The genin of Team 7, filled with anticipation, waited near the main gate of Konoha. They had attended training the previous day, their minds buzzing with questions about their first C rank. Anko had given them no details, only instructing them to gather the standard week's worth of mission supplies and meet at the gate the next day.
"What do you guys think we will do on this mission? "Naruto asked, his mind racing with curiosity, trying to fill the void while they waited for their teachers to arrive.
"I have no idea," Sasuke said, leaning against a nearby building.
"We're probably going to save a few kingdoms or something and a princess along the way."
Sakura rolled her eyes.
"Naruto, the mission is a C rank; we probably are just doing security or clearing out a bandit camp."
"Come on, Sakura, get more imaginative. That's way too boring."
"Naruto, I'm not talking about a random scenario; I'm just telling you what the mission will probably be like."
"Yeah, but I'm like trying to ask what you hope happens on our first mission.
Sakura thought for a moment.
"I hope it goes like an ordinary C rank; we are strong, but this will be the first time we leave the village, and I don't want any of us to get hurt."
Naruto, still unhappy with her answer, turned to Sasuke.
"What do you hope happens, Sasuke?"
"I hope we come across foes that can truly test how far our abilities have come. No form of sparing will match actual life-and-death situations."
"So you hope we fight someone super strong," Naruto said, simplifying Sasuke's statement.
"If anyone is going to fight someone super strong, it will be one of us. "
The genin turned around to see Anko and Kakashi walking toward them.
Sakura gave Anko a disappointed look.
"I expect Kakashi sensei to be late, but not you, I hope you aren't picking up his bad habits. "
"Jeez, mom, calm down. We just had to discuss last-minute details with the Hokage. "
"So, what is our mission," asked Sasuke.
"We will tell you more about it when we are on our way. The place we need to go is not far from here, and if we leave now, we'll get there by midday.
"Keep a moderate pace; ensure you don't want to strain yourselves," said Kakashi
Team 7 exited the gates of Konoha and began to jump through the trees toward their destination; after a few minutes, Anko explained the mission's details.
"Our mission is to investigate the disappearance of a caravan near the border of the Land of Tea."
"Who paid for the mission?" Asked Sakura,
Anko proudly looked at Sakura. "That is the number one question you need to ask when you are on missions; depending on who's paying, it can provide insight into how they want the mission done and what you can get away with.
"Get away with what?" Sakura asked as she raised an eyebrow
Anko waved her hand, dismissing her question, "Don't worry about that; you'll know when you get older. Anyway, this is one of the many we get from the mercantile guild; they often hire leaf shinobi for anything dealing with their caravans. We are heading to the trading post where they were last spotted."
"What's the mercantile guild," Asked Sasuke
"It's an organization that many merchants in the elemental nations are a part of. Anyone in the guild is protected by its resources, like when they hire a team of ninjas to investigate your disappearance. "informed Kakashi
Sasuke began going over the possibilities of what happened to the caravan in his head.
"So, are we going to fight bandits?"
Kakashi nodded
"Most likely, but you shouldn't go in with expectations on what we will find. There could be many reasons why a trading caravan could just disappear, from a rouge ninja to them just breaking down and taking a break on the side of the road."
"But I thought that when we go out on missions, we are expected to fight,?" asked Naruto
"Most of the time, you are, but one of the reasons the leaf is so successful is because we promote our shinobi to be more than just trained killers; we're investigators, protection, diplomats, hell, even entertainment if the pay is high enough," said Anko
"So, you're saying the leaf takes every type of mission? Do other villages not do the same?" Sakura asked, not knowing much about how other villages operate.
"Cloud has a similar philosophy with their ninja, but almost every other village specializes in a specific type of mission that makes up the bulk of their income," Anko answered.
"We are about to come out on the trading post; let's drop down the road," ordered Kakashi.
Team 7 arrived at a small trading outpost near a river. It consisted of small buildings and a bridge to the other side. They touched down on the ground before they got to the trading post and began walking on the road.
"Why don't we just jump the rest of the way there?" Asked Naruto
"Another important lesson you should learn as a ninja is to be aware of what you are doing, where you are, and who you are talking to," said Anko
"But I already know who I am, and unless I can't see them, I'll know who I'm talking to."
"Naruto she is talking about in terms of power dynamics," said Sakura
"Exactly. In larger cities, most civilians are used to ninjas. They come in and out of town to meet with clients, and many ninjas spend their off time there. But at a small trading post like this on the outskirts, it's fair to guess that many people here have never seen a ninja before." Anko explained
"Well, doesn't that mean they'll just think I'm an awesome ninja," Naruto said assuredly.
