Chapter 83: Natsuro’s First Time

In the middle of the night, Tenzo opened his eyes and was startled to see the faint glow of the fire and Natsuro, who was sitting with his eyes closed beside it.

"It's still some time before the shift change, Captain." Before Tenzo could think too much, a voice spoke softly beside his ear.

Tenzo's eyes widened in surprise. He had assumed Natsuro was asleep but was astonished to realize how sharp his senses were. Noticing that Hyena and Fox were still asleep and recalling the slight breeze he had felt earlier, Tenzo understood that they had underestimated him. With his abilities, he would not be a burden in any team he joined.

Perhaps he wasn't from a prominent clan, or perhaps he was simply an exceptional talent—or maybe both.

Tenzo quietly got up without disturbing Hyena and Fox, and sat beside Natsuro, adding fresh wood to the small fire.

"You're really impressive, Ink," Tenzo said, admiringly.

"It's not about showing off. No matter how impressive you are, if you don't demonstrate it, it doesn't matter," Natsuro replied, opening his eyes and coming out of his meditative Void State. In this state, he could rest while maintaining heightened sensory perception.

If he weren't concerned about his new team doubting him, Natsuro felt he could handle the night watch on his own, managing both rest and sensory awareness.

"Hmm." Tenzo observed him, uncertain about what to say. Natsuro did not exhibit the arrogance of a privileged clan member nor the conceit of a genius…

"The attitudes of Hyena and Fox aren't intentional. Don't take it personally," Tenzo tried to find a topic of conversation.

"Yes, I understand. If I were in their position, I would likely feel the same way," Natsuro responded, then looked at Tenzo and said, "Actually, you must have felt the same way at first, though you were better at hiding it than Hyena."

Tenzo was taken aback and couldn't help but smile, nodding in agreement, "That's right. I was also concerned about your abilities. Our team has never abandoned a teammate, so every member needs to be carefully selected, and you…"

Tenzo hesitated, not finishing his sentence.

"I was directly assigned by the Hokage and seen as someone who took the back door," Natsuro said, completing Tenzo's thought, and added some wood to the fire.

"Hmm."

"But I will prove that I am qualified to join this team," Natsuro said firmly.

"In fact, you already have," Tenzo's tone softened as he said, "Hyena and Fox's attitude towards you has improved significantly."

"It's still not enough."

Tenzo fell silent, then asked, "At this speed, we should reach the destination tomorrow. Are you alright with that?"

"Yes, leave it to me. I'm fine," Natsuro paused, then, after a moment of silence, replied with determination.

"Good!"

Afterward, the two did not speak further. After sitting together for a while, Tenzo said, "Alright, you should get some rest. I'll take over the watch."

"Okay." Natsuro nodded and walked to the resting area.

Watching Natsuro's retreating figure, Tenzo's lips curled into a slight smile. Perhaps the Hokage had indeed given them a pleasant surprise!

...

The next morning.

"Good morning, Hyena," Natsuro greeted as he woke up and saw Hyena still on watch.

"Hmm? You're up so early?" Hyena was surprised, seeing Fox and Tenzo still asleep.

"It's a habit," Natsuro replied.

Hyena was taken aback. Although Natsuro's abilities hadn't yet been fully demonstrated, the more time they spent with him, the less they dared to underestimate him.

Some people's strength wasn't just about their skills!

Soon, Tenzo's team resumed their journey. This time, there was no competitive spirit from Hyena; the speed was appropriate and reasonable.

That afternoon, they finally arrived at the mission location.

"Next, it's up to you, Ink. We'll watch from the shadows. If there are any issues, we will step in, but I hope we won't need to," Tenzo said, looking at the hill ahead.

"Understood." Natsuro tightened his mask, then stepped forward. Facing a group of non-ninjas, he decided to confront them head-on.

Watching Natsuro's figure, Hyena couldn't help but ask, "Captain, is this really a suitable task for him?"

"What's wrong with it?" Tenzo asked.

"From the looks of Ink, he seems quite young. This might be his first mission. Normally, wouldn't it be better to handle such tasks with just one or two people? And ideally, it should be someone who is a severe criminal without any sense of guilt…"

"Hyena is right; it does seem a bit unreasonable. For my first mission, I was assigned a remorseless murderer," Fox added. Even ninjas needed time to adapt; no one was born a killer.

After spending two days together, Hyena and Fox had come to accept Natsuro as their teammate and were now concerned about his well-being.

Tenzo smiled at their concerns and looked at Natsuro's figure, saying, "Trust in Ink. He will surprise us!"

...

"Kid, what did you say? You're here to wipe us out?" In front of the mountain bandit's stronghold, a burly man looked at Natsuro and burst into laughter.

The man's loud laughter attracted several of his companions. Natsuro, however, said nothing more and silently drew his sword.

"Ha ha, kid, can you even handle that sword? It looks like a decent weapon. It must be quite valuable. Hand it over!" The man's face twisted with greed and malice as he drew his own weapon, a large and ordinary club, which was nearly as big as Natsuro himself.

The man swung the large club at Natsuro without any hesitation, despite Natsuro's small stature.

In the next moment, Natsuro 's figure vanished from the spot, leaving the man stunned. When he saw Natsuro again, he was already right in front of him.

At the same time, something seemed to appear in the sky.

The man was confused, but since Natsuro had appeared before him, he decided not to hold back. He bared a savage, twisted smile and prepared to swing his club.

However, the man couldn't feel his hand?

Where is my hand? The man was puzzled, and the excruciating pain from his severed arm made him scream in agony as he fell to the ground. At that moment, he finally saw what was floating in the sky…

It was his own severed arm! Natsuro had apparently cut it off with a single stroke!

At this point, the man was unable to comprehend Natsuro's strength. With his remaining hand, he weakly reached toward the stronghold, pleading for mercy.

Natsuro took a deep breath. Indeed, in the final moments, his blade had deviated slightly, as this was truly his first time.

However… he looked at the pleading man, his eyes narrowing. He forced himself to calm his inner turmoil as he approached the man and spoke.

"Sorry, but I need to make you suffer a second time. However, this will be the end."

"No… please, don't… spare me…"

The man looked at the young figure in front of him, barely reaching his waist. Yet at this moment, this figure seemed like a demon in his eyes.

The so-called demon raised the scythe of death…

Natsuro raised his hand and delivered the final strike. This time, there was no hesitation. The blade severed head from body. Watching the man's eyes bulging in their final moments, the death was final and irreversible.

Then, he turned towards the stunned bandits who had not yet reacted. He swayed for a moment before charging forward...

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