A Bitter Battle

At the edge of the Land of Fire.

"I won't interfere with this mission. Make your own arrangements." Yusuke Senju looked at the three of them. "Brats, don't go dying on me."

He tossed the mission scroll to Renye, then vanished in a flash.

Renye opened the scroll. A group of vicious mountain bandits had occupied a vital road, frequently robbing passing caravans and nearby villages, severely disrupting the peace of the region. Eliminate these damned mountain bandits. (Note: Rogue Ninja are suspected to be among the mountain bandits. A Chunin team is recommended for this mission.)

After reading the mission, Renye's expression turned grave. "There are Rogue Ninja among these bandits. We need to be extra careful."

"Are they Genin or Chunin?" Koharu Utatane asked.

Genin would be manageable, but Chunin would be troublesome.

Not only did the three of them have to deal with ordinary mountain bandits, they also had to face Rogue Ninja who might be Chunin. The difficulty had undoubtedly increased greatly.

"I don't know, but we should prepare for them to be Chunin."

The three of them did not even consider the possibility that their opponents might be Jonin.

What Jonin in the Shinobi World would be bored enough to become a Mountain Bandit?

Usually, only half-baked lower-ranked ninja would become mountain bandits, throwing their weight around among ordinary people with their strength.

Renye looked at the other two and said, "We'll observe the enemy after nightfall, then discuss the battle plan."

The two said nothing more. They found a place to rest and conserve their strength, preparing for the night's battle.

Renye discovered that his body was trembling slightly, and a puzzled expression appeared on his face. "Is this fear? No, it seems more like... excitement!"

After coming to the Shinobi World for several years, this was his first mission involving killing.

Night fell, and the moonlight was obscured by heavy clouds.

Renye and his two teammates lay hidden in bushes several hundred meters away from the bandits' camp.

All three held their breaths and focused.

Renye's Sharingan glimmered scarlet in the darkness, precisely catching every movement within the camp.

"The two watchtowers form a pincer formation. Their view covers almost the entire camp."

Renye lowered his voice, tracing a simple map in the dirt with his finger.

"The wooden houses on the west side are the main living quarters. The three rooms on the east side should be where the Rogue Ninja are staying."

"In the latter half of the night, we'll take out the sentries on the watchtowers first. Then we'll kill the bandits as quickly as possible, and finally deal with the Rogue Ninja."

Danzō Shimura and Koharu Utatane nodded. They had no objections.

The latter half of the night arrived.

This was often when people were the sleepiest.

Renye held Muko in his hand and signaled for them to move.

The three of them raced toward the camp through the darkness.

At that moment, the sentries on the watchtowers were so sleepy they could barely keep their eyes open. They did not notice the trio approaching at all.

Renye activated his Sharingan and flung three shuriken through the air, each one accurately lodging in a sentry's throat.

Almost at the same time, Koharu Utatane and Danzō Shimura completed their ambushes as well. Four bodies fell soundlessly.

"Follow the plan. Clear out the small fry first," Renye ordered in a low voice.

He immediately charged into a room. The mountain bandits inside were still sleeping soundly, completely unaware that death was about to descend.

Without hesitation, Renye slit one of their throats.

Warm blood splashed across his face. He felt neither fear nor disgust—only an uncontrollable excitement.

With his blade in hand, Renye headed for the next room.

Panicked curses rang out from inside as mountain bandits holding steel blades stumbled out of the rooms.

Clearly, the trio's actions had been exposed.

Renye glared at them. The first few men to emerge suddenly froze, then began hacking at one another with their blades.

"End this quickly!" Renye sped up his attacks.

They had to wipe out all this small fry before the Rogue Ninja could react.

These mountain bandits were ordinary people. Killing them was no different from killing chickens, and Renye's group slaughtered them all in short order.

"Bastards, stop!"

Only then did The Strongman arrive, carrying a large blade.

Looking at the corpses of his underlings scattered around him, his eyes blazed with fury.

He had only been late for a moment, yet these brats had killed all his men.

"Konoha brats, I will never forgive you!"

"He's a Chunin. You two cover me."

Renye attacked first, aiming straight for The Strongman's vital points.

The Strongman remained calm, using his large blade to forcibly block Renye's attack.

The enormous impact numbed Renye's palm, forcing him to stagger back several steps.

"Die, brat!" The Strongman swung his large blade.

At that moment, Danzō and Koharu rushed forward to support him.

Danzō formed hand seals with both hands and shouted, "Wind Style: Vacuum Wave!"

The Strongman roared and swung his large blade, shattering the wind attack.

Using the dust as cover, he charged fiercely at Danzō.

Danzō's expression changed, and he hurriedly used a defensive ninjutsu.

However, The Strongman's power was too great. His long blade struck Danzō's defense, and the powerful impact made Danzō cough up blood as he was sent flying.

At that moment, only one thought filled Danzō's mind: I think I'm holding everyone back again...

Seeing this, Koharu Utatane's eyes flashed with anxiety. She immediately used Medical Ninjutsu to treat Danzō's injuries.

At the same time, Renye charged forward again and engaged The Strongman in a fierce battle.

Their weapons collided repeatedly, sparks flying as blade light and sword shadows intertwined.

With the advantage of his Sharingan, Renye desperately searched for an opening in The Strongman's defense.

Unable to bring down the brat before him, The Strongman grew furious. He suddenly shouted, his muscles tensing as his strength surged.

His long blade swept at Renye like a violent storm. Renye failed to dodge in time, and his right shoulder took a slash, blood staining his clothes red.

The intense pain drained the color from Renye's face, and he quickly pulled away from The Strongman.

Just as Renye fell into danger, Danzō Shimura and Koharu Utatane, having recovered somewhat, joined the battle once more.

Koharu Utatane used Fire Style, sending blazing flames surging toward The Strongman.

Danzō used Wind Style, making the flames even fiercer.

Forced back again and again by the flames, The Strongman gave Renye his chance. Renye gathered Chakra into Muko and flashed before him.

The Strongman roared and swung his long blade to block, but Renye's strike contained all his strength. Combined with Danzō and Koharu's cooperation, the long blade was ultimately cut in two.

Muko pierced straight through The Strongman's chest. His eyes widened as he stared in disbelief at the blade protruding from his chest. He spat out blood and crashed heavily to the ground.

The battle ended. Renye collapsed onto the ground, looking at The Strongman's corpse with the relief of having survived a near-death experience.

B-rank missions were fucking dangerous. They had nearly died here.

They should never have listened to Danzō's nonsense.

Koharu Utatane hurried over to Renye and used Medical Ninjutsu to stop his bleeding.

Danzō lay on the ground, staring blankly at the sky.

This mission, he had become deadweight again...

"Tsk, tsk. Will you still take B-rank missions next time?"

At some point, Yusuke Senju had appeared before the three of them.

Of course, he could not have truly ignored them. If the three of them had accidentally died, Lord Tobirama would definitely tear him to pieces.

Yusuke Senju could not help clicking his tongue. He had not expected them to truly work together to kill a Chunin.

As expected of disciples trained by Lord Tobirama.

Renye stood up and pulled Muko from The Strongman's body. Just as Tobirama Senju had said, not a trace of blood stained the blade.

He looked up at Yusuke Senju. "I'll take them. Of course I will!"

Yusuke Senju was somewhat stunned by those words.

Had this kid forgotten the pain as soon as the wound scarred over?

No... the wound had not even healed yet!

He fell silent as he looked at the wound on Renye's shoulder, still gushing blood.

Only then did Renye realize that pulling out his blade had torn the wound open again.

"Koharu! Koharu!"