'Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!'
Spitting out a precision-based flaming projectile, Suguru aimed to annihilate his foes one by one.
His draconic breath was fierce. If not for a timely Water Prison Jutsu, then his target would've been reduced to ashes.
'I understand now why Team Guy opted for a retreat. They're quite coordinated...'
Gleaming with the red glow of the flames, Suguru's eyes analyzed the battlefield. Guy was fighting the three jounin without losing ground. Neji, Lee, and Tenten did their best to ward off one of the squads.
Had Suguru been absent, the three genin would have been surrounded instantly. Guy, without opening more gates, would be unable to offer support.
Amused, Suguru continued to weave his hand seals. The earlier collision of fire and water had created a cloud of steam, obscuring vision. Not his own, of course, but the vision of the others.
It was only then that his Spinning Flame Saw converged upon his targets, engulfing them in a terrifying blade of heat. The spinning disc, which had been halted temporarily by the raging waves, still spoke of a fiery death.
—AHHHHH!
—BOOM!
A few short-lived screams were their last words, drowned out by the following explosion.
Suguru nodded to himself. That was three more down. Along with the first one Suguru had killed earlier, that made for one squad.
There was one squad left to go.
Glancing over at the ensuing fight between Konoha's genin and the near-chuunin-level shinobi, Suguru singled out a target.
The enemy shinobi was lingering at the edge of the battlefield, seemingly waiting for a good opportunity to step in, kunai in hand.
'How cute,' A small smile appeared on Suguru's lips before he then flickered forward.
His eyes morphed as he moved. Gone was the crimson glow of the Shinrakugan, replaced by truly blood-red irises of the Sharingan. It was only a moment.
A lapse in his enemy's senses.
When Suguru appeared before him with a gaze filled with ferocity.
'Genjutsu: Sharingan!'
***
The battle's conclusion was destined from the start.
Suguru looked up at the injured genin, and then at Guy, who hadn't seemed to have broken a sweat.
'Of course, if the situation called for it, Guy would've opened up more gates. From then on, these measly shinobi would've been trampled.' Suguru thought, 'Even if I did not interfere, they would've won regardless.'
However, Suguru's interference led to a cleaner victory. The genin weren't forced to take a step back from the battle and were able to gain experience. Guy, in the meantime, wouldn't have to deal with the aftereffects of opening the latter gates.
It was indeed clean.
Furthermore, Suguru had the opportunity to use his Sharingan without anyone noticing, plunging his foe into a Genjutsu to extract information. From there, he gained a rudimentary understanding of who these masked shinobi were.
'They're from an organization called Hasu...' Suguru glanced at the unconscious shinobi at his feet.
'This mission should've been a probing mission, without regard for success or failure. All they needed to do was avoid annihilation... Why was their leader so careless?'
Baffled, Suguru glanced at Guy and wondered if he would know something. After seeing his stern yet smiling expression, Suguru changed his mind.
He fell into thought once more.
'Their mission, on the surface, was to procure the Byakugan. However, its true purpose should be something else.'
Suguru could identify this common tactic. After all, Konohagakure used it quite often.
Suddenly.
"..?"
A prickling sensation pierced the back of Suguru's neck.
Whipping his head over to see who was looking at him, his eyes cracked and reformed in an instant. With the Shinrakugan, he gazed into the distance.
Only to find...
'...Nothing?'
***
Obito had been scouting an unfamiliar organization when he bore witness to Suguru's fiery arrival.
"Ho... What a feisty little guy,"
Watching the area go up in flames, Obito moved to get a better look. Looking at the speed at which Suguru formed hand seals, as well as that spinning disc of fire, Obito was slightly astonished. This was another genius shinobi seemingly on par with Itachi.
Moreover, it seemed like the boy was rogue.
"For what reason is he helping Konohagakure? Is it merely to deter those damn Hasu?"
Obito's observation grew deeper, keen on figuring out just who this boy was. Unwritten in the Bingo Book and seemingly void of any bounty and renown.
However.
"Hm..?"
'Kamui,'
Obito was forced to disappear, lest his presence be discovered.
***
Suguru accompanied Team Guy on their way back to Konoha, shouldering a few suspicions in his heart.
There weren't that many people who could elude his gaze so thoroughly, at least with his Kaisugan active.
—And he checked. Discreetly.
While no one was looking.
The Kaisu-Byakugan was all-seeing in this regard, and there was nothing that could've escaped his vision. That was, of course, unless that certain someone simply vanished into thin air.
Two people came to mind.
One was dead.
The other was hiding.
'Uchiha Obito, huh... I wonder when I should contact the Akatsuki,' Suguru fell into thought, glancing at the backs of his older brothers and sisters. 'I'll think about it after their Chuunin Exams.'
Like this, the group eventually arrived at Konoha. Suguru waltzed right through the modified Negative Chakra Formation with an unbridled stride.
Even though he was walking in broad daylight, no sensor could actively realize his presence. Suguru's Chakra Field Hacking had grown with his amassment of knowledge.
When it came to the familiar formation in Konoha, there wasn't any difficulties in blending in as a mere speck of dust.
"Suguru!" Suddenly, a voice called out Suguru's name with ferocity. "Thanks again for your help earlier, but we'll be going ahead! We still have to report to the Hokage."
Guy was holding up his right thumb, pointing at the Hokage's office in the distance, all while grinning at Suguru with his signature smile. The latter chuckled.
"Alright, Guy-senpai. I'll see you around."
Suguru then waved at Neji, Tenten, and Lee.
"Bye, you guys,"
He then let out a small smirk.
"Good luck~"
The genins' replies came shortly after.
Neji merely nodded. It was clear that he was still exhausted from the mission.
"Suguru-kun, thank you!" Lee replied with a wide smile.
"Thanks, Suguru." Tenten was similar, but more reserved.
Neji really got the short end of the stick, it seemed.