Fire Style: Flame Bombs
Almost the instant Kosuke Maruboshi parried the incoming katana, a scorching wave of air roared and swept over!
A giant fireball, far exceeding the normal diameter and so bright it was impossible to look directly at, pressed down on the sand and gravel, accompanied by a hissing sound that seemed to devour everything as it crashed down on Kosuke Maruboshi!
Ninjutsu combo!
Triple attack!
"A good transition!"
Kosuke Maruboshi's eyes showed no sign of panic, but rather a hint of sincere approval, while his hands swiftly formed two hand seals.
"Water Style: Water Wall!"
Whoosh!!!
In an instant, the ground beneath his feet churned, and a torrent of water shot into the sky. It was not just a simple water barrier or wall, but a rapid circular rotation and interweaving centered on where he stood!
Layer upon layer of turbulent currents form a high-speed rotating vortex water wall, tightly filling every gap, just like a moving ring-shaped water fortress!
Boom!!!
The flames collided violently with the water wall, a blinding white light exploded, and a deafening explosion, accompanied by a violent hissing sound of evaporation, echoed throughout the training ground.
The orange-red flames licked the swirling water walls frantically, steaming up thick white mist that completely engulfed the two figures.
However, the swirling water wall remained as solid as a rock, keeping the raging flames firmly at bay.
After a moment, the moisture dissipated slightly.
"Tap, tap, tap."
A crisp round of applause rang out from the thinning white mist. Kosuke Maruboshi stepped out slowly, a warm yet deeper smile on his face.
"Not bad, really not bad."
He nodded, his gaze falling on Shinichi, whose aura had not changed much: "The seamless application of swordsmanship, Taijutsu, and Ninjutsu, the decisiveness in adapting to changing circumstances... I roughly understand the extent of your strength."
He gently inserted the sword in his hand back into the large iron pot on his back.
"Well then, that concludes the test. Get ready, we're about to begin our first task."
"Yes, senior."
......
Unlike most fresh-out-of-school ninjas who start out by catching cats and dogs and doing odd jobs for the villagers, Shinichi's first mission was a C-rank mission that required him to leave the village.
As they walked along the road leaving the village, the lush trees on both sides gradually receded, and Kosuke Maruboshi, in his calm and soothing tone, slowly and deliberately began to explain the mission.
"Our mission is tentatively classified as C-rank. The location is in the northeastern part of the Land of Fire, near the border of the Land of Hot Water, in a region called Kagetsu Province."
"The client is a group of village representatives from several villages near Narumi Town. Recently, there have been several cases of missing children in the area. The client's request is to investigate the cause of the incidents and find the missing children as much as possible."
"A group of children is missing?"
Shinichi keenly grasped the key point: "Didn't the local villagers report it to the local sheriff or magistrate so they could investigate?"
"It's been reported."
Kosuke Maruboshi nodded, then shook his head slightly. "The magistrate of Narumi Town sent local guards to search and investigate, but they found nothing and no valuable clues. Therefore, the villagers of several villages raised some funds on their own and officially issued a request to Konoha."
"Even the local organized guards couldn't find a single clue..."
Shinichi frowned slightly and pondered, "This is probably not something that ordinary human traffickers or bandits could do. Senior, this matter is very likely to involve ninjas, or at least an organization with certain unconventional methods. According to common sense, this has exceeded the scope of a C-rank mission."
"Your judgment is accurate."
Kosuke Maruboshi glanced at Shinichi and nodded. "The employer also realized this and promised in the commission that if we encounter ninjas or forces beyond the normal range during the mission, they would be willing to pay additional commission. The village took into account both the initial intelligence and the employer's promise before tentatively classifying this mission as C-rank and assigning it to us. Of course..."
He paused, his tone still calm, but with a hint of solemnity.
"Once it is confirmed that ninjas are involved, the mission level will be immediately adjusted upwards, and our response strategy must also be changed accordingly. This is also the first thing we need to find out on this trip."
The first mission starts at C-rank, or even higher.
The village really thinks highly of him.
Shinichi understood, but he felt no apprehension; on the contrary, he was secretly eager to try.
On the one hand, his teammate is Kosuke Maruboshi, who has an elite Jonin-level of strength; on the other hand, he also has considerable confidence in his current abilities.
Not to mention, he is now the one who holds destiny in his hands!
Well, it's just a little bit exaggerated…
As evening fell, the two, who had been walking all day, stopped at the edge of a woodland to prepare for camping.
Kosuke Maruboshi went out for a walk and came back with two plump pheasants and a bunch of fresh wild vegetables in his hands.
He took off his signature large iron pot, skillfully started a fire, and prepared the ingredients.
Shinichi, who was also skilled in cooking, naturally stepped forward to help.
The campfire crackled, and an enticing aroma gradually wafted from the pot.
"Your cooking skills are truly excellent, senior."
Shinichi took a sip of the soup and praised it sincerely.
Kosuke Maruboshi smiled and poked at the fire: "When you're traveling, you always have to take care of your own mouth."
At this moment, Shinichi seemed to suddenly remember something and asked with some curiosity, "Senior, I have read in some books that there seems to be a very special kind of ninja in the Shinobi World, called the Ninja Chef. I wonder if you have heard of them?"
"You're trying to indirectly ask me if I'm a Ninja Chef, aren't you?"
Kosuke Maruboshi glanced at him, as if he could see right through him.
Shinichi wasn't embarrassed when his question was pointed out. He nodded frankly and said, "I am indeed a little curious."
"A Ninja Chef..."
Kosuke Maruboshi paused slightly, his gaze fixed on the flickering campfire, seemingly lost in some distant memory, his tone carrying a faint sigh: "Come to think of it, I guess I could be considered one."
"Oh?"
Shinichi immediately sat up straight, his face showing great interest.
He was genuinely curious.
Based on his years of exploration, for an occupation to generate an entry on the panel, he must first receive formal recognition and acceptance from a system or authority with a complete lineage.
This system of inheritance should involve the application of extraordinary power or chakra.
So, does Ninja Chef count?
After all, a Ninja Chef can also be considered a chef who uses chakra.
If it counts Ninja Chefs, and even Medical Ninjas in the future…
This means that this occupation must be an independent and complete system of extraordinary inheritance, rather than a derivative of this system.
This means that this lineage is older than ninjas, and that it possessed a stable application of extraordinary power before chakra became widespread.