------------------A few days later---------
The caravans rolled steadily left the trade routes and entered the countryside. Their wooden wheels creaking faintly against the well-worn dirt paths.
Our trading venture in the Land of Hot water was progressing smoothly, but as always, my real objectives lay beneath the surface. Hopefully, the kids would learn to look underneath the hidden. In a way, Kakashi was right. The shinobi profession required such critical thinking.
As my senses picked up another village on our path. I motioned towards my shinobi. Once more, It felt incredible to me. To have a dozen or so shinobi. Though only two of them were chunin level. It was fine because I had a dozen shinobi.
Unlike the before the Kyudo clan's eradication, this time, I was completely in control of them.
"Alright, listen up," I said to Momosuke, Hiro, and Karui as we approached another cluster of villages. "Our priority is to trade the spring water for food, iron, and other supplies. But keep your eyes open. If you sense any disturbances—bandit activity, villages under attack—alert me immediately."
Momosuke raised an eyebrow. "You're still obsessed with hunting down bandits?"
I nodded. "Bandits are like weeds. They thrive where there's chaos and conflict. More importantly, those situations force people into desperation, and desperation unlocks potential. Chakra users are naturally born from the need to survive. Such users generally have the will to truly get strong."
Karui frowned. "And what happens when we find them? What's your plan for the victims? Is it the usual deal."
"The usual deal," I said firmly. "We relocate them If they have families, we send them to safety through local shinobi contacts. But those too young to remember their past, especially those five and younger, will be brought into the Kyudo clan."
Hiro, despite being the merchant at heart, sarcastically said, "So... we're rescuing orphans and turning them into shinobi?"
Good Kami, the kid entered his teenage. Sarcastic, irritable and rebellious for just the sake of it.
He knew what we were doing was profitable and a good deal, but he didn't mind showing his disappointment in in his own way.
Sure, we bought many supplies from the main cities along the trade route and entered the countryside for selling them. We made both money and the numbers.
Looking at Tsubasa and few other kids that added to the numbers. I thought back to the time we encountered his village, in a state unlike the villages we encountered till then.
I shot him a look.
The next village we encountered was eerily quiet. The acrid smell of burning wood lingered in the air, and faint cries of anguish reached our ears. Karui stiffened beside me, her hand instinctively moving to the kunai at her side.
"Bandits," she whispered.
Momosuke nodded, his eyes narrowing. "I sense faint chakra signatures in the area. Two dozen, maybe more. Some weaker ones are scattered—probably the victims."
I signalled the group to halt. "Karui, take the others and form a perimeter around the caravans. Hiro, stay back and guard the supplies. Momosuke, you're with me."
With swift, silent movements, we slipped into the shadows of the trees, approaching the outskirts of the village. The sight before us was grim. Villagers were tied up in the center square, their faces bruised and bloodied. The bandits were laughing, rummaging through their meagre belongings.
Momosuke's fists clenched. "Permission to engage?"
"Not yet," I said, my voice low. "We need to assess the situation."
Our actions mirrored as our little pinkie touched the ground, waves of chakra exploded. Those waves echoed back carrying information.
[Gathering information.
Processing.
Time remaining for mind map formation : 10]
Momosuke grimly said, "13 bandits. All of them had active chakra and the leader. Fuck, he has jonin level chakra. What the fuck is going on?"
I shook my head and said to him, "Concentrate better. One of the bandits was supressing his chakra. And most of them had injuries. Now, answer me. Who were they?"
It was good time to test and teach a shinobi. Cruel but it was how this profession runs.
Momosuke raked his brain and came up with the answer, "Samurai. Probably from the land of iron considering their amour and swords."
"Impressive craftsmanship. When we establish a hidden village in the future, an alliance with them was a must."
Momosuke nodded but also added, "If we make a hidden village."
"Let's go back."
With a nod, we returned to the carriages and gathered the rest. It didn't take long for us to establish our responsibilities. Karui and Yoshime would guard the carriages. While the rest were on 'clean up' duty.
Considering this was going to be their first battle, I led the mission. Assembling the attack plan and formation.
