Chapter 16 – Blood on the Leaves
Two weeks had passed since Yuva, Tenzo, and Daichi completed their last D-rank mission. Their growth had been staggering — their jutsu sharper, their teamwork seamless, their senses honed. Now, at nine and a half years old, they stood before the mission desk for their first C-rank assignment.
> Mission: Eliminate a group of bandits terrorizing a small village on Konoha's outer border.
Details: The bandits have killed villagers, kidnapped hostages, and looted supplies. Eliminate them and rescue any survivors.
Reward: 30,000 ryō.
"This will be different," Hari warned them before they left. "This time, you'll be killing human beings. Once you cross that line, there's no going back. Remember — this is the reality of a shinobi."
The three nodded, determination burning in their eyes.
---
🏙️ The Village in Fear
The moment they stepped out of the village gates, they felt the shift.
Konoha was no longer calm. Ninja rushed through the streets with scrolls in hand, squads departed on missions with grim faces, and medical teams carried wounded shinobi into the hospital. The Third Ninja War had begun to cast its shadow over everything.
Half an hour later, after sprinting through the forest using Body Flicker, they arrived at a small border village. The settlement was poor and frightened — only a few dozen homes, with villagers hiding inside or huddled together in fear.
A trembling elder ran up to them. "Ninja-sama! You came!"
"We're here for the mission," Yuva said calmly. "Tell us everything you know."
The old man nodded quickly. "There are around thirty, maybe more. They kill, steal, and kidnap anyone they find. Their hideout is in the forest near the lake, inside a cave system. Please… save us."
Yuva nodded. "We'll take care of it."
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🌲 Approaching the Enemy
The triplets moved silently through the forest, suppressing their chakra signatures.
"Tenzo," Yuva said, "sense the surroundings. How many are inside? What are we dealing with?"
Tenzo blinked. "But you're a better sensor than me."
"I know," Yuva replied with a faint smile. "But you need the experience."
Closing his eyes, Tenzo stretched his chakra senses outward. "Thirty-three signatures… most are civilians with weak chakra. But I sense four with stronger chakra — three genin level, and one chunin level. He's deeper inside the cave, sleeping in the last chamber. There are traps near the entrance and five rooms inside."
"Good," Yuva said. "Daichi, you handle the traps."
Daichi nodded and placed his hands on the ground. "Earth Release: Mud River Flow!"
The traps near the cave entrance dissolved into mud, becoming useless.
They were ready.
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🩸 Silent Death
Daichi went in first, melting into the mud with quiet precision. He slid into the first chamber where five bandits sat around a fire, laughing and drinking. None of them even saw the earth spike coming from the ground that pierced through their hearts.
All five died without a sound.
Yuva entered the second chamber next. Nine bandits were sleeping on bedrolls. He moved like a ghost, cutting throats with his chakra-coated blade — fast and silent. Not one had time to scream.
Then it was Tenzo's turn. He slipped into the third room — and froze.
Inside was a 10-year-old girl, naked, covered in blood, lying motionless. The bandits had been torturing her. Rage boiled inside Tenzo's chest. His hands trembled — and then the trembling stopped.
The wind screamed as seven bandits were torn apart in seconds, his Vacuum Sphere and blade fueled by pure fury. He didn't hesitate. He didn't forgive.
The commotion alerted the rest.
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⚔️ Battle in the Dark
"Someone's attacking us!" a voice roared. A man with chūnin-level chakra stumbled out of the last chamber, still half-asleep but furious.
The remaining bandits — twelve men — charged toward the intruders.
"Tenzo!" Yuva shouted.
"I'm on it!"
Tenzo created a shadow clone, wrapped the unconscious girl in his cloak, cleaned her wounds as best he could, and rushed her toward the village healer.
Then he turned back to the battle. Three kunai with explosive tags flew from his hand, detonating in the midst of the bandits. Eight were obliterated instantly, and the rest lay bleeding.
Daichi stepped forward, stone coating his fists. He crushed the remaining survivors with brutal efficiency. Bones cracked. Screams died.
Only the chunin remained.
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⚡ Yuva vs. Chūnin – First Real Battle
"Looks like you're the leader," Yuva said, stepping forward with his sword drawn.
The man snarled. "Damn brat. You'll regret this!"
He hurled a Water Bullet Jutsu at Yuva, but the boy didn't even flinch. He sidestepped the blast and closed the distance. The man swung a chakra-enhanced kunai, but Yuva parried it with his lightning-coated sword. Sparks flew as steel met chakra.
The enemy's foot lashed out, slashing Yuva's leg with a chakra blade, but Yuva didn't stop. He gritted his teeth, pushed through the pain, and slammed a Lightning Bolt into the man's chest. The chunin stumbled, his body spasming from the shock.
"Too slow," Yuva whispered.
The man swung desperately again, but Yuva slipped past his guard and slashed — once, clean and precise.
The enemy's throat opened, blood spilling onto the cave floor.
The fight was over.
---
🪓 The Weight of Death
The three brothers stood there, surrounded by corpses.
Blood pooled across the stone floor. Shattered bodies lay everywhere. The smell of iron filled the air.
And then it hit them.
Their stomachs churned. Their throats burned. All three collapsed to their knees, vomiting on the ground. It was their first kill — and not just one. Dozens.
It wasn't glorious. It wasn't beautiful. It was horrifying.
But slowly, as the nausea passed, a different feeling settled in. Resolve.
"These people…" Yuva said quietly, staring at the blood-stained floor. "They deserved this."
Tenzo nodded silently. "They did."
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💰 Aftermath
They searched the hideout and found over 100,000 ryō worth of stolen goods. There were no other hostages. The girl Tenzo saved was returned to the village — she was the elder's daughter. Tears of gratitude streamed down his face as he held her.
"You saved us," he whispered. "Thank you, ninja-sama."
The mission was complete.
---
🧠 Harsh Truths
As they walked back toward Konoha, Daichi was unusually quiet. Finally, he asked, "Big brother… if bandits exist, why doesn't Konoha just destroy them all? Why do they still roam free?"
Yuva looked at him, his face expressionless. "Because this world isn't a fairy tale."
Daichi frowned. "What do you mean?"
"If we kill every bandit," Yuva explained, "small villages wouldn't need us anymore. They'd stop hiring shinobi. And if we wipe them out, new ones will come — stronger, angrier, looking for revenge. It's a never-ending cycle. The truth is, part of this world's system depends on threats like them. Villages depend on ninja. And ninja need missions. That's the ugly truth."
Daichi looked down but nodded slowly. "I… understand."
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🏙️ Mission Complete
When they returned to Konoha, the mission handler was shocked by their report.
"You found a chūnin among the bandits?" she asked, eyes wide.
"Yes," Yuva replied calmly. "I killed him and sealed his body in this scroll."
"That changes everything. This C-rank is now classified as B-rank." She took the scroll and examined the seal. "And you're Hari Hiwatari's son… I studied with him once. He'll be proud of this."
Later, Hari received the full report. He stared at his sons with something between pride and surprise.
"You three… did well. Not only did you complete your first mission without losses, but you also eliminated a rogue chunin and retrieved his body intact. That will help our intelligence division find out who he was working for — and why."
He placed a hand on Yuva's shoulder. "Now you know what it means to be a shinobi. It's not training. It's not jutsu. It's this — blood, choices, and reality. You're growing fast… faster than I expected."
Yuva nodded silently. He could still feel the weight of the sword in his hand. The warmth of blood on his skin. The truth was heavy… but he would carry it.
The triplets had crossed a line they could never uncross.
And from this day forward, they were no longer children playing ninja.
They were shinobi.