Akira suddenly sensed a trace of hostility from Yuhi Shinku and couldn't help feeling speechless.
What was wrong with this teacher of his?
Wasn't everything fine just a moment ago?
Why did his expression suddenly change, and even carry obvious ill intent?
What exactly had he imagined in his head?
Kakashi, on the other hand, wasn't as perceptive, so he couldn't clearly sense Pikachu's chakra level. He looked puzzled and asked, "Are you sure that's not just a pet?"
"Pika pi!" (You're the pet! I'm very strong!)
Pikachu immediately grew dissatisfied at Kakashi's dismissive tone, waving its tiny paws as it protested angrily.
If it weren't for the fact that Kakashi seemed to be Akira's friend, it would have already attacked.
How dare this human look down on the great Pikachu?
"Huh? What is it saying? Is it angry?" Kakashi asked Akira in confusion.
"Obviously."
Akira shrugged. "It may look cute, but it's actually very strong. Kakashi, you might not even be its opponent."
It wasn't that he was looking down on Kakashi, but at only six years old, Kakashi really might not be able to beat Pikachu.
After all, Pikachu had undergone evolution and accelerated growth inside the Beast Space. It was completely different from its original state.
"No way, right?"
Kakashi felt like he had been underestimated.
Him? Not even as good as this little thing?
"Heh. Let's just wait and see."
Akira smiled slightly.
There would be plenty of time in the future for Kakashi to witness Pikachu's strength.
"Alright, let's go take a mission. Follow me."
At this moment, Yuhi Shinku decided not to waste any more time. He called out and led Akira and Kakashi to the mission hall, where they accepted a task to eliminate a group of bandits before leaving the Hokage Building and setting out.
They didn't run into the Third Hokage this time.
Clearly, he didn't have time to personally handle the assignment of low-level missions.
Half a day later, Akira and the others arrived at a village.
After coordinating with the village chief and learning the details of the situation, they immediately rushed toward the bandits' hideout over ten kilometers away.
"Alright, from here on, it's up to you two. This is your first mission. Don't disappoint me. I won't be stepping in this time."
When they were still a few hundred meters away from the bandit camp, Yuhi Shinku suddenly stopped and spoke to Akira and Kakashi.
This mission was meant to train them and let them experience real combat. Naturally, it was best if he didn't interfere.
Having strength didn't necessarily mean you were a qualified ninja.
That had to be tested in real combat.
And now was the perfect opportunity.
"Understood, sensei."
Both Akira and Kakashi nodded. They had clearly been mentally prepared.
Immediately, the two continued approaching the bandit camp.
When they were less than a hundred meters away, Akira said to Kakashi, "We split up. I'll attack from the front, you take the rear. Start the assault in ten minutes. Make sure not a single one escapes. Any problems?"
"No problem."
Kakashi had no objections.
"Good. Move."
The next moment, the two separated. Akira silently slipped into position, lurking about ten meters away from the main gate atop a large tree. His entire presence seemed to merge with the tree, leaving no trace.
Once the ten minutes were up, Akira moved.
In an instant, he crossed more than ten meters, appearing right at the entrance. Golden-blue lightning flickered across his body. The electric arcs traced a "Z" pattern across the gate, and his blade flashed past the necks of the two guards.
Their lives were taken in an instant.
Without stopping, Akira rushed straight into the bandit camp.
"Ahhh!"
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
"Damn it! Where did this brat come from? You dare mess with your grandpa? Die!"
"No… you're a monster!"
"We can't win! Jump!"
Soon, all kinds of screams and shouts echoed throughout the camp.
But they quickly fell silent.
In less than ten minutes, Akira and Kakashi regrouped. Akira flicked the blood off his chakra blade, then ran lightning over its surface to completely clean it before asking, "Done?"
Kakashi nodded. "Done. You were too fast. You killed most of them."
"You were too slow."
Akira shook his head indifferently and waved his hand. "Alright, start cleaning up the battlefield. Also, search again for any stragglers. Pack up the supplies too."
"Got it."
The two immediately split up again, searching through each building.
Before long, all valuables were gathered.
The corpses were piled into a large pit that Akira had blasted open with lightning.
"I rescued more than a dozen unpoisoned women over here. They all seem to be from the nearby village. What should we do with them?"
Kakashi ran over, followed by more than ten timid women.
From their appearance, it was clear they had suffered greatly. They looked pitiful.
Akira swept his gaze over them.
"Tear—!"
In the next moment, his body turned into lightning and appeared beside one of the women.
"Finger Pistol."
With a single strike, he pierced through her throat.
The woman's eyes widened in disbelief as she collapsed to the ground.
The other women screamed in terror and scattered, though they didn't run far.
"What are you doing?! Why did you kill an innocent person?!"
Kakashi rushed forward angrily, demanding an explanation.
Akira looked at him coldly and pointed at the corpse. "Take a good look. Do you really think she was innocent? When you rescued people, didn't you bother to check their identities first?"
"This woman clearly has a physique beyond that of an ordinary person. Her palms show signs of training, and there's chakra inside her body. Did you not notice any of that?"
He was disappointed in Kakashi's performance this time.
If this woman had made a move earlier, Kakashi might have already been dead.
Kakashi froze, then quickly rushed to the corpse. He examined her hands and immediately saw the calluses and marks left from weapon training. His expression darkened.
He had learned these things before.
Next, he infused chakra into her body and confirmed there were indeed traces of residual chakra, and her meridians clearly showed signs of cultivation.
Kakashi fell silent.
After a while, he stood up and looked at Akira with guilt. "I'm sorry. I was careless. It won't happen again."
Seeing his dejection, Akira patted his shoulder. "It's your first time. Mistakes are inevitable. Just remember this lesson and don't repeat it. Next time, you might not be so lucky."
"Go calm the survivors and check them again. Just in case my judgment was wrong. I'll handle the supplies and the bodies."
Being cautious was never a bad thing.
"Alright."
Kakashi nodded and immediately gathered the women together, checking them one by one.
In the end, after confirming that they were indeed all innocent, Kakashi finally let out a sigh of relief.
Meanwhile, Akira formed a Thunder Sphere and tossed it into the pit of corpses.
Enhanced by the power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, the technique instantly ignited the bodies.
Before long, everything was reduced to ashes.
As for the supplies, Akira stored them using storage sealing scrolls.
"Alright, let's go."
After finishing everything, Akira turned and called out to Kakashi, preparing to escort the survivors back.
At that moment, Yuhi Shinku appeared nearby, looking at Akira with clear approval. "Well done."
He had witnessed the entire operation.
Whether it was Akira's strength, timing, or observational ability, everything had been excellent.
He didn't even feel like a newly graduated child.
His actions had been calm and decisive.
"This kid is a natural-born ninja. It's hard to imagine that someone who usually seems so easygoing and approachable could be this ruthless in battle."
Yuhi Shinku couldn't help but think of another genius in the village—Minato Namikaze.
Usually gentle and bright, yet equally calm and decisive in battle.
Some people were simply born for this profession.
After this mission, Yuhi Shinku's impression of Akira improved significantly.
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