Chapter 18: Final mission part
After the bandit's death, Kaito and his teammates cautiously approached Daichi.
Daichi's hands were trembling, his strength and determination had vanished, and he slumped to the ground, staring at the bandit.
At that moment, Kaito moved closer to him.
"You're a great swordsman, Daichi. You fought well and came out on top. You've finally avenged your brother. How do you feel?" Kaito asked slowly.
Daichi slowly lifted his head, sweat running down his face.
"I feel free. I used to carry such a heavy burden, but now it feels like all that weight has been lifted from my conscience. I always knew that vengeance wouldn't bring my brother back, but I believe he has finally found peace."
Kaito didn't dwell on it too much because he knew he would do the same if he were in Daichi's shoes; death was a common concept in their world.
At that moment, Hikari and Ryuji also arrived. They were surprised by Daichi's performance, considering he had defeated a bandit on his own, especially since he was just a civilian. However, they didn't pay much attention to it due to the dead bandit lying nearby.
Whoosh!
Right at that moment, Haruki appeared beside them.
"Good job, kids. You did well. Now we need to take them and everything they stole back to the village," Haruki said, looking at Daichi for a moment but saying nothing more.
"Alright, for the stolen items, we can seal them into some scrolls, but for the bandits, we'll need something to transport them," Kaito replied.
"Everything's been thought of, son. While you were out here doing the easy work, I had to do the heavy lifting. I went back to the village and brought a cart here with a horse. So, we'll just put the bandits in it and head back to the village."
Team 11 looked at their sensei with an indignant expression. Since when had fighting bandits become easy and fetching a cart become difficult?
'He's becoming more and more arrogant. I've never seen this side of him at home. I guess my mom knows how to keep him in line.'Kaito thought as he witnessed a side of his father he had never seen before.
Haruki then looked at them. "Come on, kids, what are you waiting for?"
Resigned to their fate, the three of them began tying up the bandits and then loaded them onto the cart outside the cave.
Soon, all the bandits were stacked in the cart.
"They're heavy, huh? Those scoundrels must have been eating well at the village's expense," Hikari complained, looking at the cart full of bandits.
"I wouldn't mind just taking the captured ones," Ryuji said, eyeing the bandits with disgust.
" I share the same sentiment, but unfortunately, our mission was to capture all the bandits. Killing one of them won't interfere with the mission, but not capturing them all might not be seen as a success by the Hokage,"Kaito explained to them.
Kaito might be mistaken, but he was pretty sure this mission was more about training than an actual mission. Their task was to capture all the bandits, which was much harder than simply killing them. After all, why would the Hokage send a ninja to spend a whole week rounding up these random bandits when they could dispatch an Anbu ninja to swiftly eliminate them?
'Well, I doubt the Hokage would care much about a few random bandits.' Kaito thought, setting aside his musings.
"Daichi, let's go now. It's best you accompany us back to the village," Kaito called out to Daichi, who had just emerged from the cave with Haruki.
"Alright, thank you all. Thanks to you, I've achieved what I wanted, and I apologize for underestimating your strength because you're kids," Daichi expressed his gratitude and apology.
"No need to apologize. Now, let's get going. Daichi, you can sit here. We're heading back to the village," giving up his seat to Daichi, Kaito began accompanying the cart, leaping through the trees.
They quickly returned to the village and were greeted with many thanks from the villagers, including the guard who had previously mocked their strength.
Team 11 had successfully completed the mission, returning the stolen items to their rightful owners, and soon, they felt it was time to leave.
In front of the village gate, Daichi bid farewell to Team 11.
"Someday, we'll meet again, guys," Daichi said, waving his hand.
"Hahaha, for sure, Daichi. With your sword skills, you could become a great swordsman. And when that day comes, I want to challenge you to a fencing duel," Kaito smiled at Daichi.
Daichi was taken by surprise but then clenched his fist and agreed with Kaito.
From that day forward, Daichi trained with his sword every day until he became a great swordsman.
Team 11 then set off towards the village with the cart full of bandits.
Elsewhere in the forest,
The mysterious man was once again searching for new victims.
"Let's see, they defeated the last one with ease. I think it's time to find a smarter and deadlier enemy."
Looking around, the man seemed to have finally found what he wanted.
A large snake was coiled around a tree, even in its resting state, it looked fierce and dangerous.
"There you are," the man said, and he appeared next to the snake and punched it.
The snake only realized the attack when it had already been struck, waking up in confusion. However, as soon as it recognized its attacker, it did not hesitate and attacked with its tail. But the man was fast enough to dodge it, and the tail struck a tree, breaking it in two.
Seeing that it had missed, the snake started sliding between the trees and approached the man cautiously, its eyes showing extreme caution.
"A great offensive power, acceptable defense, high intelligence. You'll do." After saying this, the man disappeared from the snake's view. The snake searched around but couldn't find him. At that moment, it felt something touch its body, and extreme weakness overcame it, causing it to collapse to the ground.
