Team Tango was currently undergoing a mission involving the arrest of thieves. These rogues have occupied a commonly frequented trail used by civilians in the Land of Lightning
WHACK!
"Ugh!"
"Let me get this straight, you morons thought taking over a route, less than four miles away from one of the Five Great Shinobi Nations...would be profitable? Are you mentally challenged or something?" (Rei)
"Rei, what did I say about provoking the enemy?" (Tango)
"It's not really provoking if I'm pointing out their obvious stupidity" (Rei)
"Okay see that, that right there...THAT was provoking" (Tai)
"Pssh! Like you're not thinking the same thing Tai" (Rei)
It had been close to two years since Rei's mission with Motoi and Team F. He was now ten years old, approaching eleven and had grown in height to nearly match his squad mates Tai and Suzu, who were both twelve respectively
Sticking to their standard formation, Rei and Tango were acting as the vanguards. As the team medic, Tai was stationed in the back and Suzu stuck by him for protection. Utilizing long-range attacks for support
"Damn brats! We'll teach you to mock-!"
"Suiton: Kiri Seigyo no Jutsu1Water Style: Mist Control!" (Tai)
After receiving the same item summoning arm bracers from Rei, Tai summoned a vial of liquid and vaporized it with his water style, turning it into a poisonous mist. He'd become an efficient poison user and his control improved to the point he could use it freely without endangering his comrades
Suzu followed in kind with a wave of small compressed air bullets, attacking their limbs and joints. Her elemental mastery grew leaps and bounds, Wind style especially. In addition, thanks to her heritage, her charka levels were starting to rival Rei's
"Heh!" (Rei)
Not one to miss such an opportunity, Rei dashed with his Body Flicker Jutsu and struck them down
"Why don't you just put them to sleep already?" (Tai)
"Normally I would but-" (Rei)
"Too many to deal with at a time?" (Tai)
"Hardly, I can handle this number" (Rei)
"Oh? Your Genjutsu has improved considerably if you can make such a bold claim" (Tango)
"That's the problem Sensei..." (Rei)
"What do you mean? Hah!" (Tango)
POW!
"Ooof!"
"It's grown too good. Now, the only way to improve my Inton3Yin/Shadow Styleis to practice on someone skilled in Genjutsu" (Rei)
"Wow, that's first time I've heard someone complain about their abilities being too good" (Tai)
"Is that why you've been bugging C so much recently?" (Suzu)
"I know you haven't had many chances to stretch your legs in recent days but-" (Tango)
Team Tango's mission orders were to capture these criminals alive. This easy task, which should have been done already, was postponed because Rei decided to hold back. He was eager for some live practice as his team hadn't received many missions in the past year
Kumogakure was still feeling the negative effects of the "Hyuga Affair"
"Don't say it like that you guys. I've been taking this-hm?! Yah!" (Rei)
WHACK! BAM!
"Guh!"
"Uhack"!
"It's rude to interrupt someone when they're speaking you nitwits! Hold on guys, I can't talk like this" (Rei)
"?" (Tango & Tai)
WEAVE!
"Doton: Golem no Jutsu4Earth Style: Golem Technique!" (Rei)
RUMBLE!
Rubble emerged from his mouth and landed on the ground before merging with the surrounding earth to form of a large, intimidating, nine-foot humanoid creature composed of rock
"W-What the hell?!"
"Oh my god!"
"I didn't sign up for this!"
"Have fun guys" (Rei)
STOMP! STOMP! BOOM!
At his signal, Rei's stone golem charged at the outlaws, overwhelming the group with its enormous strength and power. Brutally knocking them out, one at a time
Rei ignored their screams and faced his team
"Ahhh!"
"..." (Suzu)
"Okay, now as I was saying-" (Rei)
"After all this time, you're still a closet sadist?" (Tai)
"...My Genjutsu progression has reached a wall" (Rei)
"What do you mean, wall?" (Tai)
"I gave you lot those training bracelets for a reason" (Tango)
"Someone do something! Oh...oh cra-ARGH!"
