Chapter 121: They Gave the Masked Kid a Whip. Mistakes Were Made

Chapter 121 - They Gave the Masked Kid a Whip. Mistakes Were Made Ren, under the lead of Number 2, soon arrived at a room nearly identical to the one Number 1 had taken him to earlier. From the structure to the minimal lighting, everything was the same. The only difference this time was the people waiting inside. Three ANBU members stood by the wall, each wearing an animal-themed mask. As Ren's eyes fell on them, the system's observation kicked in: Turtle Mask: Genma Shiranui : Level 61 Penguin Mask: Raido Namiashi : Level 58 Frog Mask: Iwashi Tatami : Level 57 Ren immediately recognized them. 'The Fourth Hokage's guard platoon' he thought. 'In the anime, they only had Tokubetsu Jonin ranks, but they were much stronger than that, especially Genma. If he's at level 61 now, then by the time the original series starts, he should be in the 70s.' He nodded toward them politely while Number 2 explained the reason for his presence. 'This might be a good opportunity,' Ren thought. 'From what I remember, Genma had completed a large number of missions. He even held off Baki, the strongest elite Jonin from Suna. That's no small feat. These three also know the Modified Flying Thunder God Technique. If I get closer to them over time, there's a chance I could use their help while learning the actual technique.' With the introductions out of the way, Number 2 began the briefing without any delay. "We have a simple B-rank assassination mission. The target is a noble from the Land of Hot Springs. He has been affiliated with the Konoha-supporting faction but has recently been confirmed to be leaking intel to the Cloud-aligned faction. We move out in ten. Check your gear." Ren nodded with the rest and checked over his basic tools like kunai, shuriken, smoke bombs, wire, and medical pills, he also took out a whip from the weapons Yoru had given him, whip was one of the weapons he had learned well so he wanted to try it on this so he wrapped it around his waist like a belt above his storage belt so that he could make an easy use of it. He kept most of the other stuff minimal as that was what was expected from an ANBU. Ten minutes later, the five-man squad moved out, exiting the base through one of the many underground tunnels embedded into the roots of the Hidden Leaf. Ren had quickly learned that the entire underground structure of Konoha had been modified over several decades to allow for smooth, secret movement by ANBU squads. Multiple tunnels, paths, and exit points ensured that teams could come and go without ever being seen by civilians or even by regular shinobi. After emerging from the exit, the squad leapt into the trees with practiced synchronization even though this was their first mission together and began heading toward the Land of Hot Springs, the trees and wind rushing past them in silence. No conversation was exchanged. No orders were repeated. They moved like shadows. Just as expected from ANBU. ~~~ The squad moved without pause, progressing through forests and open ground with efficient travel formations. Number 2 took the lead, with Turtle (Genma) on point for navigation when they crossed into unfamiliar paths. Penguin (Raido) and Frog (Iwashi) maintained the flanks while Ren moved centrally, adjusting his pace as needed. They didn't stop unless necessary. Every few hours, 2 would signal for short, timed rests which were never more than ten minutes at a time. During these rests, no one spoke unless required. They reviewed the map, confirmed the target location, rechecked equipment, and immediately resumed travel. Ren took the opportunity to observe their discipline and internalized the pace. They covered ground steadily and had no wasted movement. By the end of the first day, they reached the outer limits of the noble's estate. It was a two-story, walled compound on a raised ridge overlooking a hot spring village. The structure itself wasn't large, it was more of a private residence fortified with money rather than military efficiency. Still, there were guards on patrol. The group pulled back and camped at a hidden location roughly three hundred meters away from the compound's rear perimeter. Turtle (Genma) and Penguin (Raido) took the first scout round. Ren sat with Frog (Iwashi) and Number 2, reviewing the assignment scroll once more. After twenty minutes, the two returned. Turtle (Genma) gave a concise summary. "Two guards patrol the perimeter every ten minutes. Two more stand at the gate. Inside the estate, the noble stays on the second floor in the main room. Two guards confirmed inside his room, positioned to his left and right while he sleeps. No shinobi signature detected." Number 2 nodded and gave clear orders. "Penguin (Raido), Frog (Iwashi), you'll enter from the south wall. Once inside, eliminate the two perimeter guards and secure the lower floor." "Butterfly (Ren), you're with Turtle (Genma). You'll scale the second floor from the west side window. Butterfly, your target is the left-side bodyguard. Turtle (Genma) will handle the right. I'll enter from above, break in through the roof, and kill the noble." All