"What about the mission?" Tenten rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on, "Should we go in and ask around?
"Let's take a look inside first." Shino spoke up, "There are people inside. I've already sent my kikaichu to scout, there are still a few villagers staying in the ruins of the village."
Lee stood tall like a pine tree, hands clasped behind his back as he gazed into the distance.
At the end of the low-lying plains sprawled a massive village, built along the winding expanse of the Grass River.
Now, however, it was nothing more than broken walls and rubble.
Wispy white smoke rose from the ruins… likely from a dilapidated house. Occasionally, dark figures could be seen moving among the debris, probably surviving villagers.
As the four approached, they found the village's gates already collapsed. The architectural style was uniformly battle-worn, covered in dust and broken walls. Strangely, the villagers didn't look malnourished.
"This place is kinda creepy. Can't even get a proper meal here?" Naruto muttered, hands behind his head as his eyes darted around.
With a quick check, he realized that Ajisai and Yakumo had long since left. He could only vaguely sense their general direction, not their exact location.
'They must've been pretty far… maybe even outside the Land of Grass.'
Not that he cared much. Those two could go wherever they pleased. If anything came up, they could always get in touch. Nothing in the Shinobi World was particularly surprising anymore, and their strength was enough to handle a small team of Jonin.
"The Land of Grass has taken in too many Rogue Shinobi. With such a mixed bag, it was bound to be a problem." Shino said as he walked ahead.
"So you're saying Rogue Shinobi destroyed the Land of Grass?" Tenten asked curiously.
"A riot?"
"Maybe, but that's not our concern." Shino suddenly stopped and looked in a certain direction, "Trouble's coming."
A rumbling noise echoed in the distance. Tenten and Lee immediately tensed, their expressions turning wary.
From the far end of the street, a mob of people came charging, shouting and waving all sorts of weapons, like swords, spears, short pikes, a disorganized, ragtag bunch.
But unlike ordinary thugs, these Rogue Shinobi were far more dangerous, both in combat ability and sheer ruthlessness. The former fought for money or lust, while the latter had far more complicated motives.
They killed on a whim… whether in a fight or just because they felt like it. They might call themselves Rogue Shinobi, but with a mask on, they were no different from bandits.
Robbing merchant caravans was their specialty, but they were no strangers to brawls or stealing Ninjutsu. In the vast Shinobi World, there were always scoundrels lurking in the gray areas.
You'd think such bloodthirsty, remorseless killers would be universally despised. Unfortunately, the Land of Grass had a twisted culture… one that worshipped strength and bowed to the powerful.
The deeply ingrained servility and power-worship in the Land of Grass's history made them embrace Rogue Shinobi willingly. Not only did they welcome them, but they also worked hard to whitewash their crimes.
Women in the Land of Grass were especially eager to please Rogue Shinobi. Truly, it was a case of mutual consent… no one could interfere.
"What's the deal with these guys? Dressed like clowns." Naruto muttered, feeling bored. He had no interest in playing the underdog-turns-the-tables trope and decided to cut straight to the point.
Before Tenten and Lee could even react, Naruto activated the Kyubi's Chakra within him. A massive, blood-red Kyubi, ten stories tall, materialized in an instant, its aura overwhelmingly vicious.
In the blink of an eye, thick, blood-colored chakra surged out like a tidal wave, wrapping around the four of them. Within a ten-meter radius, a blood-red Kyubi took form.
Roar!!!
The Rogue Shinobi, who had been screaming for blood just moments ago, now shrieked in terror, stumbling over themselves as they turned tail and fled. This wasn't a fight… this was suicide.
The enemy had literally summoned a gundam. Were they supposed to charge in and die?
In the chaos, several Rogue Shinobi were trampled, and even those with some skill were half-crushed before someone stabbed them to finish the job. Their screams were abruptly cut short.
Tenten, Lee, and Shino stood frozen, watching the enemy scatter in panic without even lifting a finger. Tenten glanced up at the blood-red Kyubi towering above them and paled.
Luckily, Naruto had perfect control. With a thought, the blood-red Kyubi vanished.
Everything returned to normal, except for the fleeing figures of the Rogue Shinobi in the distance, as if nothing had happened. Naruto lazily watched them go, visibly unimpressed.
"These Rogue Shinobi are no better than flies. Kusagakure is already in ruins, yet they're still here sucking its blood."
"What… was that just now?" Tenten asked, still shaken.
"A Ninjutsu. It's similar to Choji's Multi-Size Technique. I came up with it myself." Naruto didn't bother explaining the Kyubi's Chakra, brushing it off with a casual excuse.
It wasn't that he didn't trust the other three… it was just too much of a hassle to explain. By the later stages of a Shinobi's growth, summoning giant avatars and battling with gundams was practically the norm.
There was no benefit in saying too much, so a simple excuse would suffice. Tenten and Lee were straightforward and wouldn't overthink it, and Shino certainly wouldn't doubt his comrades.
"That looked so cool!" Lee exclaimed, his face full of admiration, his eager expression making Naruto feel a bit of a headache.
'This guy isn't actually thinking of challenging me to a fight, is he?' Naruto thought, 'Even if he opens the Sixth Gate, he'd just be throwing himself at the blood-red Kyubi's phantom. There's no way Lee can open the Seventh Gate yet, right?'
Fortunately, Lee, the training fanatic, didn't say anything like 'Let's spar sometime'. Tenten, on the other hand, seemed relieved, at least they didn't have to fight.
While they weren't afraid of Rogue Shinobi, actually engaging them would've been a hassle. Those lowlifes had too many dirty tricks up their sleeves, and even skilled Shinobi could struggle to gain the upper hand against them.
Just as the four relaxed and were about to head into Kusagakure, chatting and laughing, a hawk swooped into the sky above them, circling overhead.
Hearing its cry, Shino's expression changed instantly. He knew better than anyone the significance of this hawk. The Anbu had very few fast-flying hawks, reserved only for the most urgent situations.
The one circling above them right now was one of them… an emergency message straight from the Hokage's Office.
"That's… the village's hawk?" Tenten also looked up, her face darkening.
An emergency message at this moment couldn't mean anything good for them. If it wasn't about the village being attacked, then it had to be new orders from the Hokage regarding their mission.
"That bird in the sky?" Naruto tilted his head upward, his heart suddenly pounding with a bad premonition.
"Yes." Shino whistled, and the hawk landed on his arm.
A moment later, Shino held a scroll in his hand. He unfurled it, and his expression instantly shifted. He looked up sharply at Naruto but didn't say anything, making the whole situation feel eerie.
"What's wrong?" Lee, standing to the side, was practically scratching his head in impatience, "What happened?"
Tenten leaned in immediately, but the moment she saw the contents of the message, she froze. After a long pause, she looked up at Naruto with a strange expression.
Lee grew even more anxious, 'Why was everyone acting so strange?'