Chapter 88: Dilemma

"We should first confirm the exact requirements of the mission!"

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Tetsu seemed to grasp the last hope, and quickly responded affirmatively. Even Flame realized the importance of this and hurriedly took out the mission scroll from her back, carefully examining it word by word.

Previously, Hitsugaya had only given the mission content a cursory glance and wasn't clear about the specific requirements. It couldn't be helped! Flame, who had just become the 'temporary leader,' was still caught up in the excitement of her new role and had only shown the scroll briefly to Hitsugaya before putting it away.

"So, what are the mission requirements?"

Facing Tetsu's hopeful face, Uchiha Flame shook her head, expressionless. "The mission requires us to 'eliminate' these bandits who have taken up residence here."

"I see..."

Confronted with this answer, Tetsu seemed somewhat lost for a moment. The ninja profession is all about completing missions to earn rewards; he couldn't think of any other solutions. For Hitsugaya, this answer wasn't too surprising. In this ninja world, governed by ruthless superiors, expecting any sort of lenient handling like offering amnesty would be like seeing a ghost.

"I think! We should first clear this place. Gather those who are unconscious, check for any stragglers, and see if there are any captives or valuable loot ~~~"

Seeing his companions still in a dilemma, Hitsugaya timely suggested tidying up the 'battlefield' to divert their attention and ease their emotions. Hearing this, both Flame and Tetsu felt as though a burden was lifted from them; after a brief discussion, they started searching the mountain stronghold.

[Still haven't made up your minds?]

Uchiha Shigemasa, hidden in the shadows, noticed that they hadn't killed the night watchman immediately. He wasn't too disappointed; after all, it was still early, and Hitsugaya and the others had almost full control of the situation here. They had enough time to slowly deliberate and adapt.

At the same time, a thoughtful and reminiscent look appeared in his eyes. The confusion and hesitation of Hitsugaya and the others now reminded him of his younger self. Back then, he and his teammates had also struggled for a long time before making the decision to kill.

Those experiences were personal and hard to articulate. In the blink of an eye, he'd already gotten married and had children, while his teammates and teacher, who had shared countless missions with him, were no longer around. Thinking back, it really was sentimental~~~

In his youth, Uchiha Shigemasa had a team quite similar to Hitsugaya's — a guiding teacher, two male teammates, plus an adorable girl, forming a typical Konoha mission squad that completed many low-level D and C-rank missions together. Despite occasional disputes and competitiveness among comrades, the memories left behind were very nostalgic.

When busy, time always seems to pass faster. In the blink of an eye, dawn had fully broken. In a clear space in front of the only wooden house in the settlement lay forty-three disheveled, unconscious individuals. Apart from a few who looked slightly better-off, with oily faces and fairly decent clothes, the rest of the bandits were not exactly emaciated but appeared sallow and malnourished.

Around them were piles of miscellaneous items, including weapons used in robberies, stored supplies, and stolen goods that were hard to sell and thus kept. Surprisingly, some gold, silver, and cash amounting to about twenty thousand ryō were found in the wooden house.

Those were easy to deal with, but the critical issue was another group of people nearby.

In the furthest corner of the open space stood a group of shabby, fearful women. There were seven of them, discovered hiding in a concealed cellar by Hitsugaya and the others during their search. Finding these women had given them a fright, initially thinking there might be hidden enemies they hadn't known about in the stronghold.

Compared to Hitsugaya and his team's nervousness, the women seemed much less startled, though calling them 'calm' would be an exaggeration. 'Numb' would better describe their state. After some inquiries, Hitsugaya and the rest learned that these poor women had been captured by these bandits from nearby villages or passing merchants.

They had been locked in a dim cellar with only one opening for both light and air, to be abused by the bandit leaders or those who performed well. Many of them had died from the abuse, either taking their own lives or being tortured to death. Originally, there were twelve of them.

Based on the information Hitsugaya and his team gathered, these bandits were also notoriously brutal during their robberies, often leaving no survivors. Inevitably, this behavior had driven the local lord to the brink and spurred him to request Konoha for a mission, thus summoning Hitsugaya and his team of ninjas.

"So, what should we do with these people?"

"We can't possibly rely on these women to help us complete the mission, right?" As the time seemed about right, Hitsugaya asked slowly.

"Shall we split the task and everyone deal with these people together?" Tetsu suggested, nervously swallowing, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. His suggestion was met with prolonged silence. Even the women nearby seemed to sense something, growing increasingly quiet and making as little noise as possible.

The word 'kill' might be easily spoken, but for children of Hitsugaya, Flame, and Tetsu's age, it was too heavy a burden. Take Uchiha Flame, for example; she was only an eight-year-old girl. At home, her parents and two brothers treated her like a precious jewel. She'd grown up in a world of honey, so to speak, remaining a sweet, innocent girl despite her occasional pranks on friends.

And then, there's Hitsugaya. Though more 'mature' compared to his companions, he had been a very ordinary office worker in his past life.