The small town was a complete wreck. Houses had collapsed, all kinds of debris littered the streets, and not a single pedestrian was in sight.
Clearly, it had just been ransacked by bandits.
Aoba's gaze turned icy.
He tightened his grip on the kunai and headed toward the bandits' hideout marked on the map.
The bandits' hideout was located in an abandoned temple on the outskirts of town.
Aoba quietly approached the temple, hiding behind a large tree as he observed the situation inside.
Two bandits stood guard at the temple entrance. They held long blades and kept looking around, appearing highly vigilant.
The sounds of bandits laughing, drinking, and making merry drifted out from within the temple.
Aoba made a rough estimate. There were at least several dozen bandits inside.
"There are quite a few of them."
Aoba thought to himself.
But he did not feel the slightest fear. Instead, he began considering how to eliminate these bandits as quickly as possible.
He decided to take care of the two guards at the entrance first, then sneak into the temple and pick off the rest one by one.
He took a deep breath and mobilized the chakra within his body. His figure became ghostlike as he silently crept toward the two bandits at the entrance.
The two bandits were still looking around, completely unaware that danger had arrived.
Aoba suddenly lunged forward, the kunai in his hand swiftly slicing across both bandits' throats.
The two bandits did not even have time to let out a scream before they collapsed to the ground, all signs of life gone.
After dealing with the guards, Aoba quietly slipped into the temple.
Inside the temple's main hall, several dozen bandits were drinking and feasting on meat, all of them hazy with drunkenness.
At