However, Sakura was still destined to be disappointed.
Looking at the hope-filled gaze in Sakura's eyes.
Kakashi's expression did not soften in the slightest. On the contrary, it grew even colder. The single exposed eye beneath his forehead protector flashed with a sharp and solemn light. Kakashi's low, heavy voice echoed once more in the tense air, pressing down on the hearts of the three genin like a weight.
"Joking? Where do you think you are right now? What is your identity, Haruno Sakura? This is an official mission issued by the village. You personally accepted this mission. The objective is to suppress and dismantle this bandit stronghold. As a ninja of Konoha, carrying out the mission is an order!"
Kakashi stared at Haruno Sakura with a gaze so calm it was almost cruel. His words struck Sakura's spirit heavily, making her feel as if she were on the verge of collapse. Looking at the suddenly unfamiliar 'Kakashi-sensei' before her, Sakura felt a chill spread through her body, her hands trembling uncontrollably.
"And do you think those people living among the bandits are all innocent? Those women and elderly people are not completely uninvolved. This group of bandits did not appear overnight. They migrated from other countries, looting, sheltering criminals, and sharing the spoils. Haruno Sakura, I will say this one last time this is a village mission. Your duty is to follow orders and complete it. Do you understand?"
The oppressive seriousness in Kakashi's voice felt almost suffocating.
It was not bloodthirst.
Nor madness.
But a cold, merciless clarity that came from experience.
At this moment, Haruno Sakura felt as if her courage had been drained away. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she quickly turned her head toward Sasuke and Naruto, desperately seeking support from them seeking courage, seeking reassurance, seeking a spark of hope. Sakura firmly believed that Sasuke and Naruto would stand on her side.
This kind of mission
Something felt wrong.
It felt unreasonable.
Team Seven should not be forced into something like this.
Faced with Kakashi's overwhelming pressure, Sakura no longer had the courage to argue, but she believed that if Sasuke and Naruto stepped forward, things could still be corrected. Kakashi-sensei would surely clarify that only the armed bandits needed to be eliminated, and that civilians would be handled appropriately.
"Sasuke-kun… Naruto…"
However, Haruno Sakura was destined to be disappointed a second time.
When her expectant gaze landed on Sasuke and Naruto
She discovered that neither of their expressions had changed much.
The shock and discomfort that had appeared at the beginning had already been forcibly suppressed, replaced once again by an unsettling calm.
Looking at the two of them.
An indescribable panic surged up from the depths of Sakura's heart.
Different from Sakura
Almost the moment Kakashi finished speaking, Naruto and Sasuke had already grasped the essence of the mission.
Or perhaps
They understood something deeper.
They understood what it truly meant to be a ninja.
Why ninjas exist in this world.
Sakura could not understand it yet.
But Naruto and Sasuke did.
This was not a peaceful era.
And the ninja profession was never meant to be gentle.
Ninjas exist to fight.
Some people may think
"I want to become a ninja to gain strength, to protect what I cherish, not to hurt others."
That thought is not wrong.
But once someone threatens the things you are determined to protect
Then conflict becomes unavoidable.
Whether you want it or not.
Ninjas may appear free, but they are also bound by the cruelty of reality.
Born into a flawed world.
No matter how pure your original intentions are.
A ninja walks the edge of a blade, constantly hovering between life and death, killing others or being killed one day.
From ancient times to the present
Since the moment ninjas appeared
Very few have ever met a peaceful end.
One percent?
Even that number feels optimistic.
And the stronger the ninja, the harder it is to die quietly.
Sakura grew up in relative peace, sheltered for twelve years like a flower in a greenhouse. Her struggles were emotional, interpersonal, and internal.
Naruto and Sasuke were different.
They had already seen the darkness of the shinobi world.
One lost his parents at birth and endured a childhood filled with isolation and hatred.
The other witnessed his entire clan slaughtered by his own brother in a single night, losing everything he loved.
For Naruto and Sasuke
If necessary
They could even trade their souls to demons.
Clutching kunai, moving forward through bloodshed, spending their entire lives fighting if that was the path fate demanded.
They were the same age
But fundamentally
Sakura could not be compared to them.
"Is this… the price of pursuing one's goals…"
Naruto took a deep breath, silently mocking himself. Behind his back, his clenched hands trembled uncontrollably.
Sasuke pressed his lips together, remaining silent. His face grew colder, sharper, more distant.
Sakura's face had turned pale.
"Yes, Kakashi-sensei… I understand."
Naruto stepped forward half a step, lifting his head and looking directly at Hatake Kakashi. His voice carried a slight tremor, but it was firm beyond doubt. The golden light in his eyes seemed faintly tinged with red, his fists clenched, his arms still shaking slightly yet his resolve was unmistakable.
This was a choice that had to be made.
Naruto understood clearly that Kakashi was not deceiving them.
Not only because of the mission's requirements
But because the shinobi world did not allow simple answers.
In this world, innocence was a fragile and ironic concept.
At the moment Naruto spoke, Sasuke also stepped forward, standing beside him, and nodded heavily.
"Yes."
The word was short.
But heavy.
Facing their first true combat mission.
Facing the reality of bloodshed.
Facing the responsibility of being a ninja.
It was impossible to remain truly calm.
Anyone who could remain completely unfazed in such a moment would be a monster not in strength, but in mind.
And even Naruto and Sasuke, who appeared composed, were merely enduring.
Killing?
Being forced to kill?
If there was no other choice
Then in this world that devours people
There was only one answer left.
That answer was
To fight.
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