Reborn in the Shinobi World with an Arceus Inside

The four Konoha ninja were Akimichi Koga, Hyuga Aozora, Iwanami Ken, and Yamabiko Yuto.

Koga, a Special Jonin, was the team leader. The other three were chunin. Their team was a reconnaissance unit, responsible for infiltrating deep behind enemy lines to gather intelligence. With the Hyuga clan's Byakugan, they had spotted enemy movements multiple times and avoided them in advance, so they had yet to face an enemy head-on.

They hadn't expected to find one in a small village.

"Aozora, what's his status?" Koga whispered.

"He has an incredible amount of energy stored within his body. I've never seen anything like it." Hyuga Aozora paused for a moment. "But it feels... warm. Like the sun."

"The sun?" The other three exchanged confused glances.

"It seems he doesn't have any obvious hostile intent. Let's not attack just yet. See if we can get some information out of him."

"Right!"

Kaito watched them whisper amongst themselves, not interrupting as he happily munched on the fishtail.

After they finished their discussion, Koga cleared his throat and said to Kaito, "We mean no harm. We just want to trade for some food."

"Food?" Kaito laughed. "Food is a lifeline right now. Who would have extra to sell to you? If you're hungry, the forest and the river outside are full of things to eat."

He wasn't wrong, but where were they supposed to find the time to hunt and cook for themselves?

"Heh heh." Koga gave an awkward laugh. His eyes were fixed on the now-bony fishtail, and he finally couldn't take it anymore. He swallowed hard and asked, "Did you make this braised fish? It looks delicious."

"Mm, it is pretty delicious." Kaito licked the remaining sauce off the tail with a satisfied smack of his lips, making Koga's mouth water.

"Is there any more? I'd like to try some," Koga said, rubbing his hands together. "Of course, I'll pay."

"It's just a fish. Talking about money would hurt our feelings," Kaito said with a smile, turning to go back into the shelter. He returned carrying the remaining half of the fish.

"I knew it, you're a good person..." Koga began, reaching for the fish, but his hand grabbed empty air.

Kaito pulled his hand back as if he'd just remembered something. "But it seems we don't really have any feelings to hurt, do we? So let's talk money after all."

"..."

After paying a price that satisfied Kaito, Koga joyfully grabbed the fish.

"Senior Koga, be careful, it might be poisoned," Iwanami Ken couldn't help but warn him.

"It's fine. A little poison is nothing to me." He opened his mouth wide, took a huge bite that covered half the fish, and clamped his teeth down, pulling the meat into his mouth.

In an instant, his expression froze, making the other three tense up.

"Is it really poisoned?"

"No, no!" Koga quickly waved his hands. "This fish is just so good, I almost lost myself in the flavor." He looked at Kaito, his curiosity piqued, and asked for his secret. "These seasonings are very special. Where did you buy them?"

"I didn't buy them. I made them myself, so of course they're different," Kaito said with a grin. "It's a secret recipe. Not for sale at any price."

"Alright, then." Koga smacked his lips, about to say more, when Hyuga Aozora's face suddenly changed.

"This is bad! A large number of Rain ninja are surrounding us! They're moving fast. It will be difficult to break through!"

"I knew there was something wrong with you! You're the one who called them here, aren't you?" the hot-headed Iwanami Ken roared, and with a flicker of movement, he was about to charge forward to finish Kaito off.

"Wait!" Koga, who had wolfed down the rest of the fish, managed to stop Ken in time. He looked at Kaito, who remained perfectly calm, and said in a low voice, "I don't believe you did this. So, I'm going to have to ask you to trouble yourself and let us pass."

"I'm sorry. Ninja are forbidden from passing through here." Kaito's smile didn't change, but his tone became exceptionally cold. "If you want to pass, take off your forehead protectors and draw a line across them."

"What?!"

"You've gone too far!"

A forehead protector was the symbol of a ninja's village. To scratch it was to sever ties with one's home, to become a rogue ninja. How could Koga and the others, who had grown up in Konoha, possibly bring themselves to do such a thing?

"Then there's nothing to discuss." Koga's face turned cold. He waved a hand. "Let's go! Formation Two. Don't get bogged down in a fight. Just break through."

"Yes, sir!"

"Partial Expansion Jutsu!" Koga's arm shot out, suddenly elongating and swelling in size. Its shadow fell over Kaito like a dark cloud.

Yamabiko Yuto's hands flew through a series of seals and he slammed his palm on the ground. "Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!"

The other two didn't join the attack, intending to bypass Kaito directly.

With his path blocked from above and below, Kaito gave a cold smirk. His figure vanished, then reappeared right beside Hyuga Aozora and Iwanami Ken. He threw his arms wide and slammed into them, sending them flying dozens of meters before they crashed to the ground.

Extreme Speed plus Tackle!

"Pfft!" The force of the impact made both of them spit out a mouthful of blood, their bodies unable to move.

"Aozora! Yuto! How dare you?!" Koga roared. He activated his clan's secret technique, his body swelling into a giant over ten meters tall. He brought his hands down like massive iron gates. "Expansion Jutsu: Super Multi-Palm!"

BOOM!

A large section of land at the village entrance instantly shattered. Even the shelter was caught in the blast and collapsed.

Amid the rising dust and smoke, Kaito tossed the seemingly unconscious Yamabiko Yuto to the ground. Seeing the shelter he had worked so hard to build now in ruins, he shouted in displeasure, "This is exactly why I don't want you ninja in this village!"

"A war between ninja should not involve ordinary people. Do you understand?"

"You... who in the world are you?" Koga sighed, deactivating his Expansion Jutsu and returning to his normal size. He knew in his heart that with Kaito's incredible speed, they would never make it through the village. It was better to conserve what little chakra they had left for the coming enemy.

"Me? I'm just a chef who happens to be pretty good at what he does." Kaito turned back to the ruined shelter and pulled out his black wok, which was completely unscathed.

"..." Koga looked back with a complicated expression. The figures of the Rain ninja were already faintly visible.

Had they really been taken down by a chef? They would have been better off fighting the Rain ninja to the death; maybe one or two of them could have escaped.

"It was my mistake."

Hyuga Aozora struggled to his feet. "Senior Koga, you have to break through. I'll do my best to buy you time. Don't let our efforts be in vain!"

"...Damn it!" Koga fought back tears and took off, running toward the side. "Don't worry! I'll bring back reinforcements! Just hold on!"

"Right." Hyuga Aozora pulled out an explosive tag from his pouch, attached it to a kunai, and threw it at the approaching Rain ninja. An explosion roared, momentarily slowing their advance.

"Two squads, after that fat one!" the one who appeared to be the leader commanded. More than a dozen ninja remained, standing before Hyuga Aozora. Seeing the heavily injured Konoha ninja, he wondered, 'Infighting?'

Just then, Yamabiko Yuto suddenly scrambled to his feet. He pressed his kunai against his forehead protector and, trembling, said to Kaito, "If I give up being a ninja, will you protect me?"

"Of course," Kaito nodded. "I never lie."

"Yuto, what do you think you're doing?!"

"I'm sorry... I don't want to die!"

With all his strength, he dragged the kunai across the metal plate, leaving an indelible mark.