'He is a Jounin! This is going to be extremely hard. It was supposed to be a D-rank mission. All that Easy talk probably jinxed us. But why would a Jounin attack a normal merchant?.'
Now that the group was nearer, Renjiro could ascertain their power levels. He went on high alert as they were totally outnumbered and overpowered. The enemy group consisted of one Jounin, two chunins and ten genins bringing their total number to thirteen assailants. It was 13 vs 4 which was not fair as they still hard to ensure Hozuki came out of this alive.
'There's a jonin amongst them. This might be tougher than expected. I doubt this will end peacefully. The best I can do is take initiative and try to control the chaos that would ensue.' Riku thought after catching on with the situation.
"Earth Pulse!" 
With a swift and decisive movement, Riku slammed his hands into the ground, channelling chakra into the earth beneath.
With a sudden and powerful surge, the ground beneath the bandits pulsed with chakra. Earth spikes erupted in unpredictable patterns and locations, aiming to catch the unsuspecting opponents off guard. The element of surprise was Riku's strategy, a calculated move to gain the upper hand in the confrontation.
The Earth Pulse jutsu, an advanced and versatile technique, exhibited a unique manifestation on the battlefield. Unlike the conventional Earth spike jutsu that simply formed spikes from the ground, the Earth Pulse introduced a layer of complexity and unpredictability.
The formation of earth spikes was not a constant presence; rather, they appeared and disappeared with unpredictable timing, mimicking the rhythmic pulse of a heartbeat. Their formation was unpredictable but with more chakra, the user could control the spike formation. But with the bandits being in front of him, Riku did not have to worry about this.
The destruction of the jutsu resulted in a gruesome outcome for four unfortunate genins among the bandits. They were impaled to death, unable to react in time to the relentless assault of spikes that emerged unexpectedly from the ground.
The remaining bandits, however, showcased a level of skill and keen senses that allowed them to evade the lethal spikes. Recognizing the incoming danger, they flickered back a couple of meters with swift movements, strategically placing themselves beyond the Jutsu's immediate range.
Capitalizing on the chaos and distraction caused by the Earth Pulse jutsu, Riku swiftly moved into action. With a burst of smoke, two shadow clones materialized, each with a distinct purpose in the unfolding confrontation.
The first shadow clone remained by Hozuki Fakinshi's side, ensuring the safety of the merchant and the precious cargo of chakra metal. Since that was their mission after all.
The second shadow clone headed towards the remaining bandit chunins. The original Riku directed his attention towards the hostile Jonin.
'Dammit!' Shoko remarked.
After He witnessed the fall of his subordinates and the emergence of Riku's strategic shadow clones, a sense of urgency overcame him. Determined to turn the tide, Shoko swiftly performed hand seals, creating earth clones to bolster their ranks and overpower Team 25.
The newly formed earth clones moved with synchronized precision to overwhelm the genins. However, Riku, demonstrating his seasoned expertise, quickly got rid of them gracefully as he closed in on Shoko and engaged him in combat.
Renjiro, Aiko, and Hiro exchanged determined glances, ready to confront the opposition. They were now facing six enemy genins. Despite them being outnumbered in a two-to-one ratio, their confidence stemmed from the fact that they had Riku's shadow clone, which was guarding Hozuki, was with them.
'With Sensei's shadow clone, the odds are now even. They might even be in our favour.' Renjiro surmised. He was grateful that Riku had shouldered the burden of facing the jounin and chunins as that was way above their pay grade.
His optimism, however, was short-lived. Rku's clone, maintaining a calm demeanour, addressed the young genins.
"I'll only step in if you're in real danger. You've got the skills to handle this. Don't rely on me unless you need it."
Renjiro, surprised, asked, "Wait, what? But we thought you were here to help us."
The Riku clone chuckled, "I'm here to observe and guide. You won't improve if I do all the work for you. Face them with the skills you've learned in our training sessions."
Aiko, slightly frustrated, questioned, "So, we're on our own?"
The clone responded, "Pretty much so. But if things get too tough, I'll step in. For now, show me what you're made of."
'What's the difference between that and being alone?' 
Renjiro complained as he focused his chakra and created three shadow clones from a third of his chakra. Two of the shadow clones engaged one of the enemy genins.
The shadow clones spammed the great fireball and air-bust jutsu, aiming to hold off their opponent while Renjiro and the last clone fought another genin.
The enemy genins were young adults which showed that they lacked when it came to shinobi skills otherwise they would not still be genins. But don't be fooled, this did not in any way mean that this would be an easy fight for team 25 despite each of them taking on two genins.
The enemy genins had greater battle experience than team 25, whose battle experiences were limited to their daily training sessions and spars they had between themselves. Therefore, taking on two experienced genins would be a tall order for each of them.
'I need to finish this quickly and help the rest.'
Feeling the weight of the battle, Renjiro recognized the need to tip the scales in their favour. With a determined focus, he activated his Sharingan. Simultaneously, so did the clone he was fighting with.
'Should the other clones use the Sharingan? No, I should conserve my chakra just in case something bad happens later.'
While the possibility of his clones using his Dojutsu existed, Renjiro chose not to pursue it. Doing so would cause a strain, on both his reserves and mental fortitude, that could render him unconscious if prolonged in use. This he had learnt the harder way the minute he had mastered the shadow clone jutsu. He was still hopeful that as he grew, he would be able to use this combination more freely.
With his Sharingan now active, the enemy genin, despite their battle-hardened experience, found it hard to keep up with his enhanced reflexes and a preternatural understanding of their actions.
'An Uchiha? I should be careful not to look at his eyes.' Renjiro's opponent thought the minute he saw his Sharingan.
As the battle unfolded, Renjiro's Sharingan allowed him to anticipate the subtle cues and shifts in his enemies' movements. Every feint, every strike, and every evasion became clear to him, enabling Renjiro to navigate the battlefield with a level of foresight that bridged the experience gap.
With the taste of victory lingering, Renjiro swiftly concluded his duel against his opponent. With a decisive move, he used his Kunai to incapacitate the enemy genin, by stabbing it in his throat.
Having secured his victory, Renjiro rejoined his shadow clones, their collective efforts now focused on the remaining enemy genin. The shadow clones, synchronized by their creator, executed a seamless combination of ninjutsu, taijutsu, and strategic manoeuvres, and eventually got the upper hand with the genin meeting a similar end to his recently deceased colleague.
Renjiro then turned his attention to his teammates.
'They are actually doing better than I anticipated.'
He concluded upon seeing Aiko showcasing her expertise in genjutsu. She used genjutsu, disorienting and confusing the enemy genins she was facing.
Hiro was utilizing his taijutsu skills and Earth jutsu for defence, showcasing a stalwart resilience that complemented the team's overall strategy. It did not help that the enemies were also using earth jutsus but it served him well enough to stall them.
With Renjiro's timely assistance, the tide turned definitively in Team 25's favour. The remaining enemy genin found themselves outmanoeuvred and overwhelmed by the coordinated efforts of the genins and their shadow clones.
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Amidst the intense clash between Riku and Shoko, the air crackled with the exchange of blows and jutsu. Seizing a momentary lull in their confrontation, Riku took the opportunity to probe for information,
"Why are you targeting a normal merchant? Is that even low for you?" Riku questioned.
Shoko, maintaining a guarded demeanour, retorted with a question of his own, "And why would a normal merchant be walking around with chakra metal?"

Riku, momentarily taken aback, concealed his surprise behind a composed demeanour. The mention of chakra metal added a layer of complexity to the mission. If it was involved then this mission was no longer just a D-ranked mission.

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