Akimichi Chōza quickly gave the order and had the three of them, Ryoma included, dismissed on the spot.
They were to prepare whatever tools they might need and assemble at the village's northwest side gate in one hour.
Seeing that Ryoma and his team were already able to accept C-rank missions, Obito grew even more impatient.
He clamored for Minato-sensei to quickly accept several C-rank missions to surpass Ryoma's team.
Kakashi mercilessly twisted the knife. "Once your strength catches up to Ryoma and Asuma, maybe our team will be able to surpass them. But for now? Hah."
Hearing Kakashi's slightly mocking words, Obito immediately yelled that he wanted to settle this with a manly duel against Kakashi!
Brother Kakashi indicated he did not wish to engage with Obito.
With an awkward expression, Minato apologized to the Third Hokage, accepted a D-rank mission, and quickly hurried out of the mission hall with Rin, dragging the two attention-seekers along.
Minato, his head aching, remarked, "Sigh... Hearts are scattered; this team is getting hard to lead."
One hour later, the sky had darkened as well.
All members of Squad Six had gathered at the side gate.
Chōza tossed a mission scroll to Ryoma and said,
"All the intelligence for this mission is inside. I won't intervene unless things develop beyond control. This mission is to be fully completed by you three, with Ryoma as squad leader. If there are no issues, prepare to depart!"
All three answered in unison, "Yes!"
Chōza vanished from their sight.
Ryoma then opened the mission scroll, glanced at it, memorized all the mission information, and handed the scroll to Asuma and Kurenai. He spoke quickly, "According to the intel, this bandit group's area of operation is mostly concentrated around Mount Unpei. Their numbers are around thirty to forty. The mission objective is total elimination."
"Check your tools. If there are no issues, we move out. I'll explain the initial plan I've drafted on the way."
After Asuma and Kurenai confirmed the mission details were correct,
Ryoma and the other two departed together, vanishing into the night.
Ryoma and his team were rapidly advancing toward Mount Unpei.
While traveling, Ryoma spoke to Asuma and Kurenai, who were behind him. "The average strength of this bandit group is below ours, but they have numbers, and the objective is total elimination. To ensure the mission is thoroughly completed, we plan to move in the dead of night, after most of the people on the mountain are sound asleep."
Asuma and Kurenai indicated their understanding.
Ryoma then laid out the plan. "Once we reach the base of Mount Unpei, we'll first capture one of their patrolling bandits to confirm their patrol headcount and approximate patrol routes. Then, we'll proceed like this..."
The moon quickly climbed above the treetops.
Their surroundings were now pitch black, with only faint moonlight to barely discern anything.
Ryoma and his team began their operation.
Though this bandit group was not small in scale, they ultimately weren't much of a threat.
Ryoma and his team infiltrated the bandit's stronghold on Mount Unpei with ease.
They successfully captured a man patrolling the area while he was yawning.
Kurenai immediately used her genjutsu to subdue the patrolman and extracted the night's patrol headcount and their approximate patrol routes.
After obtaining all the information they needed, a cruel glint flashed in Ryoma's eyes.
He covered the man's mouth with one hand, gripped his kunai, and unhesitatingly slit his throat.
Hot blood gushed out; the patrolman's vitality rapidly faded. Ryoma's mind went blank for a few seconds.
So this was the feeling of killing for the first time.
Ryoma also came to understand the fragility of human life. A single life had just ended by his hand.
He finally started to grasp why Orochimaru was always so fixated on pursuing eternal life!
Asuma and Kurenai were also startled by Ryoma's sudden action.
They stared at the man on the ground, now devoid of life, their complexions turning noticeably pale.
Ryoma snapped out of it, forcefully suppressing the nauseating urge to vomit, steadying his trembling hands, and said to Asuma and Kurenai,
"Proceed as planned. Asuma and I will go deal with the patrolmen along the route. Kurenai, infiltrate their living quarters and locate where they store their food. After receiving my signal, set fire to the storehouse. Ensure you lure all of them over. Wait for Asuma and me to arrive, then we'll wipe them out in one go."
