Chapter 58: The First Battle
"That… that's a Jonin!"
Despite Koshino's efforts to reassure them, Tatami managed to calm down a little, but Kurenai Yuhi had completely lost her confidence.
A Jonin—what did that even mean?
In the original storyline, many Jonin were treated like mere extras, appearing only to be swiftly defeated.
But during wartime, Jonin were the ones who determined the course of battle. The strength of a ninja village was measured not only by the number of Kage-level warriors but also by the number of Jonin at its disposal.
For example—
Becoming a Genin after entering the ninja academy wasn't particularly difficult.
But passing the Chunin Exams and reaching the rank of Chunin? The original storyline made it clear how tough that could be.
And out of a hundred Chunin, only a handful ever managed to rise to Jonin.
Especially during wartime, becoming a Jonin wasn't just about completing a set number of missions—it required stepping over the corpses of fallen Genin and Chunin, proving oneself in battle.
To most regular ninja, Jonin were nothing short of killing machines on the battlefield.
So it was perfectly understandable that Kurenai and Tatami were terrified upon hearing they were up against a Jonin.
In fact, if any other team like Koshino's had learned that their very first battle would involve facing a Jonin, their morale might have shattered entirely.
That's why Koshino's calm demeanor seemed utterly bizarre to Tatami and Kurenai.
To them, he looked like a complete madman—someone unafraid of death.
Tatami was at least somewhat used to Koshino's ways.
After all, he had followed Koshino on missions before and had even witnessed him kill a Jonin firsthand.
With Koshino's reassurance, he was able to steady his nerves.
But Kurenai?
She had never had any faith in Koshino to begin with.
She had even been hoping to teach him a lesson.
Now, upon hearing that a Jonin was involved in this battle, she was barely holding herself together while hiding alongside the others.
Her hands trembled as she gripped her kunai.
Forget fighting—just keeping herself from breaking down was already a struggle.
Koshino, however, was entirely focused on the battle ahead, paying no mind to Tatami or Kurenai's mental states.
Especially when Tatami reported that the enemy squad had entered within a hundred meters of their position—at that moment, a cruel smile curled at the corner of Koshino's lips.
"After all this training, I finally get to put my skills to the test."
"A Jonin, huh?"
"This should be interesting."
His thoughts carried a dark intensity, his eyes brimming with killing intent.
As Koshino readied himself for battle, the enemy squad emerged into view.
"Captain, we just captured that guy earlier—doesn't that count as an achievement?"
"Yeah, Captain! We're the only squad that's caught a Konoha ninja so far. Shouldn't that at least earn us a break?"
"Seriously! It's been three days! Even our sleep has been strictly scheduled. Captain, do you really think Konoha's forces are going to break through? Can't we rotate shifts for some rest?"
"Shut up! Stay alert! Don't forget we're on a mission!"
With a harsh reprimand, the squad captain's authority quickly silenced the complaints.
Even so, their eyes still flickered with frustration, leaving their leader, Shoji Hōzuki, with a headache.
He couldn't deny that the orders from above were excessive.
Three days ago, Shoji had been assigned to lead his squad in assisting the larger Mist force in hunting down Konoha's medical unit.
Fine, a hunt was a hunt.
But pushing forward without rest for three days straight? That was inhumane.
Even though the Mist had abandoned the "Bloody Mist" era, the orders from above remained just as ruthless.
Rest was out of the question.
Even Shoji himself—despite being a Jonin—was running out of food, and what little remained tasted worse by the day. His body was beginning to wear down.
Still, for the sake of Mist's pride, he forced himself to endure.
His subordinates, however, were not so lucky.
Jonin may have been the core strength in war, but without Chunin and Genin to support them, how could a war even continue?
How could they possibly achieve victory?
Among Shoji Hozuki's subordinates, two were Chunin and three were Genin—rookies who had just set foot on the battlefield.
With an experienced Jonin like Shoji leading them, their immediate safety wasn't a huge concern.
However, going so long without sufficient supplies meant it was only a matter of time before they met their end on some battlefield.
The more Shoji thought about the situation in the village, the more irritated he became.
Just as he furrowed his brows, determined to find a way to solve his subordinates' food shortage, a dark silhouette suddenly appeared ahead—immediately making his expression turn grim.
"Enemy attack!"
"Be careful!"
Whoosh!
Shoji had barely shouted out the warning when the dark figure in front of him suddenly accelerated, closing the distance in an instant and appearing right before one of his Genin.
"So fast!"
Even in the dense forest shadows, Shoji could vaguely make out the intruder's attire—it was highly likely that they were from Konoha's Anbu.
A sense of dread filled Shoji's heart, and he instinctively moved to protect his subordinate.
Unfortunately, the speed of the dark figure was beyond his imagination!
With another sharp whoosh, a life was instantly snuffed out before Shoji's eyes.
The one who had appeared out of nowhere and taken down a Mist Genin in a flash—was none other than Koshino, who had been lurking in the forest.
"One down."
"Minato-sensei, I hope my speed didn't disappoint you."
That's right!
The moment Koshino revealed himself, he had used the Fourth Hokage's acceleration technique.
With just a single burst of speed, he had effortlessly claimed the life of the Mist Genin in front of him.
However, in the heat of battle, the death of a single Genin wasn't nearly enough to shift the tides of war.
After all, Genin and Chunin were little more than cannon fodder during large-scale conflicts.
So the loss of one Genin didn't shake Shoji's mindset in the slightest.
In the next instant, he firmly grasped the katana strapped to his back, narrowing his eyes as he prepared to release chakra into his legs—intending to strike down Koshino in a single blow.
In a split second, Shoji accelerated, and even Koshino felt a momentary twinge of fear.
This was the true speed of a Jonin—on a completely different level compared to someone like Might Guy!
As Shoji's attack came slashing down, Koshino's pupils contracted slightly.
He barely managed to dodge using the acceleration technique again, but even so, the katana's blade left a deep wound on his shoulder, drawing fresh blood.
Just as Shoji caught the scent of blood, his killing intent intensified. He readied his sword for another strike—
But suddenly—
"Boom!"
With a burst of chakra, Koshino planted his feet firmly on the ground. Right before Shoji's eyes, he swiftly formed a series of hand seals—
"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
"Kill!"
Read ahead at:
P@treon.com/ChakraMaster