115. Hanekawa Interrogates the Kunoichi

"It's about time. For safety, we'll take turns keeping watch again tonight, just like last night," Tsunade instructed as she glanced at the darkening sky. "Hanekawa and Kurenai will take the first half of the night, and Rin and I will take the second half."

"Yes," the three of them replied in unison.

"Rin, let's get some sleep," Tsunade said, standing up and heading toward another tent.

Rin quickly followed her.

When Hanekawa had worked on missions with Tsunade before, they hadn't needed to keep watch because there was no employer involved. Now, protecting ordinary people like Ryuichiro and his companions made it a necessity—traps alone weren't foolproof.

"Want to rest?" Hanekawa patted his lap. "I can keep watch on my own."

"Aren't you going to sleep?" Kurenai asked.

"I'm not tired," Hanekawa said, pointing at his forehead. "Besides, I need time to refine chakra for my Yin Seal anyway."

The first stage of the Yin Seal involved slowly accumulating chakra over time and sealing it on the forehead.

"Alright then."

Kurenai pressed her lips together, her face slightly flushed.

Hanekawa spread a carpet on the ground and patted it. Kurenai glanced at him, then rested her head on his lap, closing her eyes as her cheeks turned even redder.

Even though they had done the same thing the night before, she still felt shy.

Hanekawa chuckled softly as he gently stroked her head.

As night deepened, he simultaneously refined chakra and kept an eye on the traps he'd set.

After some time, Tsunade and Rin emerged from their tent.

Hanekawa stopped his training and woke Kurenai.

"You've got a soft spot for women, don't you, kid?" Tsunade teased with a light laugh.

Kurenai bowed her head, too embarrassed to respond.

"Let's go sleep, sensei," Hanekawa said nonchalantly, pulling Kurenai toward the tent.

"G-Good night," Kurenai stammered as she quickly climbed into her sleeping bag, turning away from Hanekawa in embarrassment.

Hanekawa chuckled as he laid down in his own sleeping bag.

---

The Next Day

After breakfast, the seven of them resumed their journey.

As they entered the Land of Grass, a vast expanse of endless grassland stretched out before them.

Kurenai, seeing it for the first time, couldn't help but exclaim in awe.

Rin, equally curious, looked around with wide eyes.

However, the novelty soon wore off. Beyond the grass, there was nothing but more grass, and the monotony began to dull their senses.

After three hours of walking, the grasslands finally gave way to an abandoned village.

"There are ninja nearby," Tsunade suddenly said, stepping closer to Hanekawa.

Hanekawa immediately focused and performed the Sensory Diffusion Technique.

Within the village's buildings, he detected eight ninjas: two with the chakra levels of chunin and six genin.

Encountering so many ninjas during a C-rank mission? Hanekawa's eye twitched.

Had Tsunade sucked away all his luck?

"How dare they try to ambush us?" Hanekawa muttered in confusion.

"The ninja from Grass Village probably don't recognize me," Tsunade replied casually.

Although her name was famous, not every ninja had seen her in person. Apart from the major villages and those involved in the ninja world wars, most smaller villages had only heard of her.

Besides, Tsunade wasn't wearing a ninja vest or Konoha forehead protector. The Grass Village ninja couldn't have imagined that one of the Legendary Sannin would be escorting merchants on a C-rank mission.

"You handle them," Tsunade said indifferently.

With two chunin and six genin, Tsunade had no interest in getting involved.

"Got it," Hanekawa replied.

The ninja from small villages were often overrated.

He even felt that Kurenai and Rin could handle them on their own.

"Kurenai, let's head into the village to check things out," Hanekawa said after a moment of thought.

"Alright."

Noticing the look in his eyes, Kurenai felt a slight tremor in her heart as she walked over to his side.

"There are four ninjas on the left and four on the right. Get ready for combat," Hanekawa whispered before heading toward the village.

Kurenai maintained a calm expression but prepared herself, her chakra surging as she readied for action.

She was both nervous and excited—this was her first mission outside the village and her first life-and-death battle.

When they reached the village entrance, Hanekawa stopped.

Body Flicker Technique!

His body accelerated sharply, leaving an afterimage in his place.

Seeing this, Kurenai immediately activated her jutsu.

Hanekawa went right, and she targeted the left.

Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet!

Kurenai tilted her head back, releasing a stream of water from her mouth.

The water surged forward and transformed mid-air into a roaring water dragon.

"Dodge it!" someone shouted in panic.

The water dragon descended from the sky, crashing into the ground with a deafening roar.

Water splashed everywhere, collapsing buildings and exposing four disheveled figures.

Two of the genin couldn't evade in time and were sent flying, skidding over ten meters before crashing into the ground, dazed and battered.

As Kurenai completed her hand seals, a scream rang out from the right.

Hanekawa appeared like a flash in front of the nearest enemy, his Thunderfire Sword stabbing mercilessly through the man's body.

Blood splattered. The young ninja didn't even see who killed him before collapsing lifelessly.