Inject the mind map.
[Injecting Mind map.]
My head ached as the mind map injected while my chakra was consumed. But, I had no problem considering how often I did that.
Momosuke's grim expression remained as we returned to the carriages. The knowledge that the bandits were samurai—injured and desperate, but samurai nonetheless—was troubling. A Jonin-level leader added to their ranks made this skirmish far more dangerous than anything the kids had faced before.
I looked over my ragtag group of shinobi. They were nervous but ready, their young faces a mix of determination and fear. This was going to be their first real fight.
"Alright, listen up," I said, gathering them in a tight circle near the edge of the forest. "We've got 13 enemies. The leader is Jonin level, and one of them is suppressing their chakra signature. They're injured, but they're still dangerous. I assume they ran away from the war and took up banditry to survive. They're samurai, so expect strong kenjutsu and disciplined formation."
Momosuke frowned, nodding. "What's the plan?"
"First," I began, "we're splitting into two teams. I'll lead Team A to engage the main force. Team B, led by Momosuke, will focus on disruption and elimination of stragglers. Karui and Yoshime will remain at the carriages to guard the supplies and protect the civilians. If things go sideways, they're the last line of defense."
I turned to Karui. "Set up defensive barriers around the carriages. You're also responsible for stabilizing any wounded if we retreat."
She nodded, her face calm and composed despite the weight of her task.
"Yoshime," I continued, "stay close to Karui. Use your exploding tags and traps to hold off anyone who gets through."
"Yes, Kirito-nii!" Yoshime said, her voice trembling slightly but full of resolve.
Now, to Team A. "Momosuke, you'll lead Ryu, Ichi, and Kyu. Your job is to flank the enemy from the south. Plant traps along their retreat path, and focus on isolating the Jonin-level leader. He's your primary target. Don't engage directly—just keep him contained."
Momosuke's jaw tightened. "Understood. What about you?"
"I'll handle the initial assault with Team B and create chaos," I said, my tone steady. "Our goal is to break their formation and force them into disarray. Once that's done, we'll pick them off one by one. Don't forget, they were trained samurai. No matter if they abandoned the battlefield."
The kids looked uncertain, so I crouched down to meet their eyes. "Remember, stick to your training. And don't hesitate to use exploding tags. We have plenty."
I held up a map I had quickly sketched. "Here's the terrain layout. The bandits are camped in a clearing surrounded by Village on one side and the thick forest on other side. There's a small stream running east, which will work to our advantage." I pointed to a position near the stream. "Momosuke, take your team and set up traps here. Once they retreat, they'll funnel right into your line of fire."
"What about their suppressed chakra user?" Ryu asked, his voice hesitant.
"I'll draw them out," I said simply.
We moved quickly and silently as the night fell, using the forest's dense foliage as cover. Team A split off to the south while I led Team B directly toward the enemy camp on the houses.
The bandits were loud, their campfire casting flickering shadows across their battered armor. They were arguing over something—likely the division of stolen goods. I noted their injuries. Three had visible limps, and one cradled his arm in a makeshift sling. The Jonin-level leader, however, stood tall and imposing, his katana gleaming in the firelight.
"Ready?" I whispered to the kids beside me. Kenta, Tsubasa, and Hiro nodded, their hands clutching kunai and tags.
I weaved through hand signs rapidly. "Water Style: Water Severing Wave."
A blade of water shot from my position, slicing through their campfire and scattering the bandits in a burst of sparks and ash. Chaos erupted instantly when the darkness clouded their visions.
"Move!" I barked.
Ryu threw a flurry of kunai, each one attached to an exploding tag. The blasts sent debris flying, forcing the bandits into disarray.
BOOM BOOOM BOOM
"Fire Formation B!" I shouted.
Hiro and Kenta moved to their positions, creating a pincer around the confused bandits. I darted into the fray, my chakra scalpel glowing faintly as I targeted the nearest opponent. One precise slash severed the tendons in his wrist, disarming him instantly.
"Watch your flanks!" the Jonin-level leader roared, rallying his men.
