CH_51

Just as Tōji's attention started to wander, Kenji spoke up to warn them, "Heads up!"

Kenji was in his twenties, but most of the time he was serious and stern. With his build and facial structure, people tended to forget he was still young.

But when he could really let loose, he did have a fairly cheerful, lively side.

His warning this time was only two words—short and to the point.

Daytime "ambushes" were hard to predict.

Sometimes it was just one or two—even wounded Iwa-nin… sometimes it was two or three full Iwa squads…

And it wasn't always that you were the one being ambushed—maybe you'd hit them first…

The shinobi battlefield could be pretty dramatic.

After all, it wasn't like the Fourth Great Ninja War—where you were either fighting a horde of brain-dead White Zetsu and charging in en masse, or fighting reanimated "allies."

Setting aside special cases for now, shinobi combat in the jungle was usually a "skirmish" at the squad level. It was on open plains that you'd "honorably" deploy formations and trade combined ninjutsu volleys. In a place like the Land of Water, it was all about assassination…

This time, no surprises—it was a typical "encounter" between Konoha and Iwa shinobi.

Whether Kenji had detected the enemy first, or the enemy had already noticed Kenji's squad, was anyone's guess.

So Kenji signaled for everyone to stop, giving him a moment to gauge the enemy's numbers through ground vibrations.

If the enemy had more people, a tactical retreat was nothing to be ashamed of!

If it was something they could handle, Kenji would definitely lead the three genin—who were already at chūnin level—into the fight. After all, that meant combat merits, clan reputation, and—most importantly—bonus pay!

Kenji came from a no-name minor family—one that didn't even qualify as third-rate. When he was a kid, the clan was in such financial crisis that its handful of surviving members couldn't even get enough to eat.

It was a wonder that Kenji, despite childhood malnutrition, had grown into such a burly guy.

Killing enemies on the battlefield paid better than running errands in peacetime!

Even though Kenji had already eased his clan's financial struggles after becoming a chūnin, and now the Kokubō family was doing reasonably well under his jōnin income, his frugality and greediness had become permanent traits.

In every post-battle looting session, Tōji would see Kenji's eyes light up when he found something good… bright and shining.

"One… two… three—four of them!" From the tone of Kenji's voice, Tōji felt something was off.

If Kenji decided to go all in and turn a small risk into a big reward… Tōji almost wanted to slap himself—why did he always have thoughts that felt like jinxing things?

"They're probably a standard combat squad!" Kenji's blue eyes—neither big nor small—widened slightly…

That expression was clearly his "money eyes" activating.

But Kenji didn't directly say he wanted to go for the kill. He waited for Tōji and the others to weigh in.

Kenji knew exactly what the three of them were capable of. If they went back to the village and took the Chūnin Exams, it wouldn't be a sure thing—but it'd be as close as you could get.

With so many shinobi dying these days, as long as you were politically correct and met the combat requirements, you could get promoted even if other qualities were slightly lacking.

So Kenji figured that, on paper, their squad and the Iwa squad they'd encountered were evenly matched.

Natchi glanced at Tōji. Natchi didn't see much of a problem. Tōji stayed silent. Neru gave no indication either.

"We still have to hurry and support our comrades over there, don't we?" Since no one else spoke, Tōji had to step up and voice his opinion.