"Damn it!"

The older man, wearing a Grass Village forehead protector, realized they'd underestimated their opponents.

But there was no time for regret. He quickly formed hand seals.

Fire Style: Ghost Lanterns!

Ghostly flames appeared around him, flying straight toward Hanekawa.

The two younger ninjas behind him also reacted, hurling a barrage of kunai.

Leaf Style: Dance of the Crescent Moon!

Hanekawa created two shadow clones, each wielding a Thunderfire Sword. In an instant, they deflected the incoming kunai.

As sparks flew, the clones closed the distance to the two younger ninjas.

Meanwhile, Hanekawa, as the original, remained still and extended his right hand.

Lightning chakra gathered rapidly, and several arrow-like white bolts shot from his palm, precisely striking and destroying the ghostly flames.

Body Flicker Technique!

Hanekawa shifted again, pulling out his Thunderfire Sword.

The older man barely registered the blur before Hanekawa was above him.

In a desperate reflex, he tried to lift his hands, only to realize in horror that he couldn't move.

Leaf Style: Willow!

Sword shadows filled the air, mesmerizing and overwhelming the older man.

Hanekawa's body moved like a phantom, and his Thunderfire Sword sliced through the air.

A cold flash of steel.

The Thunderfire Sword pierced the man's neck.

"You…" he managed to utter one word before blood gushed out uncontrollably.

He fell backward, sinking into eternal sleep.

Hanekawa dispelled the shadow clones, which had already dispatched the two genin even faster than he could.

He turned to look toward Kurenai.

On her side, only the strongest enemy—a female chunin—remained, though she was barely holding on.

Just then, the situation shifted.

The female chunin threw a smoke bomb, engulfing herself and the nearby buildings in thick fog.

Kurenai immediately grew alert, scanning her surroundings warily.

But Hanekawa raised an eyebrow and instantly activated Body Flicker Technique once more.

The female chunin wasn't attempting an ambush—she was trying to escape.

She sprinted out of the smoke at full speed, dashing into the distance.

But in the next second, a figure materialized in front of her.

"Get out of my way!" the female chunin snarled upon seeing Hanekawa.

Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death!

Hanekawa clapped his hands together.

The female chunin, mid-sprint, suddenly stumbled.

Instinctively, she looked down and saw two vines wrapping tightly around her legs.

"Ah!"

In that brief moment of shock, her body was lifted by the vines and slammed into a tree behind her. More branches and vines extended, binding her firmly against the tree.

"You bastard! Let me go!" the female chunin yelled, struggling against her restraints.

In the original series, Kurenai used Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death on Itachi Uchiha, but it was reflected back.

However, this female chunin was no Itachi.

She didn't even realize she was caught in a genjutsu.

This genjutsu, which allowed the target to remain conscious, was often used for extracting information.

Since they had captured a Grass Village ninja, Hanekawa decided to ask about Karin and her mother.

Even if they weren't involved, he needed to know why they had been ambushed.

"They tricked me! Damn it!" Kurenai complained as she approached.

"Most ninjas don't care about morals,"

Hanekawa said, patting her head. "If they can win, they fight; if not, they run. That's just the way it is."

"Got it!" Kurenai stuck out her tongue playfully.

"Go report the situation to sensei. I'll handle the interrogation," Hanekawa said, glancing at the bound female chunin.

From his perspective, the tree didn't exist. She was standing in place, struggling as if having a fit.

"Okay."

Kurenai turned and headed toward Tsunade.

Their battle had naturally drawn the attention of their companions. Rin had wanted to help, but Tsunade stopped her, reminding her that a medical ninja didn't need to engage in combat.

Hanekawa stepped closer to the female chunin.

He raised his hand, letting crackling lightning envelop his palm.

"Why did you attack us?" he asked.

"The Grass Village will kill all of you!" she replied defiantly.

"Grass Village?" Hanekawa chuckled. "You clearly don't understand your situation."

With a casual wave, the lightning struck her body.

"Ahhh!"

The female chunin screamed in agony. Her hair stood on end, her skin charred, and her body trembled uncontrollably. Soon, her eyes rolled back, tears and drool running down her face.

"Do you want another round?" Hanekawa asked, lowering his hand.

"I'll talk!" she finally relented, stammering out the reason for their ambush.

It had nothing to do with Ryuichiro—it was simply because they looked like an easy target with only three genin.

As Tsunade had guessed, the Grass Village ninja hadn't recognized her.

"Does your village have a red-haired woman? Someone who can recover from injuries and replenish chakra by biting her?" Hanekawa asked.

"How do you know that?" the female chunin responded, shocked.

"Where is she?" Hanekawa lifted his hand again.

"She went with Lord Junshigen to Takigakure on a mission," the female chunin said, trembling.

Hanekawa asked a few more questions before calmly ending her life with a single slash of his sword.

He had killed before during B-rank missions with Tsunade, so he felt little emotion about it.

In the ninja world, it was kill or be killed.

Hanekawa bore no psychological burden.

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