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***
Several days later.
Following the Hyƫga ninja's reconnaissance, Shikaku and his two squads discovered the bandits who had robbed the Vice President of the Fire Country's Chamber of Commerce in a small village in the northwest of the Fire Country.
The nine of them hid in the woods near the village.
Their small team's strength was more than enough to eliminate the approximately forty bandits.
However, there were also dozens of villagers in the village.
"They haven't noticed us, so they seem to be resting,"
Shikaku said.
The Hyƫga ninja's Byakugan observation revealed that, in addition to the elite former Kumo ninja mentioned in the mission report, three others possessed chakra.
However, their chakra levels were modest.
Even after receiving training from the jĆnin-level Kumo ninja, their skill was at most at the level of a chĆ«nin.
"To ensure the safety of the civilians, we must quickly eliminate the most difficult enemies," said Shinku.
Fortunately, the dozens of villagers were not too scattered.
As long as they could first subdue the more capable bandits, they should be able to handle the situation.
The most challenging ninja, naturally, would be the Kumo ninja.
"Senior Shinku and I will do our best to subdue the majority of the bandits. The remaining escapees will be dealt with by you. After that, ensure their safety."
Shikaku looked at Itachi and the other six newcomers before him.
Each of them was undoubtedly far m1ore formidable than the average bandit, so even in their first battle, they shouldn't face much of a challenge.
He observed their expressions.
Even Itachi, who had deliberately done so, showed a sign of nervousness.
"Begin,"
Shikaku said calmly.
Regardless of whether they had truly overcome that challenge, it was a necessary rite of passage for any ninja.
With a swish, he and Shinku shot out simultaneously, vanishing, the Hyƫga ninja following closely behind.
"Let's go too, but first, I have something to tell you."
Itachi looked at Izumi and the others beside him, his eyes determined.
"If anyone shows mercy in the upcoming battle, it could very well lead to the deaths of innocent villagers, or even their own companions."
"As ninja, our profession is to face death, so we have no choice."
Seeing the hesitation on the children's faces, Itachi said nothing more.
"Carry out the mission," Itachi said, rushing out first.
Shinichi and Izumi exchanged a glance. Shinichi gritted his teeth and said, "Itachi is right. Now that you've chosen to become a ninja, there's no turning back!"
"We have no choice but to attack!"
With their hearts still lingering, and the principle of ninjas following orders, everyone followed Shikaku's plan and quickly infiltrated the village.
The main force of the bandits was being held at bay by Shikaku and Shinku, so Itachi chose to eliminate the danger to the civilians first.
Because they were resting, only a few bandits were on guard in the village.
They were scattered throughout the village, a considerable distance apart.
Itachi silently circled behind a bandit on guard duty.
Snap!
He struck, the man barely able to react before Itachi's hand grabbed his throat from behind.
With a gentle force of two fingers, Itachi snapped his neck, leaving the man dead before he could even utter a sound or react with fear.
The man's body collapsed, and Itachi supported him from behind, slowly lowering the body.
While Itachi was dealing with the man, the other bandits on guard duty in the village were also dealt with by Shikaku, Shinku, and the Hyƫga ninja.
The next task was to deal with the bandits who were staying with the civilians in the village houses.
Assassination was a ninja's forte.
Therefore, the rescue of the civilians went smoothly, with Itachi, Shikaku, and the other three quickly dispatching the bandits.
Meanwhile, in a village house, a former elite ninja from the Kumo Ninja Raid Force, taking a short nap, noticed something unusual.
Swish!
He suddenly rushed out of the house, his movements extremely fast.
However, just as he stepped out the door, Shinku was already waiting there.
When the former Kumo-nin jĆnin rushed out, Shinku was standing beside him, hand seals completed.
The man was immediately caught in the illusion.
At this time, three chakra-powered bandits in different houses in the village also noticed the movement.
However, as they rushed out of the house, they were stopped by someone.
Puff!
Shikaku directly pierced the chest of a man with a kunai.
Facing such an opponent, he had no need to use the unique secret technique of the Nara clan.
Meanwhile, the Hyƫga ninja was also facing a bandit.
Just as Shikaku finished off his opponent and was about to take down the last one, he turned just in time to see Itachi slit the man's throat with a kunai, sending a stream of blood splattering onto the young man's cheek.
As Shikaku watched, Itachi's body trembled slightly.
Chi!
