At the hidden base in Tanzaku Town, Zabuza took Haku and Kimimaro to accept their first B-Rank Mission personally selected by Ling: wiping out a band of bandits entrenched along the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Grass. They were no ordinary bandits. Their leader was suspected of being a Chunin who had deserted from a small country, and he was ruthless. The bandits had also evaded the border garrison's attempts to exterminate them several times.
The mission's objectives were clear: gain real combat experience, assess Zabuza's leadership, and observe Haku and Kimimaro's state of mind and teamwork in a real battle to the death.
Deep in a forest along the border.
The bandits' camp was built against a mountain. It was crude, but the terrain gave them an advantage. Two bandits on watchtower duty yawned listlessly.
"Move." Hidden in the shadows of the trees, Zabuza gave the order coldly, like the true Demon he was.
Haku took a deep breath. A hint of reluctance flashed in his eyes, but when he thought of Lord Ling's expectations and the crimes these bandits had committed, his gaze grew resolute. He formed hand seals.
"Ice Style: Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death!"
Countless sharp Ice Senbon formed in the air and shot silently toward the watchtower like a downpour! They soon began to break the sound barrier!
"Ugh!"
The two guards didn't even have time to cry out before the barrage of Ice Senbon riddled them like pincushions, killing them instantly.
"Enemies!!" The camp finally reacted, erupting into chaos. Dozens of bandits rushed out, weapons in hand.
"Bonehead, the group on the left is yours." Zabuza hefted the Kubikiribōchō and pointed toward the larger group. Then he grinned savagely and charged at the deserter who was probably their leader. "This 'Jonin' of his own estimation is mine!"
Kimimaro said nothing. He shot forward like a white streak of lightning.
"Dance of the Willow!"
His body moved like a supple willow branch as he darted through the crowd. Lethal bone blades sprang from his elbows, knees, shoulder blades—every joint in his body! His movements were graceful and deadly. Each strike brought a spray of blood, while the bandits' weapons only sparked against his bones, unable to harm him. He reaped lives with the efficiency of the Grim Reaper, his gaze cold and unchanging.
On the other side, Haku focused on using Ice Release to harass the bandits and pick them off from a distance.
"Ice Style: Ice Rock Dome!"
"Ice Style: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals!"
At times, he raised ice walls to block the bandits' charge. At others, he used the ice mirrors to reflect his form and sent Ice Senbon from impossible angles, precisely striking his enemies' wrists and ankles to rob them of their ability to fight. He tried to avoid taking lives directly, but the battlefield was merciless. Some who harbored evil intentions were killed by his attacks, though he had no choice but to use them. Each time he killed someone, his face grew paler, but he gritted his teeth and pressed on.
Meanwhile, Zabuza's fight against the deserter leading the bandits was a one-sided slaughter.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
"Hmph. You can't even imagine the Silent Killing Technique of the Mist Village, you half-baked fool." Zabuza easily dodged the water dragon, which was all show and no substance, then vanished into the sudden, spreading mist.
The next instant, a tragic flash of steel cut through the air!
"Splurt!"
With unstoppable force, the executioner's blade cleaved the deserter in two, man and weapon alike! Blood and entrails splattered across the ground.
"The boss is dead! Run!" The remaining bandits saw what had happened and completely lost their nerve, fleeing in every direction.
The battle was over in barely ten minutes. The camp was littered with corpses, and the stench of blood was thick enough to make one retch.
Haku looked at the carnage before him and leaned against an ice wall, unable to stop himself from gagging. It was the first time he had experienced such a brutal massacre.
Kimimaro walked over and silently offered him a clean handkerchief. He didn't understand why Haku felt pity for their enemies, but he respected his comrade.
"On the battlefield, showing mercy to your enemy is cruelty to yourself, kid." Zabuza shook the blood from the Decapitator Blade, his tone indifferent. "Remember how this feels, then get stronger. Strong enough that you don't need to prove yourself by killing the weak."
Haku took the handkerchief, wiped his mouth, and nodded firmly. "I understand, Mr. Zabuza."
In this mission, Dawn Wind had made its first mark, displaying tremendous efficiency and teamwork. Kimimaro's ruthless ferocity and Haku's precise control had especially impressed Zabuza. He had to admit that the two boys Ling had found really did have potential.
Not long after Dawn Wind completed the mission and quietly withdrew...
A tall, slender figure with pale skin slid silently into the camp that had just been wiped out, like a snake.
He wore a loose kimono and had long, jet-black hair, golden slit pupils, and purple eye shadow stretching along both sides of his nose. His entire presence radiated a cold, dangerous thirst for knowledge. He was Orochimaru, one of the Sannin and a fugitive from Konoha.
Ignoring the corpses scattered across the ground, he stuck out his long tongue, licked his lips, and swept an interested gaze over the traces left behind by the battle.
"Interesting traces of chakra..." He crouched down, picked up a drop of blood that had not yet fully dried with his fingertips, and sniffed it. "The Kekkei Genkai of Ice Release... and the traces of those hard bones. Is that the Kaguya Clan's Shikotsumyaku?"
His eyes gleamed with the excitement of discovering rare experimental materials.
"And that swordsmanship... is that the Kubikiribōchō of that brat Zabuza Momochi? How did they end up together?" Orochimaru rose and gazed toward the Land of Fire, his mind already turning over the possibilities.
"It seems many changes have taken place in Konoha that I don't know about. Perhaps it's time to go back and have a look. Who knows? I might find a more interesting 'vessel' than Uchiha Sasuke."
He let out a low, hoarse laugh. His body slowly sank into the ground and disappeared.
Orochimaru had set his sights on Konoha—and on Ling and his fledgling Dawn Wind.
Konoha, Ninja Academy.
Ling had no idea what had happened at the border or that Orochimaru was watching him. He was facing a new "problem."
During the theory lesson, he had once again crushed the competition with his impeccable skills. After class, someone stepped in front of him.
It was Uchiha Sasuke.
His gaze was colder than ever, and there was even a hint of desperate resolve in it.
"Uchiha Ling," Sasuke said, his voice tight with anger and frustration. "Fight me! At the training ground, right now!"
He could no longer tolerate Ling's constant air of superiority, nor could he bear how weak he seemed in front of the only surviving member of his clan. He needed a fight. Even if he lost, he wanted to prove his resolve and worth as he pursued revenge!
Ling looked at the familiar, obsessive light of hatred in Sasuke's eyes and understood. He knew that simply avoiding him and trying to talk him down would no longer work.
"All right," Ling calmly accepted the challenge.
This confrontation between brothers—or rather, clanmates—would determine the course of their relationship from here on. And in the distance, a pair of serpentine eyes hidden behind the leaves watched everything with keen interest.
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