Year 28
The Hokage Office had recently announced a new requirement: genin must complete at least two C-rank missions to qualify for the Chunin Exams.
Today, Uchiha Shinichi and Hatake Sakumo stood inside the Mission Reception Building, reviewing a scroll handed to them by the receptionist.
After confirming their completion of five D-rank missions, the receptionist offered them a list of available C-rank assignments.
Sakumo scanned the list eagerly,
"Shinichi, what do you think? Escort duty? Supply run?"
"Bandit subjugation task are better to test the our skills," Shinichi replied. "But most of them are far from Konoha…"
"Well, that's expected. What kind of bandit would dare operate near the village?"
Shinichi nodded, then turned to the receptionist.
"Is it possible to take on two missions at once?"
"I'm sorry," she said politely. "Village regulations prohibit stacking missions."
"Too bad," Sakumo muttered.
Shinichi tapped the scroll.
"We'll take this one. Mission C-3-221."
"Accepted," the receptionist confirmed. "Would you like me to review the mission conditions?"
"No need," Shinichi said. "We're familiar."
Before she could begin the standard protocol, the two genin turned and exited.
---
The scroll read:
Objective: Subjugate a bandit group operating from an abandoned compound on the far northwest of the Land of Fire.
If convenient complete following secondary objectives for extra merit.
Rescue civilian hostages
Capture the bandit leader
Investigate for evidence of possible external sponsorship.
Estimated enemy count: 40~50
Threat Level: No confirmed rogue ninja.
Protocol: If chakra-using enemies are encountered, genin are authorized to abandon the mission without penalty.
---
***
After two days of travel via shunshin, Shinichi and Sakumo arrived near the compound.
They wore standard black combat gear, each carrying their respective swords,. Shinichi's shaggy black hair now reached his shoulder, while Sakumo had begun tying his longer hair into a small ponytail.
The compound was dilapidated, surrounded by crude sentry posts and flickering torches.
"It used to belong to a small ninja clan," Shinichi noted.
"What happened to them?" Sakumo asked.
"Could've moved. Or been exterminated."
Sakumo fell silent.
In Konoha, clan extermination was a distant memory – something the new generation only heard about in stories. The stability of the Land of Fire, forged by Hashirama and Madara, had made such horrors rare.
"The mission states that there are no known ninja threats," Shinichi said. "But let's be cautious. We strike at midnight. First, we identify the leader's building."
"Sounds good."
They took turns observing the compound until nightfall.
***
The sky was overcast, cloaking the compound in a heavy darkness. Without moonlight, the guards relied solely on flickering torches and their own dulled senses. It was the kind of night where shadows moved freely – and death came quietly.
In one of the makeshift sentry posts, tow bandits leaned lazily against the wooden beams, half-asleep.
"Oi! Ya bastards sleeping on duty?" barked a voice.
A short, sharp man approached, sneering.
"A little boss," one bandit replied sheepishly. "Nothing's happened since our last raid. No one's comin."
"We were just meditating," the other added with a grin. "Who knows? Maybe we've got ninja talent."
Lil Boss scoffed.
"You think becoming a ninja is that easy? Meditate one night and poof?"
The bandits laughed nervously, one slipping a pouch of ryo into Lil Boss's hand.
He raised a brow then smiled.
"Well, it's good to see ya taking your duty seriously. I look forward to your next shift."
As he turned and left, one bandit spat.
"Bastard. Don't you agree, Nesuke? … Nesuke?"
He turned – and froze.
His friend was slumped against the post with head held up by a boy.
A boy with crimson eyes.
Before he could scream, a warm gush spread across his throat. His vision blurred, then faded into red.
***
The clouds hung heavy over the compound, cloaking the night in darkness. Only the flickering torches offered light, casting long shadows across the dilapidated buildings.
Two guards lay dead, their bodies propped up to mimic alertness. The torch had been relit, and the illusion of vigilance restored.
Shinichi crouched beside Sakumo, eyes scanning the compound.
"I don't sense any chakra signatures nearby. Just bandits. The hostages are in the second building on the north end," he whispered. "We secure them first. Then we deal with the rest."
Sakumo nodded, his expression calm but tense.
The earlier kill still lingered in Sakumo's mind.
He hadn't hesitated – but the moment had left a mark.
Shinichi had noticed.
"Sakumo," he had said, voice cold but purposeful, "don't waste your thoughts on them. They're not the same as us. They're worse than animals."
It wasn't that Shinichi was indifferent to human life or lacked morality, but there's always someone, no somethings that doesn't deserve to be called human.
Morality aside, he knew the weight of a first kill – the horror, the revulsion, the moment when a blade met flesh and a light disappears from the victim's eyes. He had carried it once.
Now, he sought to shield Sakumo from unnecessary guilt.
Sakumo understood his intention.
He smiled faintly, then steadied himself.
"Alright. Let's go. We've got a mission to finish."
***
Two genin slipped through the compound's perimeter, avoiding torchlight and patrol routes. Shinichi's Sharingan flickered to life, scanning for hidden chakra signatures again.
Nothing unusual.
No rogue ninja.
No seal traps or alarms.
Just ordinary bandits.
They reached the north building, a crumbling structure with barred windows and a single locked door.
