The Heart of Slaughter and the First Kill (See Author's Note)

The next morning, Naruto packed his things and went to meet everyone at the Konoha Gate.

Iruka had prepared his combat gear for him: Kunai, Shuriken, Military Ration Pills, and the rest.

To be honest, Naruto hadn't been entirely sure what to bring, so Iruka had taken care of it for him.

For once, Kakashi wasn't late. When Naruto reached the Konoha Gate, Kakashi, Sasuke, Sakura, and the old drunk had only just arrived.

Naruto was excited. The plan he had spent two months preparing was finally about to begin.

This mission would let him break free. He intended to leave a trail of Flying Thunder God Marks along the route.

Then he would no longer be confined to Konoha. He could slip away whenever he wanted, make waves across the Shinobi World, grow stronger quickly, and take control of his own fate instead of dancing to someone else's tune.

He was sick of putting on an act every day.

This would be a crucial step toward becoming stronger. He needed to find other subordinates or companions.

That brought Yuki Haku to mind. They would meet him in the Land of Waves, and as one of the few Ice Release Ninja in the world, Haku possessed a rare ability.

But judging by Haku's personality, he really wasn't suited to being a Ninja.

Naruto hesitated. Should he save Haku's life and bring him under his command?

Ding! Mission issued: Decide Yuki Haku's fate.

Option one, the saintly choice: Haku is too pitiful. Let him live. Reward: A chance to recruit Haku as a subordinate.

Option two, the Demon Choice: Haku is too kind to be a Ninja or a subordinate. His fate is none of my concern. Reward: Special title [Heart of Slaughter].

[Heart of Slaughter]: Killing earns System Points, which can be exchanged in the System Mall for bloodlines, skills, items, and more, including those already present in this world and those previously offered by the system.

Naruto studied the mission and the rewards for each choice. Three seconds later, he made his decision.

For Naruto as he was now, the Heart of Slaughter and the System Mall would help him grow stronger faster and escape his current predicament.

As for Haku, his fate would be up to him and whatever luck came his way.

Ding! Congratulations on making your choice, host. You have received the special title [Heart of Slaughter]. The System Mall is now open.

Kill a Genin-level enemy to earn 1 point; kill a Chunin-level enemy to earn 10 points; kill a Jonin-level enemy to earn 100 points; kill a Kage-level enemy to earn 1,000 points.

Naruto's heart leaped. He eagerly opened the System Mall.

Yin–Yang Release, the Otsutsuki Bloodline, the Rinnegan...

Impure World Reincarnation, Living Corpse Reincarnation, Human Puppet...

Bloodline Upgrade Scrolls, Skill Upgrade Scrolls...

The choices dazzled Naruto and set his heart racing. He could barely keep from drooling.

"Hey, are you sure bringing this brat along is a good idea?" the old drunk complained, pointing at Naruto.

Naruto pulled his attention from the System Mall and turned to look at the old drunk, then at Kakashi. If Kakashi hadn't been there, Naruto would have taught the man a harsh lesson in respect.

You were planning to cheat us, and you need our help. What gives you the right to be so picky and judge people by appearances?

"Hmph!" Naruto shot the old drunk a fierce glare, then turned away and ignored him. Next time, I'll find a chance to teach him a lesson he won't forget.

The Land of Waves lay east of the Land of Fire. It was a small, weak nation made up of numerous coastal islands.

It was poor, isolated, and sparsely populated. That was how a single merchant like Gato could control the lifeblood of an entire country. It was almost unbelievable.

Team 7 made its way toward the Land of Waves at a leisurely pace. They couldn't go much faster with three inexperienced Genin, Naruto included.

Sakura seemed nervous throughout the journey. She kept asking Kakashi questions about the world and their mission.

"Relax, Sakura. It's just a simple C-rank escort mission. We won't run into Ninja from other countries, and there won't be any fighting," Kakashi reassured her.

Naruto sneered inwardly. He could already sense two Rogue Ninja lying in wait ahead.

The old drunk's expression shifted too. Guilt and cunning showed in his eyes.

Soon, as they followed a path through the forest, a puddle that looked completely out of place caught Kakashi's attention.

The two assassins hiding there were absolute fools. They had left an obvious puddle on a dry path when it hadn't rained in days. Anyone with a little experience would know something was wrong.

Whoosh!

Sure enough, just as Team 7 passed the puddle, two figures burst from it. They whipped a pair of chains around Kakashi at the front and pulled hard!

Kakashi's body broke into several pieces.

"First one!" one assassin said coolly.

The attack caught Sasuke, Sakura, and the old drunk completely off guard. They stared in horror.

They turned to see Kakashi apparently killed in an instant, their minds filling in a grisly spray of blood and flesh.

"Ah!" Sakura screamed.

"Second one!" came the assassins' voices from behind Naruto. He was clearly their next target.

"Hmph!" Naruto snorted. Just as their chains touched him, he used the Substitution Technique to evade them.

Thinking Naruto had been killed too, Sakura screamed again. Trembling, she planted herself in front of the old drunk to keep the enemy from getting to him.

Sasuke frowned and moved to take on the two assassins.

But in the next instant, Naruto appeared a short distance from them. A log broken into three pieces lay where he had stood, leaving both assassins stunned.

"Wind Release: Gale Palm!"

Naruto rapidly formed Hand Seals and clapped his hands together. A small whirlwind shot toward the two momentarily stunned assassins and hurled them into a distant tree.

They slammed hard into the Tree Trunk with two dull thuds, then slumped against it, staring at Naruto in terror.

To them, Naruto had looked like a harmless brat without a trace of killing intent. They hadn't expected him to be so capable.

Thwip! Thwip!

With both men down, Naruto drew two Kunai and sent them straight into their throats, decisively ending the two nobodies' lives.

Ding! Congratulations, host, on killing two Genin. Reward: 2 points.

"Naruto, you..." Sakura stared at him in shock. She hadn't expected him to be so strong—not from her rookie perspective—or to kill so decisively!

"Hmph! Show-off!" Sasuke, ever the king of posing, turned away. He couldn't help remembering how Naruto had beaten him for the fourth time yesterday.

Kakashi emerged from his hiding place too, watching Naruto thoughtfully.

The old drunk looked frightened. He hadn't expected the brat he had mocked so many times along the way to kill without blinking, just like Gato, the merchant his whole country feared.

"Mr. Tazuna, I have a few questions for you," Kakashi said, his expression dark.

Tazuna immediately went pale. His eyes darted about before he put on a miserable face and began his woeful explanation.

Naruto paid no attention to how the old drunk explained deceiving them. He knew Kakashi would still have them finish the mission, now upgraded to B-rank, to give them experience.

Instead, he looked at the system interface in his mind. Killing the two Genin-level assassins had earned him two points.

That was enough to buy twenty Explosive Tags from the System Mall.

It isn't much, but it'll be enough when it counts. Earning points for kills through the Heart of Slaughter really is useful.

Team 7 soon set off again toward the Land of Waves. Naruto found a chance to discreetly leave a Flying Thunder God Mark beneath a large tree, along with a message written in Chinese:

I was here, damn it!