As Senju Yoru departed, Senju Mori's attention returned to the valley below.
The figures of three young Ninja blended into the mountain forest like ghosts, weaving through the lush trees, rapidly approaching the bottom of the valley.
Senju Mori stood on high ground, his gaze calmly following their movements, like an eagle observing its eaglets' first flight.
The battle, or rather, the cleanup, began swiftly and silently.
Sakumo Hatake, like a shadow merging with the wind, was the first to take out the sentry at the eastern high ground. His short sword hadn't even fully left its sheath; with a precise strike from the hilt, the bandit on watch softly collapsed.
Almost simultaneously, Orochimaru used a Shadow Clone Jutsu and simple genjutsu to attract the attention of the southern sentry, then silently subdued him from behind with a Kunai.
The northern sentry was handled by Tsunade—she directly leaped onto the rock face with astonishing explosive power, delivering a fierce chop with her hand.
"Is it done...?"
Tsunade looked at the fallen enemy, her chest rising and falling slightly. This was her first true battle against an enemy.
"East, South, North, the visible sentries have been cleared."
Sakumo's figure appeared beside her, his voice still calm.
Orochimaru also quietly rejoined them, licking his lips: "Then... let's begin the 'cleanup'."
The camp, stripped of its sentries, was like a beast with its fangs pulled out.
The few people on the periphery were quickly dealt with until Sakumo, like a silver flash, cut into the central clearing. Amidst the glint of his blade, the weapons of several bandits snapped, and that's when true chaos finally erupted.
"Enemy attack! It's Ninja!"
The bandits frantically grabbed their weapons, but facing three rigorously trained Konoha Ninja, their resistance seemed pale and powerless.
Sakumo's swordsmanship was concise and deadly. His figure weaved through the crowd, each swing of his blade precisely incapacitating an enemy, neither taking their life nor completely disarming their threat.
Orochimaru moved about the battlefield, using his elusive Earth Release Jutsu to efficiently reduce the number of enemies. Among the three, his fighting style was most similar to Senju Mori's.
Tsunade initially hesitated for a moment when facing the bandit rushing at her with a knife, but when the opponent's blade grazed her golden hair, her survival instinct and training memories were instantly activated.
"Hmph!"
Her petite body unleashed terrifying strength completely disproportionate to her size. She sidestepped, dodged, and punched out!
A dull thud echoed as the bandit's chest visibly caved in. He flew backward, directly collapsing the tent behind him.
Killing for the first time made her face slightly pale, but her eyes quickly grew firm. She no longer hesitated, charging in like a fierce tiger among a flock of sheep. Every punch and kick carried the power to shatter rocks, making her unstoppable.
Senju Mori watched quietly from the hillside.
He saw Sakumo's precision and efficiency, Orochimaru's agility and creativity, and Tsunade's transformation from hesitation to resolve.
One could only say that they were indeed children who grew up in a time of war; even without having experienced much real combat, they were by no means comparable to the hothouse flowers of several decades later.
Senju Mori was quite satisfied with his disciples' performance; however, his thoughts were not entirely immersed in the battle before him.
The scarcity of bandits and rogue Ninja around Konoha Village was not accidental.
The Anbu squad led by Senju Yoru was continuously "recovering" these human scums, sending them to the top-secret laboratory located beneath Konoha, which was overseen by Advisor Momoka.
Furthermore, during the previous war, the Defense Force managed by Hyuga Sogo and the Uchiha Police Department had also frequently dispatched teams, capturing many lurking foreign Village spies.
As "living materials" for Hashirama Cell research, these guys should be sufficient, he thought.
Just then, the door of the largest wooden house in the camp was violently kicked open, and the bandit leader—a burly man with a ferocious scar on his face—rushed out, wielding a massive cleaver.
Seeing the tragic state of the camp, his eyes were bloodshot with rage.
"You brats! You're courting death!"
Although his equipment was equally crude, it was significantly better than that of ordinary bandits. Wielding his massive cleaver, a chaotic gust of blade wind actually forced back the approaching Sakumo.
This was somewhat similar to the techniques of the Land of Iron samurai.
"Looks like there's still some trouble," Orochimaru narrowed his eyes.
"Leave it to me!" Tsunade stepped forward, took a stance, and fixed her sharp gaze on the leader.
The battle was brief and intense.
The bandit leader's strength and experience initially caused Tsunade some trouble, but with Sakumo's tactical support and harassment and Orochimaru's interference, Tsunade quickly found an opening in her opponent's defenses.
"Boom!"
A Chakra-infused punch heavily struck the side of the cleaver.
The cleaver, made of fine steel, was actually broken by a single punch. The bandit leader's tiger's mouth split open, his face filled with disbelief. Before he could react, Sakumo Hatake's short sword had already sliced across his neck.
The battle was over.
The three disciples stood in the messy camp, slightly out of breath. They were covered in dust and blood, but their eyes were sharper and more mature than when they left the Village.
Senju Mori's figure quietly appeared beside them.
"Mission accomplished."
He announced calmly.
"Well done, you all demonstrated your unique qualities."
His gaze swept over the three, seeing the fatigue, excitement, and a hint of relief in their eyes after completing their mission.
"But remember today's feelings, whether it's the tension during combat or the relaxation after victory, these are all part of the Ninja path."