The sun had barely risen over the towers of Sarutobi Academy when the announcement came.
Team X had been assigned a B-Rank mission.
No warmups. No drills. No second chances.
Head Warden Shimura stood tall in front of the assembly hall, his arms crossed behind his broad back. His scarred face and sharp eyes scanned the room before resting on the newly formed team.
"You've got potential," Shimura said, voice gruff like gravel. "Time to prove it."
Their objective? Eliminate a Feral Wraith terrorizing the Outer Forests of Akira. The same monstrous creatures Gimori bred in his abyssal forges—living weapons fueled by Aku no energy and unrelenting bloodlust.
These weren't the usual training dummies or wild beasts. These were killers.
---
The squad gathered by the academy gates, the morning wind tousling their cloaks and coats.
Xzavier tightened the straps on his red coat, his scarf fluttering slightly. He slung his blade across his back and smirked, "Guess Shimura wants us dead early. How thoughtful."
Kineta, ever stoic, adjusted the buckles on his gauntlets. "Wraiths don't talk. They just rip you apart. Keep your jokes until it's dead."
Kaze, grinning with wind-swept silver hair, flicked a pebble off his boot. "You mean after I kill it, right? Don't worry, I'll save you guys the trouble."
Princess Zadie gracefully strapped her twin daggers to her thighs. She wore a long navy cloak over the uniform, her golden eyes sharp and focused. "Let's not underestimate this. Gimori's creations are nightmares for a reason."
Behind them, the man they all admired strolled forward, arms behind his head, expression relaxed as ever.
Sensei Gara.
Young but commanding, handsome with a devil-may-care grin. A legend in the academy. Former champion. Hero of the Crimson Siege. And secretly, once Gimori's rival.
"Whew!" Gara stretched lazily. "A B-rank on day one. Back in my day, they didn't even let us look at missions till week four." He dropped his arms and his smile faded, "That said—don't be cocky. These things aren't just big. They're sadistic."
The squad nodded.
They left by foot, heading north across the stone-paved paths of the Sarutobi grounds, crossing into the dense woodlands of the Akira province. What began as soft soil under boot quickly turned to rugged terrain.
The deeper they went, the more twisted the forest became. Black vines. Hollowed trees. The air was thick, humid, and heavy with spiritual pressure.
---
Hours later, they reached the Outer Forest—marked by dead wildlife and the smell of decay. The Feral Wraith was near.
They halted.
Xzavier scanned the area. "Tracks—huge. This thing's not hiding."
Kineta knelt beside a crushed deer carcass. "Still warm. Not even eaten… it kills for sport."
Suddenly, the ground quaked—a tremor spreading through the soil. Trees bent. Birds scattered. The sky darkened unnaturally as a monstrous roar ripped through the woods.
CRAAACK—!
A massive form smashed through the treeline.
It stood at least twenty feet tall. Its body was skeletal and malformed, covered in rotting flesh and dark scales. Long arms dragging claws behind it. Its head looked like a mutilated wolf's skull, glowing blue Aku no energy leaking from its eye sockets.
The Feral Wraith.
It saw them—and charged.
"Scatter!" Gara barked, leaping into the air.
Zadie flipped backward, daggers drawn. Kaze propelled himself up a tree with wind bursts. Kineta moved like a shadow, drawing his Earth blade.
Xzavier stood his ground.
His red coat billowed as he reached for his blade.
"Let's see what you've got, freak."
The Wraith lunged—and the battle began.