"No, it means that they will probably be scared of you," said Kakashi
A shocked look came across Naruto's face
"What do you mean"
Kakashi clarified
"Most people who aren't around ninjas regularly view us as monsters, killers who can destroy hundreds of lives in a single night."
"But we don't do that," said Naruto.
"Yeah, we don't do that, but throughout history, regular villages have been collateral in fights between ninjas; during the last war, thousands of people had to leave their homes to avoid the fighting; you'll likely meet someone who's been negatively affected by ninja, so don't expect the red carpet, when you're out of the village."
Naruto began to sink into a familiar feeling of dejection; one of the main reasons he was excited to leave Konoha was that people wouldn't look at him with fear or scorn just because of who he was.
Anko noticed Naruto's mood flatten and said
"It's only a possibility, Naruto. We just want you to be mindful of what you say and how you present yourself. Plus, I doubt anyone would be afraid of a tiny kid like you.
"I'm not tiny; I just haven't hit my growth spurt yet."
"Yeah, that's what the short ones always say."
Kakashi looked at Anko.
"You aren't exactly a giant yourself."
Anko rolled her eyes.
"Haha. Let's just go. There must be a main office or a place to find the head of the trading post.
As Team 7 stepped into the trading post's main office, they found themselves in a cramped space, barely large enough to accommodate a single room. Inside, they spotted a solitary figure, an older man, seated behind a sprawling desk. The shelves behind him were a chaotic jumble of goods, hinting at a life of trade and commerce.
The team walked forward, and the man behind the counter looked up and greeted them.
"I assume you are the ninjas the mercantile guild told me about."
The man's gaze lingered a few seconds longer when it passed over Anko, a subtle hint of something more than a casual glance.
"Yeah, My name is Kakashi Hatake. This is my partner Anko Mitarashi, and this is our genin team."
The man nodded, clearly not paying attention, as he kept glancing at Anko.
Without warning, Anko's hand came crashing down on the desk, startling the man and sending a shiver of unease through the room.
Do you mind if we can ask you a few questions about the missing caravan
Anko said while putting on a smile,
This action unnerved the man, who began reporting on the missing caravan.
"Yeah, they came through around three weeks ago. They were heading to Degarashi port, but I assume they didn't make it since you are here now."
"Does this road lead the Degarashi?"
"The road across the bridge branches out into multiple paths. The one leading to Degarshi has been known to cause trouble for anyone passing through. "
"What kind of trouble?" asked Naruto
"It depends on what year you want to talk about. Fifteen years ago, when I first started here, There was an issue of wolf attacks being common. Then, of course, we had a few bandits groups camp on that route, but they usually only stayed for a few months before moving on."
"Has there been an investigation into why the road is so dangerous" asked Sakura
"I am not saying it's hell on earth; it is not even that popular of a route; most traders go to Deagrshi by boat. The road has just attracted a lot of trouble over the years,"
"Is there anyone here who has traveled through that way before? " asked Kakashi
"Maybe. A lot of traders come through here. I usually only see the caravan leaders. They check in for a camping spot or beds in our lounges. "
"Well, that's enough for us to go off on for now, thank you."
"That's no problem. I'll be here for the rest of the day if you have any questions. My name is Umeri Horuki."
"Where can we find you if we aren't here," asked Anko
He pointed to the north of the trading post,
" I live in a small cabin. It's a few minutes away, but I'll probably be here most of the night. I have a lot of work to finish up. "
"Well, Umeri, we'll report to you if we find anything," said Kakashi
Umeri nodded. He waved goodbye to Team 7, and they left the office.
"Well, he wasn't much help at all; we barely learned anything about the caravan," said Sakura
"Not exactly, but we did learn that he was lying; there's probably something more going on here than meets the eye," said Anko
"Why do you know that? The guy sounded like he was telling the truth to me," asked Naruto
You heard him say that caravans barely come through that way, but he also talked about multiple bandits groups that had been driven out over the years; why would bandits operate on an isolated road rarely traveled near the border of Tea Country."
"Maybe they are just idiots," said Naruto
"I think there may be something on that road that draws them to it, or they may have another entirely different reason, and I have a hunch that this place is involved somehow.
"How can you be so sure? "asked Sakura
"It's just a gut feeling that I have from experience." Anko then looked at Kakashi.
"Right, Kakashi, something is not right with the place. Or am I crazy?
Kakashi thought for a moment.