four nodded once. No further explanation needed. "Synchronize watches," 2 said, and each one adjusted their mission timer for 03:00. They had three hours until infiltration. Enough time for each member to nap, prep, and finalize their approach mentally. By 02:30, they began to move. Penguin (Raido) and Frog (Iwashi) vanished into the underbrush, circling around to approach from the southern side. Turtle (Genma) tapped Ren on the shoulder once, then moved forward toward the ridge's western slope. Ren followed, eyes locked on Turtle's (Genma's) movement. The two reached the base of the wall at the compound's rear. They waited behind the cover of trees until their watches hit 03:00. The signal came. They moved up. Turtle (Genma) used a single leap to reach the second-floor window ledge without sound. Ren used chakra control and the practiced silent grip of wall-scaling to follow just behind. As they reached the ledge, they paused, flattened against the wall. The window was closed but not locked. Turtle (Genma) cracked it open and signaled with a finger. Ren activated his wind sensory jutsu once more to confirm the layout. Inside, the noble was sleeping on a wide futon in the center of the room, wearing loose robes. To his left and right, as reported, stood two armed bodyguards. One had a short sword; the other had a long staff with embedded metal rings, likely a defensive type. Ren focused on the left target. Turtle (Genma) looked at the right. On the rooftops above, Number 2 prepared his entry. From the front, two faint clicks indicated Penguin (Raido) and Frog (Iwashi) had neutralized the perimeter guards and cleared the ground floor. Number 2 made his move. With a light tap on the rooftop, a detonation seal went off, it was not large enough to cause structural damage, just enough to breach silently with little damage and noise. At the same moment, Ren and Turtle (Genma) entered through the now-opened window. The roof opened. 2 dropped directly on top of the noble, blade out. The noise startled both guards. Ren didn't wait. The moment his feet touched the floor, he pulled out his whip which he had wrapped around his waist like a belt, extended it in a flick, and slashed the whip with precise motion at the guard's neck. The whip was thin, chakra-reinforced, and razor sharp so it easily sliced through the soft side of the guard's throat. The man clutched his neck and dropped. One strike. Turtle (Genma) simultaneously plunged a senbon into the base of his target's neck. The body dropped in silence. The noble never woke up. 2 had already driven a tanto cleanly through his chest, heart pierced. Total time: 9 seconds from breach to completion. Ren coiled his whip back into his hand and looked at the bloodied floor. Turtle (Genma) checked the downed targets to ensure they were dead. 2 gave a nod. "Clear." Penguin (Raido) and Frog (Iwashi) reappeared from the hallway moments later. Penguin (Raido) looked at the noble's body, then gave a sharp nod to 2. "Perimeter secure. No other guards. Lower floor is empty." 2 gestured toward the window. "We're done. Exit by the same route. Leave no traces." Ren followed Turtle (Genma) out the same way they came in. 2 disappeared through the roof. Penguin (Raido) and Frog (Iwashi) vanished through the ground floor window. They reconvened at a preset location five hundred meters away from the estate. No words exchanged. From there, they moved continuously until they were several kilometers out, stopping briefly to dispose of the bloodied cloth wrappings and clean weapons. Even this part was routine. It took another full day of movement to return to the Leaf's borders. None of them asked for rest. The pace was fast but manageable. By early evening the next day, the team had returned to the underground tunnel entry. They entered through a different route and reported back to the ANBU base. Once done, they split off without words, 2 heading toward debriefing, Turtle (Genma), Penguin (Raido) and Frog (Iwashi) toward their quarters. Number 2 handed in the written mission completion report to the record desk, then turned to Ren. "Your first kill?" Ren shook his head. "No." 2 gave a single nod. "Understood. Get used to team shifts. Your next assignment will arrive when scheduled." With that, 2 walked away, and Ren stood alone in the main hallway. The mission was complete. Another B-rank cleared. Ren didn't feel anything in particular. It wasn't something new. But still, the pace, coordination, and methodical approach were efficient, more so than anything outside of ANBU. He checked the system panel discreetly. [Mission Completed: B-Rank Assassination] Progress toward next Jonin Point: 2/10 Ren turned, walked toward his quarters in the command base, already thinking about how many more of these missions he could fit in before the system stopped giving him rewards for them. The clones would continue their training. He would continue earning points. The next mission would come soon. ~~~ Once again, a knock came at Ren's door. This time, however, he had already rested. Nearly three hours had passed since his last mission, enough for his body to recover. His tired body had fully restored thanks to his high Yang Release mastery, and the clones in the basement continued training without issue. When he opened the door, he found Number 3 standing outside. Unlike the last two numbers, she spoke more directly. "Your current shift is with me. Follow me." Ren gave a small nod and fell into step beside her. As expected, the same process repeated. She led him through a different corridor in the ANBU base until they reached another operations room. Inside were three ANBU agents already waiting. Their masks were of a goat, a lizard, and a worm. Ren used his observation ability discreetly and checked their information. All three had civilian backgrounds, with levels ranging in the 50s. Competent, but not elite. 