A lone bandit slept against its wall, clutching a modified garden rake.
Sakumo dispatched him silently.
Shinichi gave a bitter smile at Sakumo's distruaght and pale figure before he placed his hand on the lock.
Wind release
A silent gust sliced through the mechanism, severing the internal latch.
The door creaked open.
Shinichi silently stepped inside.
Sakumo followed, and froze.
Inside, they found eight women and thirteen children locked in a cell. Three blinded young men were tied up nearby. All showed signs of abuse and malnourishment.
"You're…" one woman gasped, raising her head.
Shinichi quickly covered her mouth, raising a finger.
"Shhh. We're Konoha Shinobi. We're her to rescue you. Is this everyone?"
She nodded, whispering, "Yes. Except the chief. He was taken by the leaders yesterday. We haven't seen him since. Please… save him."
Shinichi nodded, then used his Sharingan to gently lull her into sleep.
"It'll be to chaotic to protect them during the attack. I'll leave shadow clones here. Sakumo, find the chief. I'll handle the rest."
"Got it." Sakumo nodded firmly. His gaze hardened with resolve and ferocity.
***
Shinichi moved from building to building, finding bandits asleep or drunk.
He dispatched them with surgical precision. Kunai sliced through their throats, windpipes ruptured before a single scream could escape.
By dawn, forty-two bandits had been sent into eternal slumber.
Sakumo returned, dragging a burly man behind him by a rope and carrying a frail elder on his back.
"The chief's safe. Mission's complete."
His voice was cold, stripped of innocence and hollowed of naivety.
Shinichi silently observed Sakumo, then nodded.
"Let's escort the hostages to the nearest town in the morning. Then we return to Konoha."
Before they departed, Shinichi turned to the bandit leader.
He forced open the man's eyes.
Iatsu Sharingan 威圧写輪眼(Coercion Sharigan)
The leader's pupils turned crimson, three tomoe spinning. His body slackened as drool pooled at the corner of his mouth.
"Who funded your group?"
"A man… wearing a black cape. I don't know his name."
"What did he tell you?"
"To grow our numbers. Build a force."
"With ordinary people?"
"He said there were no Konoha shinobi nearby this compound. That we could have some fun."
Shinichi's eyes narrowed.
"What's wrong?" Sakumo asked.
"Nothing...."
Shinichi paused.
"Change of plan. Let's head back now. I don't want to spend another night here."
Shinichi's mind was racing.
'Is this a singular event? Or are these bandit groups decoys – spread across the Land of Fire?'
He carefully traced his memory. The long list of C-rank bandit subjugation missions. Most were near the borders, far from Konoha. Especially near the edges of the other Five Great Nations.
'Someone's stirring the pot. But for now… it's not our concern.'
Shinichi turned to leave.
But Sakumo stood still.
"Sakumo?"
Sakumo stared at the bandit leader.
The man lay bound, his eyes glazed over from the effects of Sharingan's coercion. His body twitched faintly as the genjutsu faded.
The compound was quiet. The hostages were safe. And the mission was complete.
But something lingered
Sakumo crouched, grabbed the man by the collar and lifted him slightly off the ground.
"You tortured children," he said quietly. "You starved them. You beat their parents. You laughed while they cried. Enjoying every bit of it."
The bandit leader blinked slowly, his mind still fogged.
"You're not just a criminal," Sakumo continued steadily, devoid of emotion and innocence. "You're a disease."
Shinichi watched from a few step away, saying nothing.
"I hesitated earlier," Sakumo said, more to himself than anyone else. "Not just because of the mission. I thought killing was something to avoid. Something to regret."
His tanto glistened into life as it unsheathed.
"But now I understand. Mercy for monsters is cruelty to the innocent."
The blade gleamed faintly in the torchlight.
"I'm not killing you because I want to. I'm killing you because I have to."
With a swift motion, Sakumo plunged the blade into the man's chest. It was clean and precise.
He stood, exhaled, and wiped the blade on the man's tattered cloth.
Shinichi approached and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You alright?"
Sakumo nodded.
"I'm growing up."
There was no pride in his voice.
Just resolve.
***
Pshhk.
A blade pierced flesh.
"EUk!"
A rogue ninja gasped as blood spilled out of his shoulder.
"Who do you work for?" demanded Uchiha Setsuna
"Stop," said Uchiha Fukashi, voice calm. "It's a waste of time."
They were on a mission. Intercepting rogue shinobi crossing between the Land of Fire and neighboring countries. It wasn't the first time.
The rogue ninja didn't answer.
Then his body and the corpses around him began to smoke.
"Everyone, Retreat!"
Three Uchiha Jonin vanished in a blur.
BOOM!!!!
The forest shook.
"Captain," one said breathlessly, "that was… Iwa's jibakukokuin. 自爆刻印(Self-exploding imprints)."
Fukashi's eyes narrowed.
"...It's Iwa this time."
'The frequency of missions like this is increasing. Is the world slipping toward turmoil again?'
He looked up at the sky.
'Sensei…. What storm is coming?'
Fukashi shook his head and quickly ordered his squad.
"Clean this place. We're heading home."
Their squad has been stationed on the border for a month.
It was time to return.