"Yeah, something bothers me. You would think an entire caravan of people going missing would be more significant news, especially in a small place like this. But we didn't see a single sign or warning about keeping a lookout for bandits. He also wasn't too worried about the condition of the traders."
Anko nodded, agreeing with Kakashi's assessment, and turned toward the genin.
With a firm resolve, Anko assigned the genin a crucial task, knowing their findings could hold the key to unraveling the mystery.
"We need documents from this place," she instructed. "Look for written records, letters, logs, yearly reports, financial statements, or anything else that may give us more information about its operations."
"What are you guys going to do?" asked Naruto
"We'll talk to a few more traders and see if anyone was there when the caravan passed through."
"Wait, that sounds like we'll be doing most of the work."
"Yeah, but Kakashi and I have done a variant of this plenty of times. Info gathering is one of the best skills you can have as a ninja. I want to see how you do before we head out. And investigate the road."
"But we never taught us how to do something like this before," voiced Sakura.
"Infiltration is not something you can train outside of a live situation. I won't tell you what to do; that is for you three to plan and figure out for yourselves. But for any advice, less is more. Highly detailed plans can break down in an instant. Keeping the core strategy simple allows flexibility. "
Their teachers said their goodbyes and left the genin on their own devices.
Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura sat near the river, a peaceful spot on the outskirts of the trading post. Anyone looking at them would assume they were just kids enjoying a nice summer day. But in actuality, they were planning how to find out information about their mission.
"So where do they even keep documents and stuff like that? " asked Naruto
"Depends; the main building we came in earlier didn't have any other room, and there's not any building around here that looks like an office,"
"It doesn't make sense. If we find this stuff and it gets him in trouble, why keep it? If I were him, I would just destroy it. " Naruto said, wondering why someone would keep something that could get them in trouble
"The trading post is under some jurisdiction, maybe the merchant guild; since Uemeri mentioned them, they probably have to show records as proof that they're not scamming the guild. But where would they keep it?
"He would keep it close," Sasuke spoke.
Both his teammates looked at him.
"I have a bunch of legal documents concerning the Uchiha. They cover stuff like property holdings and claims to our ancestral land. I keep them close since they could claim my clan's property if someone gets those documents. "
Sakura and Naruto were slightly surprised; this was the first time Sasuke had mentioned anything concerning his clan.
"Hell yeah, infiltration time," said Naruto
The genin made their way through the trees until they arrived at a small cabin a few minutes away. Naruto walked up to the door of the cabin and tried the door;
"It's locked."
"I figured it would. We need to find a way in," said Sakura
Naruto looked at his teammates.
"Do you guys have the lock thingies?"
"You mean lockpicking tools. Shouldn't you have some in your pack,"
"Yeah, but I didn't think I would need them, so I left them at home,"
Sakura shook her head, reached into her tool pouch, and tossed a set of lockpicking tools at Naruto.
"Bring your own next time."
"Got it, Thanks Sakura."
Naruto began to work on the lock.
"Since when did you learn how to pick locks," asked Sasuke
"Oh, I used to break into Iruka's desk all the time to prank him during class; each time I broke a lock, he would have a different one put on, so I got pretty good at getting through them."
Sakura wondered if Iruka had brought the locks to keep Naruto out or had taught him an essential skill in infiltration.
"Bingo, they don't call me Naruto Uzumaki, the great lock breaker, for nothing.
"No one calls you that idiot,"
Sasuke said as he moved past Naruto to step inside
His teammates followed behind him.
"Try not to disturb anything," Sakura said
After about a minute of looking around, Naruto spoke up.
"Where would he keep it? There's, like, a million places where it could be."
This may sound stupid, but hidden safes are extremely common. My family had a ton of them."
"Wait, this might work."
Sakura began to use the earth senor jutsu to expand her chakra through the cabin.
Hell, probably keep near to where he sleeps
Sakura opened her eyes; the wall behind that painting is hollow, Sakura said while pointing to a landscape painting.
Sasuke walked over and removed the painting, revealing a safe.
"Damn it, how are we supposed to open that," said Naruto
Sakura began to think of a plan.
Sasuke then took out a kunai and breathed a small amount of fire on the blade; once the blade heated up, he began cutting the safe's hinges.
"Hey, what are you doing? He's going to know that we were here."
"Anko didn't say anything about not leaving behind evidence; if we take too long to open the safe, we'll get caught anyway. "
Sasuke then moved the safe door and revealed the contents,
Inside were bundles of ryo, some valuable jewelry, and a tied-together pile of documents.
Sasuke grabbed the documents and placed the sage door back into the wall.
