Wind weaker than Fire?? Nahh, that's skill issue

Ren's hands blurred through a single hand sign.

"Wind Style: Violent Whirlwind!"

A howling vortex of wind erupted from Ren's mouth, colliding directly with the incoming fireball.

For a brief moment, the two jutsus clashed.

Then the fireball EXPANDED.

Fueled by Ren's wind, the flames doubled in size but instead of consuming him, the whirlwind altered its course, launching the raging inferno straight back at Touma.

His eyes widened in horror.

With a desperate leap, Touma barely escaped, but not before scorching flames licked at his arms and legs, leaving blackened burns on his body.

The fireball, now unleashed, shot towards the swamp and slammed into the water with a deafening explosion.

A massive blast of steam erupted into the air, momentarily obscuring the battlefield. When the haze cleared, the area where the fireball had landed was now completely dry, the swamp water evaporated into nothing.

Ren exhaled slowly, his chakra slightly drained. The Violent Whirlwind Jutsu was one of his most chakra-intensive techniques, costing him a solid 400 CP.

Across from him, Touma was struggling to catch his breath. His body was covered in scorch marks, his movements sluggish from both exhaustion and pain. He stared at Ren, his previous confidence replaced by desperation.

Then, without warning he turned and ran.

Some of his surviving comrades shouted curses at him, but Touma ignored them. He bolted toward the trees, trying to escape.

Ren didn't hesitate. He flickered forward, closing the gap in seconds.

Touma, realizing there was no way he could outrun Ren, suddenly whirled around and threw up his hands.

"Stop!" he shouted. "I'll tell you everything about the mission!"

His voice was loud enough for most of the battlefield to hear.

For a split second, Ren hesitated. His eyes flickered toward Utakata.

His sensei met his gaze, his face unreadable. Then he gave a simple, sharp gesture to finish him.

Ren turned back to Touma and didn't stop.

Touma cursed, trying to widen the distance between them again, but Ren was faster. In a blink, he flickered right in front of him.

With no other choice but to fight, the wounded Cloud ninja gritted his teeth and formed hand signs at blinding speed.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Fire Barrage!"

Small fireballs erupted from his mouth, twisting unpredictably through the air toward Ren.

But Ren was already moving.

With a single sweep of his hands, several blades of slicing wind erupted from his claws, intercepting the fireballs.

Each burst of flame was devoured by the wind, causing small explosions mid-air, illuminating Ren's small figure.

Touma didn't hesitate, already weaving his next jutsu.

"Lightning Style: Thunder Clap!"

A sudden flash of electricity surged through the air, arcing towards Ren with violent intensity.

But Ren thrust both palms forward [Wind Style: Air Wall!] unleashing a torrential blast of wind that scattered the incoming lightning harmlessly into the sky.

Touma stumbled backward, panting heavily.

His chakra was running low.

His hands trembled slightly as he tried to prepare one last attack, but his movements had slowed.

Ren noticed. The opening he was waiting for was finally there.

Touma suddenly lunged forward, kunai in hand, aiming straight for Ren's throat.

But before the attack could even be completed Touma's body froze. 

Squelch.

His eyes trembled, staring down at the bloodied claws protruding from his chest.

Ren's hand had already pierced through his heart.

A gurgled breath escaped Touma's lips.

His kunai slipped from his fingers, clattering to the ground.

Ren didn't say a word.

He simply twisted his hand slightly, ensuring the kill was clean.

Touma shuddered one last time then went still.

With a sharp pull, Ren retracted his claws, letting Touma's lifeless body slump to the ground.

It was over.

With his own fight finished, Ren glanced toward Sho, whom Utakata had instructed him to watch over. However, due to his own battle, he hadn't been able to keep an eye on him.

Now that he looked, Sho was badly injured. Utakata, meanwhile, was engaging with both Sho's opponent and his own at the same time.

Despite facing two jonin-level opponents, Utakata was handling them with surprising ease. As he fought, he glanced at Ren and, seeing that Ren had already finished his battle, he finally made his move.

In an instant, Utakata killed the weaker opponent.

The remaining enemy barely had time to react before he was hit directly by a water bullet. Unable to dodge, the enemy took the attack head-on. However, before he could recover, Utakata followed up with a precise volley of shuriken.

The man failed to defend and fell, lifeless.

With two more enemies down, Ren surveyed the battlefield.

Most of their side was winning.

Haruto, who had been fighting two enemies, was injured but still standing. He had just finished off one opponent, while Hitoshi was helping him deal with the second.

Koichi, who also took on two opponents, had already finished his battle and was now assisting Aoi Mitokada, whose stomach had been pierced. She was lying on the ground, bleeding, but still alive.

At this point, only the two remaining Cloud jonin were still fighting.

Seeing that most of the battles were settled, Ren made his way to Yugao. She was still clutching her injured arm, waiting near the battlefield.

"Let's go to Sensei. He'll heal you," Ren said.

Yugao nodded. "I was waiting for him to finish."

The two of them flickered to Utakata, who was standing on a tree, observing the last two fights.

