En route, Fujin thought, 'So that's why I never got assigned a mission again! Sigh, at least someone should have said something to me… I guess Tamotsu's words indirectly came from Hiruzen.
That said, even if I did know this, I don't have connections with any chunins. It's the same issue that I concluded while going on the mission with Yasuoka and the rest. Just going around advertising my Wind jutsu capabilities would have been stupid. After all, who knows what squad I'd join up with? I guess the only choices available were to ask Renjiro or Hiruzen to assign me to a team. It's probably what Hiruzen did.
That said, not having any connections is kinda an issue. I didn't give much thought to this earlier as this is the world of the strong. As long as I keep working hard and reach the top, everyone would be trying to create a relationship with me. But, reaching such a level will need a lot of time. And I might need aid along the path.
At the very least, the help I got from Renjiro was critical. And unlike Hiruzen, it was a selfless act from him. Sigh, I will have to interact more with other ninjas. While I won't ever need as much aid as Renjiro gave me, I will need to have connections in order to make different sorts of teams depending on missions.
Still, how do I do that? It's not like I can hang around and drink alongside them, can I? Leave it. No point in acting desperate. I'll just make connections as I get opportunities in the future.
Anyways, it's not an issue to not have done any missions in the last 3 months. These months have improved my skill with Fuinjutsu a lot. I have learnt all the important seals. In terms of effectiveness, I should be on par with Seal masters. I'll probably need a couple more months to learn all the remaining seals. But, I think it'll be better to stop for now. I should practice the seals I have learnt for some time. After all, it's very unlikely that Hiruzen would give me the scroll for Flying Thunder God so soon.'
Fujin trained with his shadow clones to practice his ninjutsu, kenjutsu and taijutsu for a few hours.
The next day, Fujin began moving towards Konoha's entrance gate. He thought, 'Land of Rice… I hope I don't end up encountering Orochimaru. Encountering Kakuzu was plenty of excitement for a few years.'
Fujin gathered with his new squad at the gate. Tamotsu said, "Our client will arrive here in a few minutes. I'll brief you on the situation. The Land of Rice had been peaceful after the Third Great Ninja War. But, in the last few years, there have been many turbulences in the Land of Rice.
Many rogue attacks have been reported. Many nobles are targeted too. Even their Daimyo's retinue was targeted once. So, we have to be very careful during this mission.
Tadashi, you will be responsible for smelling any possible attackers. Katsumi and Fujin, you two will back him up. Ryota, you will be responsible for keeping our client safe. You will cooperate with his bodyguard. I will be responsible to attack any attackers. Tadashi will assist me and Katsumi will provide long-range support. Fujin, for this mission, only observe us. If you get an opportunity, you can attack."
Fujin nodded. The arrangement was reasonable as he would need some time to fit into their team. Tamotsu briefed his team on a few matters until 2 men arrived at the gate.
The younger man was a blonde wearing an expensive robe. The older man dressed as a ninja and had a similar mask to Kakashi. Two swords could be seen on his back.
They greeted Tamotsu as they interacted with him on the previous day. After discussing for a bit, they left.
The young noble and his protector walked at the center. Tadashi, Kenta and Tamotsu walked in front of them. Fujin walked to their right and Ryota to their left. Katsumi handled the rear.
The group took 7 days to reach the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rice. They didn't encounter any troubles on the way.
On reaching the border, the protector said, "We have been experiencing a lot of rogue attacks in the last year. We will need to travel another day and a half. Please be on guard and protect us."
Tamotsu replied, "Don't worry. We are always alert."
The group continued moving. After a few hours, Inuzuka Tadashi stopped and said, "There are three scents at this location. Someone was here not long back."
Tamotsu looked at Fujin and Aburame Katsumi. Fujin activated his chakra field. Some bugs appeared around Katsumi and spread in the forest.
Fujin said, "No one in one kilometer radius around us."
Fujin chakra field could sense up to 1.25 kilometers. But, he decided to report only one kilometer. In the future, if someone became aware of Fujin's capabilities and decided to hide just outside his stated range, then they would lose their element of surprise.
Tamotsu nodded and looked at Katsumi. After a few minutes, Katsumi said, "No one is hiding around us."
Tamotsu instructed, "Have your insects keep a watch. If those guys are planning trouble for us, then they might appear soon."
Katsumi nodded and let his bugs fly around the group. The group continued walking for another kilometer.
Some distance ahead of the group, 4 ninjas were waiting on a tree. One of them said, "Boss, that noble called Kobi Takuma should be travelling on this route soon. But he should be escorted by Konoha ninjas. Should we attack?"
Before he could answer, another guy said, "Let's attack them and even kill Konoha ninjas. That way we will become famous throughout the Land of Rice!"
The third guy also wanted to attack. So their leader agreed and said, "We will attack and kill them all. Hide properly. We will launch a sneak attack and kill them before they even understand what's happening!"
All four dispersed in different directions and got in position. Unknown to them, their small meeting was conducted under the surveillance of a few bugs.
Katsumi spoke without giving any signs of tension, "Don't react. Four rogue ninjas are planning an ambush ahead. About 1.5 kilometers from here."
Tamotsu asked, "How strong are they?"
Katsumi replied, "Not sure. Guessing at Chunin level."
Tamotsu instructed, "Alright, keep moving this way. When we are close, Katsumi and Tadashi will attack. Ryota and Fujin will defend. Fujin, don't sense them."
No one replied to Tamotsu and the group kept moving forward. The noble and his bodyguard were tense but didn't show it. They were already prepared to get attacked.
Around 500 meters from the ambush spot, Tadashi said, "I can smell them."
Katsumi said, "My bugs have passed me their location as well."
Tamotsu said, "Good. Attack as soon as you can."
The group walked until they were just a hundred meters from the ambush spot. Suddenly, Tadashi, Kenta and Katsumi disappeared. They moved stealthily through the forest towards the ones waiting in hiding.
Fujin's eyes glowed as he observed them. He checked the ambushers and thought, 'Chunins? At max those guys are Genins. Only one has Chunin level chakra reserves.'
Tadashi and his dog were faster. They reached their opponent first. Their opponent didn't see them until the last moment. When he heard something and checked behind him, Tadashi stuck his kunai into his back while Kenta bit his throat.
Another attacker was a few meters away from Tadashi. He was shocked at seeing one of them being killed so quickly. He shouted to alert others and grabbed his weapon. However, Tadashi and Kenta suddenly began spinning.
'Man Beast Taijutsu : Fang Over Fang!'
The ninja hadn't seen such a technique before. Both Tadashi and Kenta hit him. Their claws ripped his throat.
Both stopped and looked at their victims and thought, 'They were only genins.'
On the other side of the road, Katsumi watched from a distance as his bugs devoured one of his opponents. The last remaining member of this group was their leader. He was terrified by the screams of his underlings on the other side and the bugs eating one of his men in front of him.
He began making hand signs in a panic when Katsumi said, "Give up. Your death is a certainty."
He was humiliated but kept making hand signs. Suddenly, he felt something bite his chest. The tense situation made him ignore the pain, but suddenly his hands and legs trembled. His knees fell to the ground.
Katsumi said, "You shouldn't fight when your clothes are full of my poisonous bugs."
The enemy fell to the ground. He could see some bugs crawling out of his shirt.
Tamotsu appeared behind Katsumi and asked, "Is it done?"
Katsumi said, "Yes. Looks like only he was at the Chunin level. Though it's doubtful that someone like him can have a bounty."
Tamotsu said, "Even if he doesn't, we can use his head to improve relations with the Daimyo slightly. So collect it."
Katsumi nodded and stored his head in a scroll.
The group continued their journey.