"Got it; at least this way, he won't know we were here until he checks the safe. "
The genin exited the cabin and went to find their teachers,
They found Anko and Kakashi conversing with some traders. Once the genin got within sight, they left themselves out of the conversation and walked over to them.
"So, what did you guys find?"
"We have a lot of documents; we haven't looked at them since they were left in a safe."
"How did you get into the safe?"
"Sasuke melted off the hinges with a heated kunai," informed Sakura
Anko nodded. "That's probably for the best."
"You aren't mad?" asked Naruto
"No, the only thing you could have done was ask us. But we made it clear that you had to do it alone, so Sasuke did the next best thing since you lacked the skills to open the safe. He opened the safe as quickly as possible without leaving much evidence. If the documents turn up nothing, we can reimburse him for the safe."
"Okay, let's go over everything. I saw a spot in the woods that should give us some privacy.
Anko and Kakashi had been going over the documents for the last serval minutes,
Becoming impatient, Naruto blurted out
"So what do they say?"
Anko looked up;
"Most of them are just regular financial statements and inventory reports, but I found two things,"
Anko then pulled two papers from her pile.
"This one tracks incoming and outgoing caravans and their routes. Most of it is normal, but almost every caravan going to Degrashi port is highlighted, including the one we are looking for. I also found an itemized list for every caravan that passed through, and each highlighted one shared the same abbreviation item P.O.H. Each one has a sizable amount in the caravan."
"I think I may know what that is," said Kakashi while ruffling through his piles of letters
"Most of these letters are just missives from and to the mercantile guild, but there are a few coded ones. Kakashi held up a letter. This is disguised as a standard letter from the guild. But, in actuality, it's a letter discussing incoming Saigenzai shipments and what caravans they will be on."
"Saigenzai"? Sakura questioned
"Powder of Heaven is an acronym for a drug that is used in the Howling Wolf Village to include genjutsu; it gained popularity outside of shinobi circles a few years back, and it is illegal just about everywhere since if it is improperly prepared, it a high death rate."
Anko then looked over to Kakashi.
"Does the letter have the names of the caravans?"
" No, but it has dates, which I assume is the projected arrival time."
Kakshi then began to write out the coded dates and handed them to Anko,
They matched up near the dates of arrival of the last few caravans.
Anko looked at the list of caravans; "That can't be possible; there are fifteen caravans highlights for this year alone. Did every one of these go missing? No, unless"
"Whoever ships these drugs works with the trading post to avoid reporting these disappearances to the merchant guild. " Kakashi finished
"So, it looks like this road is being used as a way to funnel drugs illegally,"
"Why didn't they just use ships?" asked Sakura
"They probably do, but the amount they can safely get through checks at ports is pitiful compared to what they can ship on land. They probably attach their goods to well-established caravans to avoid cargo checks. Then they get their goods and attack them when they are isolated on the way to Degarahsi."
"But why would they attack caravans that carrying their goods? " asked Sasuke
"It's likely that the people in the caravans don't know what they are carrying."
"But why would they involve regular traders?"
"Sadly, when it comes to the illegal sale of goods, most organizations don't stop at drugs. It's likely that they attach themselves to regular caravans and then capture people to sell to the traffickers. "
"But that's not possible. People can't just go missing with no one noticing," said Naruto
Anko sighed and shook her head.
"Sadly, most travelers bring their entire families, and those who don't probably live far enough away that their loved ones don't know what happens to them."
"How could this happen," Sakura said dejectedly.
"Consider the sheer magnitude of the merchant guild, with thousands of merchants under its umbrella. It's conceivable that they lose track of the smaller traders who vanish, especially when many merchants abruptly become inactive year in and out." Anko said, thinking out loud about the situation
The genin sat there taking in the seriousness of the situation
Naruto looked up determined; "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go save those people and kick some bandit ass."
"Agreed"
Team 7 returned to the treetops and proceeded down the infamous road.
"Wait up. I see something." Anko said as she pointed to an area below
They touched down and began to survey the area.
"I don't see anything amiss," said Sasuke
"Look," Anko pointed to a trail of disturbed plant life leading away from the road.
"If they are taking hostages from caravans, then they must have a base close by where they take them.
"Don't caravans have a bunch of stuff like wagons and animals?" asked Naruto
"Yeah, but it's been three weeks. The only thing they couldn't cover up was the trail they had to take back to their base. Let's follow the path through the trees; stay behind us and point out anything you see," said Anko.
They went east for half an hour following the trail of crushed flowers and broken branches, and until they came upon an encampment,
Anko and Kakashi stopped and looked back.
