Chapter 61 – A New Mission
Outside the Konoha Mission Hall.
Before Taichi even reached the entrance, he heard a familiar voice calling out from afar.
"Taichi! Over here, over here!" Uchiha Yōhei was waving his arms excitedly, practically bouncing on his feet—clearly itching to get started on a new mission.
Standing beside him, Saori was the complete opposite—quiet and composed, like a lily swaying gently in the breeze.
When Taichi approached, Yōhei immediately started bragging.
"Taichi, guess what—I've learned several new jutsu these past few days! Once we're out on the mission, I'll show you. You'll be shocked, I promise!"
Taichi blinked, a little puzzled by Yōhei's overconfidence. Just what kind of technique had he learned to make him this proud?
He turned to Saori with a questioning look. She simply sighed and shook her head—clearly, she had no idea either.
Seeing that, Taichi decided not to press the matter. Instead, he asked,
"Have you seen Captain Yamaguchi yet?"
"No," Saori replied softly. "We just got here ourselves. We were about to head in when we saw you coming."
"Then let's go wait inside," Taichi said, leading the two toward the hall.
Before they could enter, however, Captain Yamaguchi emerged from the mission hall, a scroll already in hand—seems like he'd already picked out their assignment.
"Captain," the three greeted in unison.
Yamaguchi gave a curt nod. "This time, I've already accepted the mission—a C-rank: bandit extermination."
The three exchanged glances, waiting for further details.
"The mission takes place along the trade route bordering the Land of Fire and the Land of Grass," Yamaguchi explained as he walked.
"Lately, bandits have been appearing frequently in that area. According to the few survivors, their group numbers around fifty. They target small merchant caravans, and their methods are ruthless. Aside from the rare lucky escapee, they leave no survivors."
He stopped, his gaze sweeping over the three of them.
"Intelligence suggests at least five caravans have already fallen victim. This commission comes directly from the Daimyō's office. The order is clear—wipe them out. Leave no one involved alive."
Yōhei grinned, already imagining testing his new jutsu on the bandits.
Saori frowned slightly, uneasy with the nature of the task.
Taichi, too, was silent—his expression thoughtful. Somehow, he sensed this mission might not be as simple as it sounded. There might be more blood on their hands than just those fifty bandits.
"Have you all prepared your ninja tools?" Yamaguchi asked. "If not, you have one hour to get ready."
"All set," the three replied in unison.
"Good." The captain's tone hardened. "One more thing—this time, unless you encounter an opponent beyond your ability to handle, I will not step in. Understood?"
"Yes, Captain!"
"Then let's move out."
They departed from Konoha, and since it was only Team 8 traveling together, the journey was quick. Within two days, they reached the trade route mentioned in the mission details.
At the moment, only Taichi and his teammates were present. Captain Yamaguchi had split off from them shortly after leaving the village—truly letting them act on their own.
Only Taichi could sense the truth. Every now and then, he'd catch the faint, unmistakable feeling of being watched.
He knew—the captain hadn't really left them alone. He was nearby, observing from the shadows.
Taichi pulled out the map given with the mission and marked their current position against the terrain. Then he looked up at Yōhei and Saori and asked, "So—any ideas?"
Yōhei took the map and studied it closely. Beyond a small village and a low hill there wasn't much that could serve as a hideout—no obvious places to conceal a large group. "Let's check those two spots," he suggested, handing the map to Saori so she could take a look too. "Maybe we'll find something."
Saori examined the map, compared it with the surroundings, and nodded in agreement. Then she added thoughtfully, "We should check the nearby battle sites first. There have been at least five fights here. Even if some time has passed, there should be traces left behind."
"Right." Taichi refolded the map, slid it into his tool bag, and agreed. "The scene is crucial. Let's see if the traces tell us anything."
He made the plan: "We split up. Search within a five-kilometer radius. If you encounter enemies, signal immediately. We regroup here in one hour." It was his final decision.
Both Yōhei and Saori agreed, and the three of them set off in different directions.
Watching them spread out, Yamaguchi Kōsuke—hidden and keeping watch from the ground—nodded to himself. Splitting up to examine the scenes was the right first move. He was especially pleased that Yōhei and Saori hadn't blindly followed Taichi; each contributed their own observations, and Taichi hadn't bulldozed his way through as the strongest member—he'd listened. That's what a mature team looked like.
What made Yamaguchi a little uneasy, though, was how often Taichi glanced toward his hiding spot. The kid was sharp; he'd probably realized someone was watching. Dangerous—and impressively perceptive.
Taichi headed east and swept clockwise around their starting point. He found two battle sites—not too old, and at one of them he could still see bloodstains. Kneeling, he stared at a large gray stone smeared with blood and pictured a guard felled, then stabbed through the chest and dragged across the ground. There were even claw marks on the stone where someone had scraped at it in their last moments.
Most of the surrounding marks were from blades—slashes and chopping blows, chaotic and unpatterned, a brawl won by sheer numbers rather than skill. A few steps further, Taichi crouched and examined a neat row of round holes in the soil. Curious, he pressed his fingers into each cavity and released a bit of chakra to sense carefully. The holes were semi-cylindrical—about half a foot long with a curved shape.
He recorded these clues mentally—what kind of weapon would produce such holes?—and continued searching until he'd covered his assigned area. Then he returned to the original meeting point to wait for Yōhei and Saori.
After a little while the three regrouped and shared what they'd found.
"I found two sites, both a while back—nothing really useful," Yōhei reported first.
"I found three," Saori added. "One of them was fairly recent. There were no traces of ninjutsu—mostly blade wounds. Those bandits were merciless. From the markings it looks like the merchants surrendered, were bound, and then slaughtered with no chance to fight back."
Saori's normally soft voice hardened as she spoke—she'd clearly seen something deeply disturbing.
"My findings are similar to Saori's—two locations," Taichi summarized. "If we assume these are all separate incidents, that's at least seven attacked caravans. How have the bandits escaped capture after so many assaults?"
"By the way, Saori," Taichi asked, thinking of something, "besides the sword marks, did you find any other unusual traces?"
Saori tapped her temple and thought for a moment. Then she said, "Yes—there were those round-hole marks. I almost missed them. I don't know what made them."
"Same here," Taichi confirmed. "Putting everything together, they look like ordinary bandits—brutal and disorganized. Nothing professional beyond their cruelty."
Yōhei and Saori nodded in agreement.
"All right," Taichi said, "next we check that little hill. That's the most likely place for their hideout."