Awakening the Sharingan

Kitahara Kaede took the mission document and looked it over. It stated that a group of bandits had appeared on a trade route somewhere in the Land of Fire and needed to be eliminated as soon as possible. Since the intelligence mentioned only some Ronin and bandits, the cleanup would not be particularly difficult for ninja. It could only be considered a C-Rank Mission.

After all, once Chakra became widespread, samurai had been completely phased out of this world. This was the age of ninja.

"Do you have any issues with accepting this mission?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked as usual.

"No. We will complete the mission!"

Kitahara Kaede shook his head.

"Good. Then take the mission document and set out as soon as possible," Sarutobi Hiruzen said.

He did not spare Kitahara Kaede another glance. A Chunin like him was not worth much attention from a Hokage such as himself.

"Yes!"

Kitahara Kaede accepted the mission document and left the Mission Hall.

He then notified Soten Genryu and Hyuga Keiko, telling them to make some preparations and get some rest before departing in the afternoon.

"Let's finish this mission as quickly as possible. Then we'll have three days off to rest."

Kitahara Kaede said.

Soten Genryu and Hyuga Keiko nodded at his words, and the three of them sped toward the outskirts of the village.

Though Soten Genryu and Hyuga Keiko were technically only ordinary Genin, they truly possessed Chunin-level strength already. All they lacked was certification for promotion.

Their squad was, in every sense, already a Chunin squad. With Kitahara Kaede added to the mix, whose strength rivaled that of a Tokubetsu Jonin, handling a C-Rank Mission was like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

After more than half a day of forced marching, the three-person squad arrived at the mission location. Their target was in a bandit stronghold on a mountain not far ahead.

Not far from the mountain lay a broad road, one that was usually likely traveled by many merchant caravans. But according to the mission document, it had recently been blocked by this group of bandits.

Moreover, there were many Ronin among those bandits, making them too much for ordinary people to handle. That was why the mission had been entrusted to Konoha.

"Rest for an hour, then prepare for battle. We'll wipe out this group of bandits tonight," Kitahara Kaede said as he stood on a tree branch and looked toward the distant mountain stronghold.

"Mm."

"Understood."

The other two said nothing more. They sat beneath the tree and took out Soldier Pills to replenish their strength and Chakra.

Meanwhile, Kitahara Kaede took on the responsibility of a captain, keeping watch and standing guard.

In the darkness of night, Kitahara Kaede stood atop a tree branch, gazing into the distance by moonlight.

He could clearly tell that his eyesight had improved. He could see more distinctly than before. Though he had yet to awaken the Sharingan, his vision was still far better than it had once been.

After resting for an hour, the three had recovered their strength and charged directly into the mountain stronghold under cover of night.

At this moment, aside from a scattered few night guards, everyone else in the stronghold was fast asleep.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Amid the sounds of Shuriken slicing through the air, several bandits were struck in the throat and killed before they could even react.

Soten Genryu and Hyuga Keiko stared at Kitahara Kaede in shock. Since when had his Shuriken skills become so good?

Especially in the darkness—he had struck each of those bandits precisely in the throat without a single error. That was no ordinary feat.

Originally, Hyuga Keiko had possessed the best Shuriken skills among the three. She had the Byakugan; although it was an incomplete version restricted by the Caged Bird, it was still far superior to that of ordinary people.

So even though her ninja talent was quite mediocre within the Hyuga Clan, she was already rather outstanding compared to ordinary people.

The boost that a Dojutsu Kekkei Genkai gave to long-range attacks such as Shuriken needed no further explanation.

Yet now, with Kitahara Kaede making his move, his Shuriken throwing skill seemed faintly capable of matching—or even surpassing—hers. That was not something one could achieve through hard practice alone.

The three cleared out the stronghold quickly. Though they appeared to be nothing more than three half-grown children, ninja were fundamentally different from ordinary people.

During wartime, it was perfectly normal for children only a few years old to go to the battlefield and kill.

Some gifted ninja had already become famous figures whose names shook the Shinobi World at that age.

That was the unique nature of being a ninja.

Suddenly, just as Kitahara Kaede silently killed a bandit in a courtyard, he heard a scream from the distance.

It was Soten Genryu!

Kitahara Kaede recognized it immediately. It was Soten Genryu.

But how could there be anyone in a bandit den capable of injuring a Chunin like him?

Even an ordinary Genin would have no trouble slaughtering ordinary bandits. So long as they overcame their fear of killing, everything would be easy—let alone someone with Chunin-level strength, which surpassed even Elite Genin.

With that thought, Kitahara Kaede pushed off the ground and used a Body Flicker to rush toward Soten Genryu.

When he arrived, he found Soten Genryu clutching his shoulder and huddling in a corner, while Hyuga Keiko stood before him, struggling to fend off someone's attacks.

That person wore the clothes of a Ronin, yet he was a ninja with Chakra. The long blade in his hand moved with incredible speed, leaving Hyuga Keiko almost unable to catch her breath under the relentless pressure.

This level of strength had definitely reached that of an Elite Chunin.

No wonder Soten Genryu had suffered such a loss. If Hyuga Keiko had not had the Byakugan's enhanced dynamic vision, she would probably have been injured by now as well.

Kitahara Kaede roughly understood now. No wonder this group of bandits had caused such a huge disturbance.

There were Rogue Ninjas backing them from behind.

Seeing that Hyuga Keiko was nearly unable to hold on any longer, Kitahara Kaede suddenly felt everything before his eyes slow down. His vision instantly sharpened, and he could even clearly track a mosquito flying in the distance.

Sharingan!

Kitahara Kaede immediately realized that he had probably awakened the Sharingan. Otherwise, there was no way his dynamic vision could have improved so dramatically.

Had it naturally awakened because he saw his teammate in danger?

Was the standard Uchiha Clan bloodline granted by this system really so easy to awaken?

There was none of the legendary difficulty of having to lose family or friends at every turn.

But at that moment, those countless thoughts merely flashed through his mind. Almost instinctively, he fired a Shuriken.

The Rogue Ninja, who had been viciously pressing Hyuga Keiko, suddenly noticed the Shuriken flying in from the side. He immediately turned and slashed it out of the air.

But in the very next second, another Shuriken had already appeared before him, hurtling straight for his neck.

More precisely, the two Shuriken had been fired almost simultaneously.

But just as he was about to dodge, two more Shuriken sealed off his escape routes.