43 raid

Kaito followed Inoko to a clearing away from the rest of the team, eager to hear what she had in store for him. Once they stopped, he asked, "So, what are you going to teach me?"

Inoko smiled thoughtfully. "First, tell me your chakra affinity."

"Fire style," Kaito replied confidently. She nodded, then added, "And what would you say is your biggest weakness?"

Kaito scratched his head. "I'm bad with chakra control, so, chakra augmentation… I'm not exactly a natural there."

Inoko pondered this, tapping her chin. Suddenly, her eyes lit up as an idea struck. "Perfect. I'll teach you a jutsu called Fire Style: Remote Embers. It's a C-rank jutsu, so you can handle it with your current skill level, and it's got a lot of versatility."

Kaito's eyes widened as she explained the technique. "Remote Embers lets you create dense fireballs that you can control remotely, moving them in any direction. You can use it offensively to attack or defensively to redirect attacks or create diversions."

As she described the jutsu's potential, Kaito's excitement grew. He gave her a respectful bow, "Thank you! But… why did you choose this technique?"

"Because it fits your fire affinity and plays to your strengths in chakra control," Inoko explained. "Learning and mastering Remote Embers will naturally improve your control even further, helping you with more complex fire techniques down the line. Besides," she continued,

"this jutsu is designed to help genin develop a personal fighting style. Its flexibility makes it easy to adapt in various situations."

Kaito absorbed her words, his curiosity sparked even further. "Are there other jutsus like that? Ones meant to help genin build a fighting style?"

Inoko nodded. "Yes, there's Water Style: Eight Tentacles. It's another versatile technique, often used by water affinity genin to develop unique combat approaches."

Shinichi looked at Satoru and Chosuke, opening the floor for any questions. Chosuke raised his hand immediately. "Do we get breaks for food?" he asked, his tone half-joking but with a hint of genuine hope.

Shinichi gave him a blank look. "If you need them, Chosuke, then yes. But don't overuse that excuse."

Satoru took this chance to speak up. "Shinichi-sensei, do you know the jutsu called Lightning Step?"

Shinichi's expression shifted, "Lightning Step is a basic technique, often taught to genin looking to build a combat style. Why do you want to learn it, Satoru?"

"It aligns with my current style," Satoru replied. "And my affinity is for lightning style." He paused, considering his next words carefully. "But if you know of a jutsu that suits me better, I'm open to learning that instead."

Shinichi nodded thoughtfully. "No, Lightning Step will suit you well for now. We'll start with that."

He addressed them both, giving them a challenge, "If either of you masters your jutsu by the end of this week, I'll teach you something new in the next session. Let's see if you're up to it."

Five days passed as the team trained tirelessly. Kaito was making steady progress with his fire technique. Concentrating hard, he created a small ember in his hand, aiming it at a distant target.

The ember wavered but dissipated just before impact. Seeing his disappointment, Inoko stepped up, offering an encouraging smile. "You've come a long way, Kaito. Just a bit more focus, and you'll be hitting that target consistently."

Meanwhile, Chosuke was sparring with Satoru, wielding his bo-staff charged with chakra. Building his own chakra, Satoru managed to release a weak spark of lightning that connected with Chosuke, though it was barely a shock.

Chosuke chuckled, brushing it off. "Really? That's it? That tickled!" He grinned and gathered chakra into his fist, then punched the air, releasing a shockwave in the shape of his fist. The impact hit Satoru hard, sending him flying backward.

Before Satoru could crash, Shinichi was there, catching him and steadying him on his feet. "Good work, both of you," Shinichi said,

As the team gathered their belongings, Inoko packed up alongside them, ready to join in the raid. Shinichi glanced her way. "Are you planning to fight too, Inoko?"

She gave him a confident nod. "Absolutely. Sensory ninja or not, I can still hold my own."

With their team complete, they made their way to the designated ambush point. Once they arrived, they settled into positions around the area, camouflaging themselves to blend into the natural surroundings.

Inoko took a moment to stress the importance of camouflage, pointing out how their dark green attire helped them blend seamlessly with the dense forest around them.

"The key is to look like part of the landscape," she explained, watching as everyone took her advice seriously—except for Satoru.

Inoko turned to see him in a bright neon orange jumpsuit and froze, her eye twitching in disbelief. Approaching him, she grabbed him by the collar. "Did you listen to a single word I said about blending in?"

Satoru only laughed, unfazed. "Relax, Inoko-san. My camouflage is still better than anyone else's."

Before she could question his claim, Satoru vanished before her eyes. The entire team stared in shock as he reappeared a few feet away, a mischievous grin on his face. "See? Best camouflage, hands down."

Inoko was speechless, barely able to believe that a genin had mastered such a technique. She shook her head, muttering, "Unbelievable."

Once everyone was in position, they turned their attention to the deserted camp below, now silent and waiting for the bandits to arrive.

For a few hours, the forest was quiet. The team waited patiently, their senses alert to the slightest sound.

Then, distant chatter broke the silence as scattered groups of bandits began to gather, talking amongst themselves as they made their way into the camp.

Over the next few hours, the groups steadily arrived, their numbers increasing until the camp was full.

