We went after bandits. Again and again and again we did. So much so that we had now gained a title in minor circles. In the entire land of Fire and its allies, if there were civilian bandits anywhere, we went. No escort mission, scouting missions, nothing else. Just Bandits, Bandit, and more Bandits.
Our effect was so profound that we had actually started becoming a deterrent. Sure, Shinobi's hunted bandits. But most went after escort or hunting missing-nin of genin rank, or other missions. They gave more training time and contributions. No team, especially an elite team, had hunted bandits so relentlessly. My teammates were confused, but I followed through anyway. We had hunted almost 50 bandits a week. And now we had officially run out of bandit missions.
"Yep, Ren. There are none there. We have apparently managed to terrorize the whole region enough." I had gotten my wish. At least a part of it.
Achievement - Killer III - Kill 100 Hostile Civilians.
Rewards - 100SS
LEGEND - 96
The system only counted bandits above a certain skill and strength. So, using that over the past weeks, and even with me trying to hog as many kills as possible, I put the counter at somewhere around 500. This was becoming kind of ridiculous. I was only halfway.
"Yes!" Rina chirped in excitement as if she had won something. "I don't know why you had us hunting the bandits so hard, Ren, but I was kind of getting bored with this. I mean no offense." She clarified. Souta grunted, and even Sensei nodded in response.
I knew she didn't. I just nodded. "Any other suggestions?" Sensei prodded.
I shook my head. "But if bandits come up, we're taking them." Sensei nodded. I was actually thinking of taking something easygoing now. Like border patrol.
All three of us groaned. Nobody liked it. Me, because it took me away from the kids for at least three months minimum. And the other two because it was a boring job with no hope of credit and glory. Especially since it hadn't been even 2 years since the last war. Border was a place for training right now. And honestly, we had trained a lot during our bandit suppressions. They hadn't been much of a threat. Except that one time where a large group of 100 had migrated from the land of wind under a Rogue Genin.
Needless to say, he died fast.
It was peaceful. Too peaceful. Rivers was an ally, and there was no real tension in the air. Honestly, I was surprised the village even paid for this kind of assignment. I understood the importance — stability, watch posts, routine — but it felt hollow when the most excitement came from Rina and Shiro pranking the other shinobi. That girl had too much energy for her age.
The only real progress I made was personal. I mastered basic barrier tags and started working seriously on storage scrolls.
I also mastered Lightning Sense and got a decent grasp on the Mystical Palm technique. I was confident I'd reach proper medic-nin level once I leveled it up again. Letters from the clan trickled in, and my stats kept climbing.
STATUS
KUROSAWA REN
Power – Elite Genin
Physique – 64
Chakra – 557
Specials – None
Skills – Tagcraft II, Sensing (Inferior)
System Stats – 1004
Soul
Develop Basic (1/5) – 1000 SS
Physique
Prodigy Physique (0/100) – 10 SS (Locked)
Chakra
Refining Technique Basic (3/5) – 300 SS
One Tail (0/1000) – 20 SS
Yes, Sensing had been counted as a skill. No achievement, though. On a positive note, though.
It had been tough, but I had finally accumulated enough SS for that second upgrade to my Soul. I'd thought about saving it for chakra control instead, but the choice felt wrong. The Soul came first — always.
I found a quiet corner of the outpost, behind the main supply tent, and pressed the button.
The world went dark.
That stretching sensation came again, stronger this time — like something inside me was being pulled apart and reforged. This time, since I was looking for it, I found a connection. My connection with the Universe is ever so slightly getting stronger. My body felt weightless, my mind suspended between pulses of heat and silence. The whispers returned — closer than before — soft, echoing, and alien. I tried to listen, to catch a word, a fragment, anything.
And then — nothing.
Just void.
A silence so deep it swallowed time.
When I finally blinked awake, the light hurt my eyes. The ceiling above was the same dull grey as before, but the air smelled faintly of antiseptic and wood smoke. I moved to sit up — and a sharp ache tore through my limbs, as if my chakra coils themselves had been scorched.
"Oh, you're awake," said a familiar voice.
Rina sat by the bed, one leg tucked under her, a book in her lap. Her hair was slightly frizzy, and the dark circles under her eyes said she hadn't slept much.
"You were out for an entire day, idiot," she said, half whisper, half glare. "Sensei almost sent a search team."
"…A day?" I croaked. My throat was dry.
She nodded. "We found you behind the supply tent. You weren't breathing normally. Souta thought you'd been attacked. I thought you were gonna die. There was some weird unknown energy running through you. What happened?"
I rubbed my temples, still disoriented. "Sorry. Guess I overdid it."
"Overdid it? Ren, you vanished for twenty-four hours without saying anything. You scared the hell out of us."
Her voice cracked near the end, though she tried to hide it. I stared at her — the normally brash and unflappable Rina — and felt something twist in my chest.
"I didn't mean to," I said quietly. "I was… training. A little experiment went long."
"An experiment?" She let out a shaky laugh. "Right. I'll tell Sensei you almost killed yourself in the name of science. Actually, he'll want a report anyway. What kind of jutsu were you training anyway? I have never felt that kind of Chakra. If it was Chakra."
"I'm fine now," I said. It wasn't a lie — not completely. The Soul upgrade had worked. My chakra flow felt cleaner, sharper, more alive. The world around me hummed faintly, as if everything had gained a layer of clarity.
Rina sighed and closed her book. "You're impossible, you know that?"
I gave a faint smile. "If I stop, I rust."
"Yeah, well, maybe rust a little next time," she muttered. "You're not alone out here, Ren. Remember that."
I didn't reply right away. The words hung between us, heavy and uncomfortably true. This was a border.
Outside, the wind carried the muted chatter of soldiers preparing for evening patrol. The smell of river mist drifted in, cold and clean.
For a long time, neither of us said anything.
Rina leaned against the wall, her eyes half-closed. I sat up slowly, flexing my fingers, feeling the pulse of my chakra — steadier now, stronger. This was different than last time.
I glanced at her. "Thanks. For watching over me."
She shrugged. "Someone has to make sure you don't burn yourself out before the next bandit shows up."
I chuckled softly. "Fair enough."
The laughter faded, and for a moment, the room was still again.
Sensei still chewed me out, though. But weirdly, he didn't ask any questions about the strange energy. He didn't ask, so I didn't say anything.
The rest of our deployment was fairly quiet.