Chapter 8: The Aftermath
From the shadows of the forest, Sarutobi Hiruzen watched the carnage unfold. The boy moved with a chilling, predatory grace. There was no hesitation, no flinching, not even a flicker of disgust at the blood and death. For most, the first kill was a traumatic, gut-wrenching event. Hiruzen himself had spent a long time afterward trying to scrub the phantom feeling of blood from his hands.
But this boy... he was different. He was a natural. The cold efficiency, the way he used the fire and chaos to his advantage—it was the work of a born shinobi, not a child on his first real mission. A part of him was impressed. Another part felt a deep, cold unease.
"If we surrender, we die! If we fight, we die! Brothers, let's take him down with us!" the First Boss roared, and the remaining bandits, fueled by the desperation of the cornered, surged forward.
The saying "two fists are hard to beat four hands" proved true. The ordinary thugs were easy, but the three missing-nin, fighting for their lives, were a different matter. They didn't care about defense, only about landing a blow. They fought with a brutal, trade-injuries style. Even with my Sharingan predicting their movements, I couldn't evade everything. A kunai sliced my arm, a kick landed hard on my ribs. Sharp, hot pain flared across my body.
Damn it, I miscalculated, I thought, gritting my teeth as I dodged a wild swing. I should have given them a sliver of false hope, made them think surrender was an option. My body, tempered by the Water of Life, absorbed the blows that would have crippled a normal genin, but I was still being worn down.
This isn't working. I need to change the balance.
In the middle of the chaotic scrum, I focused my chakra and appeared directly in front of the Third Boss, the one I'd kicked earlier. His eyes widened, then burned with fury.
"You're looking to die, brat!" he snarled, and lunged without a second thought, his kunai aimed straight for my heart.
I let my eyes go wide with shock, freezing for a fraction of a second. He took the bait. The kunai sank deep into my chest. A triumphant, bloody grin split his face.
"HA! Got you! Let's see you look so cocky now!"
I let my "shocked" expression melt into a cold smirk. "You're celebrating too early."
His grin vanished. "What?"
Before he could process it, the body he had stabbed dissolved not into a log, but into a flock of cawing, flapping crows that scattered into the night air. The crows swirled and coalesced beside him, reforming into me, completely unharmed.
"What kind of jutsu is that?!" he stammered, his face ashen. "I stabbed you!"
"A jutsu from the future. You wouldn't know it."
As I reformed, my Two-Tomoe Sharingan was already active, spinning. I saw the opening, the moment of his utter disbelief. My own kunai flashed out, a black streak in the firelight.
"Third Brother, look out!" the other two leaders screamed.
It was too late. He turned just in time for my blade to plunge straight through his heart. He looked down at the hilt protruding from his chest, then up at me, his eyes filled with a final, profound confusion.
"This... how...?" he gurgled, blood bubbling at his lips, before he crumpled to the ground.
"You didn't die unjustly," I said quietly to his body. "And you died to a technique worthy of a god. That's honor enough."
With one of their leaders gone, the fight tipped completely. The remaining two bosses and their handful of thugs were no match. Half an hour later, the last ordinary bandit fell.
[Ding! Mission Complete. Reward: 5,000 Points.]
The system's voice was a welcome sound. I stood panting amidst the silence, the adrenaline fading to leave a deep, bone-weary exhaustion. I methodically moved to collect the heads of the three missing-nin as proof.
I was sitting at the smoldering gate of the camp, the three heads beside me, when Hiruzen appeared in a soft rustle of leaves.
"You did well, Tenchi," he said, his voice calm. "Congratulations on your first B-rank."
"Thanks," I mumbled, my voice hoarse. "Almost messed it up. Here." I gestured to the heads. "I don't even have the strength to walk. Just... give me a minute."
Hiruzen picked up the heads, a slightly puzzled look on his face. "Tenchi... you do know we only bring back the bodies of missing-nin for identification, right? It's only the underground black markets that pay for heads. For scum like this, we don't bother."
I blinked. "Oh. Really?" I genuinely hadn't known. I'd just seen it in samurai movies and thought that was the procedure.
"Yeah, really," he said with a faint smile. He tossed the three heads back into the ruins of the camp. Then, his hands moved in a long, complex sequence of seals that spoke of immense power.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style River!"
The ground itself groaned and churned. The earth swallowed the camp whole—the bodies, the wreckage, everything—burying the evidence of the night's slaughter under tons of soil and rock. In moments, it looked like nothing more than a freshly-tilled, if somewhat lumpy, field.
I stared, impressed despite my fatigue. So this is the level of a future Hokage. An A-rank jutsu, used so casually for cleanup.
"Come on," Hiruzen said, turning his back to me. "I'll carry you. There's an inn a few miles back. I hear it has hot springs. We could both use a soak after this."
As he carried me through the trees, I couldn't resist. "I thought you were being nice. But you just want to go to the hot springs to peep, don't you?"
"Peep?!" he sputtered, feigning offense. "I am a Konoha jonin! I would never! I simply appreciate the... cultural and hygienic benefits of communal bathing!"
I just let out a tired snort. Sure you do. I know exactly the kind of apprentice you're going to take on one day. Like master, like student.
At the inn, Hiruzen got us two rooms. Once alone, I pulled the last vial of Water of Life from the system and drank it. A wave of soothing warmth washed through me, knitting my cuts and bruises from the inside out, the deep fatigue receding. I collapsed onto the bed and fell into a dreamless sleep.
The next morning, I found Hiruzen's room empty. I knew exactly where he'd be. I changed and headed to the hot springs. Sure enough, I found him not in the water, but standing by the wooden wall that separated the men's and women's baths, one eye pressed against a knothole, a ridiculously happy grin on his face.
I slipped into the hot water and waded over to him.
"Captain Hiruzen," I said, my voice flat. "I thought you were here to 'soak.' This looks an awful lot like 'peeping' to me."
He jumped, nearly slipping, and whirled around, putting a finger to his lips. "Shhh! Keep your voice down! I'm not peeping! I'm... conducting a security survey! Ensuring there are no other perverts around to bother these women!"
"The only pervert I see is you," I said, giving him my best deadpan stare. "Who would believe that?"
He had the decency to look slightly embarrassed, coughing into his hand. "Ahem... Well, Tenchi, when you're my age, you'll understand. It's about... appreciating beauty. Speaking of which, if you have a girl you like, you can tell me. As your captain, I feel it's my duty to help guide you in such... important matters."
"Please," I scoffed, sinking deeper into the soothing water. "You should worry about finding yourself a wife first. Stop being a public menace."
"A menace? It's called protection! Do you even know what protection means?" he insisted, trying and failing to look dignified.
I just looked at him, the image of him as an old man using a crystal ball for the same purpose seared into my memory. The contempt on my face was answer enough.
Seeing he wasn't fooling anyone, he changed the subject. "Anyway! You healed up fast. Those were some nasty cuts yesterday."
"It was just some surface stuff. I was mostly just tired. I heal fast, that's all," I shrugged.
Hiruzen didn't press it. Some people just had resilient constitutions. "Well, since you're all better, we'll head back to the village today. I... miss the food there."
I sighed internally as he almost slipped up again. The women of Konoha are in for a long and troubled future with this one as Hokage.
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STONES