Yugao spoke up first. "Sensei, can you heal me now, or should I wait?"

Since her injuries weren't severe, and this was her first real battle wound, she figured it was a good question to ask.

Utakata glanced at her arm, removed the makeshift cloth wrap, and placed his hand over the wound. A soft green glow spread from his palm as he explained,

"When you're injured in the field, if your wounds aren't severe, you should wait until the mission is complete before seeking treatment. However, it ultimately depends on the healer's judgment. If the healer believes your injury can wait, then they won't waste their chakra."

He pointed toward Aoi, Haruto, and Sho.

"For example, their injuries look serious, but I can heal them without issue. However, I chose to wait until the jonin battle was finished, in case there were any surprises.

He continued healing, his eyes never leaving the ongoing battle.

"Of course, it also depends on the situation. If you're on a prolonged mission, or if there's an immediate risk, a healer might prioritize saving chakra for emergencies. You'll learn these things as you gain more experience."

As he finished speaking, Yugao's wound was already closed.

At that same moment, Izumo had also killed his opponent.

Utakata glanced at Ren and asked, "Any injuries?"

Ren shook his head. "No."

Before anyone could say more, Akira's opponent, realizing he was the only one left, suddenly tried to make a desperate move.

He quickly moved closer to where everyone was gathered and began forming several hand seals.

However before he could complete them, he was suddenly launched backward at high speed.

The force of the blow sent him flying through the trees before a loud explosion erupted in the distance.

Ren turned his head and saw Utakata standing where the enemy had been just seconds ago.

Utakata spoke calmly as he turned to his students.

"This is an example of a crafty shinobi. If he had gotten close enough, he could've taken all of you down in a suicide blast before you had a chance to react."

His cold gaze then turned toward Akira.

"This will go in the report," Utakata said flatly, then asked "Is he dead?"

Akira's face twisted with bitterness. As a Hyuga, he should have noticed the enemy's intentions much sooner. Allowing a suicide bomber to get that close to his own allies was a clear failure in judgment.

He looked toward the smoking remains of the Cloud ninja and nodded stiffly. "Dead."

Utakata said nothing further.

Instead, he walked toward the injured leaf shinobi. Aoi, Haruto, and Sho, and placed them all together.

One by one, he healed them completely. It took about five minutes per person, but by the time he was finished, they were all back in top condition.

Izumo, now in charge again, gave his final order.

"Collect the bodies."

Those who weren't injured moved out to gather the enemy corpses. They also found two more bodies inside the bunker.

The bunker itself was completely empty. Nothing but a plain room, likely used for waiting.

When all the bodies were collected, Izumo stood before the assembled shinobi.

"Let's return to camp," he ordered. "Our mission is complete."

All the Leaf shinobi returned to their makeshift campsite and retreated to their tents. The operation had begun near afternoon, shortly after Team 1 had arrived and taken a brief rest. Between scouting, planning, and executing the attack, hours had passed. Now, as they settled down, the sun was beginning to set.

Inside Team 1's tent, Utakata faced his students and gave a simple instruction.

"Complete your mission reports up to this point. I'll rest until it's time for you to sleep."

The three genin nodded and immediately began writing.

For dinner, everyone had jerky or a ration pill, the staple food for shinobi on missions. It wasn't much, but it was efficient and kept them ready for battle.

Once they finished, Utakata addressed his team again.

"I'll keep watch on behalf of our team tonight. You can rest. However this is only for this mission. From the next time onward, you will complete your duties like any normal shinobi. We will leave for the village at first light."

With that, he flickered out of the tent.

Left alone, the three genin settled into a half-awake state. Even though a brief rest was enough for a shinobi, sleep was still important especially for growing children.

Outside the Tent Utakata moved away from the camp and created a shadow clone. The clone remained behind, while the real Utakata flickered through the dense forest.

Moving swiftly, he reached the coastline near the sea.

As he was about to land, two masked figures emerged from the shadows. ANBU agents.

However, the moment Utakata flared his chakra slightly, the ANBU agents instantly recognized him and moved aside.

Utakata continued until he reached the shore, where a man with a mane of wild white hair was seated on a rock, staring out at the waves.

Sensing someone approach, the man turned, his face lighting up with joy.

"Utakata! What brings you here?"

Utakata inclined his head slightly and responded in a calm voice.

"Sensei."

 {Question- Should I keep jutsu in " " or [ ] }

{Fight Summary

 Ren vs Touma - Ren won.

 Yugao vs Tanto man- Yugao won.

 Hitoshi vs Fake speedo- Hitoshi won, he also fought against one of Haruto's opponent.

 Utakata handled his own opponent, Sho's opponent and kicked the human bomb.}

{I don't think the others are necessary since you would probably never see them again.}

{Also we finally have the entry of Utakata's teacher, there will be a brief conversation between them but overall this mission would officially end the next chapter as they return to konoha.}

{Tell me what rewards you think I should give him for completing his FIRST A Rank mission-

+2 level ups or

Advanced mastery points.}