Opening the Box

Wind swept through the forest. It was still summer, but Tsukimi's three quiet words landed on Asuma and Kurenai like a crushing weight.

They gripped their weapons tightly, hesitation flashing across their faces.

Both had received formal Ninja training and lessons from their families. They had long prepared themselves to fight to the death.

But the three captives before them were only fifteen or sixteen. Their faces were full of fear, and they had no power to resist. For a moment, Asuma and Kurenai could not bring themselves to kill them.

It was not that they objected to killing. They just did not want to kill people like this.

No wonder the Shinobi World was so twisted. Every Ninja was taught to kill from childhood. How could they turn out otherwise?

Asuma swallowed. His foolish grin had vanished long ago, and he could not help arguing in a low voice. "Tsukimi, they're no threat anymore. Do we really have to kill them all?"

Kurenai bit her lower lip, her brow furrowed with doubt. "What if we seal them or tie them up and take them back to the Konoha Intelligence Department?"

Tsukimi's expression did not soften.

"Take them back to Konoha?"

Tsukimi's cold voice shattered their last hope.

"That Chunin took these three in and trained them from childhood. They may not be Death Soldiers, but they've been thoroughly brainwashed."

"And as for leads, we've already investigated. Everything important is in that Chunin's head. These three have nothing left to offer."

"Besides, it's a long way back. Keeping them alive means bringing three ticking time bombs with us. Something could go wrong at any moment."

Tsukimi looked straight at them, his gaze sharp and his warning firm.

"Remember this. The moment they tried to kill us, they became our enemies. Mercy toward an enemy is cruelty toward your comrades!"

"Now, carry out the order!"

The final command left no room for argument. Asuma and Kurenai stiffened. Seeing Tsukimi's expression, so different from his usual gentleness, and remembering how mercilessly their enemies had fought, they let go of their last doubts.

The Shinobi World was that cruel.

Asuma took a deep breath. Resolve entered his eyes, and he hesitated no longer. He tightened his grip on Flying Swallow, and a cold glint flashed.

Squelch!

The sound of a blade piercing flesh marked the end of the first life.

Asuma began to tremble, his stomach churning. The thrill and excitement he had felt earlier while imagining himself becoming famous were gone. All that remained was the weight of having killed someone.

Let's see if you can still laugh now, kid!

Beside him, Kurenai closed her eyes and forced down her pity. Then she followed suit, bringing her kunai down in one clean motion.

The second and third captives fell silent forever.

The mountain hollow sank back into deathly stillness.

Asuma stared at the bodies, discomfort and bewilderment in his eyes. Kurenai's breathing quickened, and she turned her head slightly, unwilling to look at the scene again.

Tsukimi did not interrupt them as they came to terms with it. Being a Ninja was never easy.

Leaving them to it, Tsukimi turned his gaze to Kawata Genji beside the campfire.

The outside threat had been dealt with. Now it was time to address the problem within.

Tsukimi approached slowly. Each footstep struck Kawata Genji's heart like a hammer. He shook harder, drenched in cold sweat and close to breaking.

"Mr. Kawata."

Tsukimi stopped before him and leaned down slightly. His voice was even, but the pressure behind it was crushing.

"Whoever is behind this was willing to sacrifice a Chunin Death Soldier just to take something you're carrying. After all that, do you still intend to hide it?"

Tsukimi leaned a little closer. His voice remained calm, but its pressure was overwhelming.

Even among the Five Great Shinobi Villages, Chunin were unquestionably a core fighting force. In some smaller ninja villages, they could even hold senior positions.

Kawata Genji's teeth chattered as he begged Tsukimi, his words tumbling over one another. "I... I'm just an ordinary medicinal herb merchant! I really don't know what's going on... Lord Ninja, you have to believe me!"

"An ordinary merchant?"

Like hell. This old man clearly got himself involved. Otherwise, he could have gone straight to Konoha for help instead of hiding everything—unless he had a death wish.

Tsukimi gave a scornful laugh. A cold glint crossed his eyes, and his gentle voice chilled Kawata Genji to the bone.

"Mr. Kawata, did you know that Ninja have a rule when carrying out missions? If something happens that falls outside the mission's assigned rank, they have the right to abandon it."

"And if someone tries to kill you again on the way back, there won't be anyone to protect you."

The smiling words whispered in Kawata Genji's ear like a devil's voice. They crushed his last hope, and he broke. After so many years on the road, of course he knew that rule. From what he had seen, he had no doubt Tsukimi would abandon the mission. If that happened, he was as good as dead.

Tsukimi was not bluffing. The Ninja code did contain such a rule. Kakashi's team had run into exactly that situation on their first C-Rank Mission; when it happened, the Ninja carrying out the mission could decide whether to abandon it.

Tsukimi felt no sympathy for Kawata Genji. The old man had hidden information from the start, and the rules barred Tsukimi from attacking a client. If he still refused to tell the truth, Tsukimi would abandon the mission without a second thought.

Kawata Genji finally took his hands from his chest. Trembling, he reached inside his robe and pulled out a small black wooden box the size of an adult's palm.

Tsukimi snatched the box and held it in his palm, studying it by the firelight. Asuma and Kurenai came over too, watching it with wary, grave expressions.

Looks like they've pulled themselves together.

Tsukimi glanced at them, then returned his attention to the box. The wood looked ordinary, but it was surprisingly heavy.

This tiny box had been enough to bring Death Soldiers down on them.

To guard against any surprises, Tsukimi summoned two Shadow Ninjas and had them carry the box five meters away before opening it.

"Let's see what's inside."

A Shadow Ninja opened the lid steadily. Nothing happened. Tsukimi stepped forward, took the open box, and returned to the campfire, where the three of them examined it closely.

"This... is all that's in the box?" Asuma scratched his head, looking baffled.

Kurenai spoke softly. "Could there be a hidden compartment?"

Tsukimi felt around the box, but found nowhere it could conceal anything.

"Well, this is a problem!"