Quite smart and competent. To foresee the ambush.
On the southern edge of the clearing, Momosuke's team sprang into action.
As the bandits began retreating toward their direction, Momosuke activated his chakra scalpel. "Stick to the plan. Isolate the leader."
I co-operated with them by using, "Water style : Hidden mist"
It worked as the samurai-bandits clearly inexperienced in fights without their eyes where caught off guard. Meanwhile, My kids thrived in the familiar battlefield.
However, The Jonin-level bandit broke through the tree line and mist, his katana glowing with chakra as he swung it toward Momosuke.
CLANG!
Momosuke parried the strike with his Kunai, While his chakra scalpel stabbed at the exposed body of the samurai.
"AHH!"
With a single mighty shout, the samurai sword forced Momosuke back with brute strength. As the chakra spread through the sword, Momosuke took back the kunai and dual wielded the chakra scalpel.
In a single kick against the ground with his augmented leg, the essence of body flicker jutsu, he arrived in front of the samurai.
CLUNG CLUNG
Sparks flew as the two exchanged blows, Momosuke's precise strikes forcing the leader to stay on the defensive.
"Now!", Momosuke shouted.
BOOOM
Ichi and Kyu triggered the traps, and a series of explosions rocked the forest. The remaining bandits were thrown into chaos as their retreat path was cut off.
Back in the clearing, I finally arrived to face off against the suppressed chakra user—a lean man wielding twin blades. A gathered my chakra and punched him with my augumented fist as he almost cut down Ryu from behind. That sent him flying into an ruined house.
BOOM
I saw him clearly when he walked out of his crash landed site in the houses. He was dressed more like a shinobi in leather armour and emphasised on speed.
Speed, he showed with ease.
WHOOSH
"You're not bad," I said, dodging a slash aimed at my neck. "But you're out of your depth."
With a burst of chakra, I activated Body Flicker, easily getting through his guard due the sudden nature of the move. My chakra scalpel sliced through my body and cut off the tendons in one of his arms.
The sheer suddenness of the attack and virtually unseen nature of it, made the chakra scalpel a resounding success.
He swung his remaining arm with most of the chakra coating his sword that almost caught me.
POOF
With the right misdirection and a clone that was left behind at right time, I successfully used the substitution jutsu and got the space to cast my ninjutsu.
As I looked down at him from my position on the stump of tree, I weaved the Hand signs.
"Lightening style: Electro Magnetic murder."
ZAP ZAP ZAP
As the series of lightning rained down, the one-handed samurai went through a series of stances that made various flying slashes that cut of their paths. The most incredible sight was in which he conducted strongest of the zaps into the ground.
"Huh! Earthening. How nostalgic."
I once more weaved the hand signs for lightning style but the samurai came at me with a ferocity while shouting, "Do you think I am dumb? I will not allow you shinobi to use your hand signs."
I simply told him as I jumped back each step, dodging the slashes, "You are dumb. I am not the only one's using ninjutsu."
It made his eyes bulge as he turned to see around the clearing. With the mist cleared, majority of my shinobi had climbed the trees, attaching themselves to the bark with their chakra coated feet, with most of the bandits on the floor.
I was sure they released the Fuin seal on their tongues, releasing lots of water into their stomach. Water which would soon come out.
""""Water style : Hidden cutter jutsu."""
Of course, the samurai centred their formation and slashed at the streams of water, but I had completed weaving the signs. A total of 32 signs for a lightning jutsu.
"Lightening style: Dragon's fang."
From my hands, came lightning that coalesced into two sharp fangs of condensed electricity and bite down on the bandits soaked in the newly formed swamp of water.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMM
As the mist rose from the attack, I tracked down the jonin-level samurai and Momosuke. I felt a smile coming to my face when the plan to life.
Because Momosuke isolated and lured the samurai to the trap. Though, it seems the Samurai was quite smart because he brought along backup. There were 3 bandits with active chakra behind him.
With a couple of Fuin seal release. Scrolls that were buried and hidden unfolded on the ground, trees and water around the trap site, "Fuinjutsu: Hundred Transformations."
