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"Right! Right! Right!"
"We should first determine the specific requirements of the mission!"
Upon hearing these words, Uchiha Tetsu, as if grasping at the last straw of hope, hurriedly agreed.
Even Flame came to her senses and quickly took out the Mission Scroll from behind her, reading it carefully line by line.
Earlier, Fuyu Shirou had only glanced briefly at the mission content, not fully understanding the specific requirements.
There was no choice! Flame, who had just become the 'Temporary Leader,' was still basking in the excitement of being a 'leader.'
The Mission Scroll was quickly put away after a brief glance by Fuyu Shirou.
"What's the situation? What are the mission requirements?"
Facing Tetsu's hopeful expression, Flame shook her head and said expressionlessly, "The mission requires us to 'eliminate' these bandits who are entrenched here!"
"Is that so!"
Faced with this answer, Tetsu was momentarily at a loss.
As a ninja, whose job is to complete missions for payment, he had no good solution.
Fuyu Shirou, however, was not too surprised by this answer.
Given the nature of the ruling class in this ninja world, it would be truly bizarre if they had any lenient measures like amnesty.
"I think we should first clean up the area. Gather the unconscious ones, check for any stragglers, and look for any victims or loot they might have taken..."
Seeing his teammates still in a dilemma, Fuyu Shirou timely suggested cleaning up the 'battlefield' to divert their attention and ease their emotions.
Hearing this, Flame and Tetsu were relieved, and after a brief discussion, they began searching the bandit stronghold.
[Still haven't made up their minds?]
Uchiha Jūsai, hiding in the shadows, saw that they had not immediately killed the Night Watchman.
He was not particularly disappointed, as it was still early, and Fuyu Shirou and his team had largely taken control of the situation.
There was plenty of time for them to hesitate and adapt.
At the same time, a look of contemplation and reminiscence appeared in his eyes.
Fuyu Shirou and his team's current dilemma and hesitation reminded him of his younger days.
Back then, he and his teammates had also hesitated for a long time before finally deciding to take action and kill.
The mental journey was something not easily shared with outsiders.
In the blink of an eye, he had already gotten married and had children.
His teammates and teacher, who had gone through countless missions with him, were all...
Thinking about it really made him feel melancholic~~~
Uchiha Jūsai, back in the day, also had a team not much different from Fuyu Shirou's.
A teacher leading the team, two male teammates, and a cute girl.
They formed a typical Konoha mission squad, completing many low-level D and C Rank missions.
Although there were occasional arguments and comparisons among teammates, the memories they left behind were incredibly cherished.
Time always passes more quickly when one is busy.
Before they knew it, the sky had completely brightened.
In front of the only wooden house in the bandit stronghold, on a flat piece of land, lay forty-three people, their clothes disheveled and unconscious.
Apart from a few who had some oil on their faces and relatively decent clothing, the rest of the bandits, though not emaciated, looked pale and sickly.
It seemed that the life of a bandit was not much better than their previous lives as farmers.
Around these people, there were piles of miscellaneous items.
There were weapons they used during robberies, supplies they stored here, and goods they had stolen but could not easily sell, so they kept them.
Unexpectedly, they found some gold, silver, precious items, and paper money in the wooden house, totaling around two hundred thousand ryō.
These items were manageable, but the key was the other group nearby.
At the edge of the small clearing, there was a group of women, dressed in tattered clothes, their expressions wary and timid.
There were seven women in total, found by Fuyu Shirou and his team in a hidden cellar during their search.
When they discovered these women, Fuyu Shirou and his team were quite startled, thinking there might be some hidden ambush in the stronghold.
Compared to Fuyu Shirou and his team's tension, these women seemed much more 'calm.'
To say they were 'calm' was a bit of an exaggeration; 'numb' would be a more accurate description of their state.
After some questioning, Fuyu Shirou and his team learned that these poor women had been kidnapped by the bandits from nearby villages or passing merchants.
They were all kept in a dark cellar with only one opening for light and ventilation, serving as entertainment for the bandit leaders or those who performed well.
To say these bandits deserved their fate was no exaggeration.
There were originally twelve women, but five had died over time, either by suicide or from abuse and torture.
According to the information Fuyu Shirou and his team gathered, the bandits were extremely ruthless during their raids, often murdering and looting, leaving few survivors.
This only made their situation worse, eventually leading the local lord to request a mission from Konoha, bringing Fuyu Shirou and his team to deal with them.
"Well, what should we do with these people?"
"We can't expect these women to help us complete the mission!"
Seeing that it was about time, Fuyu Shirou casually asked.
"How about we divide the work and take care of them together!"
Swallowing hard, Uchiha Tetsu suggested.
However, his suggestion was met with a long silence.
Even the group of women, who had gathered together, seemed to sense something and slowly quieted down, trying not to make a sound.
The word 'killing' might sound light, but for Fuyu Shirou, Flame, and Tetsu, who were still young, it was a heavy burden.
For example, Uchiha Flame, who was only eight years old, was treated like a princess at home by her parents and two older brothers.
One could say she had grown up in a honey pot. Although she enjoyed teasing her friends, she was fundamentally an innocent and carefree little girl.
As for Fuyu Shirou, although he was more 'mature' compared to his teammates, his past life was that of an ordinary office worker.
(End of Chapter)