the sight.
Hoshita Shūichi moved like lightning.
Screams echoed one after another as the last three fell to his blade.
From start to finish, the battle took less than a minute.
Neither the enemies nor Hoshita Shūichi had used ninjutsu.
"Just cannon fodder... This won't be the last wave."
Hoshita Shūichi scavenged the battlefield, collecting usable kunai and shuriken.
With more battles likely ahead, he couldn't afford to run low on tools.
True to his prediction, within an hour, another group attacked.
Their skills were still lackluster. Hoshita Shūichi killed two, and the third fled in terror. He didn't bother chasing—wasting energy on cannon fodder was pointless.
By nightfall, Hoshita Shūichi and the others had endured eight separate attacks.
The relentless assaults slowed their progress, forcing them to camp in the wilderness.
On a barren hill, six samurai and palanquin bearers set up tents.
They chose this open area deliberately—wide visibility made it impossible for enemies to approach undetected.
Of course, if their suspicions were correct and the attackers were Iwa-nin, a cave would've been far more dangerous.
"The real enemy will likely strike at dawn. The harassment won't stop tonight."
Namikaze Minato analyzed the situation.
The enemy's tactic of using hired mercenaries for relentless harassment was clear.
Though their motives remained unclear, the team was now in a passive position.
To turn the tables, Namikaze Minato decided to change tactics.
"Shūichi, your Transformation Technique is the most refined here. Later, I'll need you to create a shadow clone disguised as the envoy."
Hoshita Shūichi immediately understood. "Sensei, you plan to use the Flying Thunder God Technique to take the envoy away first?"
Namikaze Minato nodded. "Exactly. The envoy's presence not only puts us at a disadvantage but also makes him a high-value target for intelligence. However, we still need him as bait to lure out the real enemy and extract information from them."
"While I'm gone with the envoy, the most critical part is ensuring the enemy doesn't see through the ruse. So, Shūichi, you'll need to maintain the shadow clone as the envoy, and I'll also leave a shadow clone behind as cover. If the enemy attacks, you'll have to hold them off without revealing the plan."
He added with a smile, "If the real enemy appears while I'm away, retreat immediately. My shadow clone will cover you. If the harassment becomes unbearable, retreat as well. Of course, I'll return as quickly as possible."
Kurama Sanyō thumped his chest confidently. "Don't worry, Minato-sensei! If they're the same trash as today, we've got this."
Hoshita Shūichi and Uchiha Shisui also nodded, though they weren't as optimistic as Kurama Sanyō.
The real challenge wasn't combat prowess but whether their stamina and focus could endure the relentless harassment.
Still, Namikaze Minato's plan at least freed them from the burden of protecting the envoy.
"Minato-sensei, why don't the enemies just attack outright and snatch the envoy? With just our team and six samurai, if they've hired so many mercenaries for harassment, couldn't they overwhelm us with numbers and make it impossible to protect the envoy?"
"Are they afraid we'll kill the envoy if pushed too far? But this is an envoy sent by the Daimyō."
Kurama Sanyō voiced his doubts.
After today, they'd already killed over twenty enemies, with more than ten retreating.
Hoshita Shūichi chuckled. "Maybe they know Minato-sensei's strength and don't dare confront him directly."
"Numbers aren't always everything!"
Namikaze Minato hadn't yet earned his "Yellow Flash" moniker, but as a young Konoha jōnin with extensive mission experience, it was unlikely the enemy hadn't gathered intelligence on him.
The Flying Thunder God Technique was pioneered by the Second Hokage—other villages couldn't possibly be completely unaware of it.
At Hoshita Shūichi's praise, Namikaze Minato smiled. "No need to dwell on the enemy's motives for now. When the real attackers show themselves, we'll capture and interrogate them to find out."
Just as the plan was finalized and the camp set up, another wave of harassment arrived. Namikaze Minato and Uchiha Shisui quickly repelled it.
Upon returning, Namikaze Minato entered the envoy's tent, left a shadow clone behind, and departed with the envoy.
After a brief wait, the shadow clone emerged, and Hoshita Shūichi and Kurama Sanyō entered the tent to rest.
The six samurai remained stationed around the tent, unaware the envoy was gone.
By the flickering campfire, Namikaze Minato's shadow clone and Uchiha Shisui took watch.
An hour later, another night attack came.
Uchiha Shisui drove the enemies back.
Another hour passed, and another group attacked. Uchiha Shisui and the six samurai repelled them, but one samurai died, and three were injured.
Hoshita Shūichi left a shadow clone in the tent and emerged to heal the wounded.
The night was anything but peaceful, with attacks coming relentlessly.
Hoshita Shūichi, Uchiha Shisui, Kurama Sanyō, and the five remaining samurai became the main line of defense, while Namikaze Minato's shadow clone stood guard outside the tent.
This didn't raise the enemy's suspicions—it made sense for Namikaze Minato to conserve energy under these circumstances.
At midnight, Namikaze Minato's real body returned to the tent.
Hoshita Shūichi finally relaxed, eagerly anticipating the final battle.
After a day of torment, he was seething with rage.
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