As soon as Seimei confirmed the completion of the mission, the two Senju Jonin flickered out of their hiding location and appeared in front of him in the blink of an eye.
Although they looked composed, their eyes betrayed the awe and surprise they were feeling right now.
When Senju Toshiro and Senju Ryosuke were appointed to the observation and protection mission, they thought they would have to intervene to save Seimei's life.
This was nothing new.
The clan kids who were old enough were often sent to Chakra Beast extermination missions within the vicinity of the village to make them taste real combat.
It helped the kids sharpen their combat instincts, polish their skills, and identify their weak points for rectification later.
The kids got to experience real-life life-and-death combat situations, shaping them into true Shinobi.
Of course, Ninja clans would often send experienced Shinobi tailing behind these hot-blooded kids to ensure their survival during the mission.
If the kids faced situations where death was certain, these hidden Shinobi took action to protect them and finish off the Chakra Beasts.
After all, geniuses must be protected before they can grow up and unleash their full potential.
Senju Seimei (Otsutsuki Seimei) was also a top-notch prodigy of the Senju clan, recognized by the clan elders.
So, when he decided to go out and experience real combat against Chakra Beasts, the clan didn't hesitate to send two full-fledged Jonin to protect him during potentially life-threatening situations.
That was normal.
However, these two Jonins didn't expect the severity of the mission to be this high.
Seimei was just 8 years old this year. At most, they expected him to have the combat prowess of an average Chunin.
So, it would have been fine if he chose to face a C-rank Chakra Beast.
But what was his mission?
It was exterminating a group of 14 C-rank Aquatrex and 1 B-rank Elite Aquatrex.
When Senju Toshiro and Ryosuke saw the mission details, they thought Seimei was just being arrogant and hasty, a typical trait of many young geniuses who had never faced real-life-and-death situations.
This mission requires at least an experienced Special Jonin to complete. And even a Shinobi of such rank might face trouble.
To ensure absolute safety, a full-fledged Jonin was needed.
So, they thought Seimei would struggle to hold on, and they would have to intervene soon to prevent the Chakra Beasts from mortally injuring him.
That's what should have happened.
An 8-year-old facing a B-rank and tens of C-rank Chakra Beasts all alone?
Even a fiction book writer wouldn't dare to write something this outrageous.
But reality can sometimes be stranger than fiction.
During this mission, these two Jonin fully understood what the quote, "The difference between humans can be far bigger and wider than the difference between a human and a dog," meant.
Senju Toshiro and Senju Ryosuke became full-fledged Jonin when they were 20 and 22, respectively.
They were also hailed as the shining geniuses of the clan.
After all, Shinobi who could become Jonin within their early 20s were undoubtedly geniuses worth nurturing.
They were guaranteed to reach the Elite Jonin status within a decade. And if they could push a bit harder, becoming S-rank Shinobi would not be out of the question.
As for becoming a Kage-level Ninja? That was a whole different matter—only talent wouldn't get you there.
(A/N:Of course, if you have a powerful bloodline that even the Senju clan would consider cheat-tier, then it will be a different matter.)
However, in front of Seimei, their title as geniuses felt like a joke to them!
What was a prodigy? This was a true prodigy!
In front of true prodigies, the common geniuses were nothing more than a heap of shiny trash!
Toshiro and Ryosuke could only watch with awe as Seimei effortlessly exterminated the group of Chakra Beasts.
They clearly saw how Seimei took advantage of the distracted Chakra Beasts and eliminated four of them in a flash.
Seimei showed sharp combat instincts and incredible battlefield tactics when he eliminated the sixth Aquatrex with explosive tags while retreating and altered the terrain with his Earth Release technique, killing two more Aquatrexes while incapacitating three others.
After that, his quick retreat when facing the surprise attack of the Elite Aquatrex showed great battlefield awareness—an invaluable skill for any Shinobi.
Facing the Elite Aquatrex, Seimei executed the best possible Ninjutsu and techniques at the precise time, rendering the powerful beast that even a special Jonin would struggle against absolutely helpless.
And that's not all.
The use of 4 shadow clones mid-battle to engage and eliminate the other regular Aquatrex to prevent unexpected elements from interfering with his duel against the B-rank beast also didn't escape the two Jonin's sharp observations.
In short, the mission was completed beautifully.
And their young master, Seimei, was clearly powerful enough to give any Special Jonin a run for their money.
"Cough cough…now that the mission is complete, we should clean up the battlefield."
"By the way, should we take the remains of the Chakra Beasts back to the village?"
Seimei spoke up first after seeing the two of his companions staring at him in a daze.
His question immediately brought Senju Toshiro and Senju Ryosuke out of their reverie.
It was a little embarrassing to get distracted during the mission. But who could blame them after what they just witnessed?
Senju Ryosuke shook the stray thoughts away and replied, "Yes, young master."
"Except for the two beasts that were completely mangled, the bodies of the others were mostly intact and recyclable."
"As you know, the meat of the Chakra Beasts is a delicacy packed with essential nutrients."
"It can help Shinobi improve their physique, and high-ranking Chakra Beasts can also improve the efficiency of chakra extraction and nature transformation affinity training."
"Although these Chakra Beasts won't have a Chakra Core since none of them reached the A-rank, their bones, tendons, and organs are still valuable."
"They can help our experts create sturdy weapons, potions, and medicines."
Seimei listened to the explanation patiently and nodded.
"Very well. Let's clean up the battlefield and seal the Chakra Beast bodies into the storage scroll."
"Right away, young master Seimei." Both of the Jonin said in unison.
The three of them cleaned up the battlefield within 15 minutes and headed to the clan compound.
Once they reached the clan grounds, Senju Toshiro turned to Seimei and said, "You can now go to rest, young master."
"Ryosuke and I will handle the rest of the procedure and notify Master Tobirama about the mission's completion."
Seimei gave them a bright smile and said, "Great! Thank you for your hard work."
"It's our duty, young master."
They replied, bowed slightly toward Seimei, and then flickered away to find and notify Senju Tobirama.
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