Anko pointed at something, and Kakashi nodded.
With a swift motion, Kakashi's hands began to move, and his fingers danced in the air as he performed a series of hand signals.
During one of their team training sessions, they dedicated time to mastering a few essential leaf hand signals. This moment would testify to their training and test their memory.
Meet–Water–Strategy Kakashi signed to the genin.
Kakashi tried to keep the signs as basic as possible since he didn't know if they read up more outside of the few lessons they gave them.
They all got the general idea. They had passed a small pond a few minutes earlier, and he wanted them to head back toward it.
When they all gathered at the pond, Kakashi spoke.
"Good job. While they probably wouldn't have heard us if we had talked, it's good practice to use nonverbal communication when you're close to enemy presence."
"Yes, I understand, sensei, so how do you want us to approach this," asked Sakura
"Wait, we aren't eating lunch?" asked Naruto, confused
"What do you mean," asked Sakura
"Didn't Kakashi Sensei sign Food-Stop-Go"
Anko rubbed a head across her face.
"Naruto, we will work on hand signals when we get back. And why in the hell would someone use the stop-and-go hand signals right after each other? "
Naruto shrugged
"Well, more importantly, this is a good chance for you guys to learn how to plan. Don't worry; you will not be doing it by yourselves. We first need to find out everything we can about the camp, the number of enemies and hostages, their location, and the layout."
Anko then looked at Sakura.
"Sakura, can you travel underground and see what you can make out?"
"What if there are ninja? Won't they be able to sense me" asked Sakura
Kakashi smiled at Sakura; "You should be more confident. Most ninjas wouldn't be able to sense you in the ground, and I did a quick check when I got close; none of their chakra levels indicated any of them were ninjas."
"Okay, I'll try to get as much info as possible," said Sakura.
"Okay, while you're doing that, I'll get an above-ground look at what we are dealing with," Kakashi then hopped into the trees back toward the encampment.
Sakura then performed the hiding-like-a-mole technique and went into the earth.
After about a minute, she reemerged no worse for wear.
"Sakura, what did you sense," asked Anko
"I sensed someone around forty people; twenty-five are constantly moving, and the other fifteen or so are all bunched together."
"Those are probably captives, then. How were the bandits dispersed?"
"Most of them are in the camp, but it looked like they had two three-man patrols. On both sides of the encampment."
Just then, Kakashi came back and landed nearby.
"I got a good visual of the camp. It's built around a cliff, which serves as the camp's back wall; considering the quality of the construction and the number of buildings, the structure doesn't seem like it was quickly put up. They have probably been here for at least several months, but I wouldn't be surprised if the camp was built years ago. "
"So, anything to report on our kidnappers," asked Anko.
"They didn't look like your typical bandits. All of their weapons and armor were of decent quality, and I also saw some sort of tattoo that each of them had, "
"Tattoo, does it look like a seal?" with rising panic in her voice
"No, no chakra involved; it looked like it was just a symbol for whatever group this is."
Anko internally sighed. It looked like he wasn't involved
She then looked at Kakashi and said
"With all of that, these guys sound like mercenaries, expensive ones at that, who would have enough money to pay these guys year-round to stay here."
"Well, after we clear the camp, that is the first thing we're going to find out," said Kakashi
Anko turned to the genin.
"Okay, here is the plan,
Naruto and Sakura, you will take out the patrols outside the encampment. Be careful, and keep the noise to a minimum. We don't want to alert anybody in the camp before we're ready."
"Don't worry, I'll give these assholes a beating," Naruto said, putting his fist in his palm.
Kakashi looked over to Sakura.
"Where did you sense the hostages, "
"It was near the back of the camp; I only sensed three guards near there, though."
"I saw that there was a cave in the cliff that was being guarded."
"Only three guards near the hostages. Okay, that makes this easier. Sasuke, you will be posted up there. Kakashi pointed to a large tree over the camp; it has a view of the building; your goal will be to secure the hostages and disable the nearby guards; after that, you need to stay guard over the hostages to make sure no one harms them, There Sakura Naruto, you guys will rendezvous with Sasuke at the cave." informed Kakashi
"What will we be doing about the rest of them?" asked Sasuke
Kakashi turned to Anko for any recommendations.
"The best way to contain them would be for you to infiltrate and fight from the middle of the camp. Since they are mercenaries, they will be smart enough to leave when they see an advanced ninja attacking the camp. That will have them flee through the one entrance, and I'll set up traps at the camp entrance and clear up any stragglers.
"Sound like a plan," said Sasuke
Sakura nervously asked a question.
