Naruto rebirth! Born again with a system.

Chapter 24: The Price of Survival!

The convoy moved through the valley with renewed urgency, the weight of their first encounter settling over Team 15 like a shroud. The merchant, Yamamoto, had said nothing since witnessing the brief but violent skirmish, his knuckles white as he gripped the reins of his wagon. The cargo—medical supplies, weapon components, and food rations—suddenly felt heavier than gold, each crate representing lives that depended on their success.

Kōzaru walked alongside the wagon, his enhanced senses straining against the forest around them. Riku had recovered from his earlier blow, something that had caused Kōzaru to go into a frenzy, attacking the enemy with everything he had.

Both ninja hounds remained on high alert, their hackles raised and ears swivelling at every sound as they sensed Kōzaru's unease. The scent trails they were picking up told a story of increased enemy activity—more Stone shinobi were moving through the area, converging on their position.

"How much further to the outpost?" Tatsuma asked quietly, his voice carrying the tension they all felt.

"Three hours at current pace," Shibi replied from his position at the front. "But we won't make it at current pace. The enemy is mobilizing faster than anticipated."

As if summoned by his words, Yuki suddenly stiffened, her nose twitching frantically. Riku mirrored her posture, both dogs detecting something that made them bare their teeth in silent warning.

"Multiple contacts," Kōzaru reported, his voice tight with concentration. "Five signatures. They're surrounding us." He said, also being able to smell them and their chakra levels.

"Two chunin and three genin if I'm right." Kōzaru said, letting the others know.

"Ambush formation," Aotaka observed grimly, his hand already moving to his sword. "They learned from the scouts. This time they're coming prepared."

Shibi's expression remained calm, but his insects began to emerge from his sleeves in dark, writhing clouds. "Team 15, form defensive perimeter around the wagon. Prepare for engagement."

The forest around them seemed to hold its breath, the normal sounds of birds and rustling leaves replaced by an oppressive silence that spoke of predators moving into position. Then, with no warning beyond the whisper of displaced air, the attack began.

Five Stone shinobi emerged from concealment simultaneously, their coordinated assault designed to divide and overwhelm. They were genin from an elite unit, trained specifically for convoy destruction from the looks of it. Two immediately engaged Shibi while the others split to face Team 15 individually, having already assessed that he was the biggest threat, hoping they could overwhelm him.

"Scatter formation!" Shibi commanded as explosive tags detonated around the wagon, sending dirt and debris flying in all directions.

Kōzaru found himself facing a Stone genin whose movements spoke of speed and precision. Unlike the earlier encounter, there was no time for hesitation or fear—only the desperate need to survive against another shinobi who was coming for the kill.

[CHAKRA: 137/137 → 107/137]

"Ninja Art of Beast Mimicry: All-Fours Jutsu!" he shouted, chakra surging through his system as his body transformed, his muscles bulged and his teeth and nails grew in length, becoming more of a beast than man.

The familiar rush of enhanced strength and speed flooded through him, but this time he didn't fight the animal instincts that came with it. When his opponent lunged with twin kunai, Kōzaru didn't think—he moved, dropping to all fours and circling with predatory grace.

"What the hell?" the Stone genin muttered, his attacks suddenly striking empty air as Kōzaru's enhanced mobility made him nearly impossible to pin down.

The real threat came from his ninja hounds. Yuki and Riku flanked the enemy, their coordination with Kōzaru speaking of countless hours of training and an instinctual understanding that transcended mere tactics. When Kōzaru feinted left, Yuki attacked from the right. When the Stone genin turned to face her, Riku struck from behind.

"Get away from me!" the enemy screamed as Riku's jaws clamped down on his leg, the crushing force drawing blood through his pants.

Kōzaru seized the moment, his father's kunai appearing in his clawed hands. The weapons bore the Inuzuka clan symbol etched into their handles—a legacy of strength and ferocity that now demanded to be honoured. His strike was brutal and direct, as he lept forward with all of his speed, he rammed the kunai between his opponents ribs to find the heart.

The Stone genin's eyes widened in shock and pain. "You... you're just a kid..." He said as he hit the ground hard, Kōzaru landing on top of him still holding the kunai that was embedded in his chest.

"You have no idea..." Kōzaru whispered as the life faded from his opponent's eyes.

