Something Happened!

"Guy, enemies at what o'clock?"

Deep in the forest.

Shiranui Genma held a toothpick between his teeth, his voice kept very low.

Guy didn't even turn his head; he had already charged out.

Three dark shadows darted out from the woods, machetes in hand. Before they could even react to what was happening, the one in the lead felt a blur before his eyes.

BANG!

A kick landed square on his chest.

The man flew back two meters, slammed into a tree, rolled his eyes back, and slid down limply.

The two behind him froze for a second.

The second kick had already arrived.

BANG!

Another one rolled along the ground and lay motionless in the grass.

The last one turned to run, but Guy landed, pushed off the ground, vaulted into the air, and spun.

"Leaf Hurricane!"

Whoosh!

The instep of his foot whipped against the back of the man's head.

The man lunged forward, face-planting into a pile of fallen leaves.

It took less than three seconds in total.

Three down.

Ebisu ran up from behind, clutching a rope in his hand, his movements so practiced it was heartbreaking.

He tied up the first one.

After finishing, he turned his head to look at Guy: "Can you go a little easier next time? If they die, all our hard work goes to waste."

In times of war.

The fate of these captured bandits wasn't necessarily better than death.

However, these were bandits who had killed people, so they felt no moral burden in capturing them.

Guy grinned.

"They won't die, I held back my strength."

Ebisu pursed his lips and continued tying them up.

The second one.

The third one.

He stood up after finishing, brushed the dust off his hands, and looked at the three bandits tied up like rice dumplings, his expression somewhat complex.

"That's the third wave."

Shiranui Genma walked over and kicked the nearest one to confirm the knots were tight.

"Team 6, three captured."

He glanced at Guy.

"How many on your end?"

Guy thought for a moment.

"The first wave was two, the second was four, plus these three—"

He counted on his fingers.

"Nine."

The corner of Ebisu's mouth twitched.

"We three came out for a trip, and you took down nine?"

Guy scratched his head.

"I guess... so?"

Genma didn't speak.

He took the toothpick out of his mouth, stared at Guy for two seconds, then put it back in.

"Fine."

Just one word.

But that expression clearly said, "Is this guy even human?"

In the distance, the occasional sound of movement could be heard from other directions.

Today was their first live combat mission.

Twenty-one Ninja Academy students, divided into seven three-man squads, were fanning out to surround the bandit hideout.

From left to right, they were numbered one through seven.

Ikkaku Umino was in the fourth position, making it easy to support either side at a moment's notice.

Theoretically, the best formation would be a full circle, ensuring not a single bandit could escape.

But Ikkaku Umino didn't dare.

The oldest of these children was eight, and the youngest was six.

If they formed a circle, the distance between them would be too great; if something went wrong on any side, he wouldn't be able to reach them in time.

A fan formation, at the very least, ensured every squad remained within his range of support.

Guy and his team had drawn position six.

The second from the far right.

Further to the right was Team 7.

Gekko Hayate, Uzuki Yugao, and one other child whose name Guy couldn't recall.

That child rarely spoke and had very little presence.

But at this moment, Guy suddenly thought of him.

What was his name again...

"Hey."

Ebisu lowered his voice.

"Isn't it a bit too quiet over there?"

Guy snapped out of his thoughts and looked to the right.

The woods were pitch black, and he couldn't see a thing.

Quiet.

It was indeed too quiet.

There wasn't a single sound coming from the direction of Team 7.

"Maybe they haven't run into anyone over there," Genma said.

Ebisu nodded.

"True. We've already run into three waves; it's normal if they haven't encountered anyone."

He brushed the dust off his hands, stood up, and stretched his neck.

"Though, come to think of it, this mission doesn't seem all that hard."

His tone was a bit cocky.

"When Ikkaku Umino told us about it, I thought it would be incredibly dangerous, but this is it?"

He kicked the bandit tied up on the ground.

"They aren't even ninjas, just a bunch of common bandits. Between the three of us, Guy took down nine of them all by himself."

He pushed up his sunglasses, looking smug.

"At this rate, clearing out the entire stronghold will only take—"

"Ebisu."

Guy cut him off.

Ebisu turned his head.

"Yeah?"

Guy looked at him, his expression uncharacteristically serious.

"Don't get cocky."

Ebisu froze for a moment.

Then he pursed his lips.

"Who's getting cocky? I'm just stating facts."

"Ikkaku Umino said it," Guy said. "On the battlefield, those who get careless die the fastest."

Ebisu opened his mouth.

He wanted to retort.

But looking into Guy's eyes, he swallowed the words back down.

He huffed and turned his head away.

"Got it, got it."

But the tone of that "got it" was noticeably more serious than before.

Guy said nothing more.

He turned his head to look at Shiranui Genma.

Shiranui Genma was looking at him too.

Their gazes met, and Shiranui Genma gave a slight nod.

Clearly, he also felt that something was wrong.

Guy lowered his head unobtrusively and glanced at the system panel.

[Mission: Exterminate the Bandit Group]
[Reward: 100 Monk Points, Random Intermediate Gift Pack]

This was a mission the system had suddenly issued before they set out.

An intermediate gift pack.

This was the first time he had encountered one.

All previous missions had rewarded him with primary gift packs.

Now, this "exterminate the bandits" mission offered an intermediate one.

Guy clenched his fists.

What did an intermediate gift pack signify?

It meant that this mission was harder than all the previous ones.

It meant that people might actually die.

He used the word "might."

But he knew the truth in his heart.

In the system's judgment, there was no "might."

There was only "will" and "will not."

One hundred Monk Points, an intermediate gift pack.

This mission was definitely not as simple as dealing with a few ordinary bandits.

Just as he was thinking this.

"Whew—!"

A sharp whistle erupted from the distance on the right.

All three of them looked up at once.

Above the forest, a signal flare rose, trailing a red flame.

It illuminated half the sky.

That was—

"Team 7!" Ebisu shouted.

Guy's mind instantly flashed to that location.

The far right.

The very edge.

The place furthest from Ikkaku Umino.

Team 7.

Gekko Hayate.

Uzuki Yugao.

And that child whose name he couldn't recall.

The signal flare was still rising.

Red light.

That was a distress signal.

"Move!"

Guy had already dashed out.

No discussion.

No hesitation.

Shiranui Genma and Ebisu didn't even exchange a glance; they followed immediately.

Three figures sprinted wildly through the woods.

Guy charged at the very front.

There was only one thought in his mind.

Don't let anything happen.