Naruto: The Teaching System - 263

Chapter 263: You Seem Pretty Confident, Kid!

On the road to the Land of Vegetables, the young nobleman had specially purchased two carriages as a gesture of goodwill. One was for Sawada and his companions.

Sawada dismissed it and directly refused. After all, their usual travel speed far exceeded what a carriage could manage.

Seeing this, the young nobleman refrained from pushing further. The two carriages and Sawada's team proceeded behind, traveling toward the Land of Vegetables.

This was Neji's first time leaving the village, yet he showed no curiosity. He traveled diligently the entire way, so much so that Yusuke and Koto didn't know how to approach him.

As team leader, Sawada noticed this and took the initiative to speak. Soon, everyone was chatting comfortably during the journey.

When night fell at the foot of the mountains, Sawada's team went on high alert. By the campfire, the young nobleman glanced at Sawada and his companions, firelight reflecting in his eyes. No one knew what he was thinking.

"Sensei, is this necessary during missions?" Neji asked with genuine curiosity. Throughout the entire journey, except for required rest periods, his Sensei had barely interacted with the client.

"This one's a bit special," Sawada said casually, waving his hand. From their first meeting, this client has been deliberately trying to build rapport with us. Though he did it convincingly, I have no interest in reciprocating. He probably wants to know Konoha shinobi so he can gain support from influential figures after returning home.

However, the Hokage gave no instructions regarding this, so I won't interfere. After all, it's beyond our mission scope. If this young man were the legitimate heir, it might be different. But realistically, he's just a branch family member. That means very little in the grand scheme of things.

I have no interest in getting involved in such complications. If this succeeded, it wouldn't benefit Konoha at all. Conversely, we'd be expected to do favors in his name everywhere. At that point, would Konoha acknowledge such obligations or not? It's safer to simply avoid the entire situation. The young nobleman will manage regardless. Our only responsibility is completing the escort mission.

Neji nodded thoughtfully. Though he seemed indifferent about his first mission, he still wanted to familiarize himself with actual combat, hoping to meet his master's expectations soon.

"Yusuke, Koto," Sawada turned to address them. "Rest first. Neji and I will keep watch during the first half of the night."

They nodded and closed their eyes immediately.

Then Sawada turned to Neji. "During missions, you follow the jōnin's lead. Since this is your first mission, you'll handle night watch. If Yusuke and I did everything, you wouldn't learn anything."

"Understood, master," Neji replied. He stood and walked to a concealed position to begin his watch.

Sawada nodded approvingly. At least Neji handles these basic responsibilities nearly perfectly. Watchkeeping required more than simple observation—it demanded awareness of surroundings and the ability to immediately alert teammates to threats.

Sawada settled cross-legged in place. Time passed quietly. The campfire crackled occasionally, and silence surrounded them.

It was common knowledge that the second half of the night was when people's vigilance dropped most sharply. However, when that time came, Sawada suddenly opened his eyes while remaining motionless.

And Neji, observing from his position, instantly became alert and quietly pulled a signal cord.

Yusuke and Koto were startled awake by the action and immediately stood, moving toward the edge of the carriage area.

The client and his retinue quickly hid inside the carriages, while Sawada rose and looked intently in one direction.

Neji jumped directly to Sawada's side. "Sensei, six people. From their clothing, they're from the Hidden Mist as the briefing mentioned."

"I'm curious how we were discovered. Ah, so they have a Byakugan user," a creepy voice echoed eerily across the area.

This made Neji pause. This was indeed his first time experiencing such a method.

However, Sawada dismissed the comment and threw shuriken toward nearby shadows. The projectiles cut through the air directly at the target locations. Two figures immediately scattered.

Seeing this, Sawada's fingers twitched slightly. The shuriken suddenly changed direction mid-flight.

These two Mist shinobi didn't react to the sudden trajectory change. One had their throat slashed cleanly, while the other barely dodged but suffered a deep wound.

"Watch out, this guy's dangerous!" A warning voice came from the forest, though no figures appeared.

After all, Hidden Mist shinobi typically preferred fighting in low-visibility environments.

Sure enough, the next moment, thick mist suddenly rose from the ground.

"Neji, be careful," Sawada warned everyone about Neji. The Byakugan was a valuable kekkei genkai that all nations valued.

"Yes!" Neji responded, carefully observing the surroundings through his Byakugan vision.

"Get that Byakugan brat first!" Since the Byakugan user had appeared, these Hidden Mist shinobi lost their advantage and immediately prioritized him.

Increasingly thick mist permeated the entire area. Even within half a meter, visibility became completely obscured.

"Hehe, Byakugan brat, I'll gouge out your eyes!" A figure suddenly appeared behind Neji, a cold gleam of steel flashing.

"Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm!" The moment the shadow appeared, Neji moved instantly. He raised his hand, releasing a powerful chakra shockwave.

The blast erupted outward with force. Compared to the frequently fighting Naruto, Neji remained far more composed. These Hidden Mist shinobi seemed overconfident in their advantage.

"You can clearly see me, yet you still attack so directly. That's foolish," Neji commented coldly, unable to restrain his observation about this particular shinobi's tactics.

"Looks like you're pretty confident, kid!" In the mist, these voices became unnaturally eerie, seeming to come from all directions simultaneously.

Neji, unable to see the enemy's actual position, frowned for the first time.

A cold gleam suddenly pierced downward, stabbing directly toward Neji's throat.

"Damn brat! Go to hell!" Neji stomped hard and rapidly retreated, simultaneously raising a kunai to block the attacking spike weapon. Then he rapidly struck toward the opponent's vital points. Collision sounds echoed continuously through the mist.

After landing, Neji examined the figure before him, his expression darkening. "Clones?"