The river flow was quiet too quiet.
It was night. Moonlight shimmered over the treetops, casting long shadows over the terrain.
From their perch above the ridge Kagami pointed to a dimly lit camp built around a fallen temple ruin.
Kagami: "They have posted chakra sensors ninja at the rear entrance. Five bandits outside. The rest inside. You take the front. I'll clean up behind."
Raizen: "Understood."
Might Fist: "We are finally doing this." he wanted to shout youth but Raizen held his mouth.
They descended like shadows.
Raizen activated his Observation Haki, eyes narrowing. Every heartbeat, every breath in the camp became clear.
They moved swiftly.
Soru.
Raizen vanished and reappeared behind a guard, striking him silently with a sharp Shigan blow to the chest. Another guard turned but not fast enough. Might Fist crashed into him with a spinning kick, rendering him unconscious.
One by one, the bandits fell.
Then came the alarm.
A sharp whistle from within the camp cut through the silence.
Torches lit up.
Men with blades and kunai poured out. Some rogue ninjas and some were normal human.
Raizen raised his hand, encasing his fist in jet black Armament Haki.
Raizen: "Let's go."
The first wave clashed with them.
Raizen punched through a man's iron blade, shattering it and knocking him back into a wall. Might Fist swept through with raw Taijutsu and Tekken strikes, his movements a blur of strength and grit.
From the darkness, Kagami joined the battle calm, deadly, precise. His Sharingan danced as he disarmed and incapacitated foes with graceful ease.
Many kunai were shot at Raizen but he ducked, dodged, and danced through the battlefield using Kami-e, then launched upward into the air.
Geppo - Moon Walk.
He hovered briefly, then he shot Rankyaku slash that tore through the earth, scattering enemies like leaves. Many were not able to react and fell.
It wasn't a fight.
It was an execution.
Minutes passed like seconds.
When the dust settled, thirty bandits laying unconscious or groaning, weapons shattered around them.
Hostages were safe, Raizen made sure of that. But bandits, none would be getting up soon.
Kagami: "That... was unexpected."
He walked over, observing the two boys breathing heavily but still standing.
Might Fist: "Told you we could handle it."
Raizen: "We did what had to be done."
Kagami didn't reply, but the faint upward curl at his lip was enough. He was impressed. Even he hadn't needed to step in beyond the cleanup.
Raizen had a urge to release his Conqueror's Haki and make all of them kneel in the heat of battle but he resisted. Maybe this was due to Kaido's template as it was meaningless for king to fight ants.
It wasn't time yet.
Later that night, as they camped near the ruined temple, Raizen brought up the interface again, sitting alone beneath the stars.
[Almighty System - Online]
Daily Task Progress: Next task unlock after 1000 days
Push ups: 500/500 Squats: 500/500 Run: 5/5km
Time Remaining: 4 hours
Progress: Day 562/1000
Kaido Template Progress: 45%
Beast Body (Enhanced) Armament Haki (Mid) Observation Haki (Mid)
Conqueror's Haki (Initial)
He closed the screen.
They'd completed their first A-Rank mission. And more than that he had tested his strength against real enemies.
But this was just the beginning.