Chapter 75: Rock, Paper, Scissors
Kaito asked, "But sensei, aren't missions involving shinobi ranked B?"
Renjiro nodded and said, "Yes, but only genin-level shinobi. There are many cases of people secretly unlocking their chakra outside the village and reaching genin level, plus situations where genin defect from their village. In short, they aren't really considered proper shinobi, and C-rank missions often involve dealing with them. After all, there are hundreds of thousands of shinobi in the world—who knows where they might be."
The genin nodded in understanding. Kaito thought, "Hmm, that's a bit unexpected. But I suppose it makes sense. If the village started rating missions that only might involve a rogue genin as B-rank, then C-rank missions might not exist at all."
The squad first mapped out the bandit base. The hideout was quite extensive. A large room stood at the center of the underground complex. Kaito suggested, "Let's call it the Main Hall."
The Main Hall had three exits, positioned almost equidistantly around it. These exits connected to a wide corridor that encircled the entire Main Hall.
On the outer side of the corridor, numerous smaller rooms branched off. Hodaka commented, "I think they probably use the Main Hall as a communal space for planning, celebrations, and such, while the smaller rooms serve as their private quarters."
The base was riddled with traps, which Hodaka's Byakugan discovered.
Among the five shinobi, three were gathered together in the Main Hall, while the other two occupied separate smaller rooms. Mieko observed, "Hmm, the two shinobi in the small rooms are both positioned very close to the main base exits."
Kaito nodded and said, "Yes, we must be careful when we eliminate them. If they make any loud noise, it'll alert everyone in the hideout."
Bandits were scattered throughout the base. There were a total of four exits leading from the hideout to the surface—one in the Main Hall, and three located beyond the exits from the Main Hall to the corridor.
Kaito thought, "This base is very well constructed. I wonder if it started small and was slowly expanded as the bandit gang grew, or if this hideout existed naturally and was simply occupied by these bandits. Also, if we don't eliminate these bandit gangs, will they all develop like this?"
Kaito looked at his teammates and said, "First, we need to decide where to launch our attack."
Mieko replied, "Let's start by attacking the Main Hall. After all, most of the bandits are gathered there."
Hodaka nodded and added, "Yes, that way we can eliminate the majority in one strike, then clean up the scattered bandits one by one."
Kaito said, "That's a reasonable approach. But if we do that, the scattered bandits might find ways to escape."
Hodaka replied, "True, but we can hunt them down afterward."
Kaito continued, "However, hunting them down individually would be troublesome, especially if they all flee in different directions. Moreover, if we destroy the Main Hall, the bandits in other rooms will be alerted immediately, and the shinobi inside will be warned."
Hodaka thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement. Mieko asked, "Then what do you think is best?"
Kaito pointed toward one direction and said, "This room is in a corner of the hideout, and one of the five shinobi is stationed there. Let's start with that room. We'll ambush that shinobi first and eliminate him. Then we can clear the nearby rooms and slowly infiltrate toward the Main Hall. That way, by the time we assault the Main Hall, this entire section will already be secured, making it much easier to finish the job."
Mieko and Hodaka considered this for a few seconds and agreed to the plan.
The genin then discussed the finer details of their strategy.
Once everything was prepared, they checked their weapons and readied themselves to begin the attack. But Mieko suddenly asked, "Wait, who gets to kill that shinobi?"
Hodaka quickly said, "I can take him out."
Mieko protested, "Why you? I can kill him too."
Then they both looked at Kaito. He said, "My sword has longer reach, so I think I'm better suited to eliminate him."
However, Hodaka and Mieko both disagreed with this reasoning.
The argument about who would kill the shinobi lasted for a full minute. Renjiro observed his genin and sighed heavily. Kaito finally said, "Alright, all three of us are capable of killing him, so let's decide with rock-paper-scissors."
Hearing this, Hodaka and Mieko both stared at Kaito expressionlessly. Mieko said, "That's too childish! We're shinobi!"
Kaito smirked, "Then do either of you have a better idea?"
Hodaka and Mieko exchanged glances. With no alternative, they reluctantly agreed.
Soon they positioned themselves and started the game.
Renjiro watched with amused interest. The first three rounds ended in draws. Kaito thought, "This is actually kind of fun. I guess this is why rivals in stories do this sort of thing."
Mieko thought, "I wonder if I'll win… Wait a minute!"
As the three began the fourth round, Mieko's eyes suddenly transformed, her Sharingan activating.
She saw that Kaito and Hodaka were both about to throw rock, so she threw paper and declared, "I win!"
Hodaka immediately protested, "Hey, you can't use your Sharingan! That's cheating!"
Mieko countered smugly, "Hmph, there's no rule that says I can't use my Sharingan."
Kaito, who was eager to start the mission, chuckled, "Well, she won fair and square. Remember to establish ground rules next time."
Seeing that he didn't have Kaito's support, Hodaka reluctantly accepted defeat.
Then they looked at each other and nodded. The three of them formed hand seals and vanished underground using Earth Release: Subterranean Voyage.
The bandit base, which had been well-hidden and heavily defended, was about to experience the terror of being hunted from below by a squad where every member could move freely beneath the earth.
In the underground hideout, Hirota relaxed comfortably. He had joined the bandit gang three years ago. Before joining, he had already unlocked his chakra.
After the bandit leader noticed his potential, Hirota was quickly recruited and trained. Now he was one of the gang's leaders, with two subordinates assisting him.
Just as Hirota was relaxing contentedly, a hand with two extended fingers emerged from the ground behind him.
It struck from below, piercing through his back and releasing a concentrated heat beam that burned through his heart, killing him instantly.
At the same moment, Kaito decapitated one bandit with his sword, while Hodaka used his Two-Finger Strike to pierce the remaining bandit's chest.
The assault had begun. All three targets died silently.
Kaito, Hodaka, and Mieko made eye contact and nodded. They split up and headed toward the other rooms.
In less than a minute, all the rooms on this side were cleared. They had assassinated eleven bandits total, including one shinobi.
The team regrouped and turned their attention toward the Main Hall. The bandits there remained completely unaware of the disaster about to befall them.
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