Blood Gold

The morning sunlight had just begun to illuminate the rocky peaks of Iwagakure.

Jingxin stepped out of the stone house and began his usual morning training.

He had just finished a set of basic Taijutsu when a familiar voice came from behind him.

"Hey, up bright and early, little genius."

Kurotsuchi leaned against the rock wall beside the stone house. Her short black hair shimmered faintly in the morning light, and a bright smile graced her face.

"Kurotsuchi." Jingxin nodded in greeting. "What brings you here?"

"I heard you have an Anbu mission today." Kurotsuchi stepped closer and took a small pouch from her clothes. "Here, some specially made Military Ration Pills."

"I added honey and herbs, so they should taste a little better than the usual ones."

"Don't forget to replenish your strength during the mission."

Jingxin took the pouch and smiled. "Thanks."

"After all this time, you're still being so formal?" Kurotsuchi tilted her head and leaned closer. "You're easy to get along with, but why does your romance progress always seem so slow?"

Jingxin's eye twitched. "You should read fewer weird books."

Kurotsuchi waved her hand. "Never mind, never mind. Let's not talk about that. You have to promise me you'll be careful."

"I know you're strong, but an Anbu mission isn't the same as training."

A faint, pleasant fragrance drifted from her. She was close enough for Jingxin to see her eyelashes quiver.

"I know." Jingxin took half a step back.

"Good." Kurotsuchi patted him on the shoulder. "Good luck with the mission. I'll be waiting for you to come back."

She waved and turned to leave, her steps light and full of energy.

Jingxin watched her go, carefully put away the pouch of Military Ration Pills, then headed toward the Tsuchikage Building.

Iwagakure's Anbu base was hidden in the deepest part of the village, connected to the Tsuchikage Building by a single secret door.

Jingxin changed into the standard Iwagakure Anbu uniform.

He wore a light gray vest over a black bodysuit and a Fox Mask that completely concealed his face. Two narrow slits for his eyes offered only limited vision.

Ōnoki floated in front of him with his arms crossed and a serious expression. "Blood Gold, your teammates have been selected."

Two figures emerged from the shadows.

The one on the left was a tall male ninja who looked to be around thirty.

He wore a Wolf Mask. His broad shoulders and steady stance made him seem as solid as a mountain, and his breathing was almost inaudible.

The one on the right was a female ninja, slender and graceful. She wore an Owl Mask, and her presence was almost imperceptible.

"Shifeng, an elite jonin, specializes in Earth Release and tactical command," Ōnoki introduced. "Yeying, an elite jonin, is an expert in reconnaissance and assassination."

Both nodded slightly to Jingxin at the same time, their movements crisp and economical.

They had clearly already received detailed instructions from Ōnoki and understood the nature of this mission.

"Your first mission has been assigned." Ōnoki took a scroll from his clothes and handed it to Shifeng. "A C-rank bandit-suppression mission. The target is a group of bandits entrenched in the Land of Earth, about twenty in total. There may be rogue ninja among them."

"Eliminate them all. Leave no survivors."

Shifeng took the scroll and skimmed it quickly before looking up. "Understood."

Ōnoki nodded, then looked at Jingxin. "Blood Gold, this is your first Anbu mission. Your two seniors won't intervene. This is a trial for you alone."

"Understood." Jingxin's voice came through the mask, slightly muffled.

The three bowed to Ōnoki, then turned and left the training ground.

The three traveled at the Anbu's standard forced-march pace, leaving Iwagakure's surrounding peaks and canyons rapidly behind.

They marched continuously for eight hours.

The scenery gradually shifted from the relatively prosperous area around Iwagakure to barren wastelands and steep mountains.

This was a remote border region of the Land of Earth, far beyond Iwagakure's sphere of influence. Lawlessness prevailed, making it a haven for bandits and rogue ninja.

Following the scroll's instructions, the three found the mission site.

It was a secluded valley.

The entrance was narrow, with steep rock walls dozens of meters high on either side. Inside, crude wooden huts and tents had been set up.

Smoke curled into the air as roughly twenty bandits prepared dinner.

The three hid on the cliff above the valley entrance, looking down at the camp.

Several larger wooden huts stood in the center, surrounded by scattered tents and a crude wooden fence.

Two sentries lounged by the entrance, clearly not expecting anyone to attack.

Most conspicuous of all, several men and women with vacant, despairing expressions were tied up with hemp rope inside one of the sheds. They were clearly the bandits' "hostages."

"Targets confirmed," Yeying whispered. "Twenty-three people. Three have chakra signatures and are likely rogue ninja."

"Their strength ranges from Genin to Chunin. The camp layout is haphazard, and the defenses are weak."

Shifeng stood and rolled his shoulders.

"Captain?!" Yeying said sharply.

"What?" Shifeng's lazy, muffled voice came from behind his mask. "Our mission is to familiarize Blood Gold with the process. I just need to tell him what to do."

"Blood Gold, in this kind of situation, make sure you don't expose yourself the way I just did."

"Mm... That's about it. Go ahead."

"Don't worry. With us here, you won't die."

These were two elite jonin.

Count the elite jonin across the entire planet over the past twenty years and the next twenty.

You wouldn't be able to fill more than a few sheets of A4 paper with all their names.

If not for Jingxin, an elite jonin would never be assigned this kind of "beginner's village" mission.

It was no exaggeration to say that even if Danzo himself came to kill Jingxin...

He'd have to warm up first.

Jingxin nodded, took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and steadied his breathing.

His chakra began to flow. Beneath his mask, his Sharingan quietly opened, its crimson eyes observing the camp through the narrow slits.

It was a habit of his never to underestimate any enemy.

Jingxin leaped down from the cliff.

The two sentries outside the bandit camp spotted him and drew their swords at the same time. "Who's there?!"

Jingxin formed Hand Seals.

Shadow Clone Technique!

Poof, poof, poof...

A series of white smoke bursts erupted, and ten Shadow Clones appeared around Jingxin.

"A n-ninja!" One of the sentries stumbled backward in terror and turned to run.

Two Shadow Clones rushed forward in an instant, their kunai tracing cold arcs.

The sentry managed only a brief scream before collapsing. Blood gushed from his throat.

The ten Shadow Clones charged into the camp, sending the bandits into a panic.

"An enemy attack!"

"It's a ninja!"

Amid the chaos, three rogue ninja with chakra signatures rushed out of the largest wooden hut.

They reacted far faster than the ordinary bandits. One of them, a bald man, immediately formed Hand Seals. "Earth Release: Earth Style: Earth Wall!"

The ground heaved, and a thick earthen wall rose up, blocking the first volley of weapons from the Shadow Clones.

But three Shadow Clones circled around the wall from either side and launched a close-range attack.

A Shadow Clone leaped high into the air and brought a leg down in a crushing blow.

The bald man raised a kunai to block it.

Clang!

The heavy weights strapped to the attacker's leg slammed into the kunai.

The other two Shadow Clones seized their chance and drove their ninja swords into his chest.