Outside the Konoha Mission Center.
Taiichi hadn't even reached the front doors when he heard Yohei Uchiha's voice booming from a distance.
"Taiichi! Hey! Over here, man!" Yohei was waving his arm like a maniac, looking like he was ready to kick down the door and grab a mission right that second.
Standing next to him, Saori was a stark contrast—quiet and composed, like a lily blooming in a still pond.
As soon as Taiichi got within earshot, Yohei started bragging. "Taiichi, you won't believe it. I picked up a couple of killer new Jutsu over the last few days. Just wait until we're in the field; I'm gonna blow your mind."
Taiichi looked at him, a bit skeptical. What kind of earth-shattering technique could get Yohei this hype? He glanced at Saori for an explanation, but she just gave a helpless little shake of her head. Clearly, she was in the dark too.
Deciding to ignore Yohei's sugar rush, Taiichi turned to Saori. "Have you seen Captain Yamaguchi yet?"
"Not yet," Saori explained. "We just got here ourselves. We were about to head inside when we saw you."
"Alright, let's wait in the lobby then." Taiichi motioned for them to follow.
But just as the trio approached the entrance, Captain Yamaguchi walked out. He was already holding a mission scroll in his hand—looks like he'd handled the paperwork ahead of time.
"Captain," the three of them greeted in unison.
"Mm," Yamaguchi nodded, acknowledging them. "I've already secured our assignment. It's a C-Rank: Bandit Extermination."
The three Genin looked at each other, then back at the Captain, waiting for the briefing.
"There's a trade route on the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Grass," Yamaguchi explained as he began walking, signaling them to keep pace. "Recently, it's been plagued by bandits. According to the few survivors who managed to escape, there are about fifty of them. They target small merchant caravans, and their methods are incredibly brutal. Aside from the lucky few who got away, they don't leave witnesses."
He continued, his tone turning grim. "Intel suggests at least five caravans have already fallen victim to them. The request came directly from the Capital. Our objective is total extermination. Anyone involved gets taken out. No exceptions."
Yamaguchi stopped and turned to face his team.
Yohei, being Yohei, was grinning, probably already fantasizing about testing his new moves on some bandits. Saori looked concerned, her brow furrowing at the brutality of the mission. Taiichi, however, was deep in thought. Leave no one alive... this might get messy. We're probably going to have to kill more than just those fifty bandits.
"is your gear prepped? If not, you have one hour," Yamaguchi barked.
"We're good to go," they replied in sync.
"Good. One last thing," Yamaguchi added, his expression hardening. "For this operation, unless you run into an enemy you absolutely cannot handle, I will not be stepping in. Am I clear?"
"Crystal."
"Then let's move out."
---
Two Days Later
Since Team 8 was traveling alone, they made good time. Within two days of leaving Konoha, they arrived near the trade route mentioned in the mission file.
Currently, it was just the three Genin on the road. Captain Yamaguchi had split off from the group shortly after they left the village, fully committing to his "hands-off" approach. However, Taiichi knew better. The Captain was definitely shadowing them nearby—every now and then, Taiichi could feel the distinctive prickle of eyes locked onto him.
Taiichi pulled out the mission map and compared it to their current surroundings, marking their position. He looked at his teammates. "So, any thoughts?"
Yohei grabbed the map, frowned at it for a second, and shrugged. "Besides that one village, there's just that small hill over there. Doesn't look like there are many other places to hide."
"Let's check those two spots. We might find something," Yohei suggested, handing the map off to Saori.
Saori studied the terrain, cross-referencing it with the landscape. After getting her bearings, she nodded. "I agree with Yohei. But," she added, "we should check the surrounding battlegrounds first. There have been at least five attacks. Even if some time has passed, there should still be traces left behind."
"Exactly," Taiichi said, taking the map back, folding it neatly, and tucking it into his gear pouch. "The crime scenes are key. We need to see if the evidence tells us anything about who we're dealing with."
"We'll split up," Taiichi decided. "Search a three-mile radius. If you encounter the enemy, signal immediately. We meet back here in one hour."
Yohei and Saori nodded, and the team scattered in three different directions.
Watching from a hidden spot in the distance, blended perfectly into the earth, Captain Yamaguchi nodded in approval. Checking the scene for clues first... smart move.
He was particularly impressed that Yohei and Saori didn't just blindly follow Taiichi; they used their own heads and offered input. And Taiichi, despite being the strongest, didn't act like a dictator—he listened to his team. It was the mark of a maturing squad.
The only thing that unnerved Yamaguchi slightly was Taiichi. That kid definitely knows where I am. He's glanced this way a few times. Scary brat... his sensory abilities are sharpening fast.
---
Taiichi headed East, moving in a clockwise search pattern. He managed to locate two distinct attack sites. One was recent enough that the bloodstains were still visible.
He stood over a large gray rock splattered with dried blood. In his mind's eye, he could reconstruct the scene: a guard slashed down, struggling, then stabbed through the chest and dragged across the ground. He could see the faint white scratches on the stone where the dying man's fingernails had clawed for purchase.
He scanned the area. There were hack marks everywhere—messy, undisciplined sword strikes. It looked like a chaotic brawl where numbers won over skill.
A few steps later, Taiichi stopped and crouched down.
There was a row of holes in the dirt, arranged in a surprisingly neat pattern.
Weird.
He poked a finger into one of the holes and pulsed a tiny bit of chakra to sense the shape. They were about six inches deep and curved.
What kind of weapon makes a mark like this?
He made a mental note of the anomaly and finished his sweep.
---
One Hour Later
The team regrouped at the rendezvous point to compare notes.
"I found two spots," Yohei started, kicking at the dirt. "But they were old. The rain washed away anything useful."
"I found three," Saori said. "One was pretty fresh. No signs of Ninjutsu at all, just blade work." Her expression darkened. "These bandits are animals. Judging by the tracks, the merchants surrendered and were tied up... and then they were butchered while they were helpless."
"Scum," she hissed. It took a lot to make the gentle Saori angry, which meant the scene she saw must have been gruesome.
"My findings match yours," Taiichi summarized. "I found two sites as well. That means at least seven caravans have been hit. With that many attacks, I'm surprised they haven't been tracked down sooner."
He paused, remembering the dirt. "By the way, Saori—aside from the sword cuts, did you see any other weird marks?"
"Actually... now that you mention it," Saori tapped her forehead, thinking. "There was something odd. I almost missed it. There was a row of round holes in the ground. I couldn't figure out what caused them."
"I saw them too," Taiichi confirmed.
"Okay," Taiichi said, looking at his team. "We can confirm these are just ordinary bandits. They're cruel, but they're just an undisciplined mob."
Yohei and Saori nodded.
"Alright then. Let's head for that hill. That's the most likely place for a rat's nest."