The days passed one by one.
The training of Squad Eleven grew more intense with each passing day.
Weighted running was just the appetizer.
After that came high-intensity chakra control exercises, relentless taijutsu sparring, and repeated drills of their three-man formation.
Tokuma's fists grew faster and faster.
Yakumo's genjutsu became more and more stable.
Kagura's sword, however, remained hidden in its sheath.
But everyone knew that this blade, named Raiga, was the sharpest fang of this squad.
The three of them were like a rough piece of iron ore.
Under the hammering of the master craftsman, Minato Namikaze, they were heated red, folded, and quenched.
Impurities were chipped away bit by bit.
A hundred refinements turned them into steel.
A month later.
Teacher Minato gathered them once more.
His expression was more serious than ever before.
"There's a mission," he said without preamble.
"Rank C. But there's a chance it could be upgraded to B."
Tokuma and Yakumo's breaths caught slightly.
A B-rank mission.
That meant the possibility of a direct confrontation with ninjas from an enemy country.
It was a mission where people could die.
"The mission location is a town on the eastern border of the Land of Fire, a place called 'Tanzaku Gai.'"
Minato spread a map on the ground.
"It's a transportation hub. Over the past month, several merchant caravans have gone missing consecutively. The local garrison investigated but found nothing."
"Our mission is to go there and uncover the truth."
"Any questions?" Minato asked.
"No!" Tokuma answered loudly, his eyes filled with excitement.
He couldn't wait to test the results of his training over the past month.
Yakumo looked a bit nervous but still nodded firmly.
Kagura, meanwhile, was focused on the map.
Tanzaku Gai.
This place rang a bell.
That casino Tsunade frequented was supposedly here.
"Alright." Minato stood up. "Get ready. We meet at the village gate in half an hour."
This was Squad Eleven's second mission outside the village.
Unlike last time.
This time, no one's face bore the greenness and curiosity they had right after graduation.
Only solemnity.
The journey went smoothly.
With the experience from last time, they moved faster and with greater stealth.
Two days later, they arrived at Tanzaku Gai.
This town was much more prosperous than they had imagined.
The streets were bustling with people, lined with inns, taverns, and casinos.
The air was thick with a smell that mixed alcohol and powder.
"Alright, let's get to work," Minato announced. "Tokuma, Yakumo, you two go make contact with the local lord and gather detailed intel. Kagura, you come with me."
Minato took Kagura into the largest tavern in town.
The tavern was chaotic, filled with drunken ronin and merchants.
"Teacher, what are we doing here?" Kagura asked.
"Sometimes, the intel here is more reliable than what's in the lord's office," Minato said with a smile, finding a corner to sit down.
He ordered a glass of juice for Kagura.
He ordered himself a drink.
"Kagura," Minato looked at him. "Do you think those caravans ran into mountain bandits?"
"I doubt it," Kagura shook his head.
"Oh? Why?"
"This place isn't far from Konoha and has its own garrison. Ordinary mountain bandits wouldn't dare stir up trouble here. For several caravans to vanish without a trace, it couldn't be just ordinary bandits."
"Makes sense." Minato nodded, pleased with his student's analytical ability.
"So, who do you think did it?"
Kagura was silent for a moment.
He remembered the dozen or so corpses he'd seen in the gorge last time.
"I don't know," he answered.
Minato smiled and didn't press further.
The master and disciple spent the entire afternoon sitting in the tavern.
They did nothing but listen to the boastful patrons around them.
In the evening, Tokuma and Yakumo returned.
"Teacher, we got the information," Tokuma said, handing over a scroll. "There were five caravans that disappeared. The locations are all concentrated in a forest about thirty li east of town."
"The locals call that forest the 'Forest of Lost Souls.' They say few who enter ever come out alive," Yakumo added, her small face looking a bit pale.
"Forest of Lost Souls…" Minato looked at the map, lost in thought.
"Get a good rest tonight," he ordered. "Tomorrow morning, we'll go pay that forest a visit."
The next day, before dawn, Squad Eleven set out.
The so-called Forest of Lost Souls was actually just an ordinary primeval forest.
But the moment they stepped inside, they sensed something was wrong.
It was too quiet.
Not a single bird chirp or insect buzz could be heard.
"Byakugan!"
Tokuma activated his Byakugan.
"Teacher, the flow of chakra in the forest… it's strange. It feels like… something is interfering."
"It's a barrier," Minato replied. "A highly skilled genjutsu barrier. To cover such a large area, the caster is no amateur."
"Yakumo," Minato looked at her.
"Yes!" Yakumo immediately understood and formed hand seals.
"Genjutsu: Release!"
An invisible ripple spread out from her.
The surrounding scenery changed instantly.
The trees that had looked normal became twisted and grotesque. A faint, nauseating stench of decay began to fill the air.
They had broken through the first layer of the barrier.
"Let's go."
With Minato leading, the four cautiously advanced deeper into the forest.
The further they went, the stronger the stench became.
Finally, they stopped before a cliff face.
On the cliff face was a cave entrance hidden by vines.
The smell was emanating from within.
Minato made a hand signal. Tokuma and Kagura immediately understood, taking positions on either side of the cave entrance.
Minato formed a few seals, sending an invisible wave probing into the cave.
After a moment, he nodded.
"No one inside. Come on, let's take a look."
The cave was dark and damp.
When torches were lit, the sight inside made Yakumo and Tokuma gag involuntarily.
The cave was filled with iron cages.
Inside the cages were people.
No, perhaps they could no longer be called people.
Their bodies had all undergone horrific, varying degrees of mutation.
Some had grown scales, others had arms that resembled beastly claws.
Deep in the cave was a stone bed.
On the bed were various surgical tools, all stained with blood.
This wasn't some bandit's hideout.
This was a live experimentation lab.
"What… what is this…" Tokuma's lips were trembling.
Kagura's expression, however, was eerily calm.
His gaze fell on a trash can next to the stone bed.
Inside the trash can were several discarded ceramic masks painted with white faces.
The masks bore no markings from any ninja village.
They were Root.
"Everyone, leave this place. Now!"
Minato's voice suddenly turned stern beyond measure.
But it was too late.
Three dark figures silently appeared at the cave entrance, blocking their escape.
They all wore black bodysuits and masks identical to the ones in the trash can—white masks painted with faces.
"Konoha ninjas," the lead masked figure spoke, his voice devoid of emotion.
"You've seen things you shouldn't have."
"You'll stay here."