Potential Threat

The people who escaped looked utterly bedraggled. Yuu's flames were not merely high-temperature; they also contained a dense concentration of uranium elements.

Ulcerated wounds appeared across their bodies. Intense radiation could affect them within minutes.

The people who had just escaped felt pain throughout their bodies, but unfortunately, they had no time to think.

"Fire Release! Phoenix Flower Fire Technique!"

Scattered flames rained down in every direction, setting the entire stronghold ablaze. Even people miles away could see the fire spreading.

"Kill!"

Now was the best opportunity. The bandits fled in panic, unaware of the three behind them.

Upon receiving the order, the other two charged forward. They were typical taijutsu ninja and killed the bandits rushing out in the shortest time possible.

Yuu's gaze fell upon the remaining bandits. From what they wore, it was clear they were not ordinary bandits.

"Damn ninja! We never offended you, yet you came to attack us!"

"Kill these brats together!"

"Avenge our brothers!"

Their homes were all single rooms, which was why they had been fortunate enough to avoid the flames. But Yuu had destroyed years of their hard work with one blaze, filling them with fury!

In their rage, they overlooked their opponents' terrifying record.

"Three of them... are they all warriors?"

Noticing the unusual condition of their hands, Yuu saw that years of weapon use had worn down the webbing between their thumbs and forefingers.

Yuu did not underestimate them. The enemies clearly intended to fight at close range, so he used kunai to keep his distance.

One should never underestimate the Uchiha Clan's kunai throwing. Over the past year, Fugaku had taught him quite a few kunai-throwing techniques.

Two of the three kunai were blocked, but the last one ricocheted and successfully struck an enemy.

Yuu formed hand seals with both hands, and a Fireball Jutsu traveled along the ground. Warriors were still ordinary people at their core; no matter how strong they were, they could only be so much stronger.

Within a few breaths, the enemy had turned into a heap of charred ash.

Meanwhile, the battle beside them had also ended.

Both of them were stained with blood. Reiko was in even worse shape, sitting on the ground and gasping for air. Her performance had been somewhat lacking, but she had still undergone a transformation. It counted as valuable mission experience.

The two had become qualified Genin.

"We've finally completed Orochimaru-sensei's mission."

Nawaki leaned against a large tree, his eyes somewhat vacant, but Uchiha Yuu interrupted him.

"You're wrong. We've only completed a little over half of our mission. It isn't completely finished yet."

"Orochimaru-sensei's mission was to kill everyone on the mountain."

Yuu looked into the distance, where the final group of people remained: the bandits' families!

"We..."

There was more hesitation in Reiko's eyes. She could not bring herself to do it. They had dealt with the bandits because they were wanted criminals, every one of them with blood on their hands.

But those inside the houses were all powerless people.

"Do you think anyone living on this mountain could be innocent?"

A trace of murderous intent made the two tremble in body and mind. Yuu threw out two kunai, which landed before Nawaki and Reiko respectively, then continued:

"Follow me, or wait here."

With that, Yuu headed directly toward where they lived. The two exchanged a glance, picked up their kunai, and followed him.

Orochimaru, hiding in the rear, smiled at the sight.

They killed everyone inside the houses in the shortest time possible. When they emerged, bathed in nauseating blood, no one recoiled.

This time, no one hesitated. Reiko looked resolutely at the bandit stronghold burning in the sea of fire. From then on, it became history.

A gentle breeze passed through, and Orochimaru appeared beside them, speaking with approval:

"You have not disappointed me. Congratulations on becoming qualified ninja."

The dark yellow pupils reflected the three of them, but then his tone abruptly changed.

"Unfortunately, your performance still had major flaws."

"Nawaki and Reiko, your hesitant personalities will make you softhearted when facing people who seem innocent. But remember, the ninja world has no need for soft hearts. Such recklessness will turn you into corpses!"

"I do not wish to see this happen again on your next mission!"

"Nor do I want to collect your bodies!"

After criticizing the shortcomings of this mission, Orochimaru turned his gaze toward Uchiha Yuu.

"Yuu's performance was acceptable, but there was a problem with the mission planning."

"As the team leader, when facing a group of ordinary people, the most effective method would have been poison. You've been at Tsunade's side for so long—don't you even know how to prepare poison?"

"You could clearly have used a safer method. Assassination is more effective than a frontal assault."

The question left Uchiha Yuu speechless. He had not considered poison.

"Sorry, Orochimaru-sensei. I did not formulate a perfect plan."

Watching his three students carefully summarize the mission's shortcomings, Orochimaru nodded in satisfaction.

"The mission was a success. We'll split the money after we return."

Nawaki and Reiko both looked as though they had been granted amnesty. The prolonged tension had exhausted them mentally.

"Go wash up. If you return covered in blood, you'll stink."

Hyuga Reiko looked suspiciously at Yuu, coughed softly, and said:

"You two had better not peek."

"Idiot, I don't have the Byakugan. I have the Sharingan!"

With the mission completed, they had a rare chance to relax. Orochimaru did not appear, allowing them to vent their gloomy feelings that night.

After bathing and sleeping soundly, the three woke to find Orochimaru standing beside them.

Yuu sensed an additional trace of bloodlust around Orochimaru, though he did not know what had happened the previous night.

"Orochimaru-sensei."

"Since you're awake, follow me back to the village."

At this stage, Orochimaru was a highly qualified teacher. His teaching ability even surpassed that of the other two.

After they left, several enormous pythons in the distant forest devoured a number of corpses.

Judging by their forehead protectors, they were from Kumogakure.

Their mission had happened to overlap with Kumogakure ninja. The previous night, Orochimaru had eliminated the potential threat.

On the way back, Orochimaru deliberately slowed his pace. He was observing the three's chakra control. Without fine control, they would run out of strength halfway there.

Fortunately, all three performed well. This showed the ability of major clans to train their members; chakra control was established from a very young age.

Once they became qualified ninja, they would not need to spend additional time training it.

"Excellent students."

Orochimaru had to acknowledge the talents of the three. He also hoped his disciples could stand on their own, for there was not much time left for them.

The matter involving the Cloud Ninja had to be reported to the Hokage as soon as possible. After all, Orochimaru's mission location had been in the Land of Fire.