Night settled deep over the forest. A pale moon hung high above the trees—cold, distant, indifferent. But tonight, the clouds crept across its face, and the once-silver light turned crimson, like blood smearing across heaven. The moon darkened. The wind howled. A perfect night for killing.
Hidden in the shadows just outside the bandit stronghold, three young shinobi crouched among the trees. Their eyes gleamed faintly beneath the shifting moonlight.
"I think you already know the mission," Naruto murmured, eyes locked on the bandit camp through the gaps in the branches. "Kakashi-sensei said he won't step in. That means it's on us now. Time to see blood."
His tone was quiet but sharp. Enough for Sasuke and Sakura to hear—just enough to make Sakura's throat tighten. There was a strange mix in his voice: excitement, focus… and something darker.
In his gaze, those bandits weren't just targets. They were training dummies. Experience points. The next rung in his climb toward strength.
Sasuke's lips curved slightly. "Understood. I've been waiting for this." His voice was low, nearly eager. His Sharingan hadn't even awakened yet, but the hunger for battle was there—the spark of the Uchiha flame.
Naruto nodded once. "Sakura. Same goes for you. I don't have fancy rules for this mission, but you're killing at least one bandit tonight."
Sakura blinked, stunned. "Killing…? I—"
Naruto didn't let her finish. "You're a shinobi now. This isn't training at the Academy. Killing isn't optional—it's our first lesson. If you can't handle that… then you should walk away now. The road ahead will only get crueler."
He didn't sound cruel. He sounded honest. And that made it hit harder.
Sakura's hands trembled. She wasn't weak—just untested. She'd studied jutsu, learned chakra control, memorized theory. But blood was different.
"I think Sasuke agrees," Naruto continued. "You know where you stand, Sakura. You're the weakest among us right now. If you don't move forward, you'll be left behind. Don't forget our promise."
He wasn't mocking her. He was pushing her. Forcing her to face reality before the world did it for her.
"I agree," Sasuke said quietly. He pulled a kunai from his pouch and handed it to her. "You'll need this."
Sakura stared at it, then at him. Slowly, she took it. Her fingers tightened around the handle. "I understand. I'll… I'll try."
Naruto's mouth curved in a faint smile. He'd never liked her loud, indecisive side, but seeing her take that first real step—he respected it.
"Good," he said. "We move soon. Before the leader shows up, we clear the trash. The last one's mine."
He raised his hand, and in it shimmered a three-pronged kunai—the unmistakable mark of the Flying Thunder God Technique. The faint light danced across his face as if responding to something deep within him.
"Action."
The single word broke the silence.
And in an instant, all three disappeared into the dark.
They moved like whispers—no sound, no trace. The trees swayed faintly where they'd been a moment ago.
"There are three lookout posts," Naruto said quietly through the communicator seals they carried. "I'll handle two. Sasuke, take the one on the right. You have three seconds. Sakura, guard our perimeter. Anyone who spots us—kill them before they shout."
His tone was cool and surgical, no trace of hesitation.
"Understood," Sasuke replied.
Then—movement.
Naruto's chakra flared, barely perceptible, and his figure blurred. He was gone before the leaves even stirred.
He appeared beneath the first observation tower. One heartbeat. The kunai flew. Another flash—the second tower. The trident-shaped blade embedded itself in the wood. Golden light bloomed.
A silent step .A slit throat. No scream.
Two towers, three seconds, zero sound.
The Flying Thunder God lived again that night, in the hands of a grinning blond who moved like lightning and vanished like a ghost.
When the last bandit's body fell, Naruto stood beneath the moon, eyes reflecting its blood-red hue.
This—This was the result of his training. The proof of what he'd become.
The night wind carried only silence.