A Deadly Homework Assignment

Having killed people and seen blood.

The demeanor of everyone present was no longer as casual and carefree as before; a solemn air had settled among them.

The journey was fraught with difficulties, encountering several assaults from refugees and bandits. The most absurd instance involved barely a dozen people daring to attack their long caravan. This wasn't robbery; it was suicide.

Katsuki's mood grew heavy. Behind the prosperity of the Land of Fire lay the hellish landscape of the Land of Rain. The swift transition between the two evoked a sense of melancholy.

The others around him, however, remained utterly unfazed.

He could only mock himself, thinking that he truly hadn't integrated into this world at a fundamental level.

The caravan moved forward at a snail's pace. It wasn't that they didn't want to go faster, but they simply couldn't. Fortunately, the route they were taking was within Konoha's occupied territory, considered the rear. Apart from these endless refugees and bandits, there were no overly formidable opponents.

Soon, Sakumo himself arrived with his subordinates to welcome them. With White Fang present, even Hanzō's surprise attack would be of no concern.

After a long trek, they finally reached their destination: Konoha's main base in the Land of Rain, where nearly ten thousand Konoha ninja were stationed, in a standoff with the Rain Ninja.

At this point, the Ninja Academy students had completed their training mission. As a batch of ninja returned to the village for rest, they embarked on the journey back. Sakumo wouldn't realistically keep these students on the front lines for active duty. The march itself was the tempering; repelling bandits and seeing some blood was the extent of it.

However, two small squads remained behind. After Tsunade presented a secret order from the Hokage, Katsuki's squad and Kushina's squad were kept on the front lines. Watching the other students from the Ninja Academy, both advanced and intermediate classes, withdraw, while their two low-level squads remained, honestly made them feel a bit uneasy.

Although Sakumo was his master, Katsuki had nowhere to find him. The ninja camp's rules were far stricter than those of a regular army, primarily due to the abundance of strange ninjutsu and secret techniques. Without strict security, spies would likely run rampant within the camp.

He couldn't even leave the encampment they were in. However, he had his suspicions: perhaps they were deliberately kept here because of him and Kushina. After pondering for a moment, he couldn't quite grasp the intention and decided to suppress his confusion and continue training his body.

Inside the tent.

"What do you think HQ is doing? Just leaving our two squads here." Otonashi lay on his cot, his hands moving with practiced speed, honing his hand seal techniques while chatting with Katsuki and the others.

"If you ask me, how would I know?" Katsuki supported himself on one hand, doing push-ups, alternating his hands. "Besides, compared to that, I'd rather be out training than stuck here doing push-ups."

"Exactly, I can't practice my punches in such a small space." Perhaps his words struck a chord, Hyuga Tenzan, uncharacteristically, agreed with Katsuki. By the way, he was currently bored and playing rock-paper-scissors with Dōton Akimichi.

Hearing this, Otonashi bared his teeth, looking rather gleeful. It was unclear where he picked up this habit, but he was truly disgracing the Uchiha clan. If his father saw him like this, he'd probably skin him alive.

Katsuki maliciously imagined Otonashi being beaten and crying for his mother, a small comfort during these dreary days. Honestly, life was worse now than it was during the march. At least then the skies were open, and his spirits were unburdened. Compared to being confined to this small space, even walking and sitting felt somewhat constrained.

"Let's wait patiently for two days. There must be a reason," Minato said quietly, leaning against a tent pole, engrossed in a book.

Tents like these could house a maximum of six people. With fewer occupants, three or four could also fit. Currently, five people were in this tent, all students from the Ninja Academy. Since Kushina was a girl and had her own quarters, the five boys from the two squads were crammed in here.

Inside the command tent.

Sakumo frowned, feeling a bit annoyed. Upon receiving a letter from the Hokage, he remembered that his young disciple was one of the candidates to be a Jinchuriki, having the qualifications to become the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki along with his sister.

The Third Hokage's letter gave him a headache. He was asked to find a way to test Katsuki and Kushina's temperament and record their every move.

What a hassle! How could he test something as abstract as temperament? Sakumo rubbed his temples, a difficult task indeed. However, while he didn't know about the young girl, he understood Katsuki's nature. A person who could inflict such harshness on himself, tempering his body through near-torturous methods, possessed an undoubtedly resolute spirit.

"Senior Sakumo, this matter..." Tsunade asked. Orochimaru and Jiraiya sat in their respective seats, quiet. In front of Sakumo, they were even more composed than they were in front of Hiruzen.

"I will arrange it."

Sakumo tapped the table lightly with his finger, a gentle smile appearing on his lips.

"There will be plenty of opportunities..."

Small town.

A light rain began to fall again, a drizzle that seemed endless in the Land of Rain. The dark, cloudy sky overhead never dispersed. The sheer volume of moisture was terrifying. Fortunately, the Land of Rain was crisscrossed with rivers, allowing the rainwater to drain out of the country. Otherwise, the Land of Rain might have been renamed the Land of Lakes.

The streets were sparsely populated, with few established shops. Most were just makeshift stalls selling goods like oil and salt – quite rudimentary.

"I don't get why HQ keeps assigning us these kinds of missions. Can't they give us something more challenging?" Otonashi grumbled incessantly as he walked down the street, glancing at the shops on either side.

"Why worry about it? We just need to kill," Katsuki said calmly, flexing his fingers, his knuckles cracking audibly.

They had been in the Land of Rain for a month, constantly assigned various missions, including Kushina's and Minato's squads. These two student squads had been constantly on the move, executing mission after mission.

These missions were basically all about killing.

Killing spies, killing bandits, killing anyone they were capable of killing.

After walking halfway down the long street, the three of them turned and entered a narrow alley. The dark alley was filled with garbage, and a putrid stench assaulted them.

"Tenzan?"

"Target: seventeen individuals... they are all inside drinking."

The Byakugan was indeed useful. With its innate ability, even a student could scout a vast area. Having such a teammate was incredibly helpful.

"Charge in and eliminate them."

Katsuki grinned, his smile filled with a chilling bloodlust. He was the first to rush into the alley, heading for the first large door on the left. He kicked it open violently and charged in, short sword in hand.

"This guy is getting weirder and weirder," Otonashi muttered, following Katsuki and Tenzan into the alley.