The sun had barely dipped when we reached the ridge overlooking the samurai camp. From up here, the place looked smaller than I expected. A rough patch of dirt surrounded by crooked trees.
Four of them were gathered near a campfire, half-armored, blades across their knees. One of them was the archer, which was a bit unfortunate. Another one was further down by the riverbank, washing blood off his sword. The sixth was somewhere off in the woods, crouched low near a tree.
Probably pissing.
"We've got two people solo," I whisper. "Orochimaru, go kill the one by the riverbank. Tsunade and I will handle the rest. Everything else will go according to the plan."
Orochimaru's eyes followed the stream of smoke rising from the camp. In a burst, he disappeared with the body flicker already on his way.
He didn't need more than that. By the time I blinked, he was already gone, slipping through the branches without a sound. The faint rustle of leaves was the only trace he left behind.
Thanks to the vantage point we had, Tsunade and I could see him move through the trees.
Tsunade shifted beside me, hands resting on her knees as she studied the man in the woods.
We both pull out kunai from our pouches.
As we crept up from above, too high for him to hear, he proceeded to pull down his pants, which showed us the reason why he's separated. Must have needed to take a leak.
That's genuinely unfortunate.
'Damn.' My last thought before throwing my kunai.
Both of us moved in sync, slipping down the tree. Our sandals and hands, using our chakra controls, attach to the tree and let us freely get into a comfortable position.
As a kunai left my hand, Tsunade's followed soon after, cutting through the air.
*Swoosh*
*Splat* *Crack*
The first hit the throat while the second buried itself in his skull before he could even gasp. His body jerked once, then slumped forward into the dirt.
*Thud*
He couldn't make a noise.
Watching his body ragdoll to the ground, my eyes go back to the camp in case anybody was close. Thankfully, it was a decent distance away, and I didn't feel like dragging his body to hide it.
Tsunade exhaled slowly beside me, checking the area before whispering. "Clean kill."
"Yeah."
We went back to our previous location and waited a few minutes. Taking a look at the riverbank, the person was already gone. Feeling the breeze hit my skin, I felt a little impatient, but thankfully, we didn't need to wait long.
A light hit our faces.
Orochimaru, on a tree not too far, nodded at us. He was currently crouched on a huge branch with a bloodied kunai in his hand.
'Two down, four left.'
The fire below flickered against the trees, throwing orange light over dented armor and scattered bottles. Three of them sat by the dirt, laughing too loudly for men hiding from anyone. Onazawa was among them, his voice rough and sharp even when drunk.
The fourth, an archer, leaned against a tree beside the campfire, stringing his bow lazily.
I proceed to make a hand seal.
Tiger
[Shadow Clone]
*Poof*
My clone appeared in a crouch beside me, eyes alert. I didn't need to say much; it already knew the plan. Watching it, both Tsunade and I see my clone make some hand signs.
Dog → Boar → Ram
[Transformation Technique]
*Poof*
Smoke rippled, and the clone took the shape of one of the ragged villagers whom I spoke to originally, dirt-streaked face, a limp, tattered clothes with some blood on his feet. To show that he got "hurt" by the traps they set.
Although there won't be any blood leaking to the grass to trick them too well. Just getting their attention is enough in this case.
Seeing the clone get down to the ground, Tsunade and I make our way to the other side and do the same. Crouching near some bushes, ready to ambush.
"AHHHH!" Hearing the clone scream in "pain," my mouth twitched. Right after this, the gruffy voices of the samurai could be heard.
"What the hell was that?"
"Relax, probably one of those villagers again."
"Bring your weapon. Kai, stay here." Onazawa, who was the largest of the four, said. He had your average black hair with brown eyes, nothing too distinct besides his facial structure from the scroll.
Unfortunately, we couldn't hear more as they left.
The clone tripped forward into the light, clutching its leg. "P-please… help! Trap..."
The three samurai rose at once, weapons half-drawn. Onazawa barked, "It was just a fucking villager."
Perfect.
All three moved closer, circling the clone.
"Now," I said.
Tsunade ran forward and proceeded to make a few hand seals. Then, slamming her hands to the floor, chakra bursts through the earth.
Boar → Ox
[Earth Style: Earthquake Slam]
*CRACK!*
The soil under the three samurai buckled violently, cracking open and tilting upward like a living beast. The men staggered, shouting in panic as dirt swallowed their footing.
One of them even had their legs twisted due to the extreme nature of the ninjutsu.
"ARGHHH!"
"Trap! It's a trap!"
They screamed and shouted, but it was too late. Now positioned next to Tsunade, an arrow whistles through the air towards her. Seeing this as my kunai in hand, I deflect the arrow and stare at him.
*Clink!*
Before the archer could go for another shot, a blur of pale skin appeared behind him.
Orochimaru.
His kunai flashed as it embedded itself in the man's skull.
Three left.
"Now!" I barked, throwing a handful of shuriken.
On top of my chakra, a little low due to all the ninjutsu I've used today, elemental ninjutsu might make Onazawa's face unrecognizable. So we couldn't risk anything of the sort.
Soon after Orochimaru joined in from the shadows, our attacks crossed in a deadly rhythm.
Steel filled the air like rain. Dozens of shuriken split and multiplied mid-flight, whistling through the clearing. The two closest samurai screamed, blood spraying as the barrage tore through armor and flesh.
