Envy and longing were impossible to hide in a person's eyes.
Uchiha Shinsuke took in the expressions on both Tetsu's and Kai's faces without missing a thing, and laughed silently within.
This was exactly the effect he had been aiming for.
A living, breathing success story was far more persuasive than any hollow promise.
"You both saw Min's progress."
"The reason she was able to achieve such a tremendous improvement in just three days is not only because of my guidance, but more importantly..."
Uchiha Shinsuke paused, his sharp gaze sweeping across the two of them.
"She has absolute loyalty to me and to this squad."
Tetsu and Kai both gave a simultaneous jolt!
"My special training methods can draw out a person's potential to the fullest extent, but the prerequisite is that the person must have sufficient loyalty toward me."
"Do you both understand what I mean?"
Uchiha Tetsu's and Uchiha Kai's minds buzzed all at once!
So that was it!
The Squad Leader truly did possess some kind of secret method capable of awakening potential!
In that instant, the eyes both of them turned on Uchiha Shinsuke blazed with fierce, burning intensity.
They had not the slightest doubt about the truth of Squad Leader Shinsuke's words.
After all, Min's staggering transformation, as though she had been completely reborn, was right there in front of them to see!
"Squad Leader! I understand!"
Uchiha Kai was the first to shout out loud, his dark face flushing deep red.
"I, Uchiha Kai, from this day on, will be completely and utterly loyal to you, Squad Leader! Please also give me a chance to grow stronger!"
Uchiha Tetsu pushed his glasses up, drew a deep breath, and then said solemnly.
"Please rest assured, Squad Leader, I will prove my loyalty through my actions."
Uchiha Shinsuke gave a satisfied nod.
"Good."
"I look forward to seeing what you both show me."
"Remember, opportunity is always reserved for those who are prepared and those who can be trusted."
With that, Uchiha Shinsuke said nothing more and turned to continue his own cultivation.
And Uchiha Tetsu and Uchiha Kai, as though injected with a surge of fierce energy, threw themselves back into training that was harder and more driven than ever before!
The one week of integration training quickly drew toward its end.
It was time to use real combat to put this squad's training results to the test.
"Today, we have a real combat mission."
On the Seventh Training Ground, Uchiha Shinsuke looked at the three squad members before him, whose bearing had been completely renewed, and spoke in a steady voice.
"Mission objective: eliminate a group of wandering samurai entrenched along the borders of the Land of Fire."
"Mission rank: C-rank, but according to intelligence, the group's leader has considerable strength and poses a real degree of danger."
Hearing there was a real combat mission, Min, Tetsu, and Kai all straightened up with a surge of energy, their eyes filled with blazing fighting spirit.
After a week of hellish training, all of them were desperately eager to put their strength to the test in real combat!
"This is the first official mission since our squad was formed."
Uchiha Shinsuke swept his gaze across each of the three in turn.
"My requirement is not only that we complete the mission smoothly, but that we achieve zero casualties and demonstrate our squad's coordination and strength at the fastest possible pace."
"Is that understood?"
"Yes, Squad Leader!"
All three answered in unison.
At the border of the Land of Fire, four figures moved through the dense forest like nimble leopards.
"Squad Leader, according to the intelligence, the base of that wandering samurai group should be located in a valley about three kilometers ahead."
Uchiha Tetsu touched down lightly on a tree trunk and landed steadily beside Uchiha Shinsuke, lowering his voice to report.
Uchiha Shinsuke gave a nod, spread out a simple map, and traced several marks across it with a kunai.
"Min, you handle the frontal assault: neutralize the sentries at the valley entrance as fast as possible, then push straight into the valley and draw their main force's attention."
"Yes!" Min's answer was clean and crisp.
"Tetsu, take the western cliff face and circle around to their camp's flank and rear, then once Min makes her move, find an opening to use genjutsu and disrupt their formation."
"Understood." Tetsu pushed up his glasses.
"Kai, you come with me: we handle center support and the decapitation strike."
"Yes, Squad Leader!" Kai clenched his fist with excitement.
All three acknowledged their orders and, following the plan, slipped toward the target area.
Before long, the entrance to the valley came into view.
Uchiha Shinsuke crouched behind a thicket and made a simple hand signal in the direction of Min and Tetsu.
Move!
Whoosh!
Uchiha Min's figure erupted out of the forest!
"Who's there?"
The wandering samurai at the valley entrance felt only a blur pass before their eyes.
Before they could draw the tachi at their waists, Min had already crashed into them like a tiger!
Min's body dropped low, dodging a downward slash coming straight at her, and her elbow drove hard into one samurai's jaw!
Crack!
The sound of breaking bone rang out!
Without pausing for a moment, she spun and launched a whip kick, sending a fierce gust of force into the side of another samurai's knee!
Another muffled impact!
That samurai cried out in pain and collapsed to the ground clutching his grotesquely twisted leg.
Within just a few breaths, all five wandering samurai at the valley entrance had been put down and rendered completely unable to fight!
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
Inside the valley, frantic shouts finally rang out.
Dozens of wandering samurai gripping their weapons came rushing out of their tents from all directions, cursing and shouting.
"Now, Tetsu!"
Uchiha Tetsu, who had long since gone to ground high up on the western cliff face, heard this and immediately flew through hand seals!
His position was excellent, giving him a clear view of most of the camp below!
"Genjutsu: Mist Follower Technique!"
An invisible surge of visual power instantly blanketed the chaotic mob of samurai below!
"Aah! My blade turned into a snake!"
"Watch out! The ground is moving!"
"Miki! Your face is... your face..."
The samurai who had been caught in the genjutsu instantly fell into chaos, their world twisting before their eyes as they began wildly swinging their weapons and even striking the comrades beside them!
"Well done, Tetsu!"
Uchiha Shinsuke let out a low shout of approval.
Tetsu's genjutsu was still raw, but it was more than enough against these ordinary samurai with weak willpower!
"Kai! With me!"
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two figures exploited the chaos and drove straight for the largest tent at the center of the valley!
"Damn it! Who's come looking to die?!"
A hulking, one-eyed brute with a grotesque demon mask over his face came charging out of the tent with a massive sword, meeting Uchiha Shinsuke and Kai head-on!
This was the leader of the samurai group!
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
Uchiha Shinsuke gave him no chance to react at all, erupting a massive fireball from his mouth in an instant!
The one-eyed brute let out a furious roar as every muscle in his body bulged, and he actually tried to take the blow head-on with the giant sword in his hands!
Boom!!
The massive fireball slammed into him with full force!
"Aaagh!"
When the flames cleared, the one-eyed brute was scorched black all over.
"The... the leader is dead!"
"Run!"
Seeing their leader killed so effortlessly, the remaining wandering samurai were instantly overcome with terror, their fighting spirit completely gone, and they began scattering and fleeing in all directions.
But was Uchiha Shinsuke going to give them any chance to escape?
"Lightning Style: Thunder Ball!"
Uchiha Shinsuke's hands flew through seals in rapid succession and several blue thunder balls condensed from lightning style chakra came thundering out.
Crackle!
Every samurai struck by a thunder ball was instantly paralyzed throughout their body and collapsed to the ground in convulsions.
"Leave these to me!"
Uchiha Kai let out a roar, pressed forward, and his tachi swung in clean, decisive arcs, finishing off all the samurai who were still putting up a fight.
The battle was over in just a few short minutes.
"Clean up the battlefield and take a count of the prisoners."
Uchiha Shinsuke issued the order.
"Yes, Squad Leader!"
All three answered in unison.
The mission was completed without a hitch.
This squad, which had only just begun to show its edge, had already taken its first step toward being capable of standing on its own.