Within a second, the fuin markings grew and connected to foram a barrier around the Samurai.
CLANG BOOM CLANG BOOM
As expected of the samurai and his bandits, they started attacking around the barrier for weakness to exploit.
Weakness that was found with over dozen slashes per minute.
Now, that won't do.
[Processing the terrain, shinobi formation and user chakra…
Sorting through the hundred Fuin transformation patterns for the scenario.
Transformation x32 selected…
Transformation injected]
"Fuin Barrier: Hundred transformation x32"
The Barrier twisted upon itself, hence, repairing itself and forming barrier walls between each of the bandits.
"What the fuck?"
"Leader, I can't get through this wall alone."
"Concentrate on the wall each of you share with each other."
Once more cracks were forming but it was too late. Momosuke entered the Barrier through one of the holes I made and started taking them down one by one.
The samurai roared like wild animal as he went through his sword forms rapidly, Unleashing sword slash after another.
CRACK CRACK.
Poor guy.
"Poor guy, he doesn't understand the disgusting nature of your sealing."
[Tranformation Injected.]
"Fuinjutsu : Hundred Tranformationx2."
As per Momosuke's prophetic words as he cut down the last bandits because I changed the pattern once more.
"AHHHHH!"
Once more, he began anew.
The remaining bandits, demoralized and outnumbered, were taken down one by one as Momosuke and I guarded the sealed bandit.
Momosuke asked me while the Hiro and others started to free the villagers and conducted first aid, both on themselves and villages.
"So, are you going to recruit this guy?"
"Why would you think so?"
Momosuke shrugged and said, "He is strong. I don't think I can win a straight fight against him."
I shook my head and said, "You are shinobi. There are no straight fights in our dictionary."
And as for his question, I answered honestly, "I don't know enough about him to control him. Besides, he is not that valuable for me to recruit. Instead, he will be used to put on a good show."
BOOM CLANG BOOOM
As the rest of the shinobi regrouped, I took stock of the situation. The kids were battered and injured, but their faces a mix of exhaustion and pride.
"Good work," I said, addressing them all. "You followed the plan, and it paid off. This is how we fight—not with brute strength, but with strategy and precision."
Momosuke, his expression thoughtful. "That leader... he was tough. Without the traps, it would've been a different story."
I clapped him on the shoulder. "That's why we plan ahead. That's why we are shinobi."
Soon, the rescued villagers gathered near us while profusely thanking. Among them, I noticed a boy, no older than six, clutching a small knife with trembling hands. His chakra flickered faintly.
Another recruit for the Kyudo clan, I thought.
I turned to the villagers, my tone firm but calm. "You're safe now. We're traders passing through, and we'll help you contact the nearest shinobi clan to relocate you."
A man stepped forward, trembling. "Thank you... thank you! We thought we were done for."
As the villagers gathered, I noticed a boy, no older than four, clinging to a woman's tattered skirt. His eyes were wide, and the faint spark of chakra flickered within my senses.
I crouched to his level. "Hey, little one. What's your name?"
The boy shrank back but mumbled, "T-Tsubasa."
I smiled gently. "That was very brave of you, Tsubasa. Did you protect someone?"
The woman beside him spoke, her voice hoarse. "He tried to stop them... to protect me. He's too young to understand, but I think he has... something special."
I placed a hand on the boy's head, sensing the raw, untamed nature of his chakra. Turning to the woman, I asked, "Are you his mother?"
She nodded weakly.
I stood, addressing her and the others. "You'll be escorted to safety with the help of the local shinobi. But Tsubasa... he has the potential to become something more. If you agree, I'd like to adopt him into my clan and train him as a shinobi. You will also find work amongst us."
The woman's eyes filled with tears at the offer. It must be too good to be true for her. Especially when considering her current condition. Her body was littered with the wounds and barely hanging strips of clothes on her that made her look miserable. But, there were clear slashes across her face and hands that were beyond even me to heal. So, she asked the only thing she could ask, "Will he be safe?"
"He'll be family," I said, my voice resolute.