"Let's see how they handle this," the man said, a smile appearing on his face as he sealed the snake and carried it toward Team 11.
...
On the road to Konoha,
"Man, riding in this cart is so slow. It's boring," Ryuji, who was sitting in the cart, complained about their slow progress.
"Relax, enjoy the journey, look at these beautiful landscapes," Kaito pointed to the surroundings.
"Tree, bush, tree, bush, giant angry snake, tree, bush..." Kaito even lost track of what he was saying as his brain tried to process what he had just seen.
Ryuji and Hikari were laughing at Kaito's commentary, but when he mentioned a giant snake, their hearts froze, and a shiver ran down their spines when they saw a huge snake leaping from the tree toward them.
The snake had a fierce look, and its fangs were sharp. It was a terrifying enemy.
As they were unable
to react, they saw Kaito forming hand signs.
"Fuuton no Jutsu: Wind Pressure Style." A large amount of wind blew from Kaito's mouth, sending the snake in another direction.
"Hikari, get the cart with the bandits out of here. Ryuji, help me. Let's take on this damn snake," before he could even finish, Kaito was already forming more hand signs.
This time, Kaito waved his arm several times, and many wind blades were shot out with each swing, heading toward where the snake had fallen.
The snake noticed the wind blades and began to zigzag to avoid most of them, with only a few grazing its body, causing minor wounds.
"Darn it, it's too agile. It'll be hard to hit," Kaito muttered.
The snake continued to slide toward Kaito, ready to strike. However, at that moment, Ryuji appeared beside the snake with his fists encased in stones, delivering a powerful punch to the snake's side.
Baam!
A loud impact echoed, and some of the snake's scales shattered, blood oozing from the wound. Yet, the snake paid no attention to the injury and lashed out with its tail directly at Ryuji, who attempted to defend himself with his stone-covered fists forming a shield.
Baaam! Another impact resounded, but this time Ryuji was sent flying, breaking tree branches along the way and finally skidding across the ground.
Kaito's eyes widened in shock. Ryuji was the strongest and most defensive among them, yet he had been thrown so far. If that attack had hit Kaito instead, he would likely be lifeless on the ground now.
'Well, I can use the Water Barrier and Wind Barrier in case I need to. It would be tough for it to reach me. Now, I wonder how Ryuji is doing. He's probably in some pain, but he should be alright,' Kaito thought as he glanced in the direction Ryuji had been thrown, observing Ryuji slowly getting up from the ground. He seemed to be okay.
At that moment, the snake was now very close to Kaito, poised to attack.
"Water Barrier Jutsu, Multiple Water Bullets Jutsu, Wind Blades Jutsu," Kaito launched three ninjutsu in succession.
By this time, the snake had reached him and collided with the newly formed water barrier but couldn't break through.
Several water bullets shot out from the barrier and hit the snake, causing many holes in its body. The snake symbolized intense pain, but at that moment, some wind blades emerged from the barrier and struck the snake's eyes.
The snake was now blinded and attacked wildly without stopping.
Splash! Splash! Splash!
A sound of something heavy colliding with water was heard from afar, but no matter how hard it hit, it couldn't break the barrier.
At that moment, Ryuji appeared once again, but this time, instead of his fists covered in stones, he had two stone spikes. Ryuji then attacked the snake on its side, piercing its skin and pinning it to the ground.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Kaito drew his katana and moved toward the snake, making more hand signs.
"Multiple Water Bullets Jutsu," several water bullets were shot from his mouth at high speed, piercing the snake again, which writhed in pain.
Seizing the moment, Kaito appeared beside the snake's head and, this time, used Wind Blades Jutsu. But instead of swinging his hand, he swung his katana, launching a wind blade along with the sword's cut.
The blade sliced through the snake's scales and skin as if it were butter. The snake's head flew over their heads and landed on the ground, while its body still writhed fiercely.
"Hahaha, we did it," Kaito laughed and sat down on the ground, exhausted. Ryuji also sat down, feeling drained.
"True, darn, that snake packed a punch. Even with my defense and physical training, I was still thrown so far. My arms feel like they're going to snap in half," Ryuji complained while groaning in pain and moving his arms.
At that moment, Hikari returned, but to her surprise, the snake had already been defeated.
"You guys defeated it. I thought you'd leave a lady to deal with such an enemy," Hikari said playfully.
"Never would we do that, fair princess," Kaito struck an elegant pose as he spoke.
They all looked at each other and then burst into smiles.
Kaito and Ryuji exchanged tired but satisfied smiles. They had faced a formidable challenge and emerged victorious. It was a testament to their training and teamwork.
After taking a moment to catch their breath, they regrouped and assessed the situation. The snake had been defeated, and it was time to continue their journey back to the village with the captured bandits.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone