Killing Mist Ninja

"Plenty of people want to kill me. Too bad none of them have what it takes."

Muzan drew the ninja sword from his back. It was naturally not Sakumo's White Fang, merely an ordinary ninja sword, and the opponent before him was no formidable foe who had fought Sakumo.

"Crack!"

His Hatake Sword Technique carried several traces of the White Fang of Konoha's style. The instant he sensed danger, Baishi Haoji retreated three steps. He thought he had dodged the blade, only to feel a sharp pain in his chest.

Looking down at the bleeding wound, Baishi Haoji's face filled with terror!

"Hatake Sword Technique!"

It was the famed signature technique of the White Fang of Konoha. As a ninja from an enemy village, he understood just how terrifying this sword technique was.

Combining the black-robed youth before him with the intelligence he had recently received, the two children of the Hatake Household had both become Genin. Both were geniuses and had been placed on the kill list.

"You're Hatake Muzan!"

On certain assassination lists and bounty hunter kill rankings, the heads of geniuses were worth more than those of powerful ninja. A genius who had yet to mature posed little threat to a ninja village. As long as they were strangled in the cradle, they would cause no trouble.

But a Kage Level expert who had fully grown could threaten the safety of an entire village.

Muzan did not deny it. As the two clashed at close range, Muzan unexpectedly held the advantage in strength, forcing Baishi Haoji to retreat again and again. Coupled with the poison spreading from his ankle, his stamina began to fail after several exchanges.

"Crack!"

The extended slash severed both the kunai and Baishi Haoji.

A thin line of blood appeared on his neck. The draw and return of the blade were completed in one smooth motion. Baishi Haoji stared in stunned disbelief, still unable to believe that he would die at the hands of a child.

"Thud!"

The stiff corpse fell to the ground, its unclosed eyes staring as its head rolled before Muzan. He reached out and shut the man's eyes, granting Baishi Haoji one final shred of dignity.

"A ninja's life is truly tragic."

Ninja were a strange profession. They did not engage in production, yet they plundered one another.

Most ninja were fated to die at the hands of their enemies. Like a cycle of reincarnation, it stretched on endlessly.

After dealing with Baishi Haoji, Muzan swiftly headed to the battlefield ahead. Anko and Mari had already gained the upper hand. Orochimaru had taught them conscientiously and had not withheld anything when it came to ninjutsu.

The two enemies were trapped by long snakes and poisoned. Muzan did not even need to intervene; Anko could claim victory on her own.

In the end, two kunai pierced their hearts, ending their miserable lives.

"Looks like you two gained a lot."

The two of them had crushed the Mist Ninja through teamwork, which surprised Muzan slightly. Mari had initially been timid, and her strength had barely been enough to use the Three Body Technique. Now, she could kill a Mist Ninja on her own.

"Mm-hmm! Battles between ninja are really dangerous."

Looking at the dead ninja, they realized that even the enemy's kunai had been coated in poison during the battle. To kill their opponents, they would stop at nothing!

This was the cruelty of war, not the childish games of the Ninja Academy.

"Good thing I won. I'll definitely become a famous ninja!"

Muzan did not dampen Anko's enthusiasm. Looking at the corpses on the ground, he used his ninja sword to cut off their heads.

Anko, who had been looking forward to relaxing with some dumplings after the battle, stared at Muzan in disgust.

"You sick pervert! You actually—"

Noticing Muzan's icy, emotionless gaze, the words on her lips died in her throat.

It was as though what he had done was perfectly natural. That expression was exactly like Teacher Orochimaru's.

"Don't be so naive, Anko. We're ninja, and they're enemies. Their bodies need to be handed over to the special ninja so they can investigate Hidden Mist Village's plans."

Sometimes, dead ninja were more useful than living people. Although they had received Orochimaru's special training, they had never experienced the darkness of the Shinobi World.

In truth, the head of one Chunin would have been enough. Muzan was doing this to make them accustomed to the life of a ninja.

A famous ninja? They all earned their renown through overwhelming strength, step by step! Their mighty names were forged from the bones of their enemies!

Her hands stained with blood, Anko forced down the discomfort in her heart. When she noticed Mari trembling, she saw that although Mari was afraid, she was tightly clutching a head.

"Yes, Captain."

Anko finally adjusted her attitude. During a mission, they had to obey their superior's orders. Only then could unexpected circumstances be kept to a minimum.

"Move out. We're rejoining the forces behind us!"

Mist Ninja appearing around Konoha was no good sign. It meant they had begun preparing for an invasion.

When they returned to camp, the three blood-covered children startled the ninja on duty. If anything happened to Lord Orochimaru's disciples, they would all be in trouble—not to mention that one of them was Lord Sakumo's child.

"What happened to you?"

The duty ninja wanted to summon the medical unit to treat them, but Muzan stopped him. He himself was medically skilled.

"We encountered Mist Ninja. This is the head of a Hidden Mist Village Chunin. Hand it over to your people. I hope you can obtain useful intelligence."

"A Chunin?"

Only after confirming the enemy's forehead protector did the duty ninja believe it. They had truly killed a Chunin! Looking at Muzan's small figure, Konoha's ninja had previously spoken of Muzan mostly in connection with his father and teacher. But from this day onward, Muzan's ninja career would be defined more by himself.

Killing a Chunin at such a young age!

If nothing unexpected happened, Konoha would surely gain another White Fang of Konoha in the future!

When Orochimaru in the camp heard that they had eliminated a Chunin squad, he was not surprised. Muzan's strength was comparable to that of a Chunin, and with Mari and Anko beside him, nothing would go wrong. Otherwise, Orochimaru would not have allowed them to patrol alone.

"You did very well, but there is one thing you did wrong."

They had failed to clean up the traces of battle afterward. Muzan had overlooked that. If a Chunin squad vanished without reason in Konoha, and the Mist Ninja discovered signs of battle nearby, they would know that a Konoha squad was active in this area and become more cautious.

The next time they made contact, the enemy would either avoid this area or send stronger ninja.

Given the Land of Bloody Mist's way of doing things, that Mizukage probably would not let this go!

"Teacher Orochimaru, that was my mistake."

As the captain, Muzan bore responsibility for this strategic error.

"Just pay attention next time."

This mistake would not affect the bigger picture. Orochimaru usually taught ninjutsu and chakra training; he had never taught them how to clean up a battlefield afterward, so it was also Orochimaru's oversight.

"After this incident, you've been completely exposed to the Mist Ninja's attention. You're already on their kill list. Be careful."

Looking at the scroll Orochimaru tossed over, Muzan saw that it was a bounty list. He ranked near the top, and his bounty was even higher than that of an Elite Jōnin!

"A kill list?"