Wandering Ninjas

Seeing the Shibi Team stop, the members of the merchant caravan were puzzled and asked, "What's wrong?"

Satoru shrugged and said, "There's an ambush point about 100 meters ahead. If you find it troublesome, you can charge through."

Ambush?

Upon hearing these two words, panic began to spread among the members of the merchant caravan. The whole group came to a halt and blocked the road.

The caravan leader swallowed his saliva and tentatively looked at Shibi. "Shibi-sama, should we go around?"

"It doesn't matter," Shibi said expressionlessly.

Doesn't matter? The caravan leader was at a loss. What does that mean? Should they continue or not? They've tried so hard to please them with all those precious delicacies; they can't just stand by and do nothing now.

Just then, several agile figures suddenly rushed out from the forest ahead. They were brandishing kunai and had ferocious looks, their scarred skin covered in wicked smiles.

"It seems like we've been discovered, but it doesn't matter; you won't escape!"

"A large caravan like this is a juicy target."

...

Most of the members of the caravan were ordinary people who had never encountered such a situation before. They were frightened and almost paralyzed.

"Are they wandering shinobis?"

"Why are there so many wandering shinobis? We're done for."

...

Satoru narrowed his eyes; wandering shinobis were generally rogue shinobis or those without affiliations. They were much more ruthless than regular shinobis, surviving by raiding and robbing. They were the most feared by merchant caravans.

In the original story, Zabuza and Haku, whom Naruto encountered during his first mission, were wandering shinobis.

Considering the size of this group blocking the road, it was probably the largest one in the vicinity.

The Shibi Team had yet to take action, but the Ryosuke Team on the other side couldn't hold back any longer. The flattery and favors from the caravan members had filled their anger gauge to the brim.

"Damn it! Just a bunch of wandering shinobis! Let's show them who's boss!"

"A bunch of wandering shinobis dare to act tough in front of me!"

Led by their captain, Ryosuke, they rushed forward with kunai in hand, seemingly ready to vent all their pent-up anger.

Seeing this, the caravan members felt relieved; they admired the Ryosuke Team's courage. After all, the members of the Shibi Team had yet to make a move.

While watching the "heroic" Ryosuke Team, Satoru clicked his tongue a few times.

Well, it seemed that Ryosuke was about to be unlucky.

From the viewpoint of his Byakugan, Satoru saw that among the group of wandering shinobis, there was a hidden jonin shinobi. Judging by their chakra, they were likely on par with Ryosuke.

Ryosuke underestimated the wandering shinobis, thinking that their overall strength was weaker than regular village shinobis. As a result, he regarded them as mere punching bags, but he hadn't expected there to be a powerful individual among them.

After all, their team didn't have Satoru's Byakugan, nor did they have Shibi's bug sensory perception.

"Worry about them later; I have to resolve this quickly." Shibi glanced at Satoru with an expressionless face.

Suddenly, a buzz rang out, and countless black bugs appeared, rushing toward the wandering shinobis who were engaged in combat.

"What's that sound?"

The caravan members turned around, and their scalps went numb. Countless black bugs swarmed out, making a buzzing sound, and in an instant, they engulfed the wandering shinobis in a surprise attack.

In a moment, agonizing screams filled the air. The wandering shinobis were covered by the overwhelming swarm of bugs, writhing on the ground and crying out in pain.

"The master has taken action. There's no time for me to practice my swordsmanship" Satoru thought to himself and reluctantly put away the sword.

Ryosuke struggled to defend against the enemy's sword attacks, his body constantly being forced back, and he spat out blood.

In this brief exchange, he realized that the enemy's strength was not weaker than his own.

"Damn it! Why did I encounter such a tough guy?"

Before he could react, the enemy launched another attack. The huge sword struck with tremendous force, causing his arms to go numb, and he could only keep retreating.

With Ryosuke distracted, his team members, who were only chunins and genins, were completely suppressed by the wandering shinobis and unable to fight back.

"Um... Should we step in and help them?" Duy asked hesitantly. Despite the humiliation from Ryosuke earlier, his kind-hearted nature prevented him from letting fellow village shinobis die in front of him.

The members of the caravan were stunned by the sudden change of events. Their fierce spirits from before disappeared, and many of them even started to pack their belongings, considering an early escape.

Satoru looked at Shibi and received a cold response, "Don't waste too much time."

Seeing Shibi speak up, Satoru yelled loudly and rushed towards the battlefield.

Duy and the others also charged forward, and under their powerful suppression, the wandering shinobis, who had previously held the upper hand, were forced to retreat.

Satoru took out a scroll, and as the white mist dissipated, he held 'Choya' in his hands.

It was the slender and sharp that he forged during his electromagnetic upgrade!

With a single swing of the blade, a clear metallic clash rang out. The wandering shinobi, who was defending himself, had his kunai broken in half, and a ferocious bloodstain spread from his forehead to his chest.

Satoru took a breath. The overall strength of this group of wandering shinobis was not high, aside from the upper-level shinobi who was being held back by Ryosuke. It was a perfect opportunity for him to practice his swordsmanship!

Duy's body was surrounded by a strong aura, and blue veins bulged on his forehead. With just one kick, he sent a chunin shinobi flying.

"Amazing! Is that dad's true strength?"

Behind him, Guy admired Duy.

"Guy, this is only the Fourth Gate!" Duy gave Guy a thumbs-up, and his teeth reflected a glimmer of light.

Seeing this scene, Ryosuke was dumbfounded. He didn't expect that without even a move from Shibi, this group of chunin and genin shinobis could completely suppress the wandering shinobis.

Lost in thought, Ryosuke found an opportunity for an attack, and his kunai hit the enemy, forcing him to retreat. Looking back at his team members, who had been freed from their previous bindings, he found that they were still no match for the enemy.

At the critical moment, a buzzing sound was heard, and a dense mass of parasitic insects instantly enveloped the jonins, forming a large black sphere from which continuous and agonizing screams emanated.

"Secret Technique! Insect Ball!"

Shibi formed a hand seal, and the black sphere suddenly contracted, the battlefield suddenly became quiet, and only the buzzing sound of the insects filled the air. The wandering shinobis were completely devoured by the bugs, leaving behind only skeletons, while the members of the caravan were dumbfounded, staring at the scene.

"Is it over?"