Grit 2.3

[Northern Land of Fire]

[September 7, 2 bNb]

The rain pelts our uniforms, mixing with the sweat and dirt that clings to our dark figures. It's the dead of night, and the rain carries with it a fog so thick that we can only see a couple of meters in front of us.

Sensei is taking point on this one, without his Byakugan, and my sensing, we would've had to stop and rest until visibility was returned. It has been three months since I became a Genin, and within that time, we have completed a total of 12 C-Ranks, all being courier missions.

It's what we were known for at this point. That meant three months of running all over the Land of Fire, delivering instructions to each front of the war. We are one of the luckier teams though, as we were able to avoid combat for so long. This mission was no different as we headed towards Hidden Leaf Outpost #66 near the Kusagakure border.

Or so I thought. As we carry on through the rain, ignoring the cold wind that blows, Sensei slows his pace, and we follow. This could mean one of two things, we were either close to the destination, or there were shinobi in the area.

"We have 6 incomings, Iwa uniforms, northeast, 750 meters, and closing. They must have a powerful sensor," barks Mukai-Sensei. I can't sense them yet, but I trust my teacher, so we all immediately fall into a combat-ready state, still advancing north.

Over the past three months, I have honed my sensing to a greater degree. I am now at the point where I can distinguish individual shinobi based on their main affinity. However, it's still a far cry from the sensing abilities of Lord Tobirama or Lord Mu, who could sense over kilometers and accurately guess a shinobi's heritage.

As soon as they enter my now 250-meter range, I give more information, "Estimating four Genin and two Chunin. Genin are as follows: 4 earths. Chunin are as follows: 1 earth and 1 fire. Fire-Natured Chunin leading the point must be the sensor."

Sensei then follows up, "I will take the two Chunin, stick together, and neutralize the 4 Genin."

This is it, the moment my all training has been leading up to. 'We will survive and triumph,' I think as bright, blue lightning envelops my sword's edge.

"Shisui, fire towards 10 O'clock in three seconds."

Within those three seconds, the forest is bathed in a soft glow as Shisui sends a giant fireball careening toward the enemy. They each try to jump away but a single Genin is too slow and gets hit head-on. I feel his chakra snuff out in real time.

Mukai-Sensei charges after the two Chunin while I motion my teammates to follow me. Moments later, we find the three Genin standing in a small clearing, their backs together, seemingly lost without the direction of their sensor.

Shisui, Kenji, and I spring towards them. The first, a boy around 10 years old, tries to put up a kunai to stop my slash, only for my blade to slice through his like a hot knife through butter as he jumps back, narrowly avoiding my slash.

'That speed, his chakra reserves may say otherwise but this stone shinobi is no mere Genin,' I think to myself in shock. Now that I think about it, that Fire-Natured Chunin feels familiar, but I'm interrupted as a kunai slash is sent my way and I am forced to duck to avoid it.

I immediately counter with an upward swing, intending to cleave the offending shinobi in half but he jumps away once again. I can tell he's having a hard time with the lack of visibility and sensory skills. This time, I pursue, relentlessly striking him with my lightning-enhanced blade.

He's relying on pure instinct to fight, yet he's somewhat keeping up, it's extraordinary. We continued for a few minutes, with each of my strikes leaving small gashes and cuts on his body but dealing no critical blows.

That is until my opponent loses his footing on the muddy floor of the clearing, and I am able to lob his head off in a single strike. He was well-trained and put up a good fight, but I was better trained and in a more advantageous position.

'At least he got a quick death,' I think to myself, trying to ignore what I just did, before heading to Shisui's aid. By the time I arrive, Shisui's opponent, a boy around Kenji's age is already on his way down, his heart pierced by the Uchiha boy's sword.

There are several slight burn marks on his clothes and skin, indicative of Shisui's Fire-Style: Halo Dance, a technique that utilizes his tanto as a catalyst to send out flaming arcs. I look into the glowing red eyes of my teammate before saying, "Follow me to Kenji."

Kenji seems to have his enemy on the back foot, not requiring our assistance. He is in the process of raining powerful blows into his teen opponent's chest as the enemy puts up a pathetic attempt at blocking and parrying. As they dance, Kenji places all his strength into a single attack which the Iwa teen raises a forearm to block.

A crack is heard before his forearm is broken in two and Kenji delivers another such punch to the throat, claiming his opponent's life. Within a minute, all threats are neutralized as I sense Mukai heading toward us with an active chakra network slung over his shoulder.

I focus intently on the Chunin slung over Mukai-Sensei's shoulder before it hits me. That's the chakra I sensed in the Land of Rivers three months ago. There was no reason for Iwa shinobi to be in the Land of Rivers during a war.

Additionally, while we were able to beat them, these guys were a cut above regular Genin. I must inform Sensei, this is fishy.

Sensei throws the unconscious man onto the clearing, next to his dead teammates before sealing the dead into a scroll each. "You guys sure did a number on them," he jokes in an attempt to lighten the mood, but my teammates remain silent.

"Alright, let's get to the outpost as soon as possible."

