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"Kill him..?" the man scoffed. "You guys might be from the Hidden Leaf, but you're just kids. With barely any experience in the real world." He gave a smug grin, shaking his head. "I seen that man myself and I guarantee he's been stronger than all of you combined. If I were you, I'd pack up and run back to that almighty village of yours while you still can."
Honestly… he wasn't wrong.
While the guy might've had more experience, Kuro couldn't deny he'd seen his share of things too in the army. But even with that, he knew the army and the shinobi world were completely different. In a world where chakra, Jutsu's, and godlike beings exist that could wipe out whole squads if you blinked the wrong way. Logic didn't always win against straight power.
Kuro turned to face him, "You're probably right." He took a few steps closer, the tone in his voice dropping. "But if we're not gonna kill him... we might as well start with you, no?"
The man stiffened instantly, his body jerking upright as he swallowed hard.
"W-Well, killing me won't change anything," he stammered. "He's still out there, and he'll kill all of you."
Kuro let out a heavy sigh before reaching into his pouch at his hip and pulled out a kunai. A faint smile tugged at his lips. "We'll see about that, won't we?"
He stepped in slowly, the blade glinting as he brought it dangerously close.
"Hey! W-We can talk about this," the man said quickly, leaning his head back as the cold steel kissed his throat.
Kuro held it there for a second, long enough to make his point, then finally pulled it away. "But… we'll keep you alive," he said, slipping the kunai back into his pouch. "If you help us."
The man let out a heavy sigh, eyes still locked on Kuro. "And why would I do that?" he asked bitterly. "If I help you, my boss'll kill me. If I don't, you'll kill me. Either way, I'm dead."
Kuro crossed his arms and gave the man a calm, measured look. "Yeah, that's true... but if you help us and we take this guy down, you'll still be alive...and we'll make sure you stay safe," he said. "And you know what? When it's all over, we'll even throw in a bonus and set you free. Help us and live. Don't help us and... well, you already know how that ends."
Kuro knew he didn't have the authority to make that kind of promise, but it gave him a sense of security. Sure, he had control over the mission's direction, but releasing a criminal wasn't something a Genin could decide. That kind of decision belonged to the Daimyo's court, where the man would likely be dragged into a trial, judged, and sentenced based on his crimes.
The man sat in silence, weighing the risk. "It doesn't matter if I help or not... the boss'll probably kill me anyway, for failing to take over the village...F-Fine. I'll do it," he growled. "But if you mess this up..."
Kuro raised a hand, cutting him off. "Then don't give us a reason to."
"Alright... what do I even have to do? If it's fighting, then you might as well kill me now," the man muttered, letting out a tired sigh as he slumped against the well.
Kuro shook his head. "Nothing like that. All you have to do is lead us to the hideout and act as a decoy. That's it. After that, you're free to run with your tail between your legs." he said.
The man thought it over for a moment, then gave a small nod. "I can do that."
"Perfect," Kuro said. Before he turned back to the group, the faint smile on his face faded into a flat line behind his bandanna as his eyes met theirs. "But before we move forward," he started, "I'd like to say..." he paused for a moment, choosing his choice of words perfectly.
The group's attention locked onto him.
"This mission isn't what it started out as. We were just supposed to deal with bandits. Now we're going up against a possibly experienced rogue-nin. That changes everything. It's dangerous, and I won't sugarcoat it...there's a chance we don't all make it back."
Kuro looked at each of them, giving them a moment to process his words. "So if any of you don't want to go through with this... I get it. You're free to walk away, no shame in it. I won't judge you for putting your life first."
Silence hung between them as they thought it over. Sugari glanced at Airi, and Airi looked down at her hands. For a second, no one spoke, until Daichi took a step forward.
"I'd like to sit this part of the mission out..." Daichi said, his voice low. He bowed his head respectfully, his hands trembling slightly. "I'm really sorry, but I can't do it. If I die out there... I don't know what my family would think. I can't put them through that."
Kuro nodded. "It's okay. I get it. You can sit this one out," he said. Deep down, he was somewhat relieved, at least one of them would be safe. And if the worst happened, someone would be left to report back to the village.
Daichi bit down on his bottom lip, clearly frustrated with himself. His shoulders slumped a little as he gave a small nod. The disappointment in his eyes was hard to miss.
