NARUTO: Ninja World Scientific Revolution

The convoy's pace wasn't fast, as the cargo was heavy, and rushing would damage both the carts and the horses. The Land of Fire was prosperous, and even ordinary villagers would have some savings from farming. When they encountered mountain bandits, they would pool their money together to commission Konoha for protection. Thus, the chances of encountering bandits before leaving the Land of Fire were very low, and they could afford to relax a little.

This was the first time for both Kiyo Hyuga and Kurenai Yuhi to leave Konoha Village, and they were quite curious about everything outside. Even though Kiyo was bound by the traditions of the Hyuga Clan, her pure white eyes still wandered curiously, though she made sure to keep it subtle. 

Hyuga Mirai, on the other hand, would activate his Byakugan every so often to observe the surroundings. He had once claimed that his Byakugan could see up to a kilometer away, but in reality, he could already see up to two kilometers. 

Akimichi Fuu, positioned at the back of the convoy, kept an eye on the actions of the three younger ninja. 'Cautious, competent, and adaptable—the three follow the ninja code perfectly.' This was Akimichi Fuu's evaluation of Hyuga Mirai. In his eyes, Mirai was the only one who could be promoted to Chunin in the shortest amount of time. His insight was extraordinary, able to see through Akimichi's intentions quickly. Moreover, during their first team formation, Mirai managed to help the group coordinate seamlessly. Although Mirai was slightly weaker in strength, he was nearly Chunin material. 

What a pity, Akimichi Fuu thought. If only Mirai were a civilian, he would have definitely considered taking him as a disciple. But as a member of the Hyuga branch family, Mirai could only obey the commands of the main family. Even the Third Hokage had no power to interfere with the Hyuga Clan's decisions. In times of war, if the Hyuga Clan was needed, the Third Hokage could only consult with the head of the main family before sending out branch family members. Other clans' ninja had the opportunity to join the ANBU or ROOT, but for the Hyuga branch family, that chance didn't exist. 

*What a waste...* Akimichi Fuu shook his head and stopped thinking about it. His primary role as the team leader was to protect the Hyuga main family's people and pass on his experience to the three younger ninja. Once they were all qualified to be Chunin, he would be reassigned by the Hokage. Therefore, the key was to complete missions quickly and accumulate experience, while occasionally offering some guidance to the three.

Though the chances of danger were low within the Land of Fire, Hyuga Mirai didn't let his guard down. *The last ten miles are always the hardest,* he knew this well, especially in the ninja world where the unexpected was common. Strong figures like the Sage of Six Paths could be killed by a surprise attack, and even elite ninjas could be caught off guard with kunai.

The convoy reached the border of the Land of Fire and stopped in a small town along the way, spending the night there. The rest of the time was spent camping outdoors. During this mission, Akimichi Fuu hardly spoke, and Kiyo Hyuga and Hyuga Mirai were both relatively quiet. The only one who was somewhat lively was Kurenai Yuhi, who often found herself bored and started talking to fill the silence.

Once they crossed into the Land of Grass, Hyuga Mirai, seeing that Akimichi Fuu still hadn't spoken, gave a reminder to the others. "We need to be careful now, Kiyo-sama, Kurenai." 

Upon hearing Mirai's voice, Kiyo Hyuga frowned slightly, displeased. She turned to him and said, "I've told you, call me Kiyo when we're outside." 

Hyuga Mirai was momentarily silent, then, understanding, he nodded and replied, "Understood, Kiyo." 

After that, the three formed a protective formation at the front of the convoy, while Akimichi Fuu remained at the back. They all knew that once they left the safety of the Land of Fire, they could encounter some danger, so they remained on high alert.

Hyuga Mirai and Kiyo took turns activating their Byakugan. While this drained chakra, they had supplies of soldier pills to replenish their energy, and the mission was not far from its destination, so Kiyo treated it as a good way to train her Byakugan. If it weren't for the taste of the soldier pills, she wouldn't have agreed to take them.

Suddenly, Hyuga Mirai spoke up. "There's a valley one kilometer away. Thirty-six armed mountain bandits are lying in wait. One of them has chakra, but it's less than half of yours." 

"Mirai-kun!" Kurenai Yuhi puffed out her cheeks and glared at him. Out of the four of them, she was often the one who felt singled out. 'Is he implying I'm the weakest?'

"Ah, sorry, Kurenai, I just blurted that out," Hyuga Mirai said, then glanced at Akimichi Fuu, waiting for the captain's orders. Akimichi Fuu thought for a moment, then raised his head and asked, "Is this the only group nearby?" 

"I can only see these," Hyuga Mirai replied. 

"Within a 1.5-kilometer radius, there's only this group lying in wait," Kiyo Hyuga added, opening her Byakugan to survey the area. 

"Then, you three go and handle them," Akimichi Fuu said calmly. "Take them out before the convoy reaches the valley. Quickly regroup afterward, understood?" 

"Yes!" The three responded in unison, before jumping away from the convoy. They spread out, gradually changing their formation as they ran toward the bandits hiding in the valley. 

The bandits included one who seemed like a rogue ninja, but none of them posed a significant threat to the three of them. Despite the presence of a rogue ninja, his chakra level was too low to increase the mission's difficulty. After giving Kurenai the location of the bandits, the trio split up to encircle them from three different directions. 

In this world, taking lives was a mandatory skill. Furthermore, Hyuga Mirai had witnessed many bloody wounds at the hospital, and even seen a fair number of corpses. What he lacked now was the personal experience of taking a life. For him, this was merely a means to gain experience. Killing wasn't something to hesitate over, especially if it made him stronger. If it came to that, Hyuga Mirai wouldn't hesitate to throw his kunai. 

Once the other two arrived at the bandits' ambush location, Hyuga Mirai made a hand gesture. 

Whoosh! Whoosh! Kunai and shuriken flew from three directions, striking down seven or eight of the bandits in an instant. 

"Damn it! Who's there?" 

"It's a ninja! Damn Merchants, they hired ninja guards!" 

The bandits panicked when they saw the shuriken. Ninjas possessed strength that ordinary people couldn't hope to match, and everyone in the ninja world knew this fact. 

"That's enough, you punks!" Kiyo Hyuga shouted coldly as she dropped from the tree in front of the bandits. 

One of the bandits saw the symbol on Kiyo's forehead protector and yelled, "A little girl? A Konoha ninja!" 

"We've got Ryoka-sama! What do we have to fear from a little girl?" 

It seemed that the rogue ninja had given the bandits some courage, and Kiyo's age led them to underestimate her. They thought the recent deaths were only the result of a sneak attack by the kid. 

The rogue ninja stepped forward, sizing Kiyo Hyuga up before sneering, "Hmph, a little brat. Even if you are a Konoha ninja, don't underestimate the adult here." 

Before he could finish his words, his expression blanked. 

Kiyo Hyuga, seeing this, tilted her head and called out, "Kurenai, I was supposed to handle this guy." 

The rogue ninja had fallen under a genjutsu, his consciousness clouded. 

Perched in a tree, Kurenai Yuhi's ruby-red eyes flashed with a hint of satisfaction as she replied, "Kiyo, that was what Mirai said, not me. I didn't agree to it." 

Swish! Swish! Swish! 

More shuriken flew, cutting through the bandit's throat. 

Hyuga Mirai sighed and stepped forward, trying to ease the tension. "It's fine, Kiyo. The captain didn't give us much time. Let's prioritize the mission." 

(End of Chapter)