In the distant grass, the two minimized their breathing sounds and movements to the lowest possible level.
Seeing that a single poisoned senbon had killed a missing-nin, Matsuake made a few hand gestures to Tsukuyomi.
The general meaning was to praise Tsukuyomi for doing well.
Senbon are tools similar to flying needles, capable of stimulating one’s own acupoints to unlock potential, as well as being used to assassinate enemies.
Like kunai and shuriken, senbon are also essential items in a ninja tool pouch.
Due to their relatively low lethality, they are usually coated with poison to enhance their killing power.
Their advantage lies in their minimal noise, making them difficult to detect during flight.
As for senbon, Matsuake’s proficiency could only be described as average; he was more skilled in throwing shuriken and kunai.
However, Tsukuyomi seemed more adept at using senbon.
Unfortunately, her original target was actually the leader of the missing-nin.
From their earlier observations while tracking, this person was the core of this group of missing-nin.
It was just a pity that the sharp-faced, monkey-like ninja had been standing too close earlier, blocking the body of the missing-nin leader.
So she had to change targets at the last moment.
“Next, it’s time for a frontal assault,” Matsuake took a deep breath.
With the enemy now alert, further assassination attempts would become much more difficult.
The opponent’s strength wasn’t particularly formidable, so it was better to engage them directly in a head-on confrontation.
“We’re outnumbered, so be careful.” After cautioning Tsukuyomi beside him, Matsuake formed hand seals.
Since they had finally reached a practical combat scenario, he also wanted to test out some of the new ninjutsu he had learned recently.
“Earth Release: Headhunter Jutsu!” Once the hand seals were completed, Matsuake’s figure submerged into the ground.
Seeing this, Tsukuyomi also used the grass as cover to quickly close the distance with the enemy, making it easier to support Matsuake later.
On the other side, the missing-nin leader sensed something unusual underground.
“Be careful, it’s underground!” he urgently warned.
Immediately after, he leaped away from his original position, putting several meters of distance between himself and the spot in an instant.
The others clearly didn’t react as quickly, standing frozen in place without moving.
In the next moment, one of the missing-nin felt his body continuously sinking.
By the time he regained his senses, only his head remained exposed above the ground.
The Headhunter Jutsu allows the user to hide underground and pull the target into the soil, immobilizing them.
Typically, enemies caught by this technique face only two outcomes: either obediently provide information before having their throats slit, or simply have their throats slit directly.
At this moment, Matsuake had no information he wanted to extract from them.
So in the next second, a line of blood appeared on the neck of this missing-nin.
After killing him, Matsuake raised his red eyes, filled with killing intent, and stared at the missing-nin leader ahead.
“It’s a Konohagakure ninja!” Someone noticed the forehead protector Matsuake was wearing.
For those like them, who pillaged and plundered within the Land of Fire, what they feared most wasn’t the guards of nobles or the armies of the Daimyō, but the ninja of Konohagakure.
The symbol of Konohagakure had naturally become the emblem they feared the most.
“Scared of what?
They’re just two brats!!” The missing-nin leader roared angrily.
If an adult ninja were here now, he would definitely turn and run.
But if it was just a kid, it might be possible to turn the tables and kill them instead.
“About fifteen people left.” In the blink of an eye, Matsuake roughly assessed the number of enemies around him.
He did not possess the 360-degree Byakugan, so within the span of one or two breaths, he could only roughly estimate the number of enemies on the battlefield.
In terms of numbers, the disparity was overwhelmingly large.
However, based on what he had observed while tracking earlier, aside from the leader who was relatively strong, very few of the others even reached the level of a Genin.
“Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!” Matsuake formed hand seals, and a stream of water spewed from his mouth, transforming into a ferocious dragon shape that surged forward.
Several Missing-nin ahead who failed to dodge in time were swept away by the water dragon, their bodies crashing into the trunks of nearby trees.
“Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!” Tsukuyomi was not idle either.
With opponents they did not need to hold back against, they both seized this opportunity as the perfect moment to practice their ninjutsu.
Since her chakra nature was fire and lightning, she had recently started with the Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique.
It was clear that although she was still somewhat inexperienced, the size of the great fireball was already quite impressive.
Compared to the water dragon bullet, the lethality of the great fireball was more direct.
Several Missing-nin who failed to evade in time were engulfed in flames, dying from severe burns and excruciating pain.
Seeing this, Tsukuyomi’s expression involuntarily stiffened.
After all, both Matsuake and Tsukuyomi were on their first mission and had truly killed enemies for the first time.
Earlier, a single poisoned senbon had killed a Missing-nin, but due to the distance, the details were unclear.
Now, these Missing-nin were right in front of them, and the process of losing their lives under the power of ninjutsu was clearly visible.
Thus, both of them felt a strange discomfort in their hearts.
However, with enemies still before them, they could only forcibly suppress this feeling.
“Dammit, five people gone in an instant…” the Missing-nin leader cursed inwardly.
Then, he drew a ninja sword from his back.
“Everyone, charge!
They’re just Genin from Konohagakure.
Kill them!” With that, he also made a move to rush forward and engage in combat.
Hearing this, the others suppressed their fear.
That’s right, these two kids look like they just became ninjas.
What are we afraid of!
They had encountered Genin from other small Hidden Villages on missions before.
Although they had suffered losses, the opponents were ultimately outnumbered.
“Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!” The Missing-nin leader formed hand seals and spewed several fireballs from his mouth, each following a different trajectory.
Then, he pulled an explosive tag from his pocket and tied it to a kunai.
After throwing the kunai toward Matsuake’s location, he turned and fled without looking back.
“A bunch of slow, useless fools!
If it weren’t for you dragging your feet, I would’ve escaped long ago!” The Missing-nin leader abandoned his teammates without hesitation, though he felt a pang of regret.
He wasn’t mourning the loss of his followers.
In fact, some of them had only recently joined him, so there was no real bond to speak of.
What he regretted was the kunai and explosive tag he had just thrown away.
Lacking both funds and connections, it was difficult for him to acquire even a single explosive tag.
The few he had were meant for life-saving situations.
Behind him, the other Missing-nin, realizing what had happened, were filled with rage.
“That bastard!” “After all the trust I placed in him, he just abandoned us and ran!” They felt anger and despair, losing the will to resist.
Only then did they sober up, realizing that the two Konohagakure ninja they faced were formidable opponents even for their boss.