Itachi's dark eyes trembled slightly, then, as Shikaku watched, they turned blood-red.
"Sharingan!"
Shikaku was surprised that Itachi had activated his Sharingan at this moment, but more importantly, just as they had eliminated the main force of the enemy, the remaining bandits rushed out, having heard the commotion.
"What are you still standing there for? Take care of them!"
Shikaku, shattering his usual lazy and calm demeanor, looked at Izumi and the others and shouted sharply.
The five hesitant young men and women immediately dispersed and confronted one of the bandits.
With their strength, they quickly subdued their opponent, but they didn't immediately kill him.
At this moment, Shikaku, Itachi, and the Hyƫga ninja, who had also dealt with the enemy, rushed forward, slaughtering the bandits like lambs.
For the ninja, ordinary bandits were powerless against them.
How could a mere few dozen bandits possibly resist?
The pungent smell of blood grew thicker in the air.
Shikaku and his companions' movements were clean and efficient, so there was no prolonged bloodshed.
The village roads, however, gradually became filled with corpses, their blood staining the pavement.
The mission was accomplished without incident.
Meanwhile, Shinichi, Daisuke, and Izumi's companion, a boy named Ken, seemed to have been inspired by Shikaku and the others, bringing out the most instinctive animal in their nature.
They killed the bandits they had already subdued, and then a series of unpleasant reactions followed.
"Please, don't kill me!"
The two girls in the team hesitated to act.
The bandit knelt before them, begging at the top of his lungs.
Shikaku looked at them and said in a deep voice, "Kill them!"
This wasn't the mission Shikaku had originally envisioned when he set out.
Minato's purpose in sending them out this time was to help these new recruits quickly acclimate to the harsh aspects of ninja life.
However, with dozens of villagers involved, Shikaku and Shinku had no choice but to quickly eliminate their opponents and ensure their safety.
Even after he finished speaking, Izumi and the others remained motionless, like statues.
The bandit kneeling before Izumi saw that even if the girl before him relented and let him go, with Shikaku and the others still around, he would surely die.
A fierce look flashed in his eyes, and he suddenly stood up, grabbing a sharp stone and attempting to kill Izumi.
Puff!
Izumi, who hadn't intended to strike, instinctively blocked the stone with one hand.
The next moment, Itachi's words rang in her ears.
The hesitation in the girl's eyes faded, and she slashed with her kunai, severing the man's throat.
Hot blood splattered on Izumi's face and clothes.
She stood there motionless, like a statue, tears streaming down her face.
Itachi stood beside Izumi, silent, leaving her to figure things out on her own.
Nearby, Mitsumi watched the scene, then roared and stabbed her kunai with all her might, piercing the enemy's heart.
...
One month later.
It was late autumn.
The leaves on the trees were withered and yellow, and the autumn wind blew with a chilling force.
That day, Shikaku and Shinku's classes had completed their mission to eliminate the bandits.
They didn't kill the former Kumo jĆnin on the spot, but instead brought him back to the village for interrogation by the Interrogation Unit.
However, this had nothing to do with Itachi and the others.
After having their hands stained with blood and truly understanding the cruelty of being a ninja, the new students in both classes were growing at a rapid pace.
On a rare day of leisure, Itachi and Izumi were sparring at the Uchiha forest training ground.
It was more like Itachi mentoring Izumi than sparring.
A large amount of dead leaves had accumulated in front of Shisui's cabin.
Itachi had last seen him two months before graduation.
Swish!
Just as Itachi gazed at Shisui's cabin, pondering for a moment, he heard a subtle movement behind him.
He turned to see Shikaku.
"Teacher Shikaku, is there anything I can help you with?" Itachi asked.
Shikaku said, "Hokage-sama has an urgent mission. Come with me quickly."
Itachi nodded and said to Izumi beside him, "Then I'll be leaving first."
"Yes."
Izumi replied.
In front of him, Shikaku and Itachi suddenly turned and rushed out.
Hokage's office.
Shikaku and Itachi walked into the office.
Minato stood up from his desk.
"Minato, you can tell me now. What kind of mission is it?" Shikaku said.
"You should both know about the Land of Stone, right?"
Minato asked first.
"It's a small country very close to the Fire Country. It's rich in various minerals used for construction, but there are no ninja villages there,"
Itachi said.
There are many small countries near the Land of Fire, and the Stone Country is one of them, but its land area is very small and it cannot be found on a map.