"..." (Suzu)
"True, my control is better, but I've already reached level six on my bracelets. The only reason I'm still wearing them now is because they make for good weight training" (Rei)
When Rei first put on the training bracelets Tango gave him and his team, he realized just how much he was relying on his Ōtsutsuki constitution. While his control was indeed above average, it was nothing compared to the other version of him he occasionally let control his body
The so-called "Neo-Rei" was several leagues above him, so he made it his personal goal to reach such a level. It wasn't long after he mastered all six levels of the training bracelets. His control was comparable to a high-level Jonin at this point, but even so...he was still unsatisfied
The enemies he would inevitably encounter in the years to come would possess incredible mastery over their chakra. As he is now, he wouldn't stand a chance. His desire for a better challenge only grew during this past year
"Unless I have a proper target to practice on, one that can resist, I can't move any further" (Rei)
Suzu unleashed a massive shot of compressed air, shaping her wind chakra into a crushing sphere. Blasting all the screaming foes away, the only thing that remained standing was Rei's stone golem
After cleaning up, she turned around and spoke to the boys
"I got tired of their yelping. Can we go now?" (Suzu)
"..." (Tai, & Tango)
"Sure, sorry for keeping you. Nice touch by the way" (Rei)
"Thanks" (Suzu)
{Damn. Can't believe I almost forgot...she's just as brutal as Rei!} (Tai)
{What a pair these two make} (Tango)
"But how are you going to carry them anyway? Clones?" (Suzu)
"Nah. I'll just make another golem. Contrary to popular belief, golems of this size actually cost less chakra than shadow clones do" (Rei)
"Really? I never would've figured" (Suzu)
"Ahem! His golems take advantage of the earth in the area to form. Elemental Ninjutsu that uses preexisting matter always cost less chakra than jutsu created directly from chakra" (Tango)
"Oh, like Suiton being used in an area with no water. And because shadow clones are created out of chakra-" (Tai)
"They cost more. Also, they split my chakra whenever I use them. Hmph!" (Rei)
WEAVE! SLAM!
Weaving hand seals again, Rei slammed his hands on the ground and created another golem from the terrain. He then had the two stone automatons get to work picking up the unconscious thieves on the ground
"This method is much better" (Rei)
"Forget Inton, your Doton has improved at record pace" (Suzu)
"The tips you gave me certainly helped. But yeah, its strange. I'm better with it than I am with my Suiton. It feels so natural to me" (Rei)
"Think you have an affinity with it?" (Suzu)
"Maybe, but my affinity should be with Katon. I only gained Suiton with intense training. But whether it's Katon or Doton, I always get this...funny feeling whenever I use them" (Rei)
"You're probably just a natural with it despite not having an affinity for it. Even though I have Fūton and Doton, the former is my only affinity" (Suzu)
"Oh? You never told us that" (Tango)
"Yeah, you seemed so natural with it I just assumed you had two affinities" (Tai)
"After getting wind, I tested my skill with the other four elements. Fire, water, and lightning were far more difficult than earth. While it was easier than the others, I still had to work to get my Doton" (Suzu)
"Right, although a person can have multiple elements, most only have an affinity for one element" (Tango)
"Hmmm...it's still too early to tell" (Rei)
CLAP! CLAP!
"You can figure it out when we get back. Let's go" (Tango)
"Got a hot date or something sensei?" (Tai)
"I wish. I've been assigned a certain task by the Raikage. There's a colleague who requires assistance" (Tango)
"Another break from us again huh?" (Rei)
"It shouldn't be as long as last time. But just as with Motoi, you'll still have missions with other senior ninja if it's approved by Raikage-sama" (Tango)
"Got it" (Tai)
"My golems have picked up all of the idiots" (Rei)
"Alright, you okay to lead the way?" (Tai)
"Of course, despite their size, these golems can be quite fast. Plus, the sooner we get home, the sooner we can eat at Sake & Yaki" (Rei)
"Grilled Teriyaki again? You're never gonna change. Still, I get to see Akina-san so I guess it's okay" (Tai)
"Sensei?" (Suzu)
"Hm? O-Oh yeah, go on. I'll be right behind you" (Tango)
"Mm" (Suzu)
DASH!
The three Genin rushed on ahead while Tango hesitated to leave
"Less than four miles from the village this time..."
Scoping his surroundings, ominous thoughts occupied his head about the current situation
{These bandit attacks are becoming more frequent...and closer to the village. Is someone probing our response time? Or am I just overthinking things as usual?}