Kurenai watched with keen interest as Group Five began their first-ever cooperative mission — not with tense or anxious faces, but with excitement.
The reason for their excitement?
Obviously, it was the well-planned strategy Ryuku had crafted for each of them with such ease that even Kurenai couldn't help but praise him inwardly.
And then, the mission began.
First and foremost, Kiba, mounted on an enlarged Akamaru, charged straight toward the left side, where the forest grew dense.
"Yo, weirdos!" he yelled, wild and loud, immediately drawing the masked individuals' attention.
"Enemy infiltrated!!" came several loud shouts from the group.
Now under their focus, Kiba expertly flung several kunai embedded with explosive tags at specific areas, not even close to the captured children.
"Cover!!" one of the surveillance members atop a tree barked.
Boom! Boom!
Loud explosions echoed through the forest.
Grinning, Kiba turned and retreated into the dense woods atop Akamaru.
"Bastard!! Don't run!"
"What a coward!"
"Group Three, chase him down! Bring him back alive!"
A masked man adorned with golden stripes, likely the leader, gave a sharp order.
Immediately, four of them broke formation and began pursuit. They were fast, but not fast enough to catch Kiba quickly.
Meanwhile, behind the bushes on the other side, Ryuku and Hinata observed two masked individuals lying injured on the ground — caught in the blast radius. Apparently, they'd been too slow to dodge and were now severely wounded.
"Ten left..." Ryuku mumbled. "It's my turn now. Once I engage them, act quickly and rescue the children."
Listening to his calm yet serious tone, Hinata gave a firm nod. "Yes, I'll do it," she replied softly, her eyes reflecting determination.
Ryuku nodded back and disappeared.
---
High above the ground using Body Flicker, Ryuku calmly observed the enemies' positions one final time before making a move.
He formed a single hand seal, and a Shadow Clone appeared beside him, created using thirty percent of his total chakra.
"Deal with the others. I'll handle the leader," Ryuku ordered in mid-air. The clone remained silent and moved out instantly.
Meanwhile, Ryuku landed on a branch, then used Body Flicker again to appear right next to the enemy leader.
Chakra surged through his hand as he launched a solid punch straight toward the enemy's heart without any wasted motion.
He was well aware that these enemies weren't real shinobi but samurai-like mercenaries, just illusions conjured by Kurenai. Yet, with their strange masks and minimal armor beyond a breastplate and a single blade, he still couldn't take them lightly.
The leader barely dodged the deadly punch, but not without consequence. The attack grazed his left shoulder, and the force from Ryuku's enhanced strength destroyed the arm completely, leaving it hanging limp.
Ryuku tilted his head slightly and noticed blood seeping from the leader's mouth beneath the mask.
"I won't miss next time."
He channeled chakra into both hands and, in a flash, reappeared behind the leader using Body Flicker.
This time, the enemy quickly unsheathed his blade, swinging it toward Ryuku's chakra-coated fist in an attempt to counter.
Meanwhile, the clone moved silently among the enemies, using Chakra Scalpel to dispatch them one by one. Though slower than the real Ryuku, it efficiently decapitated the masked figures with precision.
Deep within the forest, Kiba and Akamaru had already stopped retreating. Facing the four pursuers head-on, Kiba wore a wide grin as he unleashed the Inuzuka Clan's techniques with refined mastery.
As for Hinata, she slipped through the trees unnoticed, gradually approaching the captured children from the side. While the enemies were distracted by Ryuku and his clone, she cut their ropes and removed their blindfolds one by one, guiding them quietly toward safety.
Back near the center, Ryuku continued to exchange rapid and brutal blows with the enemy leader.
Cuts lined his knuckles, and his hands were stained with blood.
But the enemy leader fared far worse.
His left arm was destroyed, his liver punctured, his right ear sliced off, and the most recent blow had shattered his breastplate completely.
Now it had come down to the final showdown—the last move that would decide who emerged victorious. Although, judging by the state of their bodies, the outcome wasn't hard to guess.
The enemy leader gripped his chakra-infused blade tightly in his right hand. Opposite him, Ryuku channeled a large amount of chakra into his right hand until it began glowing blue.
He had finally decided to stop playing around and bring this Trial to a close. Since he lacked real combat experience, he had used this fight to gain some. That was the reason he hadn't ended it earlier with a single powerful strike from his Enhanced Strength. Instead, he had used minimal chakra, dragging the fight out to learn a thing or two.
Now, both sides ready, they charged at each other. One with a shining blade, the other with a glowing fist.
And when their attacks connected, something unexpected happened.
The sheer force behind Ryuku's enhanced punch shattered the blade instantly, and the powerful blow struck the masked leader directly. His body exploded into pieces, the impact cracking the ground and trees behind him. A thick cloud of dust filled the area in seconds.
Hinata and Kiba, watching from a distance after completing their tasks, could hardly believe their eyes.
"Whoa! He's that strong?" Kiba exclaimed in disbelief. "I thought he was just a second diversion so you could rescue the kids! But he went full power and wiped them out by himself! What a show-off!"
"Woof!"
Hinata, observing through her Byakugan, saw Ryuku standing unharmed in the dust.
"Ryuku-kun... he's really strong," she whispered softly, amazed at what she had just witnessed.
Kiba clicked his tongue in irritation. "If he had that kind of strength, why was he hiding it this whole time?"
But his expression quickly lit up. "I'm gonna challenge him after the Genin Test! We'll see who's stronger then, right, Akamaru?"
"Woof!"
While the loud boy indulged in his own fantasies, the quiet girl's eyes softened in concern. She didn't want to see her teammates fight one another, even in friendly competition.
Still, one thought rose up in her heart—
Ryuku-kun will win...
Suddenly, the scenery shifted.
Their eyes opened to find the blue sky above, scattered with drifting clouds.
We're back? they thought in unison.
Looking around, they saw Kurenai seated beside them in silence. A gentle, sweet smile played on her lips.
"Congratulations, Group Five," she said softly. Her crimson eyes gleamed under the sunlight. "You passed the Genin Test with flying colours."