Chapter 27 - Chapter 27: C-Rank Mission

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27.txt

Training under Orochimaru was hell.

It wasn't the obvious kind of hell, where a teacher dumps an impossible workload on you from the start. No. Orochimaru's method was sneakier. It seemed manageable at first. Deceptively light. You'd think, I can handle this.

Then the real training began. A grinding, soul-crushing ordeal that stripped away both your strength and your hope for the future. Pure despair.

But the snake bastard was undeniably a top-tier instructor. He tailored everything. Any flaw, any weakness Qianyu showed was pinpointed and hammered into shape with brutal efficiency.

If only he'd use fewer snakes.

Qianyu had been training in the underground base for nearly a month now. Ordinary snakes were no longer a threat. Now, with weights still strapped to his limbs, he sparred against serpents from Ryūchi Cave. Real ones, pulsing with chakra. Infinitely stronger. Faster. Smarter.

He'd been thrown around more times than he could count.

He'd also learned the Shadow Clone Technique. Not the forbidden Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu, just the standard one—a single clone. He'd tried using it for training, inspired by stories he'd heard.

Bad idea. A very bad idea. The clone's memories and experience returned to him, yes. So did its exhaustion. Double the fatigue hit him like a physical blow. He'd almost blacked out.

Still, it wasn't as soul-scrapingly awful as the first time the system had hijacked his body to simulate Thunder Breathing. Even now, the memory made him shiver.

So now, he used the clone only for studying. Theory, memorization. Let it absorb the knowledge and feed it back, saving time. His own body handled the physical grind. Every day, he pushed his stamina and chakra to absolute zero.

But every night, Orochimaru gave him a special drink. A nutrient serum, he called it. It replenished his body and washed away the fatigue. Qianyu would drink it, sleep, and wake up refreshed, ready to destroy himself all over again. This serum was the only reason this brutal cycle was sustainable.

Today, Orochimaru was gone. A rare absence. He'd left in the morning with a simple "Train yourself" before slithering off.

Qianyu trained anyway. He wasn't doing this for the snake. He was doing it for himself.

The morning session ended. He removed the weights, wiped the sweat from his face with a towel, and headed to make lunch. Usually, Orochimaru handled the meals. Today, it was just him. He was thinking udon noodles when the door opened.

Orochimaru stood there, now in full shinobi gear. "I took a C-rank for you. We leave now."

Qianyu put down the vegetables he was washing. "Huh? That's sudden."

Orochimaru leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. "It's time. The mission is to eliminate a mountain bandit group. Consider it a field test for your month of training."

Qianyu flicked the water from his hands. "Fine. Let me grab my sword."

Orochimaru tossed something at him. Qianyu caught it—a weapons pouch. Inside, five kunai, a stack of shuriken, and several explosive tags were neatly arranged.

"Thanks, Orochimaru-sensei." Qianyu fastened the pouch to his leg. As a penniless orphan, he couldn't afford this gear. Especially the explosive tags; they cost a fortune. He was already eating Orochimaru's food, drinking his serum, living in his base. Getting free weapons on top of that felt… strangely awkward.

Sword in hand, he followed Orochimaru out of Konoha.

Leaving the village after so many years felt surreal. A wave of nostalgia—and grief—washed over him. His parents. They were good people. They'd loved him fiercely.

Without those four years of happiness… he wasn't sure he would have survived. More likely, he'd have become another hollow, hopeless ghost drifting through this world that fed on the weak.

Because he had known happiness, he now fought. For himself. For Kushina. For a future.

"Thinking of something?" Orochimaru's voice was smooth, his perception of emotional shifts unnervingly sharp.

Qianyu took a deep breath and forced a smile. "It's nothing. Just… first time leaving the village since I got back. Feels a bit exciting, that's all."

Orochimaru glanced at him, a faint, knowing smirk on his lips. "Is that so…"He could tell it wasn't excitement. It was remembrance. And since Kushina was alive and well, the only thing left for the boy to remember was his parents.

Their destination was the Land of Fields, a small country bordering Konoha with no hidden village of its own. Its daimyō was negligent, useless. Bandits thrived there like weeds.

The C-rank mission was to wipe out a particular group that had already razed several villages.

From a hilltop, Qianyu and Orochimaru looked down on a noisy settlement in the valley below. It was a village, but not anymore. The original inhabitants were gone—slaughtered. Now it teemed with bandits, apparently holding a victory feast.

Orochimaru spoke, his eyes fixed on the scene. "Your task is to kill every bandit in that village. Rules: you may not use Thunder Breathing. Your kenjutsu, ninjutsu, taijutsu, and the Sharingan are permitted. Understood?"

Qianyu nodded. "Understood."

"Begin."

A body-flicker, and Qianyu was gone.

He infiltrated the village alone, moving like a ghost. A quick reconnaissance confirmed the numbers. The place was a charnel house. Bodies of men, women, children lay in the homes, untouched. The only living souls were the bandits, all gathered in the central square for their celebration.

Perfect. All targets in one place.

Qianyu made a few preparations, then began his silent approach.

The bandits were a raucous, filthy lot. They clutched mugs of ale, gathered around piles of looted goods. Dried blood, black and brown, stained their clothes and skin. They laughed loudly, boasting about their kills, trading stories of murder like they were swapping jokes.

Qianyu drew a single kunai from his pouch. His gaze, cold and lethal, settled on the celebrating mob.

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