Only Onazawa remained, stumbling free from the heaving ground, panting hard, sword drawn.
"Bastards!" he roared, face twisting. "You think I'll-"
He never finished.
His eyes widen, body paused. Then suddenly his screams left his mouth as if he was suffering the worst possible kind of torture. The hair on my body raised a little at the sight. Tsunade, next to me, seemed to be having the same experience.
Behind the target was Orochimaru holding a Rat seal.
'Genjutsu.' I thought.
This guy really did belong to a place like anbu or root. He did his job with precision and no hesitation; it was actually more understandable why Danzo wanted this man and eventually recruited him to Root.
I can't blame the cyclops.
I approached, just a little gassed with Tsunade next to me, who did even less and was full of vitality. Taking the moment, we knock him out as we would receive extra money for bringing him back.
"Tsunade, you'll carry him, or drag him. Either one works." I muse.
"Fine." She answers not too fussed considering she did the least this mission.
Using some of the string I brought, we tied him up. Tsunade, though, ended up just disabling his legs and arms, which is pretty ruthless. Although I've become ruthless myself, considering how I can kill so easily now.
I shake my head at this.
'I'm gonna cherish the people closest to me.'
Looking up at the sky, it was still day time as that entire plot was 10 minutes.
"Alright, let's start gathering up loot and our own weapons." Clapping my hands together, the three of us went to work.
We moved quickly to gather supplies from the camp. Money, weapons and food while the rest didn't interest us as much. Unfortunately, I had to take extra time gathering up the kunai due to killing that man in the forest.
Counting the money those samurai had, I realised we had a decent sum, but the image of the starving townsfolk from before gnawed at me.
'I'm sorry, I'm gonna be a little selfish.' I thought of separating 20,000 ryo from the original 40,000.
Turning back to the loot, I handed ten thousand ryo each to Tsunade and Orochimaru. "This is your share," I casually said.
"Nice! I could afford some more food... hehe." Hearing Tsunade's words, I just smile. "Why are you holding a rusty sword and helmet?"
"I'll just tell the villagers that Onazawa is dead, on the way back." My words made her nod in approval.
Orochimaru, on the other had a wide smile, not really listening too much.
"With this amount plus the pay, bounty, and what I've saved up. I can afford a B-rank ninjutsu." He mutters a little, giddy.
"Alright, that's enough, guys. Let's start moving now. We can relax back in Konoha."
My words are now a little serious. It was dangerous in any place to linger for too long.
Once that was settled, we prepared Onazawa for transport. His groans of pain filled the air as Tsunade casually held the way bigger man using the string like a suit case. The sight was a little hard not to laugh at.
As we headed back toward Tanzaku town, I did a little drop off at the ruined village and secretly gave them 20,000 ryo, a rusty sword, and a helmet. Symbolizing that Onazawa was dead.
It was just to make myself feel better. Despite how my mind works, I still feel a little bad for them. But anything that happens beyond now is none of my business.
If they die, they die.
If they live, even better.
By the time we reached the outskirts of Tanzaku Town, I could see the familiar marketplace and the banners of the Silk Baron waving in the breeze. Our task was almost complete.
I glanced at Tsunade and Orochimaru. "Ready to hand him in?" I asked, and both nodded, their expressions neutral, though satisfaction glimmered in their eyes.
We approached the local authorities with caution, ensuring our prisoner remained secure.
Once in their custody, I handed over the bounty and mission report. A sense of relief washed over me as the officials confirmed the completion of the task and the payment of the reward.
Mission complete, our work done for now, we are prepared to return to Konoha.
...
The journey back to Konoha was quieter than the trip out.
We had the same positions as when we first headed out. With Orochimaru at the back, Tsunade in the middle, and me in front.
After a while and night starting to fall, the village gates came into view. Although vendors were still selling food, people were walking through the streets, and the smell of cooking drifted through the air.
Honestly, I don't know what I was expecting.
With the mission complete, we made our way back to the Hokage's office.
Now, at the village, I allowed myself a brief smile. This mission was as successful as you could probably imagine one. Though that probably won't be possible for future missions, as fighting shinobi is a higher tier of battles.
'Especially since I'm going to make my own team...'[1]
Inside the office, Hiruzen looked up from his desk as we entered. His expression was a wide smile.
"Jiraiya, Tsunade, Orochimaru," he greeted. "You have returned safely. I hope the mission was a success."
"We completed the mission, Lord Third." My words make Tsunade and Orochimaru chuckle. "Onazawa was brought back alive, with the bounty also being claimed."
Hiruzen nodded. "That is commendable for a mission of this level for a genin. Especially in the time frame it was completed. With ten C-rank missions under your belt, I feel more comfortable registering you guys."
The three of us stared at him, a little confused.
Hiruzen leaned back with a smirk. "Do you lot remember what the Chunin exams are from the academy?"
'The Chunin exams?' A frown appeared on my face.
I was just a few weeks off hitting the age of seven and nearly a shinobi for a year now. I guess it was about time. Even though I would prefer to do this later on and train to an ungodly degree to not let any hiccups occur.
This opens up more opportunities.
[1] You guys got any ideas for team members? I mean it more in a which clan sense to synergize with the team better. Maybe limited to 3-4 extra members. With Hiruko being in the team, will probably make some OCs.