I'm retrieving corpses in Konoha.

Hayato's expression was a bit more amiable than Naoto's, but he couldn't help but be stunned when he saw Uzuki Yugao in her current state.

Moonlight Gale's heart skipped a beat. Just one glance, and Uzuki Yugao's image was deeply imprinted in his heart.

Uzuki Yugao frowned, feeling that this captain seemed unreliable.

But she still stepped forward, handed over the scroll, and said, "Captain Moonlight Gale, the Third Hokage asked me to give this to you."

Even her voice, in the moonlight and the wind, sounded as melodious and clear as a lark's, pleasant to the ear.

"Ah... oh."

As soon as Uzuki Yugao finished speaking, Gekko Hayate realized what was happening, immediately looked away, and solemnly accepted the scroll.

The scroll was unfurled, and after glancing at it for a while, Moonlight Hayate looked up and asked, "You're a Chunin named Uzuki Yugao?"

Hayate Gekko himself had only recently been promoted to Chunin.

Uzuki Yugao was clearly a few years younger than him, which surprised Gekko Hayate.

Uzuki Yugao nodded and said with a smile, "I've been assigned to this team for now, please take good care of me."

The word "temporarily" was emphasized.

Although Uzuki Yugao didn't have a good first impression of the team leader, they would be carrying out missions together in the future, so she still had to show basic courtesy.

By the way, the best app for reading aloud right now is Wildfruit Reading; install the latest version.

Naoto and Hayato, standing nearby, both stared wide-eyed.

"Chunin? You graduated with us, you should be a Genin, right? Are you sure you're not mistaken?" Naoto asked incredulously.

Hayato didn't ask the question aloud, but his expression was exactly the same as Naoto's.

Becoming a Chunin just one month after graduation was unbelievable to them.

Even for "geniuses" like them, in a month, they hadn't learned many ninjutsu besides the Three Body Technique.

How could she possibly be promoted to Chunin? Besides, she didn't even see Uzuki Yugao during the Chunin Exams.

Moonlight Gale frowned, looking at the contents of the scroll, and said:

"Yugao participated in an S-rank mission, performed exceptionally well, and was strong enough to be promoted, which is why the Third Hokage specially promoted Yugao to Chunin."

The original A-rank mission has been upgraded to S-rank by the Third Hokage due to the betrayal of the Hidden Cloud Village and the subsequent battle between the group and the Raikage.

"She's strong enough to advance?!" The slightly overweight Naoto thought he had misheard.

He glared and took a few steps forward aggressively, even wanting to challenge Uzuki Yugao.

If Uzuki Yugao can advance, then he can too.

Because, in the few practical training sessions the two had, Uzuki Yugao had never been able to beat him.

Chapter 26 Showdown

Uzuki Yugao frowned slightly, raised her hand to her shoulder, and grasped the hilt of the samurai sword behind her.

If Naoto were to actually make a move, even with a formidable enemy at hand, she would absolutely not show any mercy.

Because a team that is outwardly friendly but inwardly discordant will find it difficult to complete a mission successfully, it is better to remove one uncooperative member first.

Hayate Gekko's face immediately darkened. He stepped in front of Yugao Uzuki and said in a deep voice, "Naoto, with a formidable enemy at hand, what are you trying to do?"

As he spoke, Moonlight Gale finally couldn't help but cough twice.

He had been suppressing his cough in order to maintain his image in front of Uzuki Yugao.

Now, in the heat of the moment, I couldn't help myself.

Naoto stopped in his tracks and said angrily, "I'm going to test whether Uzuki Yugao really has the ability!"

In his eyes, he should definitely be the first in the entire class to be promoted to Chunin.

Now, suddenly, a girl named Uzuki Yugao, whose talent is far inferior to his, has appeared and has even advanced to Chunin before him.

Naoto was very indignant, and given his already short temper, he couldn't hold back any longer.

"Do you even know what you're saying? Xiyan is our companion, and we still have a mission to complete later. Do you want to fight with your own people?"

Hayate Gekko stared at Naoto with hostility, his cough aggravated by his agitation.

"I'm stronger than her!" Naoto pointed at Uzuki Yugao and said angrily, "Her talent was only average in school, and I always suppressed her. She had no chance of being promoted to Chunin!"

"Besides, his teacher was a complete loser, how could he possibly have taught her many ninjutsu techniques, let alone..."

At this point, Naoto suddenly stopped and did not continue.

He originally thought that someone like Uchiha Natsu was not qualified to participate in S-rank missions.

But then she remembered that the Hokage himself had written that she had participated in an S-rank mission, so it couldn't be a lie. Therefore, she didn't say anything more.

However, although Naoto didn't say it, Uzuki Yugao knew what he meant.

Uzuki Yugao's expression had now turned completely cold.