Momosuke glanced at me as the woman collapsed and started crying. I once more looked over the survivors and found one more orphan. A 7 year old girl with blue hair, no active chakra but she will also do. If she has talent she would be a shinobi if not, she could be groomed to be a civilian administrator.
"You're getting good at this."
"At what?" I asked Momosuke.
"Convincing people to trust you," he said with a smirk.
I shrugged. "It's not about convincing. It's about giving them hope. When giving hope, trust will naturally come."
Everyone had gathered around the samurai leader who was sealed in the barrier, even Karui and Yoshime.
I yelled aloud while making my way towards him, "PEOPLE! I KNEW YOU LOST YOUR HOME. YOU LOST YOUR DIGNITY. YOU LOST YOUR LIVELIHOOD."
As their emotions blazed when looking at the culprit in front of their eyes, I continued, "YOU LOST YOUR FAMILIES."
My eyes strayed towards the orphans, no, the new Kyudo clan members and said, "I CAN'T DO A SINGLE THING ABOUT THAT."
It got them down, but my next words lifted them back up, "EXCEPT."
I weaved the fuinjutsu to release on one side and entered into the barrier among the gasps of everyone, "SHOW THAT JUSTICE CAN BE SERVED."
It was the first time I heard the bandit's voice as he slashed towards me with his chakra coated sword, "Die!"
Instead of dodging or even coating myself with chakra I met the sword with my open palm. Only Momosuke shouted with excitement, realizing the jutsu I was about to perform.
A jutsu I made but was used as a signature jutsu by his grandfather.
As the chakra spiralled in open palm, I met the sword.
WHORRL WHORL
MY chakra ripped through the opposition consisting of both the chakra coated sword and armour, and continued to spiral it's way into the samurai's stomach.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"RASENGAN."
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM.
----Profile: Post timeskip----
Name: Kyudo Kirito
Age: 21 years
Chakra: 13000 [Jonin]
Physique:Jonin
Chakra Control: S+
Chakra Control Exercises: Rasengan development
Nature Transformations
• Water Release: 1000/1000 [A-rank]
Lightning Release: 500/1000 [B-rank] [Growth:450]
Taijutsu
• Chakra Scalpel Precision Combat: 900/1000 [A-rank] [Growth: 250]
Kenjutsu
• Medic Scalpel -????? [Theoretical]
Genjutsu
• None
Ninjutsu
General Ninjutsu: Academy 3 [D], Body Flicker [B] - 700/1000 [Stopped due to limitations in perception.]
Medical Ninjutsu: Mystic Palm Jutsu [A], Chakra Scalpel [A]
Water Style Techniques: Water Bullet [C], Water Whip [C], Water Clone [C], Hidden Mist [C], Rising Water Cutter [C], Severing Waves [B], Water Prison [B], Water Dragon Bullet [A]
Lightning Style Techniques: Lightning Beast Tracking Fang [C], Thunderclap [C], Clone [C], Electromagnetic Murder [B], Dragon's Fang [A]
Earth Style Techniques: Mole Hiding Jutsu [C]
Fire Style Techniques: Fireball Jutsu [C]
Wind Style Techniques: Great Breakthrough [C]
Fuinjutsu: Storage Scrolls [Mastered], Chakra Sealing Technique [Mastered], Body Seal [Mastered], Pain Suppression Seal [Mastered], Four Symbol Seal [Mastered], Four Violet Flames Formation [Mastered], Hundred Transformations Barrier [Mastered], Evil Suppression Seal [Mastered]........
Other Skills
• Chakra Disruption: 950/1000 [Growth: 300]
• Chakra Augmentation: 1000/1000 [A-rank] [Growth: 600]
• Advanced Sensory Techniques: 5000m range [S-rank] [Growth: 4000]
Poison Concoction : Deadly to shinobis at Jonin level and below.
Poison immunity : Over 328 toxins.
Training
• Weighted Training: 200 kg per limb, 600 kg vest (In progress)
• Sign Languages [A]
• Tracking [A]
• Information Analysis & Gathering [S]