Not wanting to let the decision weigh on him too much, Kuro clapped his hands together, snapping Daichi out of his thoughts "That being said, we're still counting on you."
Daichi blinked, looking up at him.
"While we do this..." Kuro said, "we'll need someone to stay behind and protect the villagers. Can you do that?"
Daichi straightened up slightly, the weight in his chest easing just a bit. "Yeah... yeah, I can do that."
Kuro gave him a small nod, then stepped forward and placed a hand on Daichi's shoulder. He leaned in close and whispered something only the two of them could hear.
Whatever Kuro said, made Daichi eyes widen slightly, as he started nodding.
"Alright..." with that settled, Kuro turned back to the rest of the group. Sugari stood with his arms crossed, tapping his fingers steadily against his forearm. Airi wasn't much different with her hand rested on her thigh, fingers drumming quietly while her lips stayed pressed into a firm line.
Kuro glanced between the two. "So... you guys still in?"
Sugari uncrossed his arms with a smirk. "Of course." He said, as he gave his biceps a little flex.
Airi shrugged, rolling her shoulders loose. "I've been ready. Just waiting on you."
Kuro nodded, a small grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Perfect. Let's get moving." He then walked over to the tied-up bandit, pulled out a kunai, and sliced through the rope. The man winced as he rubbed at his wrists.
"Lead the way," Kuro said calmly, but his eyes narrowed. "And don't try anything stupid." Kuro warned him.
The man nodded quickly, stretching his arms with a light groan. "Don't worry... I won't."
"So how far is the camp from here?" Kuro asked, adjusting the strap of his pouch.
The man scratched the side of his head, thinking. "Maybe... a three-hour walk? Give or take."
Kuro's brows immediately pulled together. "Yeah, we don't have that kind of time. We're running it."
The man let out a dry laugh. "You can't be serious... Right? I mean, look at me. Who do you think I am?"
Kuro didn't even answer. He just stepped forward, grabbed the guy by the legs, and hoisted him up over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
"WOAH! Hey...HEY!" the man shouted, flailing a bit.
Kuro didn't flinch. "Alright. Just tell me which direction to go."
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Above the forest canopy, they moved like blurs, shadows darting through the leaves under the dimming sky. The sun had started to dip past the treetops, casting streaks of orange and red across the woods, but they continued at the same pace.
Kuro led at the front, leaping from branch to branch while the bandit clung tightly to his back, with his arms wrapped around Kuro's neck like a terrified child. "Slow down! I think I'm gonna throw up!" he shouted, his voice shaky from all the bouncing.
"Then do it quietly," Kuro muttered, his eyes narrowing ahead. His hair whipped behind him, and his grip stayed firm on each branch he pushed off of.
To his left, Airi flanky Kuro, her feet barely making a sound as they landed on the branches, her hand however never far from the hilt of her dagger. Her gaze kept scanning the forest below and around, waiting for an ambush.
To his right, Sugari grinned as he jumped. "You know, if we weren't on a mission, this would actually be kinda fun!" he called out.
"No, it wouldn't," Airi said.
"Yes, it would...Listen, I'm just saying, it's not every day we're chasing a rogue-nin through enemy territory." he said, dodging under a low branch with a smooth slide.
"Shut up back there!" the bandit barked, holding on tighter to Kuro as they sped through the forest. "You're all crazy!"
Kuro glanced back at him for half a second. "And you're lucky. So keep guiding us, or I'll drop you off at the next tree."
The man gulped, eyes wide. "Keep heading straight. When we hit a small waterfall, turn left. And from there you'll see a broken down castle..."
Kuro gave a short nod and kept going.
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[ NOTICE]
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[5 UNREAD MESSAGES]
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Suddenly at the corner of his eye a sudden interface popped up before him. 'Open, inbox.' he mused.
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[YOU LEVELED UP!]
[YOU LEVELED UP!]
[YOU LEVELED UP!]
[YOU LEVELED UP!]
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NOTICE!!
[ YOU'VE COMPLETED THE "Burning revenge......" QUEST! ]
OBJECTIVE COMPLETED:
➤ Kill the bandits that have taken over the village.
[60/ 60]
➤ RESCUED VILLAGERS
[120/ 120]
distrubting rewards...