Inoko, watching the scene unfold, turned to Shinichi. "I'll go replace my shadow clone and join them. I need to listen in closer and gather intel on their leaders and plans."

Satoru raised an eyebrow. "Won't undoing the shadow clone give you a massive headache?"

Inoko smirked, shaking her head. "The Yamanaka clan has techniques to counteract that. I had my clone make extra clones, so I've already gained most of the memories. I'll be fine."

With that, she moved stealthily toward the camp, slipping into character as she blended into the crowd of bandits. Satoru turned to Shinichi, puzzled. "What did she mean by 'memory has already been gained'?"

Shinichi explained, "When a ninja has mastered Yin Release and applies it to their shadow clones, they can access the knowledge accumulated by the clone before it's destroyed. By using additional clones, Inoko ensures that the memories are transferred bit by bit, preventing the mental overload that usually comes with dispelling too many clones at once."

Satoru's eyes widened. "That's... advanced, I always thought the memories can only be recieved all at once."

Shinichi nodded, his gaze still on the camp. "It is. The Yamanaka clan excels at mental techniques, and Inoko's mastery over them gives her an edge in both gathering and handling large volumes of information."

the team gathered in a cluster, waiting for Shinichi's signal. Shinichi turned to Satoru. "How many poisons do you have?"

Satoru opened his pouch, retrieving a few small vials. "I've got some that induce sleep and paralysis—ones I'm immune to or have antidotes for. What type do you need?"

"Something that knocks them out, ideally gaseous," Shinichi replied.

Satoru scanned his supplies, considering his options. "I don't have a gas-based one, but I do have a paralysis poison that dissolves in water."

Shinichi nodded and took the vial and antidote. After assessing their surroundings, he quickly weaved hand signs. "Water Style: Downpour."

He created a ball of water, adding the poison to it. The orb floated into the sky, rapidly expanding as it absorbed moisture.

Moments later, rain started to fall on the camp, Satoru injected his teammates with the antidote, ensuring they would be unaffected.

The bandits began stumbling, their movements sluggish as the poison seeped in. The team dropped from the trees and launched into action.

Satoru ducked as a dazed bandit swung a wild punch, grabbing the man's wrist and twisting it behind him to knock him down.

Nearby, Kaito landed a kick to a bandit's midsection, his strength sending the man sprawling backward and Chosuke used his bo-staff to sweep several bandits off their feet, efficiently tying them up in quick succession.

Spotting Inoko slumped by the edge of the camp, Satoru approached and injected her with the antidote. She blinked, annoyed but impressed. "I couldnt even do anything! You all had this handled before I could even lift a finger."

The team had subdued every bandit, rounding up the leaders at the center. Inoko looked at the captive leaders. "Now, let's see what secrets they've been hiding."

She closed her eyes, readying herself to dive into their minds as the team stood by.

While Inoko probed the bandit leaders' minds, Satoru approached Shinichi. "Sensei, why did we train so hard if we were just going to rely on poison to win?"

Shinichi glanced at him, his expression calm. "The Hokage ordered us to finish this swiftly. Originally, this mission was meant to be a learning experience, but things have changed."

Chosuke, overhearing, furrowed his brows. "Why are we being called back so soon?"

"Other groups have been spotted," Shinichi explained, "and the Hokage needs the information these bandits hold to help track down and deal with them."

Kaito chimed in, "Are those other groups moving strategically, like this one?" "Yes, they're organized, which makes them a bigger threat."

Just then, Inoko approached, leaving an unconscious bandit leader behind. she reported, "This group is only a piece of a much larger network. There are dozens of similar groups within and outside this country, all following the commands of an unknown leader. They've been raiding war-torn villages across borders, recruiting thousands to their cause."

Shinichi's eyes widened, clearly shocked by the scale of the threat. "Did they have a plan for crossing into the Land of Hot Water?"

"They were going to bribe border shinobi and disguise themselves as shinobi to cross safely," Inoko replied. "They've even secured allies on the other side who'll shelter them once they're through."

Shinichi turned to his students, his gaze stern. "This mission was originally a C-rank, but now we're facing a much larger threat, which means we're looking at a chain of B-rank missions. This is no longer under genin jurisdiction."

---

Inoko continued probing the minds of each bandit, extracting every useful piece of information.

One of the bandit leaders had managed to avoid the rain entirely and was only partially affected by the poison's effects. Skilled in ninjutsu jutsu he quickly devised a way to avoid detection.

He discreetly swapped places with another bandit in the ranks, posing as a lower-ranking member to evade suspicion.

The leader, now hidden among the other prisoners, bided his time until he found an opportunity to slip away. Once the team began their departure, he escaped into the wilderness, fleeing toward the hidden headquarters to report back to their mysterious benefactor.

Meanwhile, the team, having completed the initial mission objectives, moved swiftly back to the Leaf Village. As they traveled, Satoru ran alongside Shinichi, "Shinichi-sensei, will we train on the way back?" he asked.

Shinichi gave a sharp, dismissive shake of his head. "No, Satoru. Our priority is to report back immediately—every second counts." His tone left no room for debate, and Satoru nodded in understanding.

After traveling almost nonstop, the team reached the village within a day and a half tired, very tired. They made their way directly to the Hokage's office.