"Hmm,"
Minato continued, echoing Itachi.
"The Stone Country produces ore, so the people's survival depends on selling it to surrounding nations."
"But over the past six months, all the representatives the Stone Country has sent to other countries to negotiate mineral sales have mysteriously died."
"How did they die?" Shikaku asked.
"Basically, they all died in various accidental explosions,"
Minato said.
At the mention of the accidental explosions, Itachi's eyes flickered slightly.
"If they were all accidents, then they must have been man-made,"
Shikaku muttered.
"Did the Stone Country offend some interest group in its foreign trade?"
"Yes, and that interest group is a behemoth they can't afford to offend," Minato sighed.
"Could it be Iwagakure?"
Shikaku asked in surprise.
Of the Five Great Ninja Vilages, the Land of Earth's borders are all desolate deserts and rocky cliffs, so a considerable portion of its domestic trade is also the sale of ore.
Minato nodded and said, "For six months, due to the various explosions caused by the Iwa ninja, the Stone Country's foreign trade has been completely disrupted, and its economy is now on the verge of collapse."
"So, the Stone Country's DaimyĆ asked the Fire Country's DaimyĆ for help."
"The Fire Country's DaimyĆ reluctantly agreed, but he simply dumped the problem on us, Konoha."
Interactions between great powers are always based on profit, and given the Stone Country's domestic situation, the Fire Country's DaimyĆ naturally wouldn't take this matter seriously.
Furthermore, given the Stone Country's current economic situation, it's likely they can't afford the Konoha ninja's commission.
Minato turned, opened the window, and glanced out.
"Because they can't raise the commission to Konoha, the Stone Country's people have come to seek help with a large amount of ore."
Itachi and Shikaku followed his gaze, looking at a large pile of ore in an open space in Konoha.
"How pitiful," Shikaku sighed.
The Stone Country had just offended a power like the Earth Country, a formidable power they couldn't afford to offend.
He looked at Minato and said, "Did you accept the commission from the Stone Country?"
Minato nodded and said, "Five years ago, when Konoha was rebuilt, the Stone Country also provided a lot of reconstruction materials, so I really can't bear to see the people of the Stone Country lose their livelihood."
"Also, what the Earth Country did this time was indeed a bit too much. I have learned that the Stone Country did not intend to cause the conflict in that trade."
"If it is a punishment, this is enough."
"So I want to use this mission to give the Stone Country's top leaders a chance to reconcile with the Earth Country."
"I understand."
Shikaku asked, "Then what is the specific content of the task entrusted by the Stone Country?"
"Escort the Stone Country negotiators to the Forest Country safely."
Minato frowned and said, "However, due to the payment, several village leaders are actually against me accepting this mission."
Shikaku and Itachi remained silent, knowing full well that the commission fee was just an excuse.
The other village leaders feared this would create rifts between Konoha and Iwa.
Doing it for the sake of the Stone Country was simply not worth it.
From the perspective of the interests of the great powers, the opposition of the village leaders was justified.
However, the Stone Country had, after all, helped Konoha in the past.
If they simply ignored it, it would inevitably arouse suspicion from the smaller nations surrounding the Fire Country.
This would damage the image of both the Fire Country and Konoha abroad, and there was even a risk that other powers wouldn't exploit the situation.
"So, I will personally advance the payment for this mission, and I would like to entrust it to you," Minato said.
"Of course, the Stone Country leaders have also promised to return the commission fee as soon as the Stone Country's foreign trade resumes."
"Don't worry about the payment," Shikaku smiled.
He wasn't one to be bothered by money.
Itachi also said at this time, "I just want to know who the enemy we're about to face is. Is it a member of the Explosion Corps?"
Although he already had some guesses in mind, since Shikaku was there, Itachi asked Minato first.
"As far as I know, the Third Tsuchikage didn't give this mission to a member of the Explosion Corps, but to his disciple."
"Disciple? That little brat who often causes terrorist incidents?"
Even Shikaku knew that the Third Tsuchikage, Ćnoki, had a disciple who had been under his wing since childhood.
That boy was even younger than Itachi, but he had already caused so many terrorist incidents that he had to live outside Iwa.
"Is it really him?" Itachi muttered inwardly.
Minato looked at Shikaku and Itachi and said.
"The Third Tsuchikage's disciple, the boy who caused so many terrorist incidents, his name is Deidara."
....
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