"That brat killed Kaidō!"
Shikamaru leapt back to avoid the spray of blood from the thug he had just taken down. The remaining thugs finally snapped out of their shock, and one of them shouted in rage.
In this world, bandits and brigands rarely had a place. In prosperous and peaceful nations, ninja villages guarded the borders. When a troublesome criminal gang appeared, the local officials would simply report it, and assigned shinobi would wipe them out. Even in places without shinobi, merchants often hired foreign ninja to clear the roads of threats. As for war-torn or impoverished regions—life wasn't much better for criminals there either.
That's why, to these thugs, Kaidō had been a rare and valuable backer. His sudden death at Shikamaru's hands infuriated them.
"He's alone! Kill him, then flee!" one thug barked after glancing nervously in Asuma's direction, and several of them charged toward Shikamaru.
They were angry over Kaidō's death, but after Asuma's earlier Fire Release: Ash Pile Burning, which had incinerated nearly 40% of their group, none dared confront him again. Their only thought was escape.
"Alone?" Shikamaru scoffed, backflipping several times to create distance rather than clash head-on.
By this point, Ino, Chōji, Inari, and a group of Land of Waves villagers had already arrived on the bridge. The thugs chasing Shikamaru halted when they saw the new arrivals.
Enemies ahead. Ambush behind. Nowhere to run.
Still, they hesitated—none willing to drop their weapons. Then suddenly, a sharp screech rang out from behind the villagers. A massive spinning sphere burst forth, the screech of chakra and friction sounding like tearing cloth.
"Human Boulder!" came the cry—Akimichi Chōji had arrived, using the secret technique of the Akimichi Clan.
The enormous ball of flesh and chakra slammed down from above like a cannonball, crashing into the thugs.
Boom!
The power of the Akimichi Clan's secret jutsu was devastating—like throwing several explosive tags into a crowd. The section of bridge Chōji landed on cracked and collapsed. Flying debris wounded many. Those struck directly were killed on impact; others who were merely grazed suffered broken bones at minimum.
That one strike crushed the remaining morale of the thugs. Someone was first to shout, "I surrender!" and threw down their weapon. The others followed one after another.
A few tried to escape by jumping into the river—but were swiftly shot down by Land of Waves fishermen, who had hidden hand crossbows at home.
After that, things became much simpler. The disarmed and captured thugs were left to the villagers for punishment. There was no need for Team 10 to stay involved.
Shikamaru, Asuma, Ino, and Chōji exchanged smiles. It was finally over.
Later…
"Limited techniques. Poor chakra control. Lacking stamina too."
Shikamaru walked leisurely along a tree trunk as if it were level ground. But for Ino and Chōji—who were just starting to practice Tree Climbing—they knew how difficult that calm demeanor really was.
Ino had just asked about the strength of the rogue swordsmen Shikamaru fought earlier, prompting his analysis.
From the encounter with Zabuza Momochi and Haku, to the rogue samurai and the plan to eliminate Kaidō—it had all greatly benefited Team 10. Still, as Genin, their journey had only just begun. They didn't dwell too much on the past.
Now that they had free time, training had once again become the focus. After seeing the strength of Jonin and other shinobi their age, Ino and Chōji were now more determined than ever. The memory of nearly dying, overwhelmed by killing intent, was not something they wanted to relive.
Team 10 had gathered in a small grove near Tazuna's house, practicing chakra control by climbing trees.
Shikamaru was training too. Mastery of chakra was about the details. Even though he'd already learned tree-walking, refining the technique further was still worthwhile.
Unlike Ino and Chōji, who gathered chakra at their feet in a burst and ran up the trees, Shikamaru's method caught Asuma's eye.
Every step was deliberate. No bark was torn loose—because Shikamaru precisely withdrew chakra from his foot before lifting it, then reapplied chakra at the new foothold. This prevented unnecessary damage to the tree and demonstrated exact control. It was a trick Shikamaru had worked out on his own. Asuma, watching it for the first time, couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy at his talent.
What's more, Shikamaru wasn't just training chakra control. His entire body was tense, and under his shirt was a weighted vest filled with iron sand, totaling over 100 jin (~60kg). So, while it looked like he was simply tree-walking, it was also a form of strength and stamina training.
"Those two were just rogue swordsmen," Shikamaru said to Ino while climbing, his movements steady and precise. "They never received formal training as samurai. Their swordplay and taijutsu were average. They knew only the basics of chakra. Even against true samurai—I wouldn't be afraid."
He flipped down from the tree, landing softly. His knees bent to absorb the shock before he stood up again.
Sweat beaded on his brow. The weight vest had grown uncomfortable, so he casually removed his shirt and dropped the vest to the ground. His upper body was bare. Though just twelve years old, his body was already lean and toned—not bulky, but muscular. As he moved, it was like small serpents coiled and shifted under his skin.
Ino caught a glimpse, flushed red, and quickly turned her head with a scoff, muttering, "You're supposed to be the top 'genius' of our class. If you couldn't beat two no-name thugs, it'd really be shameful for the Leaf Village."
Shikamaru didn't respond. Once, samurai had held prestige—but now, many shinobi hardly gave them a second thought. Even Naruto, in the original story, hadn't even heard of samurai at first.
This world truly was one where the strong survive.