Wiping Out the Bandits

The next day.

"Ugh!"

Nawaki knelt on the ground, deathly pale, and vomited violently.

Tsunade patted his back in exasperation. "Still want to act tough? You killed one bandit and threw up this badly."

"I..."

Before Nawaki could finish, he started vomiting again.

Tsunade sighed and silently shook her head.

A trace of regret stirred in her heart. Perhaps she should have taken Nawaki out for some training much earlier.

Fortunately, it still wasn't too late.

If he went onto a battlefield in this state, she didn't even dare imagine the outcome.

Kushina's attention was entirely on Ruyun. "I want to go with them too," she pleaded.

"There's no need. Just trust those two. It's only a bunch of bandits."

Every hidden village issued plenty of low-level bandit extermination missions each year.

They wiped out one batch after another, but before long, new bandits would spring up.

Usually, teams of newly graduated Genin carried out these missions.

"Look, those two are almost done."

As she spoke, Tsunade motioned for Kushina to look toward the bandit stronghold nearby.

Inside the stronghold.

Moonlight Ruyun's gaze was icy as his short sword carved streaks of blood through the chaotic ranks of bandits.

After witnessing that horrifying scene with his own eyes, he wouldn't show the slightest mercy.

He and Minato had encircled the stronghold from two directions. In just a few minutes, they had already fought their way to the center.

Broken bodies and severed limbs littered the ground beneath his feet.

Blood soaked the soil, staining it dark red.

He met up with Minato, exchanged a glance with him, and curled his lips.

Minato forced a faint smile, inwardly shaken.

The boy before him was practically drenched in blood, and his smile looked rather savage.

Moonlight Ruyun casually flicked his sword, sending strings of blood droplets sliding off.

He looked toward a motionless figure buried beneath the bodies.

"Come out. Still thinking of escaping?"

The stronghold was utterly silent.

He kicked a pebble, sending it smashing hard into the figure's forehead.

A swelling rose before his eyes.

"Hiss! Damn it, who the hell are you?!"

Knowing he had been discovered, the man didn't dare keep playing dead and hastily scrambled to his feet.

The two boys before him wore no Forehead Protectors, but their attacks were fierce and ruthless. Clearly, they were prodigies from some hidden village.

His heart leaped into his throat. Prodigies like these usually had a team leader watching from the shadows.

Even if he killed the two in front of him, could he escape whoever was lurking behind them?

Moonlight Ruyun looked at Minato and tipped his chin. "You or me?"

"You take him."

Minato stepped back.

"All right."

Moonlight Ruyun had no objection. He rather enjoyed the rush of hot blood in battle.

He had to admit that the boost [Minato Namikaze's Kunai] gave him had been crucial.

Previously, speed hadn't been his strong suit, and his reflexes had been within the range of an ordinary person's.

Although he could have beaten twenty or thirty bandits at once, it would still have taken some effort.

Now, with his strength, speed, and reflexes enhanced, the entire process was effortless.

He could even feel a certain artistry in how easily he handled it.

All he could say was that they were easier to fight than Hayato.

"Damn brats! Do you think you've already got me cornered?"

The man roared and drew a Kunai from his leg.

"A Rogue Ninja?"

"That's right, brat! I've never killed a hidden village prodigy before. You brought this on yourselves!"

Moonlight Ruyun shook his head.

Ridiculously naive.

"Enough talk. I'll send you on your way."

Before his words had faded, his figure abruptly vanished.

Only the blade, gleaming coldly, flashed past the man like a ghost.

The next instant, a jet of blood shot into the air.

Bewilderment and fear filled the man's eyes.

How could he be so fast?

I'm a Genin, and I couldn't even last a single move?

His body collapsed limply to the ground, his consciousness sinking into complete darkness.

Minato's pupils contracted. He could also kill an ordinary rogue ninja in an instant.

But... the speed Ruyun had just displayed was already on par with his own.

It had only been a day. How could he have improved so much?

That made no sense.

Moonlight Ruyun flicked his wrist, shaking the blood from his blade.

His short sword slid into its sheath with a metallic clink.

He scanned their surroundings. Aside from Minato and himself, no one among the bandits remained alive.

"Let's go."

"Huh? Oh, right." Minato came back to his senses, suppressed his confusion, and followed Ruyun.

Just then.

Holding Kushina in one hand and the pale-faced Nawaki in the other, Tsunade landed silently outside the stronghold.

She looked at Ruyun and Minato with appreciation.

"Not bad. Faster than I expected."

She had watched their performance from beginning to end.

Ruyun in particular, who was practically drenched in blood, had killed even more efficiently than Minato. Even she was a little surprised by the murderous aura around him.

To be honest, he had exceeded her expectations.

He had considerable skill and a strong disposition, and his attacks were calm and decisive.

He was observant enough, too.

He hadn't missed the Rogue Ninja who had tried to play dead and slip through once he realized things were going badly.

Keeping a prodigy like him at the Ninja Academy really was something of a waste.

Unlike Nawaki...

Tsunade felt a headache coming on. Some discomfort after a first kill was understandable, but she had almost never seen anyone vomit this badly.

Kushina rushed over in a flash.

Seeing Ruyun soaked in blood, her eyes filled with worry and relief.

She carefully wiped the blood from his face with her sleeve.

"Tsunade wouldn't let me join in. Otherwise, I could've blasted them with a Great Fireball."

Listening to the girl's grumbling, Ruyun's eyelid twitched.

Good thing Tsunade hadn't let Kushina join in.

He absolutely couldn't give Kushina a chance to use Great Fireball.

There had initially been several women in the stronghold whom the bandits had abducted.

He and Minato had been fast enough to break the bandits' will and rescue the women before the bandits could react.

Otherwise, if Kushina had hurled down a Great Fireball more than ten meters across...

It would have hit friend and foe alike.

They couldn't exactly kill the hostages first just to stop the bandits from using them as leverage, could they?

Nawaki raised his head and saw the severed limbs strewn throughout the stronghold. His face went white, and he nearly vomited again.

Fortunately, his stomach was empty, and he barely managed to hold it back.

He looked at the thoughtful Minato and Ruyun, who still had a smile on his face.

His cheeks felt a little hot.

He was several years older than them, yet his performance on his first mission had been utterly humiliating.

"All right, the mission is complete."

Tsunade clapped her hands, drawing everyone's attention.

"Kushina, you watched the whole thing too. You'll write the mission report this time. Any objections?"

"None!" Kushina answered loudly.

Tsunade nodded, then looked at the six or seven sallow-faced women waiting outside the stronghold in clothes that barely covered them. She sighed. "Go home, all of you."

The women thanked her through choked sobs.

Some no longer had homes and could only cling to one another for comfort.

Moonlight Ruyun and the others wore complicated expressions as well.

Once the women had left, supporting one another, Tsunade said softly, "We'll follow them. Once we're sure they've arrived, we'll return to Konoha."

"Yes!"

By the time they returned to the village, night had fallen.

Konoha's shopping street was still bustling.

Minato's home was nearby, so he left first.

When they reached an intersection.

Tsunade stretched, pulling her clothes so taut that even Ruyun felt nervous for her.

She glanced over and said casually, "You did well on the mission. It's a little late today, so remember to come over for dinner tomorrow evening."

"All right."

Ruyun nodded. The day had finally come.

Nearly half a month ago, when Kushina had told him about it, he had already started looking forward to it.

That was Mito Uzumaki, the strongest person in Konoha today!

She had to have plenty of equipment materials, right?