B-Rank Mission

The Elder nodded in satisfaction. "Good. Really good."

And so Tianqi said goodbye to the Elder and returned home.

The next day, he started taking missions with Sarutobi. Of course, the Shinobi World was temporarily at peace, so Genin weren't given anything too difficult. Most missions were D-Rank.

For several days, the two of them stayed in the village, either helping people take out the trash or looking for cats and dogs.

During this time, Sarutobi also taught Tianqi how to climb trees using his feet and walk on water. But Tianqi had no trouble with either. He mastered them in just a few minutes, leaving Sarutobi unable to help marveling at his talent.

During this time, Tianqi also used Points to exchange for ninjutsu. S-Rank Ninjutsu cost Points, A-Rank Ninjutsu cost 5,000 Points, B-Rank Ninjutsu cost 1,000 Points, C-Rank Ninjutsu cost 500 Points, and D-Rank Ninjutsu cost 100 Points.

With the Elder and Clan Head supporting him, Tianqi didn't want to waste Points exchanging for ninjutsu that his clan already had, but learning them on his own would take too much time.

In the end, he chose the Crow Clone, a technique Uchiha Itachi would invent in the future. It cost 500 Points. This technique combined genjutsu and the Clone Technique, making it ideal for both distracting enemies and protecting its user.

With his remaining 500 Points, he exchanged for the Water of Life from the system. It could repair the body's cells and strengthen the user's constitution. Taking more of it could even increase their Chakra.

Small bottle: 100 Points, best suited for Genin

Medium bottle: 500 Points, best suited for Chunin

Large bottle: 1,000 Points, best suited for Jonin

Tianqi exchanged for five small bottles of the Water of Life. After using four of them, his Chakra had risen to Chunin level.

And so the days passed by as they searched for cats and dogs, until one day.

"Tianqi, let's go. We've got another mission today."

"Are we looking for cats and dogs again, or pulling weeds?" Tianqi looked at Sarutobi with an exasperated expression. He was starting to get fed up with this routine.

"What are you talking about? This time it's a B-Rank Mission."

"What kind of mission?" Hearing it was a B-Rank Mission, Tianqi perked up.

"Don't rush me. I'll explain. This mission is to wipe out a group of bandits. Here's the information on them," Sarutobi said, handing Tianqi a sheet of paper.

"This operation is entirely up to you. They're just a bunch of small-time bandits, so they shouldn't be much of a problem for you. Of course, as your team leader, I'll follow you in secret. Unless your life is in danger, I won't show myself. Understand?"

"Understood. They're just a bunch of bandits. Easy," Tianqi replied.

"Then good luck." With that, Sarutobi vanished from sight.

The system issued a mission, too: wipe out all the bandits. Completing it would earn him 5,000 Points; failing would result in immediate annihilation.

Hearing that he'd be annihilated again, Tianqi raced out of the village without wasting a second.

Damn system. You want to kill me? Dream on!

That night, at an inn, Tianqi studied the information in his hands. They really were a bunch of small-time bandits. There were only three Genin; the rest were ordinary people. And this was a B-Rank Mission? With enemies this weak, shouldn't it have been a C-Rank Mission?

Seeing the note that they all had to be wiped out, Tianqi wasn't worried at all. They were just a few bandits. Wiping them all out would be easy.

Whatever. He'd see for himself tomorrow. After traveling all day, Tianqi went straight to sleep.

The night passed without incident. Early the next morning, Tianqi headed toward the bandits' hideout.

Hidden in a patch of grass near the hideout, Tianqi watched a large group of bandits on patrol. Damn! How could there be so many people in this hideout? There had to be at least two hundred. No wonder they had to be wiped out. Maybe the mission was B-Rank precisely because every last one of them had to be eliminated.

I should've learned the Shadow Clone. If I'm spotted with so many people here, they'll all run away. If they get away, my mission's screwed.

What should I do? Tianqi pondered how he could take them out without being discovered.

Got it!

Night fell. After observing the hideout all day, Tianqi found a building that would catch fire easily. That's right, he was going to set it ablaze and throw the whole camp into chaos. Then he could pick them off.

Boom! Flames erupted.

When the bandits saw the fire, they panicked and rushed to put it out, scattering in every direction. Tianqi took the opportunity to pick them off. It was his first time killing, but he felt no discomfort at all, as if he'd been born without that instinct.

As Tianqi picked them off one by one, the hideout's three Genin bosses finally realized something was wrong.

"Don't panic! Everybody, gather up! An enemy's infiltrated the camp!" the Third Boss shouted.

"Half of them are already gone, and we didn't even notice," he said, staring at the remaining hundred or so. "If the third one hadn't noticed, I'd still be in the dark. Damn it!"

Seeing that half his men were gone, the First Boss was heartbroken. They were his entire livelihood, and half of them had disappeared in no time. Who wouldn't be furious?

Just then, the Second Boss spoke up. "Friend, show yourself. Whatever the problem is, we can talk it out. There's no need to kill anyone."

Tianqi saw that the bandits had gathered together, but ignored the three leaders. His main targets were the ordinary bandits. He couldn't pick them off by stealth anymore, but now that they were all in one place, he didn't have to go looking for them.

Tianqi formed Hand Seals with both hands. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!" The fireball shot straight toward the three Genin leaders.

The leaders weren't pushovers. As soon as they saw the fireball, they formed Hand Seals. "Earth Release: Earth Style Wall!"

Three earthen walls rose up in front of them, blocking the fireball. Tianqi used the opening to pick off a dozen more men.

When the walls crumbled, the three saw a boy slaughtering their subordinates and flew into a rage. "We thought you were some big shot, but you're just a little brat! Prepare to die!"

The Third Boss saw that Tianqi was just a child and charged without a word, Kunai in hand, thrusting it toward him.

Tianqi noticed the Third Boss rushing at him. Just as he reached Tianqi, Tianqi suddenly sped up and grabbed the hand holding the Kunai.

"With skills like yours, what made you think you could charge at me?" Tianqi taunted him as he held on to the Third Boss's hand.

The Third Boss struggled desperately to free his hand, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break Tianqi's grip.

"Go sit over there!" Tianqi said, kicking the Third Boss flying. Then he turned and charged back into the panicked crowd, continuing his killing spree.

"Third Brother!" Seeing him kicked away, the First Boss and Second Boss hurried over to help him up.

"Third Brother, are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Boss. That brat's no ordinary kid. He's unbelievably strong. I'm afraid it'll take all three of us working together to beat him."

"Second, gather everyone. We'll fight him together today."

"Yes, Boss!" The Second Boss shouted to the panicked men.

"Brothers, stop running! Gather around me. If you keep running around like this, you'll all die!"

Sure enough, his words had an effect. The panicked men gathered around the three bosses once more.

Tianqi looked at the blood and gore covering the ground, then turned his blood-splattered face toward the three men and the dozen or so who had gathered around them.

The three Genin leaders saw the bodies Tianqi had left behind and felt their scalps go numb.

The Second Boss spoke uncertainly. "Boss, can we really win? That kid's a complete lunatic."

The First Boss ignored him and called out to Tianqi. "Kid, who sent you? Why are you targeting us? Do you think we're pushovers?"

For once, Tianqi actually took the time to explain. "I'm a Konoha Ninja. I was assigned this mission to wipe you out."

"If you know what's good for you, don't resist. You might at least get to keep your bodies intact. If you insist on this, don't blame me for showing no mercy."