Chapter 181: Kill Them All if Necessary
However... their strength was not to be underestimated.
Of course, they weren't comparable to Konoha's elite Jonin, but they were more than capable of matching the level of regular Jonin.
For their group of nine, working in teams of three to eliminate a Jonin each was, strictly speaking, a mission that Shikamaru felt was nearly impossible to accomplish.
Even an ordinary Jonin, after extensive battle experience, would not be so easy to deal with.
A battle-hardened Jonin would be a challenging opponent even for an elite Jonin.
And here they were, a group of Genin.
"What's wrong, Shikamaru? Your expression looks pretty bad," Ino asked worriedly.
As he munched on chips, Choji remarked, "Looks like this mission isn't going to be simple."
Shikamaru thought about it for a moment. While he wasn't sure if his father and Lord Hokage had deeper motives for assigning them this mission, the fact that they accepted it meant they had to complete it.
Besides, Konoha's current situation was indeed dire.
Perhaps sending them, a group of rookies, to handle these troublesome enemies was a last resort.
If that was the case, then completing the mission was even more critical.
Konoha!
It was their Konoha too!
Even though they were just Genin, they were still Konoha shinobi.
"Ten minutes. Everyone, go prepare your gear and tools," Shikamaru ordered.
"Meet at the back gate of the village. Remember, you have only ten minutes. Dismissed!"
As soon as Shikamaru finished speaking, everyone immediately dashed away.
Sasuke was somewhat surprised. Although Shikamaru and the others were just a bunch of kids, they displayed remarkable composure in critical moments, acting like mature shinobi.
That was impressive.
However, the reason Sasuke stayed where he was, seemingly a beat slow to react, was quite simple.
First, Sasuke didn't need to prepare anything.
Everything he might need was stored in the sealing armband given to him by Orochimaru.
Second, Sasuke was currently looking at his system interface.
[Eliminate the Threats]
[Konoha's rear is under attack by small nation shinobi. While not a major threat, it's causing significant headaches for Konoha.]
[Kill all mission targets with overwhelming force.]
[Reward: Upgrade mastery of a nature release (choose one of the five basic releases; Kekkei Genkai excluded). The chosen release will have all related jutsu upgraded by one level.]
Another mission triggered something Sasuke didn't expect.
At first, Sasuke had been reluctant to help Tsunade resolve Konoha's problems.
But now, Sasuke was more than willing to participate in this battle.
Such missions were practically free rewards for Sasuke.
Moreover, Tsunade had requested that Sasuke act quickly, in a way that was both shocking and overwhelming, to intimidate the small nation shinobi.
To show them that no matter the circumstances, Konoha could crush them effortlessly.
With Sasuke's strength, it wouldn't be difficult at all. The only challenge was identifying the targets.
But there was one issue.
'Tsunade said to quickly eliminate the leaders of these ninja units.'
'The system says to kill all mission targets.'
'But who exactly are the targets?'
Sasuke was speechless. Couldn't the system provide a clear list of targets?
Who knew if the system referred to the leaders of the small nation ninja units or all the small nation shinobi?
After thinking it over, Sasuke let out a helpless sigh.
"Whatever, I'll just kill them all if necessary."
"Besides, if Tsunade wants to intimidate these small nation shinobi, killing them all would be even more effective."
With this in mind, Sasuke checked the time. He had about six or seven minutes left.
He decided to head to the back gate of Konoha to wait for the others.
Body Flicker Technique
Swoosh!
In an instant, Sasuke disappeared.
The Konoha ANBU who had been secretly observing Sasuke were stunned. They were wondering when such a young ninja had joined their ranks.
But the moment Sasuke used the Body Flicker Technique with a speed that surpassed even seasoned adult shinobi, they were shocked.
"So fast..."
"Is this the power of the Senju clan?"
"Lady Tsunade has really brought back a treasure this time!"
The ANBU discussed among themselves.
At Konoha's back gate, Sasuke arrived five minutes early.
The next moment, Shikamaru also arrived.
Shikamaru was slightly surprised. "You're fast. Since we'll be working together, how should I address you?"
"Senju," Sasuke replied.
"Just your code name? What's your real name?"
"Senju."
Shikamaru was speechless. It seemed that 'Senju' was a man of few words. Still, he didn't seem difficult to get along with.
At least he answered questions directly.
He was probably the type who was cold on the outside but warm on the inside.
After just two sentences, Shikamaru was already analyzing Sasuke's personality, pondering how to communicate with this newcomer.
Before long, the others arrived one by one.
Sasuke glanced at Hinata.
Yesterday, Shikaku had mentioned that the Hyuga clan had withdrawn from this battle.
Yet Hinata was still participating in Konoha's mission.
That was interesting.
'Is Hiashi trying to show Tsunade that the Hyuga clan's withdrawal wasn't his decision?'
"Alright, let's move out! I already have a rough plan for this mission."
"But to save time, we'll discuss it on the way!"
Shikamaru's decisiveness was evident.
Though he usually appeared lazy and unmotivated, when it came to critical matters, he was incredibly reliable.
Shikaku had appointed Shikamaru as the leader of this mission not because they were family but because Shikamaru was genuinely the most suitable candidate.
The nine of them immediately set off.
As they departed through Konoha's back gate, the guarding shinobi on either side watched this group of kids head out.
"What are they... up to?"
"Looks like they're on an urgent mission!"
"Emergency mission? Them? What kind of urgent mission could a group of kids possibly have?"
A middle-aged shinobi glanced at a younger ninja beside him, who seemed unimpressed.
"They're Konoha shinobi too. At a time like this, what do you think Genin leaving the village are going to face?"
Konoha was now completely surrounded. At the front, they were confronting Danzo's ninja forces, while at the rear, they faced ninja units from various small nations.
The moment they left Konoha, they would immediately encounter enemy shinobi.
The level of danger was anything but ordinary.
The younger ninja froze for a moment and fell silent.
The middle-aged shinobi sighed, "Even kids are being sent to the battlefield. It looks like Konoha is really in trouble this time..."
________________________________________
If you want more chapters, please consider supporting my page on Patreon. with 30 advanced chapters available on Patreon
patreon.com/Leanzin