Although Isamu felt that his mission was already complete, the system's voice never sounded, indicating that the mission was still ongoing.
At the moment, he was inside a snow cave he had dug himself, carefully bandaging the wounds on his body. Killing so many enemies without getting injured would have been unrealistic. Fortunately, most of the injuries were minor. After wrapping them properly, they were finally under control.
After finishing the bandaging, Isamu let out a long sigh.
"The battlefield really is the best place to temper oneself."
It was completely different from ordinary missions. Although far more dangerous, it was also full of opportunities.
Over the past three days, he had not only gained combat experience but also significantly improved his fighting skills.
Closing his eyes, Isamu rested briefly.
"The system mission isn't finished yet… now isn't the time to rest."
He slapped his cheeks lightly.
"Come on! Let's go!"
---
After leaving the snow cave, he continued traveling through the frozen wilderness.
"I'm running low on food. I need to find somewhere to resupply."
After walking for about two hours, a forest appeared in the distance.
"If there's a forest, there must be food. And in a place like this… there are definitely enemies."
Isamu approached cautiously, scanning his surroundings while occasionally using his sensory ninjutsu. On the battlefield, one careless mistake could be fatal.
But after walking for a while, he frowned.
"No enemies? Did I overthink things?"
Just as that thought crossed his mind, he suddenly sensed two chakra signatures nearby.
Genin-level.
"I knew it."
"This is the only forest nearby. Of course someone would set up an ambush here."
"But two Genin daring to ambush me? That's just asking for death."
Smirking, Isamu slowly moved behind them.
---
When he got within a few hundred meters, he finally saw them.
The two shinobi were hiding in a patch of snow-covered grass. Surrounding them were numerous explosive tag traps carefully arranged throughout the area.
Looking at the two burly men, Isamu frowned.
"These are Genin from Kumogakure?"
"Who are you trying to fool?"
"With builds like that, they're at least Chunin."
"It looks like they're pretending to be Genin to lure in targets."
"Sly old foxes."
He sneered.
"You want to fish for me? Let's see who catches whom."
Isamu formed hand seals.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
With a poof, an identical clone appeared beside him.
The clone instantly understood the plan and rushed toward the trap field.
---
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A series of explosive tags detonated, shaking the forest.
"Hm?"
One of the Cloud ninja immediately turned.
"Someone triggered the trap behind us. Let's go check."
But the other stopped him.
"Don't rush. Observe for a bit longer. It could be a Jonin. A few explosions like that won't do much to someone at that level."
---
Meanwhile, after the explosions stopped, Isamu created another shadow clone and disguised it as a corpse lying in the crater.
Then he hid nearby within another patch of snowy grass.
Neither side made a move.
Both chose to wait.
---
After some time passed, Isamu clicked his tongue silently.
"Damn it. These two are experienced."
"They're not even coming to check."
"They probably assume it might be a Jonin—an experienced one at that."
He narrowed his eyes.
"You want to waste time?"
"Fine. I'll wait with you."
---
Two hours passed.
Finally, the two Cloud ninja couldn't hold back anymore.
They cautiously approached the explosion site and saw the "corpse" lying inside the crater.
"Big brother, look!" the younger one said.
"I told you it would be fine. The kid looks about ten years old at most. Probably just a Chunin. No way he could survive all those explosions."
The older ninja frowned slightly.
"Maybe I was overthinking it. A kid like this shouldn't be able to escape those blasts… but it's better to stay cautious on the battlefield."
"Yes, yes, big brother," the younger ninja replied impatiently.
Clearly, he wasn't really listening.
He walked up to the body, preparing to check if the enemy was truly dead. If not, he planned to finish him off.
---
Just as he raised his weapon—
The "corpse's" eyes suddenly opened.
Shink!
A Tang horizontal saber pierced straight through the Cloud ninja's chest.
"Second brother!"
Seeing his companion killed instantly, the older ninja lost his composure.
"You're courting death!"
His hands flew through seals.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Strike!"
A bolt of lightning shot toward Isamu.
But the shadow clone kicked off the ground and dodged instantly.
BOOM!
The lightning struck the ground where he had stood, blasting the already-dead body aside.
"I'll fight you to the death!"
The Cloud ninja drew his long sword and charged forward wildly, abandoning all technique in favor of a brutal trading style.
The shadow clone showed no fear.
Holding the Tang saber, he lunged straight toward the enemy's heart.
Seeing this, the Cloud ninja sneered.
"You want to trade lives? Fine! Let's see who dies first!"
He also thrust his sword toward Isamu's heart.
---
Puchi! Puchi!
Both blades pierced their targets almost simultaneously.
Blood spilled from the Cloud ninja's mouth.
Yet he smiled.
"Kid… trying to trade lives with me?"
"Do you really think I'm stupid?"
"My heart is on the other side."
"I won't die… but you might not be so lucky."
---
"Is that so?"
The "Isamu" he had stabbed suddenly smiled.
Then—
Poof!
The body disappeared.
"A Shadow Clone?!"
"Oh no… I miscalculated!"
Just as the Cloud ninja turned to flee—
A wind blade sliced through the air.
"Wind Release: Wind Cutter!"
Slash!
His head flew from his shoulders.
---
Looking down at the fallen body, the real Isamu stepped forward.
He searched the corpses and took the food they were carrying.
After confirming his direction, he began heading toward the central Konohagakure camp.
Previously, he had deliberately taken a detour in order to hunt enemy ninja and ensure his mission was completed perfectly.
"The five days Hiruzen gave me are almost up."
"As long as I reach the camp alive, this mission will be finished."
---
While eating as he ran, Isamu finally increased his speed.
Before, he had moved cautiously because Cloud ninja could appear at any moment.
Now that most of them had already been cleared out and the camp was nearby, he no longer needed to worry so much.
Still, recalling the previous fight made him shiver slightly.
"That was close…"
Fortunately, he had remained cautious.
Even when the Cloud ninja charged recklessly, he still used a shadow clone to fight.
If he had personally engaged in that exchange, he might truly have died.
He also found what the enemy said rather surprising.
"I didn't expect some ninja to have their hearts on the other side of their bodies…"
"The world really is full of strange things."
---
Outside the Konohagakure camp, beneath the setting sun, Hiruzen stood atop a large rock, gazing into the distance with a worried expression.
Of the ten squads sent out earlier, only half had returned.
Some had brought back corpses.
Others had been confirmed dead.
But there was still no news of Isamu.
And the agreed time was almost up.
Earlier that morning, Hiruzen had felt a strange unease in his heart, as if something bad was about to happen.
Now, seeing only half the squads return, his heart grew cold.
These were all ninja of Konohagakure.
Yet a single mission had already cost so many lives.
War truly was merciless.
---
"Lord Hiruzen! Lord Hiruzen!"
A ninja wearing a Konohagakure forehead protector suddenly appeared behind him.
"Isamu has returned!"
Hiruzen immediately turned around.
"He's back?"
"How is he? Is he alright?"
"He's injured and currently in the medical room being bandaged," the ninja replied.
"I came to report to you, so I'm not sure how serious his injuries are."
Before the ninja could even finish speaking—
Hiruzen vanished from the spot.
The messenger blinked.
"Lord Hiruzen really cares about Isamu…"