Sasuke and Naruto answered.
Sakura's vision dimmed instantly.
At this moment.
It felt as though Haruno Sakura was seeing these two teammates for the first time.
Why?
Why could the two of them accept such a mission so calmly?
Wasn't this wrong?
This was not just one or two people, but more than two hundred individuals gathered in one place. Even if Sakura understood rationally what Kakashi-sensei had explained that this group was a bandit collective, that very few of them were truly innocent emotionally, she simply could not accept it. Especially when thinking about the elderly, the women, and the children living among them. Sakura could not stop herself from thinking that at least the children were innocent. No matter what, those children should be protected, shouldn't they?
"Naruto… Sasuke-kun…"
Sakura stared at Kakashi, Naruto, and Sasuke with eyes full of confusion and disbelief. At this moment, she wanted to shout at them, to question them, to ask how they could possibly agree to something like this so decisively. But when the words reached her throat, it was as if her voice had been taken away. She could not speak at all. Her body trembled as she lowered her head, a reaction that made Naruto sigh softly in his heart.
"Sakura, this is a mission. An order from the village. And we are ninjas. Ninjas must complete their missions. Just like Kakashi-sensei said, there is no sympathy for armed bandits who have committed countless crimes. Those people whether men or women who directly participated in the looting and killing are not innocent. They are people who must be stopped."
Naruto turned his head and looked at Haruno Sakura, who was pale and shaking, and spoke with an unusually firm tone.
As for the children.
Naruto did not say it out loud.
But not only Sasuke and Kakashi Sakura herself also understood.
Children were not mission targets.
They were not to be harmed.
However, once a bandit stronghold was destroyed, what awaited those children afterward was never something a single ninja team could decide. Hatred, resentment, grief those were realities that no one could erase. The shinobi world did not offer simple happy endings.
This was not a world where everything could be neatly resolved with kindness alone.
Sakura was naive.
But she was not stupid.
Yet even so, for someone who had grown up sheltered like a flower in a greenhouse, this level of reality was still too heavy to bear all at once.
"…Sakura is still young."
Looking at her state.
Kakashi sighed inwardly.
The word "young" did not refer to Sakura's age.
In this world, twelve-year-old ninjas were already considered combatants. Calling someone young in terms of age alone was meaningless.
What Kakashi meant was Sakura's mentality.
Haruno Sakura could not be compared to Uzumaki Naruto or Uchiha Sasuke.
Kakashi knew very well what kind of childhood Naruto and Sasuke had endured.
Naruto had lived under cold gazes and isolation for twelve years, growing up without parents, without warmth, and even suffering bullying.
Sasuke had witnessed the annihilation of his entire clan at the age of seven, watching his parents die before his eyes.
Kakashi did not know that Naruto, too, had witnessed the death of his parents at the moment of his birth.
In addition to that, Naruto had already experienced a life-and-death battle not long ago and had crossed the threshold of killing.
For these two, being able to forcibly regain composure in such a short time even if their bodies still trembled slightly was not surprising.
To become a true ninja.
A strong heart was an absolute necessity.
Hesitation at critical moments, or excessive compassion without the strength to back it up, would only lead to disaster. Unless one possessed overwhelming power power so great that no one in the world could oppose it then ideals alone were meaningless.
Otherwise, so-called kindness would ultimately harm both oneself and others.
"Haruno Sakura, you do not need to participate in this mission."
Kakashi's voice sounded cold, but there was a trace of restraint beneath it.
"Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke. According to the mission requirements I just explained, go and conduct reconnaissance first. Three hours later, execute the mission objective. Do you understand?"
Looking at Sakura, who remained silent.
Kakashi did not press further.
He knew this mission was still too early for her.
Letting Sakura step back at this moment was not abandonment it was a form of protection, and also a responsibility he bore as her instructor.
"Yes, Kakashi-sensei!"
There was no hesitation.
Once a decision was made, there was no turning back.
The shinobi world was cruel.
And at times, abandoning hesitation was the only way forward.
Naruto and Sasuke would not hesitate.
Nor would they regret it.
Their loud, resolute response was both an answer to Kakashi and a way of steel-hardening their own resolve.
"Then, move out."
"Yes!"
Kakashi's face remained expressionless as he gave the order with a firm wave of his arm.
"Swish."
"Swish."
Naruto and Sasuke vanished from the spot, rushing toward the designated target area. Before nightfall, they would gather all necessary intelligence. This mission was not simply about driving enemies away it required complete suppression of armed resistance, leaving no room for retaliation or escape.
Against a group of ordinary bandits, their strength held an overwhelming advantage.
What needed to be considered was control, coordination, and ensuring that no armed threats slipped away.
After Naruto and Sasuke departed.
Sakura finally lost all strength in her legs and sank to the ground.
Kakashi cast a long look at Haruno Sakura, who seemed as if her spirit had been drained away. The light in her eyes was gone. He shook his head slightly, then leapt onto a nearby tree. Forming hand seals swiftly, he released several shadow clones that scattered silently into the surrounding area.
This time, Kakashi would not directly participate.
The task had been handed to Naruto and Sasuke.
The shadow clones existed only as a precaution.
Based on their recent performance, Kakashi believed they would complete the mission smoothly.
This was not a mission that required extraordinary strength.
What it demanded was the resolve and awareness of a ninja.
And in that regard
Kakashi had confidence in Naruto and Sasuke.
The reason he remained vigilant
Was nothing more than the instinctive caution of a seasoned shinobi.
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