Yamamoto Kawa glanced at Uchiha Izumi, his mouth opening as if to speak—perhaps to tease her, perhaps to scold—but the memory of the last mission came unbidden. Those corpses… their twisted limbs, blank eyes, and the smell of blood. The images slammed into him like a physical blow.
He doubled over without warning.
"Ugh—!"
Izumi blinked at him, startled. But in that instant, the stench and the sight of her own handiwork from the bandit camp resurfaced in her mind. She pressed a hand to her mouth, fighting the rising nausea. It took several deep breaths before she managed to regain her composure.
Her eyes narrowed in mock irritation. "You two…" she muttered, shooting him a glare before turning away and following Sarutobi Muraki back toward the village.
---
At home, Izumi kicked off her sandals and flopped face-first onto the sofa.
"Mom, I'm home," she mumbled into the cushions.
Uchiha Hazuki, who had been reading by the window, looked up. "What's wrong? You look… off."
Izumi rolled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling with a vacant expression.
"Ugh, don't even ask. This mission… we had to kill people. Bandits. It was disgusting."
Hazuki froze for just a moment, then her expression softened. "Oh? Bandits, you say? Well… it's good you weren't injured. As for killing… you're a ninja now. It's part of the job. Your father—he did it too."
Izumi exhaled slowly and gave a small nod. "Yeah… I feel a little better hearing that."
Her mother's lips curved in a faint smile. "Back in the Sengoku period, we fought nearly every day. The smell of blood, the sound of steel—it all becomes background noise. You'll get used to it."
Izumi chuckled dryly. "Mm."
---
Elsewhere, in the Hokage's Office, Hiruzen Sarutobi listened intently to Sarutobi Muraki's mission report. He took a long drag from his pipe before speaking.
"It seems this Uchiha Izumi is truly remarkable. At such a young age, she's already proficient in ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu. Not simple at all… though, she is from the Uchiha clan."
Muraki hesitated before asking, "So… should we let her return to the security force?"
Hiruzen shook his head and rose from his chair, hands clasped behind his back as he paced slowly toward the window.
"The Uchiha are part of Konoha. Right now, we're short-staffed, so I'll have you take on slightly more difficult assignments. As it happens, there's a B-rank mission I'd like to entrust to you."
Muraki inclined his head. "No problem. You can rely on me. Though… for a B-rank, I have no doubts about Uchiha Izumi or Akimichi Jiro, but Yamamoto Kawa… he's a civilian ninja. It might be dangerous for him."
Hiruzen tapped ash into a tray, his voice steady.
"You know as well as I do—the war hasn't been over long. Each village is scrambling to establish dominance. We need our ninja to grow quickly. That means everyone is taking on missions. Team leaders like you are essential to that growth. We need to train as many capable ninja as we can to fill the vacancies."
Muraki frowned. "But… in peacetime, too many ninja could stretch our resources thin."
Hiruzen met his eyes. "We are a large nation, unlike the smaller ones. We can manage our numbers. But the vacancies left by war must be filled. If other villages grow stronger while we stagnate, the risk will be far greater. After three Great Ninja Wars, who can say there won't be a fourth?"
He leaned back slightly, a shadow passing over his face. "Right now, our numbers are low, but missions are plentiful. We must compete for them—to secure resources, to maintain influence. Do you understand?"
Muraki bowed his head. "Yes."
"And one more thing," Hiruzen added, his tone hardening. "Teach your students well. Don't listen to Danzo's nonsense. Konoha's course is mine to decide."
Muraki's head dipped even lower. "Understood."
The Hokage's sternness faded into a small smile. "No need to be so formal. Now—about that B-rank mission…"
---
The next morning, Yamamoto Kawa was already waiting when Izumi finally arrived. His brows rose in exasperation.
"Izumi! You're late again. Even the client's here! It's not good to keep them waiting."
Kawa's irritation faltered as he noticed the bandages wrapped around her arms and legs.
"What happened to you?"
Izumi scratched the back of her head with a sheepish grin. "Huh? Isn't it still early? Oh—are you the client? You came so soon. Sorry about that, hahaha…"
The client, a thin, pale man in his thirties, waved his hands quickly. "Ah, no, no, it's fine. I woke up early. I'm used to it. But… you all look so young. The opponents are ninja—very strong. Are you sure you can handle this?"
Izumi resisted the urge to groan. Why is it always like this? Judging by appearances… She opened her mouth to reply, but Muraki stepped forward first.
"You can rest easy," the team leader said firmly. "We're Konoha ninja. The ones occupying your village aren't strong. If we couldn't handle them, we wouldn't have been assigned this mission."
The client nodded slowly, though doubt still lingered in his eyes. It didn't matter. The mission had been approved; there was no turning back.
Kawa, meanwhile, looked suddenly excited. "Ninja opponents? That means a real fight! Finally!"
His enthusiasm seemed contagious—both Jiro and Izumi felt their own anticipation spark. Fighting rogue ninja was far more thrilling than chasing down petty thieves.
Jiro turned to Muraki. "Sensei, do we have any intel on the enemies?"
Muraki gestured toward the client. "You'd better explain."
The man sighed heavily. "We live deep in the mountains, a quiet, peaceful place… or at least it was. A few ninja appeared one day and took over. They made themselves leaders, recruited thugs, and brought in more rogue ninja. Our lives have become miserable. Please—help us drive them out."
Izumi resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Classic plotline…
---
The journey to the mountain village took several days. The terrain grew wilder, the paths narrower. Even Muraki, who had traveled extensively, couldn't help remarking, "It really is remote out here."
Upon arrival, they were met by one of the client's friends, who had urgent news. "They're sending a group out for supplies tomorrow. You could set an ambush."
Muraki considered this, then nodded. "According to the latest intelligence, the original group had two members—one jonin, one chunin. Now, they've added two more chunin and four genin. There could be more we don't know about."
Jiro asked the question on everyone's mind. "Sensei, how many can you take on?"
Muraki's lips curled into a faint smile. "I've fought them before. I could handle all of them alone if I had to. But this is your trial. Tomorrow, we'll use Izumi's exploding tags and the traps you two prepared. Once the fight begins, I'll hold off the jonin. The rest are yours. Be careful."
The three genin exchanged a glance, each feeling the weight of the task—and the thrill of the challenge.
"Yes," they answered together.
Tomorrow, the hunt would begin.
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