Somewhere in the forest, a team was returning to Konoha after a mission.
The group consisted of three young ninjas and a young man, clearly a Konoha squad.
Konoha teams typically comprised a jounin leading three genin or chunin on external missions.
Once Tengen graduated from the Ninja Academy, he'd be assigned a sensei, usually a Konoha jounin, to guide him through ninja missions and protocols.
"Hold up." A blond young man said suddenly, leaping onto a tree and peering into the distance with a hint of hesitation.
"What's wrong, Minato-sensei?" A boy with goggles asked curiously.
"There's fighting nearby." The blond man replied.
"Should we check it out, Minato-sensei?" A brown-haired girl said with a sweet smile.
"Alright, Obito, Rin, Kakashi, let's see what's going on." The blond man said. This was Minato Namikaze, a renowned Konoha jounin, one of the village's finest.
He was on good terms with other jounin, like the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.
"Kakashi, hurry up!" The goggled boy, Obito Uchiha, called out.
"Such a hassle." The white-haired boy, Kakashi, muttered boredly, but followed closely.
…
"You tricked me just to kill my subordinate." The Suna-nin sneered at Tengen. "But what's the point? You've only made me want to kill you more."
"Maybe it worked. Who knows?" Tengen shrugged. The remaining Suna-nin was now on high alert, and with the lead ninja glaring, another sneak attack was unlikely.
If he hadn't killed the first chunin outright, the stronger ninja would've capitalized on it.
"Good. Very good." The Suna-nin said, laughing in fury.
"Then die!" A massive shuriken appeared in his hand.
A Windmill Shuriken.
Spinning rapidly, it reached Tengen in an instant. Unable to block, Tengen leapt upward.
"Hm." He noticed the Suna-nin forming new hand signs, different from before.
"Bring it on." Tengen said. An invisible armor-like layer enveloped him, unseen by the Suna-nin.
"Final strike." Tengen flipped in midair, landing and charging the ninja.
"You think your body can withstand ninjutsu? You're no Raikage, kid." The Suna-nin scoffed, completing his signs.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere!"
Small bursts of wind-charged chakra shot from his mouth, sealing off Tengen's escape routes.
Fleeing was impossible.
But Tengen didn't flee, he sped toward the Vacuum Sphere.
"Just a dumb kid, thinking his body can resist ninjutsu." The Suna-nin smirked, certain of victory. No matter how gifted this Konoha brat was, he'd die by his hand.
"Armament Haki." Tengen muttered. The ability he'd just gained coated him, its mastery instinctive.
Zing!
It could block most standard ninjutsu.
Bam! Bam!
The wind bursts struck, but an unseen barrier repelled them.
"It works!" Tengen grinned, bursting through the ninjutsu's range.
In a flash, he stood before the Suna-nin.
"What?!" The ninja reeled. How had this kid shrugged off his technique? Brute resistance?
No time to ponder.
The Suna-nin sneered as Tengen closed in. Defeat him with taijutsu? Dream on.
"I'll beat you with taijutsu." Tengen said, his eyes blazing.
Armament Haki: Hardening!
His right arm turned jet-black, gleaming like iron with an eerie sheen.
The power surging within was immense.
"What?!" The Suna-nin trembled. He couldn't block this.
"Too late."
Armament Haki: Coating!
An intangible force wove around Tengen's fist, radiating catastrophic power.
"No!" The Suna-nin's face twisted in panic.
"Boom!" Tengen's fist shattered the ninja's defenses, the black fist smashing into his chest.
Splatter!
Blood sprayed as a gaping hole, the size of a bowl, tore through the ninja's torso, revealing the scenery behind.
Tengen's arm returned to normal, his gaze flicking to the stunned remaining Suna-nin.
"I died… to a Konoha kid?" The lead ninja murmured, staring at the cavity in his chest. His organs were obliterated by Tengen's Haki-infused strike.
"I'm not reconciled!" He gasped, collapsing heavily, blood pooling from the wound.
He'd been too arrogant, assuming Tengen's taijutsu was ordinary. He hadn't expected such explosive power, like a ninjutsu detonating at point-blank range.
At a distance, he might've survived. His regret was palpable.
The last Suna-nin, witnessing his leader's death, stood frozen. When Tengen's eyes locked onto him, he snapped out of it.
"No, I have to escape!" He bolted, sprinting into the distance.
"No one's chasing me, I made it!" He thought, relief washing over him.
Then he saw crimson eyes. His head soared skyward, his body motionless.
He'd fallen into an illusion. He hadn't moved an inch.
***
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