Childhood Arc: Killing

Once I received the signal to attack, I stopped thinking about those things. My right hand gripped the hilt of my ninja blade as I followed Sakumo up the cliff and into the cave.

Kakashi's clone successfully threw the smoke bomb. Chaos filled the cave as the bandits lost their footing after their vision was obscured.

Clang—

Using Observation Haki, I swung my blade to block a kunai flailing wildly from my front left and knocked it away. Just as I was about to slit his throat, my hands seemed to have been cemented in place, unable to move. In the end, I could only front-kick him into the wall and knock him unconscious.

"Aah—!"

A man's scream rang out beside me. Dark red blood splashed across my face, and the stench of blood instantly flooded my senses.

"Bleurgh..."

I had hunted during my training. I had smelled blood before and experienced killing living things.

But when someone truly died beside me and their blood splashed onto me, I still couldn't accept it.

That smell was more pungent and nauseating than any other odor.

As the smoke thinned slightly, I looked at the bandit whose neck was continuously spilling blood. Stomach acid surged up uncontrollably, and I dropped to my knees with a thud and vomited.

"Qingyue! Don't be so naive!"

Sakumo's words reached my ears. I understood. I understood everything.

But I... couldn't do it.

Suddenly, blood splashed onto me again. Then Kakashi, his arm slashed open, appeared beside me.

That was right, we were in the middle of a battle. Every second counted in a ninja's fight. The time I spent kneeling there and acting spoiled would get my comrades killed if this were a battlefield.

Get up, get up. I can do this. Move, move, or I'll be killed!

"Die!"

[Lord Qingyue, get out of the way!]

Scenes of being bullied at school flashed through my mind like a slideshow playing at thirty-two times speed—being insulted, belittled, humiliated, cursed at, beaten... treated like their toy, like an object with no dignity...

I... don't want to be weak anymore!

"Aah—"

The instant his longsword came down, I drew my ninja blade at top speed and wrapped it in Battle Aura, easily cutting through his sword!

I had promised Rin that I would forge peace and protect Konoha, so...

"I can't be weak anymore. I have to take this step!"

While he was off balance, I slashed his throat and swiftly sheathed my blade. Eyes wide open, I watched him fall as blood sprayed from his neck and splattered freely across my face.

I didn't dodge.

What followed could no longer be called a battle. Overwhelmed by emotion, I flashed through the cave and eliminated every bandit before Kakashi and Sakumo could, including the Chunin, whose throat I slit with a single stroke.

My first mission outside the village was complete.

My first killing did not leave me as nauseated as I had imagined. My hands did not tremble, nor did my legs go weak.

My calm state of mind frightened even me. It was as though I had gone numb and could no longer feel anything.

I felt no guilt, since they were all evil men. Of course, I couldn't possibly feel pleasure either. I would never come to enjoy this feeling.

But this was something I had to do to survive in this world. Accept it. This was not the modern world.

"Looks like it's all taken care of. You two did well. Judging by his forehead protector, he should be a rogue ninja from the Land of Grass. Bring that man's body back with us. Leave the rest here and burn them. Recover the stolen money, and this mission will be complete."

Not wanting to touch another corpse, I left that task to Kakashi while I gathered the stolen money.

After we finished, we returned to Konoha Village.

Sakumo didn't say anything to us along the way. It seemed he wanted us to process these complicated emotions ourselves.

Sakumo handled the handover of the commission alone. Kakashi naturally stayed to wait for him, while I lowered my head and silently walked home.

When I pushed open the door, the living room beyond was empty. There was no one I could talk to.

I walked into the kitchen, hoping Mom or Dad would be busy inside, but it was still completely quiet.

There was still some time before dinner, so I returned to my room, casually took off my clothes, lifted the blanket, and crawled into bed.

[Teacher Hill, will I have to keep doing this in the future?]

[Being a ninja is this kind of job. If Lord Qingyue does not want to continue, you can give up being a ninja. With our memories, you can easily become wealthy through knowledge.]

That was right. I didn't actually have to be a ninja. With the knowledge from my previous life, I could support myself no matter what, perhaps even live comfortably.

But... if I did nothing, Rin would die in the Third Shinobi World War. Obito would also turn to the other side because of it, and Kakashi would never recover.

Later, Minato Namikaze, a character I liked, would die. Naruto, the future protagonist, would be feared by the entire village. The Uchiha clan would be wiped out...

Then the Fourth Shinobi World War would break out, more people would die, and eventually the Otsutsuki would descend in full...

Knowing of so many tragedies, I couldn't possibly remain completely indifferent.

Even if I wasn't the one causing them, knowing the truth yet taking no action would leave me with a lingering sense of guilt.

In the end, I couldn't reach a decision. Perhaps I was simply too exhausted, because I soon fell asleep.

When I woke up, it was already evening. Dad and Mom definitely weren't coming home today, so I took some money and prepared to go to Ichiraku Ramen for a bowl of noodles.

Yawning, I carelessly put on my clothes and opened the door. With my eyes half closed, I vaguely saw a small figure in the kitchen.

At first, I thought I was still groggy from sleep. Only after rubbing my eyes and looking properly did I realize someone really was cooking in the kitchen.

And it was none other than Rin.

"Rin? Why are you here?"

My heart immediately filled with delight. I had just woken up, only to find such a cute girl cooking for me at home!

"Qingyue, you're awake. Today was your first mission outside the village, so I came to ask you to have dinner with me. But you were asleep, so I didn't want to disturb you. I decided to borrow your kitchen instead."

Rin was wearing an apron. Something simmered on the stove while she chopped scallions.

"Why would you do this for someone like me..."

"Hm? What's wrong?"

When I saw Rin's cute, innocent smile, everything that had happened today vanished like smoke. The words I had been about to say were caught in my throat. At that moment, all I wanted was to quietly watch her.

"It's nothing. Thank you, Rin."

"Didn't I tell you? Qingyue, you protect the village, and I protect you. Cooking is part of my protection mission too!"

Those words struck straight through my heart. Though Battle Aura covered my body and made me impervious to blades and spears, it felt as though my heart had been gripped, my blood racing faster and faster.

That was right. Rin and I had made a promise.

That day, I had sworn it. I would protect the village and safeguard this peace.

Soon, the dining table held a meat dish, a vegetable dish, and a soup. The aroma was warm and comforting. The bright colors whetted my appetite, while the steaming soup was especially tempting.

After happily finishing dinner with Rin, the dark cloud in my heart finally dispersed completely.

Perhaps I would face even more setbacks in the future, but at least I had already overcome one hurdle.