Chapter 29

Anko broke out into a graceful sprint, moving at Jonin's speed towards the mansion. The golem with Ebisu, Yamato-sensei, and I ran behind her, slightly slower so as not to crush her.

I have no fucking idea why she hopped off, but I can only assume she wanted to have some 'fun' as well. Not that I understood the whole killing people thing as fun. No, she probably just wanted to get back to the village faster.

Within half a minute we arrived at the mansion. The two shinobi who had been guarding it were already prepared for us. It'd be pretty damn hard to miss all those explosions after all.

Anko weaved through some hand seals, snakes erupting from the sleeves of her trench coat and biting the two shinobi. She reached into her pouch and pulled out a kunai, immediately jamming it in the closer man's throat then beautifully moving to lodge it in the other man's heart.

The two slumped over dead and the snakes retreated into her trench coat.

I whistled as I hopped off of the golem. The two Jonin men landed moments after me.

"Ha! Thank you, but you're a bit too young for my tastes." She laughed.

I raised an eyebrow. Sure I was young, but I towered over her short stature. According to the bingo book, she was only 167 cm (5 '5 ½ ), and I had more than enough height over her, and I hadn't even hit my growth spurt yet.

"Yeah, I'm spoken for." I stepped past her and made my way to the mansion door. Kicking the shit out of the door and sending it flying inside. Unsurprisingly the door hit a shinobi on the head who was getting ready to come outside. I had sensed him and thought it would be a good test of his strength since he had chunin reserves. I thought wrong.

"Ha! Fucking idiot." Anko laughed stepping in behind me.

Three shinobi jumped down from the spiral staircase just in front of the entrance with their kunai drawn. All three of them were Jonin, I recognized each of their faces from the bingo book, as for their names…

They weren't important enough to remember.

"Could any of you tell us where Mr. Sento is?" I asked with cold eyes. I needed answers, and they'd give me them.

"Konoha shinobi, you die here!" One of them roared, rushing us.

A mass of sharp roots shot through the mansion floor stabbing through two of them but not catching the one rushing us. I drew my kunai and clashed with his. My weights were still off, never for a moment had I put them back on after our last fight.

"You die tod-"

That was as far as he got before Ebisu threw a shuriken between his eyes, blood splattering on my face. I gazed into his dull eyes as his body dropped to the ground with a thud.

"Kiri shinobi always talk too much, thinking with their emotions," Yamato-sensei informed me. "He was by himself, up against four shinobi who were calm in his presence yet he thought by some nonexistent miracle he would manage to win." He walked past us and then turned around to look at me. "There's a difference between dying for the sake of the mission and dying needlessly. Remember that."

"Yes, I understand, sensei." I bowed slightly in thanks for the lesson as was proper. Yamato-sensei had my full respect, but Kakashi still needed to earn it.

"Good, then let's continue." He walked up the stairs as if he didn't have a care in the world. The other two doing the same. Even though I was most likely stronger than each of them, I couldn't help but feel small when compared to them. I was on edge, constantly sending off pings of my sensory chakra. Always on alert, while they walked around the place, carefree yet focused.

They had a completely different level of experience to go off of. Honed reaction times, danger sense, and several battles I was years away from seeing.

I grit my teeth as I follow them. I was nowhere near where I needed to be. If I had their experience and my current strength, I'd be able to fight low-level kage, I'm sure of it, but as I am now, my inexperience may end up being my downfall.

"Quit your worrying, kiddo." Anko slapped my back, breaking me out of my thoughts. "Just act natural and keep your eyes peeled and you'll be alright. For a powerhouse, you sure are fidgety."

I paused at her mischievous look and closed my eyes, inhaling and exhaling.

"There you go. Now let's see if we can find the rest of these bastards and get outta here before it gets too dark." She grinned, pushing me forward. I fell into the rhythm of her push, walking up the steps. Yamato-sensei at the front, then Ebisu, me, and Anko in the back.

Upon reaching the top of the stairs a shinobi jumped down onto Yamato-sensei, stabbing him in the stomach. My sensei didn't remain stationary, wrapping his right hand around the man's arm and pulling out a kunai from his pouch with his left hand, slicing the man's throat open.

As the shinobi fell, Yamato-sensei looked around for a moment before looking back at me. "Another thing to remember is always go for vital points. Quick kills and if you have time, an added finishing blow." He said, looking down at the man choking on his blood. My sensei shoved his kunai through his chest and watched the life leave his eyes. "We're shinobi, not monsters. If you have time, ensure they don't suffer. Think of it as an unofficial shinobi rule."

