"It seems like Team 2 is the best team this year, haha," said the kunoichi in front of us. She was the one in charge of handing the mission list.
D-rank missions were easy for us; we didn't take too long on any D-rank mission. After they noticed the rapid speed at which we completed the mission, they got scared that we would leave nothing for the other new teams.
And so we came to today, "D-rank missions are used to test new teams and to teach them how to gather intelligence, use stealth to approach a target and use a variety of techniques to complete them in a safe and secure environment, but it seems like your team is ready to move to C-rank missions Yuki," she finished saying while giving our sensei a list of C-rank missions.
"Well, we'll get this one," Yuki pointed to the one that said 'Clear a band of bandits'.
"Okay, I'll put it in the record, good luck out there," she was saying while putting the file on a list called ongoing missions.
"This mission is not going to be easy; in this one, we might take the lives of other people. This is a fairly easy mission; the bandits are normal people who rob and have killed civilians. See you tomorrow at 8 a.m., ready to leave Konoha and search for the bandits," We heard Yuki before he disappeared.
As soon as he said that, Shinko seemed nervous and anxious. Itachi seems to be thinking about the mission details, while I didn't care that much. I knew from the beginning that being in the Naruto world wasn't like following Naruto around, where killing was really rare.
"Hey, guys, let's go and eat something since tomorrow we're starting our first C-rank mission," Shinko tried to be joyful, probably thought we were the same as her.
"Yeah, let's go and eat something. I was thinking of dango's, what about you all?" I said while dragging Itachi to the restaurant.
"Yeah, dango is fine," Shinko responded.
"Fine by me," Itachi said with a defeated face.
"All right, it's decided, haha," I said with a laugh.
And just like that, we spent the rest of the day. Once we finished eating, we went our separate ways. This was big news for our families, and also to get everything ready.
"Mom, Dad, I'm home!" I yelled as I opened the door to my house.
"Okay, son, food will be ready in a little bit. Put everything away and go call your father, he's in the training room."
"Mom, I already ate. Can you make me something light?"
"You should tell me sooner if you go out to eat, I already made your plate," My mom said, frustrated.
"I'll eat it later, I'm going to train after we eat, and I'll be hungry."
"Okay, okay," she finally said.
Once we were all seated at the table, they asked the usual questions.
"So how was your day, son?" My dad questioned me; he would do that since I became a shinobi.
"You know, Dad, like usual, went and completed a D-rank mission and turned it in."
"You've been completing missions fast; you will take C-rank missions in no time if you keep this up," he said proudly.
"Yes, Kira, you should keep this up, and you'll be a great ninja in no time, haha," my mom said happily.
"About that, today we got issued our first C-rank mission."
"Hmm, yes in no time yo... WHAT!? You just got your first C-rank mission?" My dad said with a shocked expression.
"It hasn't even been a week, and you are already moving to a C-rank mission! Are you sure you heard right?" My father kept on questioning what I had just said.
"Yes, Dad, I'm sure, they said that we were completing D-rank missions too fast. They were probably scared of us taking all the missions and them not having missions for the rest of the teams," I kept saying with a casual expression.
"Well, your team has indeed been going through a lot of missions," my mom said with a serious expression.
"I guess if you are going to complete a C-rank mission, it's best if we gear you up. First, you'll need a tent where you can rest, some food supplies that will last you for a few days, and water. There's a lot of stuff to do! You should have told us sooner, son," Dad had a thoughtful look while saying all of that.
"So what is your mission?" Mom said, still with a serious and nervous expression.
"Clear a bandit's camp, we're supposed to leave by 8 a.m. tomorrow."
"8 a.m.! There's not a lot of time now, I'll get you some tools for camping, and new shurikens," my dad said while eating faster.
"And I'll cook you some food and prepare you some beef jerky that will last you for a few days," my mom said as well.
The day went on, my parents were rushing the whole day, going to the store, making food, and testing the camping set. They also gave me tips on things that could go wrong and how to prevent them, things to look out for in the wild, such as animals and poisonous plants.
As I approached Konoha's gate, I saw Itachi and Yuki already waiting for me; it seemed that Shinko wasn't here yet.
"Hey, Itachi, Sensei, it seems we are just waiting for Shinko and leaving right?"
"That's right, once she arrives, we'll be on our way," responded Yuki.
Not long after Shinko appeared, and we went on our way, nothing exciting happened on our way to the area of investigation where the last bandit raid occurred.
On the side of the road, we saw a few three-carriages; there was nobody but bloodstains.
"First thing we need to do is assess the situation and risks. Please take a look around and see what you find. Also in this battle, I won't assist you; everything will be handled by you three," Yuki finished saying as he used the body flicker in front of us.