There was a wet, tearing sound as he withdrew the kunai. The man's body led on the forest floor. Kōzaru stood over him, his hands shaking as the reality of what he had done hit him like a physical blow. He could smell the iron in the blood that covered his hands. He had killed someone—ended a life using his father's weapons, the ones his mother had given to him.

But there was no time to process the emotional impact as the sounds of his teammates' battles filled the air around him, snapping him out of his thoughts.

Tatsuma faced his own opponent with a mixture of excitement and determination that warred within his chest. The Stone genin before him was slightly older, his movements speaking of formal training and real combat experience.

"Fresh meat," the enemy sneered, spinning a kunai on his finger before taking it in his hand in a reverse grip. "This'll be quick."

What he didn't expect was the fluid, economical movement that came from another world entirely. Tatsuma's stance shifted into something that belonged neither to ninja academies nor traditional martial arts—it was the boxing and wrestling he had learned in his previous life, adapted and refined through years of careful practice.

[CHAKRA: 174/174 → 124/174]

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Tatsuma called out, creating two copies of himself.

These clones moved differently than in training. They positioned themselves with the tactical awareness of someone who understood angles and leverage, creating a triangle formation that left their opponent with no good options.

The Stone genin found himself overwhelmed not by numbers alone, but by technique. When he struck at one clone, the others moved to capitalize on his exposed position. Tatsuma's real body flowed between strikes like water, his footwork carrying him to optimal positions while his clones provided constant pressure, finding that he could use his chakra to enhance his already impressive footwork.

A shuriken appeared in each clone's hand, the throws coordinated with deadly precision. The Stone genin managed to deflect two, but the third took him in the shoulder, spinning him around and leaving him open for Tatsuma's closing strike.

The kunai was in his hand, the point aimed at his opponent's exposed throat. One thrust would end it. One simple movement would secure victory and survival.

But Tatsuma hesitated.

In that moment of uncertainty, the Stone genin's own kunai found its mark, punching through the clone's chest with lethal precision. The feedback pain hit Tatsuma like a hammer, showing him exactly what his hesitation could cost.

The enemy turned toward him with a triumphant snarl. "Soft little Leaf genin. You don't have what it—"

His words were cut short as the remaining clone's kunai found his heart. Tatsuma himself delivered the killing blow, his face pale but resolved as he watched what he had done.

The Stone genin toppled backward, his final expression one of shock before his eyes glazed over.

"I can't hesitate again," Tatsuma whispered to himself, staring at the blood on his hands. "I can't." He said, closing his eyes and his heart to what had happened.

Aotaka's battle was the most straightforward and, perhaps, the most brutal. His opponent was a stocky Stone genin who relied on earth-style jutsu and raw strength—exactly the wrong approach against someone with Senju bloodline enhancement.

"Earth Style: Stone Fist Jutsu!" the enemy called out, his hands encasing themselves in hardened rock as he charged forward.

Aotaka met the charge head-on, his own strength enhanced by both bloodline and training. When their fists collided, it was the stone that shattered, fragments raining down as the enemy stumbled backward in shock.

"Impossible," the Stone genin gasped, staring at his ruined technique.

[CHAKRA: 123/123 → 103/123]

"Lightning Style: Static Force!" Aotaka replied, electricity crackling around his body as he drew his sword.

But this time, his chakra flow was different. Instead of using the technique defensively, he channelled the lightning through his blade, the steel taking on a brilliant blue aura that hummed with lethal energy. The combination of his natural strength, enhanced by Senju blood, and the electrical enhancement created a weapon of devastating potential.

[CHAKRA: 103/123 → 83/123]

"Chakra Flow: Lightning Edge!" he called out, his technique evolving in real-time as the demands of combat pushed him beyond his previous limitations.

His enhanced blade carved through the enemy's desperate guard like it was paper, the lightning-charged steel cut both kunai and the hands that held them. The follow-up strike was precise and final—a thrust that found the heart with surgical accuracy.

The Stone genin fell without another word, his body smoking slightly from the electrical discharge. Aotaka stood over him, his sword still crackling with residual energy, his face showing no remorse for what he had done.

"This is what it means to be shinobi," he said quietly to himself, calm and collected as he looked at the dead body on the ground before he cleaned his blade with practiced efficiency.

While the genin fought their individual battles, Shibi faced two chunin-level opponents who had thought their numbers and experience would be enough to overwhelm a single jōnin. They were learning how wrong they could be.

The first chunin specialized in earth techniques, his hands weaving through seals as he attempted to reshape the battlefield to his advantage. "Earth Style: Rising Stone Pillars!"