"Wait, Sensei. I've felt that guy's Chakra before, for a split second in the Land of Rivers on our very first mission. There would have been no reason for an Iwa Chunin to be there. I think our team was being followed."

At this, Shisui and Kenji jump in surprise. "Sure, we're good, but why would enemy shinobi follow us for three months," the older boy asks.

Mukai-Sensei immediately begins to think before saying, "This is strange indeed. Let's see what our friend has to say about this. I'll unblock his chakra points, Ichiro, wake him up."

Sensei then activates his Byakugan before tapping different points on the Chunin's body. I walk over and cast the Syrup Trap Jutsu on my enemy, sticking him to the floor before placing a hand on his chest and delivering a slight electric shock.

He jolts awake but there is no shock or surprise on his face, it's just…blank. Sensei immediately looks to Shisui before saying, "Make him a little cooperative." Shisui steps forward and stares the enemy shinobi in the eye before saying, "Sharingan Genjutsu: Subtle Will Subjugation."

What happens next is alarming. As soon as Shisui's genjutsu takes hold, black lines begin to spread from inside the Chunin's mouth, covering his body. He writhes and squirms in pain as they spread; the moment they have covered him completely, his body is reduced to ash.

I almost shit myself at the sight, knowing exactly what this means. I've been on Danzo's radar since my first mission. Sensei's face gains a serious look, the most serious I have ever seen him, as looks to us before saying, "Not a word of this until we get back to Konoha."

We make the rest of the trip to the outpost in silence, pondering the possibilities.

[Hidden Leaf Outpost #66, Land of Fire]

[6 hours later]

The sun is beginning to rise by the time we arrive, highlighting our blood-stained clothes and Kenji's split knuckles. As we approach the camp, a patrolling Genin spots us in the distance.

"Unknown shinobi, halt, identify yourselves, and state your business."

Sensei responds, "Team 96 is here to deliver orders. Shisui, show him."

Shisui then activates his Sharingan, verifying our status as Konoha shinobi.

"Alright, follow me."

We are led to the camp proper, passing through a giant gate that provides entrance to the Outpost that would be otherwise surrounded by great walls constructed from Earth-Style Jutsu. I notice its similarity to the others I have visited before as I walk through. It seems Konoha really does have a standard for the construction of their outposts. If it's not broken, don't fix it, I guess.

We finally arrive at the command tent and the commander, Fugaku Uchiha comes out to greet us. The man had a deadly aura, and from the way his residual chakra flowed through his network, I could tell he possessed a high degree of chakra control.

What shocked me the most, however, was not his control or his chakra quantity. It was the fact that Mukai-Sensei possessed slightly more chakra and a slightly greater degree of control than this man who was heralded as an S-Rank shinobi.

This was Wicked-Eye Fugaku we were talking about all. He's a man who possesses genjutsu so strong that he could fully ensnare even seasoned Jonin.

Such is the level of the leader of the strongest of our clans and my clan-less sensei seemed to be better than him, at least in chakra. If Mukai-Sensei cared about such things, he could probably command an outpost of his own.

He could even join the front and make a name for himself like so many seem to have done. In truth, if I was just a bit older, or more skilled, I'd probably wish to join the front, as reputation is just as important as strength in being heralded as the 'God of Shinobi.'

"Lord Fugaku," Shisui says, falling to a knee while the rest of us greet him and introduce ourselves normally.

"You may rise, Shisui. Welcome to Outpost #66, team 96, do come inside, you seem to have had an eventful trip here. I'd love to hear about it."

We head inside the tent and are treated to tea. After which, we each begin telling our side of the story, omitting details about the seal that killed the final Chunin. The fact that we encountered that team for a split-second on our first mission was also left unsaid.

Sensei opts to say that he killed the remaining enemy, and we disposed of all of their bodies using Shisui's fire. Lord Fugaku seems to believe this, congratulating us before saying,

"Despite your setback, you were still able to make it here a day ahead of schedule. As such, I will reward your team with an extra day of rest, before you head back to the Hidden Leaf, if you all so choose."

Mukai sensei replies, "We accept, Commander Fugaku. My Genin have just experienced their first kills and while they may be holding it together for now, we still need to discuss this as a team."

"Of course, this is usually the most trying event of every young shinobi's life. Team 96 will be provided a private tent, and the others will be instructed to not interrupt your team," replied Fugaku, given a solemn nod to our team.

We then left the command tent, following another Genin who led us to our new home for the next two days.

Due to Danzo's shenanigans floating through my mind, I hadn't really had time to process the fact that I had killed a man. Now that I think about it, I don't really feel any remorse. The death of my mother and the departure of my father had both affected me deeply, so I knew I wasn't desensitized to it.

However, I am almost sure the goal of those shinobi was to possibly kidnap Shisui and I before disposing of the rest of my team. It fit with the geezer's modus operandi, and he possibly could've succeeded if the weather wasn't in our favor.

These guys would have killed my teammates and broken the minds of both me and my best friend. I felt nothing for their deaths and given the choice and the strength, I would kill them all myself. But I did understand why Sensei wanted to talk regardless.

So, that morning, we sat in our tent, sealed off from the outside world to discuss a range of topics that would only serve to better tighten our bond as a team.