"Let's go, Captain!" Uchiha Yan didn't take long. With a small backpack, he returned to the tent where Saitama and Yan were already done eating and waiting outside.
"Yeah, let's go." Saitama waved his hand while Uchiha Yan handed several meal packs to Uchiha Huo.
This camp wasn't close to the border yet, but the watchtowers everywhere made it feel impenetrable.
After completing registration at the camp's main gate, Team Saitama followed the map and headed in a specific direction.
The purpose of the patrol was to prevent Mist ninjas from infiltrating Konoha and to gather intelligence on the surrounding borders, preparing for the upcoming major conflict.
It was already February, and the weather was starting to warm up — even the glaciers were beginning to melt. That's also why Mist hadn't attacked Konoha yet — they were still buried under snow and ice, thanks to the cold climate. Not exactly ideal for a big war.
But near Konoha's side, everything had come back to life. Vibrant vitality filled every corner. That's exactly why Land of Fire was such a target for rival nations — their geographical advantage was just too unfair.
"Look here," Saitama spread out the map and pointed, "We should be right here in this forest now."
Huo and Yan nodded, waiting quietly for Saitama's next instructions.
"Just beyond this forest lies Land of Water — well, not directly connected. It's actually a small country called Bear Country."
"This tiny nation doesn't have its own ninja village, but it does host some rogue ninjas. Due to its proximity to Mist, they practically operate as Mist's puppet state."
"Mist ninjas landed here on our territory using Bear Country as a staging point," Saitama explained what he knew.
"No wonder — I was wondering how Mist, being across the ocean, managed to confront us directly," Uchiha Huo nodded thoughtfully while scanning the surroundings cautiously.
"Right," Saitama folded the map and gave a slight nod.
"Crack!"
A faint sound reached Saitama's ears. His entire body stiffened, instantly making a hand signal.
"Shua! Shua! Shua!"
The three vanished from their spots — some hiding behind trees, others leaping into thick foliage above, while another crouched silently onto the ground.
In an instant, the team lowered their presence to the minimum, as if they'd never been there at all.
"Shua!"
Perched atop a tree, Saitama looked forward. There, figures were flickering — swift movements darting between branches.
"Shua!" Quietly, Saitama raised his right hand downward in a pressing motion while clenching his fist tightly.
The other two nodded in understanding, getting ready.
The earlier signal meant — "Enemy ahead! Make your move. Attack!"
"Hu!" A figure landed in the open space before the tree where Saitama stood. He exhaled deeply, his face slightly flushed — an obvious sign of prolonged intense activity.
"Shua! Shua!" More figures dropped down, immediately spreading out into a defensive circle, staying alert.
Saitama instinctively suppressed his aura further while glancing at the other members of his squad, noticing that they remained motionless as well, concealing their positions.
"There are four ninjas in total, probably two Jonin," Saitama observed the ninja who had landed first and sensed he was merely a Chunin. Among the three others who arrived later, there were indeed two Jonin, one of whom appeared to be a Kunoichi.
"Captain, we're already close to Konoha's camp. What should we do?"
"According to our mission, we need to scout this area. Now that we've reached here, it's about time we returned. Going deeper is beyond what our small team can handle."
The speaker was a Drunken Giant with heavily developed arm muscles, as thick as Saitama's thighs.
Saitama frowned. He couldn't gauge the enemy's strength clearly and didn't dare to make a move.
"Hmm, stay alert; we'll prepare to retreat. With how close we are to the enemy camp, there might be hidden lookouts," the Kunoichi whispered. She served as the squad's "eyes," responsible for reconnaissance and sensing matters.
"Hmm?" Right after she spoke, she sensed chakra fluctuations emanating from a spot not far away. Though not very obvious, she successfully detected it.
"Wait," the Kunoichi signaled her companions, focusing her gaze on where Uchiha Huo was stationed.
"Whoosh!" The group immediately got into combat stance, with one of the Jonin swiftly drawing a thick broadsword strapped to his back.
"No choice then," Saitama watched the enemies stirring, realizing their cover was blown. His eyes narrowed—he sensed a battle was inevitable.
"Who's there!" The enemy called out and started walking towards where Uchiha Huo was hiding.
The surrounding air tensed up, and even the wind seemed to quiet down. Uchiha Huo stared at the approaching foe, cold sweat forming on his forehead.
Earlier, he'd shifted his leg slightly due to prolonged immobility, unintentionally exposing his chakra concealment.
Uchiha Huo glanced sideways at Uchiha Yan not too far from him, clenching his lips until blood appeared against the white of his pupil.
The enemy advanced slowly toward where Uchiha Huo was hiding, almost reaching it.
"Whoosh!" A sound cut through the air as Uchiha Huo saw a figure descending from the sky, enveloped in blue-white electric currents like Raikou (the Thunder God) descending from above.
"Teng!" No time to waste — Uchiha Huo sprang into action the instant he saw the figure. Pushing off the ground, his body launched forward like a frog leaping straight toward one of the enemies.
"Watch out!" The enemy Jonin cried a warning but was instantly pierced through the chest by a blade, losing his life in an instant.