"Are we killing them?" her words almost turning into a whisper
Kakashi turned to the genin and sighed.
"I wished we didn't have to have this discussion. Listen, each of you may likely have to kill for the first time; I will leave it up to every one of you; if you feel you need to take a life to keep yourselves safe, then do not hesitate."
Each of the genin looked uncomfortable at the prospect. But each of them reluctantly nodded.
"Don't worry. After this is done, we'll talk about everything that happens." Anko said, trying to reassure them
"Okay, use only the radios to signal that your area is clear or if something urgent happens. Let's move out." ordered Kakashi."
"I need to take a piss,"
Terashi got up from sitting on a rock and walked away for privacy.
"Don't know why you needed to tell us unless you need some help," one of the other two joked.
"Ha ha, very funny assholes; I'm just telling you, just in case something happens."
"As if anything happens around here, but we'll be sure to tell you if we see a squirrel while you are rubbing against a tree."
Terashi rolled his eyes and walked away.
After a few minutes, Terashi didn't come back.
"Shouldn't he be back already?"
"I don't know; maybe he had to do more than take a piss."
The mercenary sighed." Come on, he might have got bitten by a snake or something; remember what happened to Kotsu last week. "
I guess you're right."
They both got up and headed in the direction Terashi had gone.
"What happened? Did you scrape yourself on a tree?" one of them yelled after them
They then heard the scraping of dirt.
The mercenary in front put his hand up and approached the tree slowly, with his hand on his sword.
Looking around the tree, he saw Terashi in the ground up to his nose, eyes full of fear.
Before he could react, he heard the noise of the earth splitting behind.
Sakura emerged and kicked the back of the knee of the mercenary in the back.
As he lost balance and began to fall, Sakura performed a quick chop to the back of his neck, knocking him out,
The other mercenary reacted quickly and began to swing his sword at Sakura; she deftly applied the double-vision genjutsu to the bandit,
He swung wide, losing his balance and tripod over a tree root,
He lost grip of his sword, and it ended up turning toward him as he fell, impaling himself
Sakura stared in shock at the impaled man; just then, he saw the man look up toward the camp; he was about to yell for help.
In an instant, Sakura lurched forward, stabbing a kunai in the man's neck; as he died, he looked up at Sakura, his eyes a combination of bewilderment and fear.
Sakura stared at the man for a few long moments; she then looked down at the kunai, and her hand was covered in the man's blood,
She felt her heart quicken as the coppery smell reached her nostrils, and bile began to rise in her throat,
Sakura realized the contents of her stomach on the ground before her, tears in her eyes. She wanted to lay on the ground and cry, but her team was relieving her. She reached for her earpiece and said over the comms that the east side was clear. She then took a deep breath and returned to the camp.
Naruto watched from above at the three mercenaries below, each spread out throughout the small area of the woods. Naruto considered the best approach and then nodded to himself. He put his hands into the ram hand sign and made two clones. Knowing Naruto's thoughts, the clones put themselves in a position for Naruto's plan. He could have it over instantly if his clones had used the shuriken shadow clone jutsu, but that would kill them; that wasn't the type of ninja he wanted to be; he would prove to everyone that he wasn't.
Once his clones got into position, they all jumped down in unison. His clones were able to take down their targets, one with an axe kick and the other with a punch to the back of the head. Naruto, however, was on a higher branch than his clones, meaning his descent to the ground took longer. This gave the mercenary enough time to react and get out of the way at the last second.
"Damn," said Naruto cursing his rushed plan
"What the fuck, a kid" yelled the merc
Naruto remembered that he had to limit the noise and quickly dashed toward the man. He grasped his palms together.
Gale-style Palm strike
Before the man could swing his sword, Naruto had placed his palm on his chest.
The man flew backward, careening at a tree; he hit it head-first with his neck, giving a sickening crack as he made contact and went limp on the ground.
"Oh no," Naruto said
He rushed over to the man to see if he was still alive; when he checked for a pulse, he was already gone, dying on impact with the tree.
Naruto felt tears fill his eyes; he didn't mean to; he just wanted to knock the guy out. Was everyone right about him? Was he just a monster, after all? Just then, he heard Sakura in his ear.
"East side clear"
Naruto came back out of his thoughts, remembering his role; he quickly reached for his eye and said
"West side clear."
"Okay, begin siege," Kakashi said, voice cold and professional.
Naruto stared at the man's body for a few long moments, mind-wracked with guilt. Tears ran down his face, and he turned away and went to meet up with his teammates.
"Okay, begin siege."