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[ SELECT YOUR REWARD!! ]
CHOOSE YOUR REWARDS FROM THE LIST BELOW..
REWARD 1: STATUS RECOVERY
REWARD 2: ABILITY POINTS +5
REWARD 3: RANDOM MEDIUM GRADE LOOT BOX 2x
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'Puuuurfect,' Kuro thought to himself.
The timing couldn't have been better. With the quest rewards and the level up, this might've just been the turning point, the one thing that could shift the entire mission in his favor, if needed.
He had already been sitting on 26 unused ability points. But from leveling up four times, each of his base stats automatically got bumped up by one, so that was already a free +4 across the board. On top of that, completing the quest had earned him a bonus of 5 extra ability points, which brought his total up to 31.
But that wasn't all.
Over the last three days, he'd been steadily completing his daily missions, each one giving an extra 3 ability points. Stacking them all together, they came out to an extra 9 points. When he added it all up, that gave him a full 40 unspent ability points just waiting to be distributed.
Still, as tempting as it was to tear open that random loot box reward, now wasn't the time. He'll just have to find the right time to, if he made it out back alive from this.
After a few more minutes of sprinting through the trees, they finally came to a stop.
Ahead of them stood what looked like the remains of an old castle with massive stone walls half-cracked and broken down from age and battle. Thick black smoke rose from the center of the ruined structure, curling into the sky.
Lining the crumbled walls and scattered along the ground were bandits, dressed in dark red. Some leaned lazily on their spears, while some chatted with one another, laughing over a bottle of alcohol. There were a lot of them, more than Kuro expected.
The group dropped low in the bushes a few meters away, hidden behind the thick undergrowth just outside the treeline.
Then Sugari exhaled and muttered, "No backing out now…" his eye's wandering around the castle.
"So… what's the plan?" Airi asked.
Everyone's eyes slowly turned from the broken castle to Kuro.
He didn't answer right away. Instead, he rubbed his chin, after a moment, he nodded to himself.
"Alright… here's the plan,"
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Timiwara burst out from the treeline like a wild animal set loose, his breathing ragged and uneven. His body was soaked with his clothes stained in red, a smear of something darker splashed across his chest and shoulder. His arms flailed as he stumbled forward, crashing through underbrush before falling onto the open field in front of the ruined castle.
"HELP!" he screamed, his voice cracking. "SOMEBODY HELP!"
The bandits stationed along the castle's outer perimeter jerked their heads toward him, raising their spears immediately to attention.
"HOLD IT!" one of them shouted, lowering his spear toward the bloodied figure. "Stop right there!"
"It's Timiwara—!" another barked, his eyes squinting as recognition hit. "Put down your weapons! It's one of ours!"
In an instant, the tension bled out of their stances. As they lowered their spears, confuse murmurs spread among the line.
One bandit jogged over, their boots crunching dry leaves beneath him. His face was scrunched with concern. "Sir Timiwara, what the hell happened to you?"
Timiwara didn't answer at first. He doubled over, resting his hands on his knees as he heaved air into his lungs. Then, without lifting his head, he spoke.
"Where's the boss?"
The bandit hesitated, glancing over his shoulder. "Uh—he's inside. His quarters. Why? What happened...?"
"Take me to him. Now." Timiwara's voice was lower this time.
The bandit didn't question him. "Y-Yeah, alright. This way."
The two took off toward the gate, passing through the broken archway and into the remains of the old fortress.
Then...
BOOM!!
A deafening explosion split the air, followed by two more in quick succession.
The castle walls trembled violently. Chunks of old stone burst from the structure like shrapnel, with smoke erupting into the sky as debris scattered across the field. With Screams ringing out from every direction.
From the crumbling towers, lifeless bodies of bandits collapsed onto the ground like rag dolls, their weapons clattering uselessly beside them.
Timiwara flinched but in one clean motion, he reached to his side and drew a dagger. Before the bandit beside him could react, the blade slid clean across his neck.
Blood sprayed out in a violent arc, catching the light as the body dropped to its knees, then hit the ground with a dull thud.
Timiwara wiped the blade on the fallen man's sleeve.
He glanced up at the rising smoke, at the chaos now unfolding across the fortress. His lips barely moved, but his words slipped out.
"Don't let me regret this..."
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