"Okay, well, let's go and get started," I said while activating the Byakugan. Itachi went into the carriages while Shinko looked at the bloodstains. After a few minutes, we gathered together.
"23 people in total, it seemed like they were 3 groups, one group ran off, and the other two seemed to get in a fight," I said what I got from investigating.
"There seem to be some ninjas, the carriages have some burnt marks, they are not that strong, so we can conclude that they are genin," Itachi finished saying.
"There are some injured people, but no one died. It wasn't long enough that they fought since the blood hadn't dried off completely," Shinko concluded.
"Okay, so three groups, one ran off, and the other two fought. They used jutsus in their fight, and people got injured. After the fight, they went their separate ways. If two bandit groups are fighting for the loot here, we might have to separate to get them," I said.
"No! We should stay together in case something goes wrong. What happens if they are stronger than us?" Shinko wanted us to stay together as a group.
"Shinko does have a point, although we can see they are genin, we don't really know their strength," Itachi also agreed with Shinko.
"Hmm, our mission stated to get rid of the bandits in this area. If we only get rid of one group and let the other one roam around, it won't be completed. If the other group goes into hiding, it will be more complicated to find them. I suggest you Itachi and Shinko go after the group that left towards the right, and I'll follow the group on the left. After all, you are a combat shinobi, while Shinko specializes in medical ninjutsu, you can fight, and she can heal you in an emergency. I can handle my own, having the Byakugan and my clan's taijutsu is a combination not a lot of genins can handle, plus I know some medical ninjutsu, not even counting my clones," I gave the most logical explanation to complete the mission fast.
"You do have a point there, I'm also confident in fighting a group of genins, especially if I had Shinko with her medical ninjutsu," Itachi gave in and agreed with me.
"Argh! This is dangerous, and we should stay as a team!" Shinko still thought it was a bad idea and was adamant that we continue chasing one group.
"Two against one, haha. Here, this scroll contains a fire jutsu that will explode, making a deafening sound. Use it in case something goes wrong; it will blind the enemy for a while and give you time to run off. I'm going to send a clone with you just in case, it will guide and help you in the fight." I said while making a clone and handing them the scroll.
"Good luck," Itachi said.
Shinko still gave a look, like she wanted me to change my mind.
"Don't worry, I have more scrolls. I'm a tough guy to kill," I tried to lighten Shinko's mood.
Yuki appeared right where we planned the strategy to solve the bandit groups, "These kids, they should stay together in case of trouble, I shall send a clone to watch over Itachi's group and go after Akira since he's one vs a group," Yuki said as a clone appeared and went after Itachi.
After Yuki sensei showed up at my location, he was stunned.
'Five people in front of me, three are injured while the other 2 just look tired,' I said as I looked through my Byakugan. 'Although I'm confident in my abilities, I should finish these quickly.'
I made five clones, all of them activated their Byakugan and approached the group quietly. It was good that they ran deep into a forest, with a lot of camouflage, and reducing my noise with the teachings of the silent killing technique, they were in my range, except for one.
"Eight Trigrams: 32 palms" was all the sound that I produced; all of my clones closed in and started attacking four of the five bandits. The bandits looked stunned and tried to attack, but it was already too late. After a series of attacks, they were useless. Having your tenketsu blocked was a problem that a normal person had no means to counter.
"Well, now we can have a one-on-one, haha," I said with some emotion, after all, this was going to be my first real fight.
"Who are you, kid?!" the last ninja said as he looked at his team being tied by the clones.
"A shinobi from Konoha, and I'm here to eliminate the bandits causing trouble."
"Don't get so full of yourself, I'm stronger than them. If you think you can take me out so easily, you're mistaken!" He said while doing the hand gesture for a fire jutsu.
As soon as I saw that he was going to form a ninjutsu, I threw a shuriken at him and used body flicker to get next to him instantly. Once he saw he didn't have a choice, he used taijutsu, but let me tell you, using taijutsu against a Hyuga that has the Byakugan is a really bad idea; only a few people could contend against my clan in taijutsu.
I could end this fight as soon as I got near him, but I wanted to gain some experience, having a spar and someone trying to kill you was really different, one mistake and you can die.
I was analyzing the best tactics and how the enemy reacts to me. I was having so much fun at this moment.
"Yuki is about to approach. We need to finish this soon," One of my clones said as he looked towards the road.
"Hmm, although I am having fun, it is not that interesting. Fighting someone who wants me dead is a new experience, Sadly, you are too weak," I said as I punched him in his heart.
I used a lot of chakra, didn't want to make a mistake. This was a type of training for me; I wanted to see how killing someone would affect me. As I delivered the blow and his heart exploded, my clones dispersed.
I just stood there watching him fall.
I crouched next to him and just thought to myself, 'That was easy, no suspense no nothing.'