I could understand his words…but I'm sure there weren't a lot of shinobi outside of Konoha who subscribed to such a rule.

"I know what you're thinking, and you're right. That doesn't mean you shouldn't do it." He continued walking, and I didn't even think to argue.

"Common decency." Ebisu agreed as he followed Yamato-sensei who wasn't even bleeding from the stab wound. The pseudo-sage mode I was in already told me that he had been a wood clone all along. His real body was at Tazuna's place, I had sensed it a few minutes before the others met up with me.

We continued walking until we reached a four-way hallway. Though Yamato-sensei was merely a clone, he was the highest-ranking shinobi here and making him the leader of this mission. He turned around his eyes locking on Anko, both of them having a silent conversation.

"Fine, but splitting up in these types of places is never a good idea. I'll take right." Anko groaned.

"Left," Ebisu said, walking in that direction.

"I'll go back where we came from and down that hall. Do you want to come with me? Or do you trust you are capable enough?" He asked.

I smiled at the man. This was one of the reasons we had grown so close. He had seen over the years I would try to bite off more than I chew, and time and time again I would handle it just fine.

"I got it." I stepped past him, giving him a wave over my shoulder.

"Of course you do." He grumbled, but I could hear the smile in his voice.

As I walked I scratched my head in confusion, all while keeping my eyes peeled. I couldn't sense anyone else in the house. I felt a strange sense of unease. I had relied on my sensory ability for years, doubly so during this mission. So the fact that I couldn't sense anything…I wouldn't lie-

It scared me.

A fear I easily shook off. I was a shinobi with a job to do, and I would see it through and return alive.

I opened various doors, seeing no one inside each of them. There were bedrooms, storage rooms, common areas, and even a tea room. All lavishly designed by the money they had robbed from the town.

I would destroy this place when we were done here, and build my own mansion with wood release at a later date.

Now that I think about it…why the fuck didn't I just destroy this place from the outside instead of walking inside. Well, the obvious answer is I didn't even think of that.

No, but why the fuck did the jonin with me not consider it? Perhaps this is some sort of learning experience? It makes sense with how much information they've been dropping on me in real-time, but it would have been so much easier the more destructive way.

I groaned as I walked out of another room I had checked, empty. Why the fuck have an empty room!?

I turned to my right and gave a tired sigh as I stared at the last door. It was the door directly at the end of my hall, and I had thought about just running into it first, but decided against it, not wanting to get snuck from behind.

I walked over to it cautiously.

'Wood Release: Wood Clone Jutsu.'

Three clones grew out of my back and gave me an understanding nod.

No fucking way would I open that fucking door. They can do it.

One of the clones wrapped its hand around the doorknob, turning it to reveal it was locked.

Okay, someone was definitely in there. 'Kick it down.'

The clone reeled its leg back and kicked hard. The door held firm.

Son of a bitch.

'Wood Release: Wood Cutting Technique.'

Instead of forming a sword, a sledgehammer grew in my hands. My clones took cautious steps back, their hands up in surrender. I gave it a few measuring swings, then infused it with my chakra and slammed it against the door. The door gave a shake but stood firm. What the fuck is this door made of?!

I gave another hit, the door cracking under the pressure. Then another, this time it cracked enough so that I could see what was behind it. Steel? I frowned as my sensory chakra told me that it wasn't just any steel, but chakra steel. That shit was fucking expensive, they bought a chakra steel door?!

I'll get my revenge! I'll kill two of them and bring the last one back to the town and let them have some justice.

Yeah, that sounded good.

I took several leaps backward while weaving through hand seals.

'Wood Release: Wood Dragon Jutsu.'

The dragon formed from my hands, launching towards the chakra steel and slamming into it. Upon contact, it exploded in a massive coil of fire.

I waited as the smoke cleared.

Then I felt it.

My body tensed immediately.

The smoke cleared, a large hole in the hallway separating me from the room full of people. Six in particular. I recognized some of their faces, some of them I didn't, though with some context clues, it was clear who they were.

Gato, Sento, and Atsuko. The three wearing their tailored suits, but I barely glanced at them. The three others earned my full attention.

Chojuru.

Mangetsu Hozuki.

I forced myself to draw my kunai from my pouch as I gazed into the woman's curious green eyes.

Mei Terumi.