Asuma adjusted more quickly; he nodded in response to Ryoma's orders.
Kurenai, though also feeling queasy, quickly regained control of her emotions. Her small face pale but resolute, she nodded firmly at Ryoma.
All three understood in their hearts that the reason the Third Hokage assigned this mission, and the reason Chōza-sensei accepted it, was to make them spill blood!
As ninja, killing was practically routine. Everyone had to take this step sooner or later; everyone had to overcome their own discomfort eventually.
Ryoma composed himself for a moment and said quietly to Asuma and Kurenai, "I won't say much else, but we must remember—we are ninja! Completing the mission is our duty."
He then summoned three Flying Corps members. "I'll have these Flying Corps members follow each of you, observing from the air to prevent us from missing enemies or exposing ourselves prematurely. The signal will also be relayed through them."
Asuma and Kurenai nodded, then split off from Ryoma.
Ryoma pushed the distracting thoughts from his mind and sighed. "Sigh... A moon-dark, wind-high night for killing."
After that, he too melted into the darkness.
Before long, a faint scent of blood permeated Mount Unpei.
That night, the bandit chief of Mount Unpei was having trouble sleeping.
For some reason, he felt inexplicably uneasy.
He pushed the woman off him and walked to the window.
Suddenly, he thought he saw a dark shadow flying through the sky. Its shape looked like a giant bat.
The chief paused, rubbed his eyes, and looked again—but saw nothing.
An eerie silence surrounded him.
"Was it my imagination?"
Suddenly, the chief spotted a blaze of fire in the distance.
It was coming from the food storage!
The chief grabbed a coat and rushed out of the house,
shouting, "Everyone, stop sleeping, dammit! The grain storehouse is on fire! Follow me and put it out!"
Dazed bandits, still half-asleep, gradually heard the noise and came out of their houses.
Seeing the chief already charging ahead with several men, they hurriedly woke the others still sleeping, grabbed tools, filled them with water, and ran toward the storehouse.
The chief cursed as he ran, "Damn it, how were those brutes patrolling? Didn't even notice the grain storehouse on fire! They must be slacking off again! Just wait 'til I skin them alive!"
He led his men into the fire scene and began fighting the blaze.
Ryoma and Asuma watched the bustling crowd below in silence from the shadows.
Both were stained with a considerable amount of blood.
After Kurenai confirmed that everyone from the buildings was present, Ryoma and his team slowly revealed themselves.
The chief gradually realized something was wrong.
Those few patrolmen had never shown up!
Then, from the shadows in three different directions, two boys and one girl emerged.
Looking at their foreheads, they were all wearing Konoha forehead protectors.
The chief instantly understood the situation.
He shouted loudly, "Brothers, quickly—"
Before he could finish, he noticed a gray venomous snake sinking its fangs into his throat, rendering him unable to speak another word.
In the distance, Ryoma extended his right hand.
"Ninja Art:..."
Countless venomous snakes surged toward the bewildered bandits, easily ending their lives.
Asuma also swiftly formed hand seals.
"Fire Style: Firefly Fire Technique!"
Countless fireballs spat from his mouth, reaping the lives of the others.
The remaining bandits finally reacted.
Cries of anguish, screams, and pleas for mercy filled the air.
"It's Konoha ninja! Run!"
"Poisonous snakes! Ah! No!"
"Please, no! I don't want to die yet! Great ninja lords, I beg you, don't kill me! I beg you!!"
Kurenai, positioned on the perimeter, used genjutsu to subdue several bandits attempting to flee in the chaos.
She ended their lives with shuriken.
Soon, the flames from Asuma's technique spread to nearby buildings.
Ryoma and his team stood expressionlessly before the sea of flames, their thoughts unknown.
The air was thick with nauseating smells of blood and scorched flesh.
Chōza silently appeared behind Ryoma and the others. His tone was earnest. "This is what it means to be a ninja. You must learn to get used to it."
Ryoma turned back and reported to Chōza:
"Mission complete. Total of thirty-seven bandits."
"All eliminated."