Sasuke immediately took action, sprinting down the cliff and jumping in front of the cave's entrance.
Once he landed on the ground, the two guards immediately turned to him. He threw two shurikens, hitting the wall behind the guards.
Ha, it looks like we got a baby ninja, I was almost scared.
Both of them began to approach. Once they got closer, Sasuke pulled out two more with ninja wire attached; he grabbed the ninja wire and tightened it around the bandits, tying them together.
Sasuke held the wire in his hands and performed the hand signs for
Lighting style Depth Charge
Sasuke then channeled lightning chakra into the wire, disabling the mercenaries.
The other one patrolling nearby came from around a corner, hearing the scream.
As he witnessed his fallen comrades, a surge of anger propelled him towards Sasuke. Swiftly, Sasuke hurled his kunai into the bandit's knee, forcing him to lunge forward. In a final blow, Sasuke's knee collided with the front of the bandit's head, rendering him unconscious.
Sasuke then surveyed the area; nobody else was in sight. He then heard the ground near him break, and he saw Sakura. She didn't look injured, but it was clear that she wasn't okay. Still, she put on a smile.
"Hey, is everything alright?" asked Sakura
Sasuke nodded. Yeah, everything went according to plan.
Just then, Naruto appeared, his usual bright smile replaced by a somber expression. He acknowledged his teammates with a nod, his gaze fixed ahead as if scanning for potential threats, yet his mind seemed elsewhere, lost in contemplation.
They maintained a tense silence, following their senseis' orders to guard the cave. The air was thick with the sounds of screams and the explosive release of ninjutsu, echoing from all corners of the camp. A handful of mercenaries darted through the chaos, oblivious to their presence or simply indifferent.
After several minutes, a mercenary came from the front of the camp, bloodied, running for his life.
"Move, get out of the way"
The bandit said while running toward the cave.
The genin braced themselves for combat, but just then, a senbon pierced the side of his neck. Anko jumped down from the roof of a nearby building and began to walk toward the genin.
Sakura was terrified at the ease; her sensei had just put the man down
"Did you kill him",
"No, he's just in a state of temporary paralysis."
Anko looked around the area.
"Good job, you three. The area is secure; we have to see the condition of the hostages."
"What about Kakashi?"
"He's doing final checks to see any stragglers in the area."
Anko said as she moved into the cave.
They followed Anko into the cave; it looked to be a natural passage that was altered to fit their needs, and after a while, they came to a metal door. Upon hearing the footsteps, several voices from behind the door began to speak.
"Hello," a dry voice came from behind the door; "what's happening outside."
"Don't worry; we are leaf ninjas about to open the door, so stay calm," Anko said, announcing her presence.
Anko produced a key she procured from one of the bandits and opened the door.
Inside, the sight of the hostages, their eyes filled with relief and gratitude, was a testament to the success of their mission. None showed any severe conditions, just slight malnutrition from being inconsistently fed. After a barrage of heartfelt thank yous, praise, and tears, Team 7 had let the hostages stay in the remnants of the camp to get much-needed rest and food before they made the trip back to the trading post.
The sight of the rescued hostages, their gratitude palpable, momentarily lifted the heavy burden from Sakura and Naruto's hearts. It was a slight respite, but a significant one, from the weight of their thoughts.
When they gathered in a makeshift dining hall to feed everyone, they tracked down the caravan's leader and asked him questions about their situation. His name was Rikindo Seirio.
"We're fabric traders from the land of wind. Fabrics are how my village makes money, but lately, the country's economy has taken a turn for the worse. So I decided to take our goods to the land of; on our way, we ran into these two traders at a trading post."
He paused to take a sip of water.
"They told us their wagon broke and could not carry their goods. They asked us to take their goods with us to Degarshi for payment. At first, I refused, but then they said they knew of a fast land route to Degrashi port. It was the first place I wanted to go, but the cost of sea travel was too high, and the significant routes took months from where we lived."
"Did you look at the cargo?"
"No, all I knew was that they were heavily reinforced and had pretty impressive locks; since they were well-dressed, I assumed they were jewelry traders."
Anko nodded as she finished taking notes.
"Thank you for telling me; we'll make sure that bastard at the trading post gets his."
"I'm such an idiot; I put my family at risk all because I was too greedy to see through such an obvious ploy."
Anko put a hand on his shoulder.
"It's not your fault. You saw a chance to save your village and took it. You just met evil people who wanted to prey on your good intentions. Don't let go of that drive to protect your family and village; just consider who you trust more thoroughly next time."
The man looked up at Anko.
