I kept silent about the genin who was passing away and sent the clone to take care of him without the students noticing.
The further way we went as usual - no one followed and did not attack, the team quietly by the evening of the next day reached the specified town and having found the address of delivery, handed over in the hands of persons of obviously gangster appearance. However, they had the client's seal, so the mission was completed on time and without losses.
Relaxed, I even gave the Genin some money and allowed them to walk around the local fair, which was held on the occasion of some holiday. After spending the night in one of the hotels, we got up early in the morning, had breakfast, and headed back to Konoha. I was glad that S-rang's first mission had gone relatively well, but....
As soon as we got out of Tahiko, as I felt the owner of a massive chakra reserve, only slightly short of mine, stratify strangely. And if at first he was just heading into town, then he turned and started moving at breakneck speed towards us.
- Halt! - I commanded.
Twenty meters in front of us landed a tall shinobi, dressed almost like me, except without glasses and with a hood tightly around his head and crossed hitai-te waterfall.
- Look at that, the informants didn't lie, really Mizu no Seirei," he hummed as he looked at me, "They'll pay well for your head.
Oh shit, Kakuzu.
***
As soon as I recognized the enemy, I broke out in a cold sweat and my heart raced with fear, not so much for myself, although I was afraid of that too, but for the students behind me, who would not be facing shinobi of the S rank for another ten years at least.
Especially one as strong, experienced, and old as this nukenin from Takigakure. What's the matter, would I be able to take him on? A very vague memory tells me that I should kill the bastard many times and never get into hand-to-hand combat. No need to hold back.
Under the artificial stimulation, the source began to accelerate frantically producing chakra in the keirakukei, merging with the blood stream and hitting my head, drumming in my ears.
Tu-dun.
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