Chapter 47

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Ignoring Kirishima, who was happily taking the scroll, Asuka turned her blank expression towards Toshiro, who was lazily drinking water and resting nearby.

After a morning of tree-hopping, although he had rested for a while and almost recovered, who would refuse a chance to be lazy?

Freed from the 'burden' of being the 'interim captain,' Toshiro intended to be lazy till the end of the mission.

'Did this guy foresee the 'trouble' of this mission in advance?'

'No! He shouldn't have seen the quest scroll yet, so it's impossible to know the details of the mission.' Asuka, who had some idea of the difficulty of this mission, began to wonder if Toshiro was fooling her again.

Just now, he had ceded the 'captain's position' to her. After looking at the mission scroll and finding the 'problem' in it, In an instant, her good impression of him shifted, and now she considers him a 'devil'

Seeing that Kirishima was still struggling with comprehending the issue in the mission scroll, Asuka realized that to successfully complete this mission, she would need to swallow her pride and discuss it with Toshiro.

---

At four o'clock the next morning, the sky was still dark.

The morning stars hung high, and people were still immersed in sleep.

As dawn approached, near a hill, there was a humble settlement.

The scale of the settlement was small, with a slightly larger wooden building in the middle, surrounded by a dozen thatched houses of varying sizes. Around these structures, wooden fences three meters high enclosed the area, leaving an entrance and exit. It seemed very primitive and poor.

But this was normal for bandits; if they had money, they wouldn't be bandits.

Most were bankrupt farmers without land or ronins who didn't want to farm, with perhaps a few samurai who were relieved by their lords. Although the Land of Fire was rich, these good fortunes clearly did not reach the people in this settlement.

The nobles here, having ninjas as 'weapons,' were even more unscrupulous in their oppression of the lower classes. Basically, people like farmers or workers do not even come to the minds of nobles in the fire capital. Meeting and serving a noble who respects them was a blessing.

When people couldn't survive and rose up to resist, the nobles didn't care. Ordinary samurai would be dispatched first, and if they couldn't handle it, ninjas were sent in. The ninjas were funded by the capital to support the country's security and the nobles' rule.

This cooperation was mutually beneficial, with the ninja villages and the daimyo playing their political games. In the case of the five major countries, the situations varied.

In the Land of Fire, the relationship between Konoha and the Daimyo was always good from the start, thanks to the strong charm of the First Hokage. During the second Hokage's reign, Konoha grew stronger. During the third's reign, despite worsening conditions, the relationship remained decent.

In the Land of Thunder, Kumogakure, as a ninja village, was always an aggressor and held a dominant position.

In the Land of Wind, the relationship was troubled, maintained only by external pressures.

In the Land of Earth, the relationship with the Iwagakure was good and cooperative.

The Land of Water's scattered islands made communication difficult, leading to loose rules and some tendencies towards revolution.

---

"Toshiro, have you found their outpost?" Asuka's voice came from behind a large stone across from the settlement.

During the previous day, after their discussion, Toshiro and Asuka decided to gather information from surrounding villages using the transformation jutsu. By analyzing crime scene traces, they tracked the bandits to their hideout.

"There are no hidden sentries! They only have one person keeping watch at the gate!" Toshiro replied, surprising both Asuka and Kirishima. "Considering the size of this settlement, the bandit's count would not be much different from our estimate."

They had deduced that there were between 30 and 40 bandits. Given the settlement's size, this estimate seemed accurate. To be cautious, Toshiro suggested attacking at four in the morning, when people were most drowsy, which Asuka agreed to.

Surprisingly, the village had no hidden sentries, which was very unprofessional.

This was normal; their opponents were poor peasants and ronins, unaware of more sophisticated tactics.

"In that case, Kirishima, you'll handle the sentry and then be on standby in case of any surprises," Asuka instructed.

This simple mission was meant to protect Kirishima. Given his recklessness and stupidity, however, Kirishima, eager to prove himself, thought he should be the main attacker, believing his abilities were more than sufficient.

Before he could voice his objection, Asuka, noticing his expression, interrupted him.

"Kirishima! This is our first C-class mission, and its success and our safety depend on you!" Asuka spoke urgently, her big eyes staring intently at Kirishima to ensure he believed her. "If there's a strong enemy among them and Toshiro and I can't handle it, you'll be our trump card!"

She maintained her gaze, knowing this tactic always worked with Kirishima. Whenever she looked at him like this, he would agree to her requests. This time was no different. After a few seconds, Kirishima relented and agreed to her 'reasonable' request. Toshiro, observing from the sidelines, couldn't help but find it amusing. There was even a whipping sound appearing comically in his mind.

'what are you going to do when you are married? Are you still going to agree to all her requests?'

"Toshiro, after Kirishima takes out the sentry at the gate, we'll break in and use your secret method to deal with those inside," Asuka said, turning to him.

Compared to the unreliable Kirishima, Toshiro was much more dependable, though a bit too smart for his own good. His intelligence made him tricky to manipulate, sometimes turning the tables on her.

"Got it! Everything will go according to plan. No issues on my end," Toshiro replied nonchalantly.

"Take this seriously! This isn't like our previous D-Class missions. This is important!" Asuka snapped, feeling tension and anxiety bubbling over. Venting at Toshiro was her way of coping.