"Look at me, a grown man being comforted by someone half my age."
Anko smiled; "well, what can I say? Back home, they call me the young and wise Anko Mitarashi."
"I thought they called you the lady with the infinite tabs," said Kakashi as he came over.
The man laughed; "well, both are good titles."
"It's time," said Kakashi to Anko
Anko nodded
"I'll see you later, Rikindo. Will your people be ready by morning?"
"Don't worry. After a night's rest in an actual bed in months, well be ready for anything."
Kakashi and Anko said their goodbyes and went to find their team
The genin were waiting by a small fire.
After dinner, they were told to meet there so they could have a full discussion about what happened,
Anko sat across from the genin,
"There is no pressure, but I think you'll find that talking about it will lighten the burden you are all currently carrying if you talk about what happened."
"Sakura looked at Anko hesitant and began speaking
"I killed one of the guards on patrol; I didn't mean to. I used my genjutsu to throw him off balance, but it affected him more than I thought it would, and he fell on his sword; I froze for a second, but he was about to yell, and without him, I shoved a kunai in his throat,"
"How do you feel"
"When it first happened, I felt sick and just overwhelmed, and I ended up throwing up, but now, every time I think about it, I don't feel anything, not sad or angry or sick; it just feels like a thing I did. And that scares me. Does that mean I'm like a psychopath or something"
Anko shook her head
"The fact that you're even thinking about the need to feel bad shows that you're not. Sakura, it's been a very hectic day, and it hasn't even been a day since you killed for the first time; you're emotionally drained, and it's okay not to feel something at the moment as long as you don't look back on the kill with bloodlust or glee; then you should be fine. As a shinobi, you can't let everything that comes with the job weigh you down; you need to compartmentalize, find ways to live, and keep a moral framework around your job."
Sakura nodded, her mind filled with a mix of relief and confusion. The thought of not feeling anything disturbed her, but after her teacher's words, she felt a little more assured, a glimmer of hope starting to flicker in her heart.
Kakashi and Anko's eyes then turned to Naruto,
He didn't speak for a few moments before he asked
"Am I a monster?"
Kakashi gave him a pensive look.
" No, you're not Naruto."
"I know killing is supposed to be a part of being a ninja, but I just wanted to change that, to prove that you don't have to kill and be a ninja, and I ended up crushing that dream in my first real mission," Naruto said, his voice filled with regret and disappointment.
"No, Naruto, that is a perfectly valid way to be a ninja," said Anko
Naruto looked up, tears still in his eyes, latched onto his teacher's words
Anko turned toward Sasuke.
"Sasuke, why do you choose not to kill?"
Sasuke looked at Anko, confused.
"What do you mean"
"I looked at the three bandits you took out. Each one had comparatively minor injuries, and the takedowns were efficient, but you could have just as easily killed them."
Sasuke paused
"I…I made a vow to myself that as long as I'm on my task to kill that man, I won't kill anyone; I want him to be the first life I take. "
"Do you know why you can do that, Sasuke? " asked Anko
Sasuke shook his head
"Because the three of you were the strongest today, not just in terms of fighting, but mentally, you stayed focused entirely on the mission."
Both Naruto and Sakura looked down and realized that their nervousness before and during the fight affected their performance.
Anko closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Talking about her past was still hard for her, but she knew it would help the genin.
"When I had my first kill, my sensei wasn't much help. He told me to hold off my emotions and to steel myself towards death. I tried so hard to become numb to death, but I couldn't, and I ended up carrying everyone I killed with me when I was younger, that was until I met a white-haired man. He saw that I was struggling with myself. When I told him about how the lives I took weighed on me, the first question he asked me was, why do I kill."
"I then told him because I had to"
Anko then smiled lightly.
"He called me weak, I just about stabbed him in rage right then and there, but then he said words that I carry with me every day of my life. He said that a weak shinobi needs to kill, but a strong shinobi can choose mercy."
"As you all grow stronger, you'll continue to fight more dangerous foes and, without a doubt, kill some of them. However, you shouldn't resign to believing that killing is just a part of life as a ninja; you should strive to become strong enough to choose mercy in every fight.
The group went quiet for several minutes, just listening to Anko's story. Sakura and Naruto's moods lightened.
Naruto smiled at Anko; "I never knew you were so wise, sis."
Anko puffed her chest out. Well, you know they call me the young and wise Anko Mitrashi; after some light chuckles and eye-rolls, the group fell into comfortable conversation until the genin decided to sleep. As they laid down their heads, they were all determined to get strong enough to have the option to not kill.