"Shwah!" From behind a tree to the right, Uchiha Yan likewise burst forth, attacking another ninja.
"Cheng!" A surprise strike eliminated the seemingly formidable Jonin.
"Pfah!" In disbelief, the Kunoichi couldn't believe their strongest fighter had fallen so fast. Yet when Saitama turned his head toward her, she quickly drew a kunai, stepping back as she leapt away.
[Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!]
"Uchiha Yan directly used a ninjutsu on the enemy.
'Whoosh!'
Saitama shoved the enemy's body aside, letting it slowly collapse to the ground. He pushed off the ground with his foot and dashed toward the retreating kunoichi.
'Crackle!' Electricity danced wildly across the blade as Saitama's expression remained completely calm. In an instant, he had already reached the enemy, leaving a small crater at his original position.
The short fringe on his forehead blew back slightly from the wind, and Saitama's eyes remained fixed on the enemy. His [Sharingan] had long been activated and was spinning rapidly. He needed to seize this moment, giving the enemy no room for even a single counterattack.
'Shht!'
'Crack!'
With a wave of his hand, Saitama's blade sliced through the kunoichi's throat. The kunai shattered immediately upon impact, while a thin line of blood appeared across her neck.
'H-how!' The kunoichi gasped, eyes wide with disbelief. She covered her neck with her hands as blood continuously seeped out between her fingers.
'Thud!' The female ninja collapsed onto the ground, her facial expression still frozen in terror.
'Run!' A Mist ninja engaged in battle with Uchiha Huo witnessed the carnage of his Jonin ally, completely losing his will to fight. Right now, he only wanted to get far away from this executioner called Saitama.
'Where do you think you're going!' Uchiha grabbed a kunai, his Sharingan spinning wildly in his eyes. His face flushed bright red as he quickly gave chase.
'Tch!' Scared out of his wits by Saitama, the Mist ninja fled without daring to look back. Uchiha Huo threw a kunai that slashed open a gash along the enemy's back, but such a wound didn't make him stop running. Instead, the ninja paused momentarily before bursting forward again at even greater speed.
'Rattle!'
Saitama held his throwing stance, the blade in his hand already gone.
'Plop!' The escaping Mist ninja was pierced through the back of his neck and fell to the ground lifeless.
'Ahhh!' Uchiha Yan hit his opponent with a jutsu technique, setting the enemy ablaze. Unable to withstand the pain, the enemy cried out in agony.
'Slrrk!' Expressionless, Yan slit the enemy's throat with the kunai and ended his life.
'Phew!' Noticing Uchiha Yan's battle and confirming the remaining enemies were dead, Saitama walked over, retrieved his blade from the corpse, and pulled it free.
'Clean up; seal the bodies into scrolls.' Wiping the blood off the blade against the enemy's clothing, Saitama noted how the corpses twitched slightly since their nerves hadn't completely died yet.
'Understood!' Seeing his younger brother take down an enemy ninja on his own, Uchiha Huo answered with visible frustration.
His face showing traces of anger, Uchiha Huo roughly dragged several corpses together, took out a sealing scroll, and sealed them within.
'Any injuries?' Saitama asked both of them.
'None.' Yan looked at Saitama who hadn't even broken a sweat and shook his head.
'Then keep patrolling deeper in. Didn't expect Mist ninja to have infiltrated this far.'
Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, Saitama furrowed his brow slightly.
'The defensive line is too long; the enemy will always find gaps.' Nodding, Uchiha Yan agreed.
'Hmm, stay alert.'
...
Saitama's squad continued their mission.
'Swoosh!' Wind roared past their ears as Saitama looked straight ahead. Ahead was brightness, clearly indicating they would soon emerge from this forest.
'Stop.'"
Saitama landed on a tree branch, while the other two also positioned themselves in different spots, waiting for Saitama's instructions.
"After passing through this forest, we'll be near the border line. That's where we'll start encountering more enemies," Saitama said, looking forward, speaking just loudly enough for them to hear.
"Our patrol mission officially ends at this forest, but I want to keep going ahead and take a look," Saitama continued. It was still early, and he couldn't help but feel restless with excitement.
"Is that alright?" Uchiha Yan wore a serious expression; advancing further could lead them into enemy encirclement, significantly increasing danger levels compared with staying put.
"You can wait here for me—I'll explore a bit ahead then come back," Saitama added, running his hand along his sword while narrowing his eyes.
His body buzzed with rising excitement. He had full confidence in his strength—if someone wanted to stop him one-on-one, they'd have to be at least Kage-level.
"In that case, we'll wait here." After thinking for a moment, Uchiha Yan shot Uchiha Huo a look to stop him from speaking what he was about to say.
"Yeah, that sounds good," Saitama said while jumping down from the tree, landing lightly on the ground as if unaffected by gravity.
"You all stay careful," Saitama waved farewell.
The reason he separated from Uchiha Huo wasn't impulsive—it just felt more practical. At the same time, he needed to confirm suspicions stirring in his mind.
If the enemy had crossed the border from Bear Country, there should've been some signs of them moving in. Instead, Saitama suspected some of the enemy had taken an alternate water route, arriving directly across the sea. The coastline was longer and harder to patrol effectively.
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