To slander someone's teacher to their face is the most serious provocation, akin to insulting someone's parents.

Uzuki Yugao bypassed the moonlight and gusts of wind, then raised her right hand, forming a contrasting seal in front of her.

“My teacher is a hundred times better than me. A month ago, I almost failed my teacher’s test and was nearly sent back to school to repeat a year.”

After a pause, Uzuki Yugao's face turned frosty as she coldly said, "If you can't even beat me, I suggest you go back to school and relearn the basics of being a ninja."

"What did you say!" Naoto immediately bristled, and was about to teach Uzuki Yugao a lesson.

Hayato, who was standing next to him, quickly grabbed him and said urgently, "Calm down, calm down!"

But in reality, Hayato was also indignant.

Because their instructor was Might Guy, an excellent Jonin from Konoha.

Might Guy was promoted to Jonin at the age of sixteen, and his taijutsu was unparalleled in the entire Hidden Leaf Village.

Many of Konoha's Jonin couldn't beat their teacher, and even the genius Kakashi was defeated by Guy several times.

Although he has only recently been promoted to Jonin, he is already very famous in Konoha.

As for Uzuki Yugao's teacher, although she was in the same class as Kai, the difference between them was too great.

He's still only a Chunin, and he was promoted through an exception, so there's no comparison.

Whether it's her own talent or her mentors, Uzuki Yugao is no match for the two of them.

Now, Uzuki Yugao actually looks down on Naoto, which is tantamount to looking down on Hayato.

If it weren't for the fact that Uzuki Yugao is so cute, Hayato would never have stopped Naoto, and might even have gone up with Naoto to teach him a lesson.

"Shh!"

Just then, a samurai sword slashed between the two men, accompanied by a whooshing sound.

Naoto stopped struggling and turned to look at Gekko Hayate.

Moonlight Gale coughed twice, then said seriously, "A duel is fine, but it must be stopped when it's over, and it must not affect your combat strength."

With Gekko Hayate's permission, Hayato released his grip and took a few steps back.

Naoto, gritting his teeth, also raised his right hand and formed a contrasting mudra with Uzuki Yugao.

Once the opposing seals are completed, it means the two can engage in sparring and combat.

Uzuki Yugao remained silent, drawing her katana from behind her with her right hand, the blade snapping shut with a "whoosh".

She appeared tall and ethereal, like a painting.

This single action was enough to catch Moonlight Gale's eye.

His swordsmanship skills were evident from this single movement that Uzuki Yugao's strength was not weak.

This was the first time Naoto had ever seen Yugao Uzuki use a samurai sword. Before, at school, they always had to spar with wooden kunai.

However, he did not believe that Yugao Uzuki's strength would increase simply by changing her weapon.

Naoto clenched his fist and took a deep breath. Like Might Guy, he was also skilled in hand-to-hand combat. That's why he had repeatedly won first place in practical assessments.

“Let’s begin!” Naoto said.

As soon as Naoto finished speaking, he realized that Uzuki Yugao had suddenly disappeared.

The next moment, a sharp pain suddenly shot through his chest, and the scene before his eyes rapidly reversed.

"Oh!"

Uzuki Yugao used the back of her sword to sweep across Naoto's chest with a swift motion.

With a muffled thud, Naoto was instantly sent flying, arcing through the air before crashing heavily to the ground a short distance away.

The battle ended instantly; Naoto was defeated in a single move.

Uzuki Yugao calmly sheathed her katana, glanced at Naoto lying on the ground, and said nothing.

Hayato and Gekko Hayate were both utterly shocked.

The strength that Uzuki Yugao displayed was simply too great.

Even Moonlight Gale couldn't see that move clearly; it was as if space itself had shrunk, leaving no time to react.

Not far away, Naoto, lying on the ground, almost wanted to just faint and die.

From the moment Uzuki Yugao's sword struck his chest, Naoto understood that Uzuki Yugao was definitely stronger than him, much stronger.

Besides being shocked, he also regretted his rashness today, which had now put him in an awkward position.

Hayato was the first to react, rushing over to help Naoto up, anxiously asking, "Are you alright?"

Honestly, I've been using Wildfruit Reading to read and follow my favorite books lately. It has easy source switching, multiple reading voice options, and works on both Android and Apple devices.

Naoto couldn't keep up the act any longer and coughed twice, saying, "Cough cough, it's nothing, I just used a move the teacher taught me and I can't handle it."

In reality, it was all made up. He hadn't even learned Kai's physical techniques yet; at most, he only knew some fancy moves.

In fact, Uzuki Yugao used her power very skillfully and did not hurt Naoto; at most, he would only feel some pain in his skin.

But she didn't expose Naoto, since they would be carrying out a mission together later.

"Alright, get up. Xiyan won this battle. Do you still have any doubts about Xiyan's strength?"