3 explained the mission simply. "This one's a C-rank. Verification op. We're to confirm intelligence received from civilian scouts about potential organized bandit activity near the southern border. That's all." Ren understood. These were the kinds of missions that didn't involve direct combat unless things escalated. A routine operation. They moved quickly, exiting through one of the secondary tunnels out of the village and making their way toward the reported location. Travel was efficient but unhurried, given the mission's low urgency. Once on-site, they moved quietly into the nearby forests and ridgelines, surveying the area where the bandit activity had been reported. The information turned out to be accurate. A group of around twenty mountain bandits had set up a rough camp and were intimidating the surrounding villages. Among them was a C-rank missing-nin, nothing impressive, but enough of a threat to warrant attention. The bandits were armed but poorly organized. Most looked like thugs rather than trained fighters. Ren glanced at the group through his scope. He was already thinking of how to handle them. But before he could suggest action, 3 had already begun to retreat. The others followed. On the way back, Ren moved up beside her and asked, "Since we're already here, couldn't we have eliminated them ourselves? That would free up the shinobi squad that's supposed to take this mission." 3 didn't slow her pace. "These types of B-rank missions are used to prepare Genin for field kills and help newly promoted Chunin learn how to lead. The village lets them sit for a while so that the regular forces can gain field experience." She glanced at him. "You got a problem with that?" Ren shook his head. Though it didn't sit well from a moral standpoint of leaving civilians under threat for longer than necessary, he understood the reasoning. The system prioritized internal development. Better to let Genin and Chunin gain practical experience against manageable threats than waste higher-level resources on easy kills. 'Better others have a problem than yourself, right?' he thought. He wasn't fully comfortable with it, but he accepted the logic. Since the mission had no combat and was only a confirmation assignment, he didn't receive any system reward. No points, no notifications. Still, he didn't complain. It was valuable to understand the variety in ANBU duties. But in the back of his mind, he hoped the next mission would be something more significant. He had already participated in three distinct types of missions, reconnaissance and elimination with 1, assassination with 2, and verification with 3. That left 4. Maybe, just maybe, this one would be an A-rank. He returned to his room, rested, and reset his training clones. The hours passed. Six hours later, as expected, there was another knock. This time it was Number 4. "Mission briefing," was all he said. Ren followed him, holding onto a quiet sense of anticipation. But when the scroll was handed to 4 and read aloud in the operations room, Ren's silent expectations dropped. B-rank. Again. Another standard assignment. No special targets. No S-rank threats. Just a straightforward B-rank mission. Still, he said nothing. He acknowledged the order, checked his gear, and prepared to depart again. Rewards would come with consistency, not wishful thinking. The grind continued. ~~~~~ {We would be having most of the important missions with 1 and 2's squads' that's why I explained them in more details but we would also see 3 and 4, not leaving them out.} {Also, going forward there would be small time skips, sometimes weeks, sometimes months.} {The reason I added both names and nicknames was for clarity, mine mainly, I don't really care about yours, so yeah.} {Also, another double release today since I managed to write 2 Chapters today too, so good for you huh. BUT, once again, stones should be sufficiently enough if you want a double release tomorrow. If we reach 1050 stones after these two Chapters are released then I'll do a double release again, regardless of how many Chapters I manage to write.} {One more important thing, I added a poll on pat-reon (free for all, member or not) about the Uchiha Massacre so go vote there and tell me your opinions in the comment section there.} {If you want to, you can support me on pat-reon.} { h t t p s : / / w w w . p a t r e o n . c o m / Z e e n o n } {You know what else to do} {STONES!!!!}