"Relax! They're just ordinary civilians without chakra. With our abilities, this mission will be easy."

"But what if there's a Chunin or even a Jonin among them?" Asuka's worries only multiplied despite Toshiro's reassurances.

He sighed, realizing this was something every ninja faced on their first real mission. The pressure was intense, especially for an eight-year-old leading a team.

"Don't worry! Remember, Satoshi-sensei is nearby. If anything goes wrong, he'll step in," Toshiro said, trying to calm her.

"Are you sure he's still around?" Asuka looked around uncertainly. "I haven't seen him since this afternoon."

"He's definitely here, watching from somewhere we can't see. If there's trouble, he'll intervene first."

Reassured by Toshiro's confidence, Asuka nodded. The sky was starting to lighten, so it was time to begin. "Let's get started!"

Asuka signaled to Kirishima to take his position by the gate, while Toshiro moved to the right side of the settlement. Following their pre-agreed plan, the three figures stealthily approached the small village, bathed in the faint light of the setting moon and stars.

With a light leap, Toshiro reached the top of the wooden fence, less than three meters high. Using only his physical strength, he crossed the obstacle silently. For someone adept at using chakra, such a fence was nothing.

Inside the area, Toshiro scanned the gate and back area. Everything was silent, and the sentry at the gate was gone. 'Seems like Kirishima and Asuka are handling things well. It's time to step up my game.'

Toshiro cautiously approached the designated thatched huts, noting five gentle heartbeats with deep breathing inside—clearly, they were fast asleep. He carefully unscrewed a small glass bottle from his ninja bag, placing it by an open window. A faint herbal aroma began to spread.

These herbs, picked from Mei's drug development center, were meant to induce deep sleep in civilians. While the effect on ninjas was minimal, it was still useful for incapacitating those without chakra. The more they inhaled, the longer they would remain unconscious.

With the drug in place, Toshiro waited for it to take effect, ensuring their mission would proceed smoothly.

That's right, this was poisoning, specifically the worst kind of attack in the modern world. This plan was proposed by Toshiro himself.

As time passed, Toshiro placed the small bottle of anesthetic beneath the fourth hut's window. Inside the hut, he met Asuka, who had also finished her mission. Although she hadn't been in a fight or exerted herself, she was still sweating nervously.

Seeing this, Toshiro couldn't help but laugh, ignoring her murderous glare.

Just then, Kirishima silently joined them. However, his expression was unusual. The usually carefree Kirishima looked like he had something to say but couldn't quite get it out, his face twisted in a constipated grimace.

"What's going on?" Toshiro and Asuka's eyes both seemed to ask the question.

Kirishima, seeing their looks, didn't hesitate. He led them towards the gate. "Isn't this guy supposed to be 'taken care of' by you?" Toshiro asked, already guessing the situation but pretending not to know.

Sure enough, the sentry who Kirishima was supposed to 'deal with' was only unconscious, not dead as planned. Kirishima's hesitation during his first kill attempt prevented him from delivering the fatal blow.

Such hesitation was normal. No one is born a killer. Everyone has to cross a mental barrier, transitioning from a normal person to a ninja accustomed to bloodshed. Kirishima's hesitation was just part of this journey.

In the shadows, their sensei, Uchiha Satoshi, watched them closely, touching the mustache on his chin. The main purpose of this mission was to expose these young ninjas to bloodshed and assess their handling of such situations. Kirishima's hesitation was anticipated and fell within Satoshi's expectations.

This method of 'testing' young ninjas was an ancient Uchiha tradition. Whenever a trainee became a ninja, elders would assign missions, exposing them to the darker aspects of their profession. This practice wasn't unique to the Uchiha; other ninja families, such as Senju, Hyuga, and Sarutobi, also conducted similar 'trials' to identify promising talents.

In the Warring clans' era, these trials were essential for finding strong ninja and protecting them so they could grow into powerful figures who would protect the family. However, this tradition was abandoned during the era of the first Hokage, with some changes reintroduced during the second Hokage's reign. Under the third Hokage, it became a tacit practice.

Despite this, within the Uchiha, such trials hadn't been conducted for nearly thirty or forty years. The Second Ninja War's heavy toll led some clan elders to propose reviving this plan, which was supported by the third Hokage. The intense nature of the war, which involved massive battles unlike those in the Warring clan's era, scared the major ninja families into training their kids more rigorously to avoid heavy losses.

Now, looking at the unconscious guy before them, the three of them fell silent. They realized they had to 'take care of' about forty more people in the village, despite everyone being in a coma.

"Why don't we let them go?" Toshiro joked, breaking the tension and earning exasperated looks from Asuka and Kirishima.

"Toshiro, you're the most reliable among us! Do you have any good ideas?" Asuka asked, sensing that Toshiro might have deliberately avoided becoming the temporary captain to avoid this situation.

"I think we should first determine the mission requirements. Do we need to capture them and cooperate with nearby officials in arresting them, or kill them?" Toshiro emphasized 'kill', hinting at the gravity of their mission.

AN : You can read chapters published ahead by supporting me (3$) on my p@treon account - p@treon.com/noviceauthor777

Currently, I have published 50 extra chapters in P@treon. Please support me.

The offer that has been there this week will expire today, June 15th.

All patrons joining today will have access to two more chapters than promised in each tier.