Massive columns of rock erupted from the ground, designed to impale or crush, but Shibi moved between them like smoke, his insects already beginning their work. Clouds of kikaichū swarmed around the Stone shinobi, their chakra-draining effect immediately noticeable as the man's technique began to falter.

"What... what are these things?" the chunin gasped, swatting uselessly at the insects.

"Death," Shibi replied simply, his voice carrying no emotion as his insects drained their opponent's life force with methodical efficiency.

The second chunin tried to capitalize on his partner's distraction, his own technique focusing on long-range projectiles. "Earth Style: Stone Bullet Barrage!"

Dozens of hardened earth projectiles shot toward Shibi's position, but the jōnin's insects formed a defensive barrier that intercepted each one. More concerning for the attackers was the way additional swarms were emerging from Shibi's clothing, far more than should have been possible for a single person to house.

"Secret Technique: Insect Sphere!" Shibi called out, his insects forming a perfect sphere around both enemies.

The technique was as beautiful as it was terrifying—thousands of kikaichū moving in perfect coordination, their combined chakra drain creating a vortex of death that no escape technique could overcome. Within seconds, both chunin collapsed, their life forces completely consumed.

Shibi stood alone among the bodies, his insects returning to their hidden places within his clothing. The entire engagement had lasted less than three minutes.

The forest fell silent once more, the aftermath of violence leaving everyone breathing hard and staring at the carnage around them. Five Stone shinobi lay dead, their blood seeping into the earth that had witnessed their final battle.

Team 15 stood among the bodies, each member processing their first real taste of combat in their own way. Kōzaru stared at his father's kunai, now stained with blood, while Yuki and Riku pressed close to his sides for comfort feeling his emotion. The weight of using his family's weapons to take a life settled over him like a physical burden he would have to soon shake off.

Tatsuma sat heavily on a fallen log, his hands still shaking from the clone feedback and the reality of the killing blow he had delivered. The memory of that moment of hesitation would haunt him, but so would the knowledge that he had overcome it when survival demanded it.

Aotaka stood apart from the others, methodically cleaning his blade and checking his equipment. There was a calmness to his movements that spoke of acceptance rather than shock. He had done what needed to be done, and he felt no guilt for it, like a true shinobi.

"Status report," Shibi said quietly, his insects having fully retreated.

"One confirmed kill," Kōzaru reported, his voice a little hollow.

"One kill," Tatsuma added, his voice barely above a whisper. "I... I almost hesitated too long."

"One kill," Aotaka concluded, sheathing his sword. "No wounds."

Shibi studied his students with eyes that held both pride and sadness. "You have all crossed a line today. There is no returning from it, no pretending it didn't happen. You are no longer academy students playing at being ninja—you are shinobi in truth, with all the burdens that entails."

The weight of those words settled over them as they prepared to resume their journey. The convoy had survived, the cargo was intact, and their mission could continue. But the cost had been measured in blood and innocence, prices that couldn't be refunded or forgotten.

As they formed up around the merchant wagon once more, each member of Team 15 carried with them the knowledge that they had fundamentally changed forever.

They had paid the price of survival, and it would stay with them forever.

Suddenly the system pinged to life in their ears with a display hitting home.

Experience Gained:

Kōzaru: 350 EXP (First kill.)

Tatsuma: 350 EXP (First kill.)

Aotaka: 350 EXP (First kill.)

"Hmm, makes sense." Aotaka said, happy for the EXP as he also levelled up.

You have levelled up.

"Looks like we levelled up." Tatsuma said, having seen his own notification pop up, seeming to lift his spirits.

"Lets look later, more enemies could be on their way for all we know." Kōzaru said, not wanting to let his guard down.

"Yeah, lets finish this mission first and then check our stats.

Yamamoto the merchant had been hidden under the cargo carriage while the fighting had been going on, slowly climbing out as the fighting stopped.

"Is it clear, are they gone?" He asked, shaking as he looked around.

"Yes, all clear." Shibi said, watching as he stood up and dusted himself off.

"We had better get moving before any more reinforcements arrive." Shibi said, getting a nod from the others and the merchant, who climbed up onto the carrige to take the reins of the horses.

With that the convoy rolled forward, carrying its precious cargo toward the front lines, while Team 15 walked beside it with the quiet step of those who had learned what it truly meant to be shinobi in a world at war.