"I think we'd better deal with the rest of these small fries first," Naruto said, turning to the terrified bandits.A thin, cold smile crept across his face. His eyes hardened. Even though Yamada Tarō was gone, there were still hundreds of bandits standing — trembling, but alive.
They wouldn't be for long.
Each one of them carried a little bit of Spirit Energy, and right now, Naruto intended to claim it all.
"I'm fine," Sasuke muttered, nodding once. His voice was calm, but the glint in his eyes said otherwise. He wasn't about to hold back either. Their first real C-rank mission had already turned bloody — why stop now?
"I didn't think a C-rank would be this messy," Naruto said, almost amused. "Guess I kinda like it."
Before anyone could reply, he vanished in a flicker of light.
The golden flash reappeared inside the mob of bandits. Screams erupted instantly. Blood sprayed the ground as Naruto carved through the group like a storm with a blade. He moved faster than the eye could follow, his chakra-marked kunai darting like comets between collapsing bodies.
Sasuke wasn't far behind. His Sharingan spun with predatory precision, and his Chunin-level speed tore through the chaos. The boy who once struggled against simple thugs now cut through them like they were paper targets. His movements weren't as fast as Naruto's, but every strike was clean, calculated, and lethal.
Sakura stayed on the outskirts of the battle, using her agility to weave in and out. She couldn't take on a full group head-on yet, but she provided support from range — throwing kunai and shuriken with careful accuracy. Every few seconds, a cry would sound, and another bandit would fall, struck down by her precision or caught in a blind spot created by the boys.
Minutes stretched into nearly an hour.The forest became a battlefield of blood and smoke.
One by one, the bandits fell until the clearing was silent again — nothing left but the sound of heavy breathing.
When the adrenaline finally ebbed, the smell hit them — thick, metallic, suffocating.
Even Naruto's grin faltered. His face turned pale. Sasuke swallowed hard, looking away from the carnage. He wanted to retch, but pride held him back. That is, until Sakura started vomiting beside them — then both boys nearly followed.
Fortunately, they managed to keep it together. Barely.
Kakashi appeared behind them, silent as ever. "Good work," he said simply. For once, his tone wasn't teasing — just serious. "This is your first real mission, and you did well."
"Kakashi-sensei…" Sakura croaked, still pale. Her eyes shifted to the two hundred corpses scattered across the ground, and she immediately doubled over again.
Kakashi sighed. "You'll get used to it. This is what the path of a ninja looks like. Fewer bandits next time, maybe — but there'll always be blood."
His voice was calm, detached. For him, this kind of scene was nothing new. He'd walked through darker fields than this — missions that ended with villages burning and no survivors left. Compared to that, this was child's play.
Every shinobi's hands were stained, sooner or later.
"Let's just go already," Naruto muttered, uncomfortable. He didn't want to stay here any longer. The air itself felt heavy.
"We can leave anytime," Kakashi said. "No need to clean up. The mountain's full of crows and wolves. By the time anyone comes by, nothing will be left but bones."
Sakura gagged again. Sasuke winced. Even Naruto looked queasy.
Kakashi, however, looked quietly amused behind his mask.
"Fine," Sakura said weakly. "Let's go."
Kakashi nodded, glancing at Naruto and Sasuke. Both gave short, silent nods. The proud Uchiha looked paler than usual, but he said nothing.
Just as they turned to leave, Naruto stopped. "Wait."
He vanished with a single flash of light — appearing beside Yamada Tarō's corpse. After a few seconds, he stood again, holding up a tattered piece of armor.
"This," he said, smirking faintly, "can stop Sasuke's Phoenix Fire. No way I'm leaving it behind."
[Rikudō Shingon: Resourcefulness acknowledged. Host's greed level: acceptable.][Divine Comment: You strip corpses faster than priests strip altars. Impressive.]
Naruto rolled his eyes. "Shut it."
The forest echoed with their departing footsteps, the stench of blood trailing in the wind.
Mission complete.