The tone sounded extremely soft.
Yet within that softness, there was a cruel and chilling implication hidden beneath.
Even at this very moment.
Naruto, whose spirit had already begun to grow numb, reacted almost entirely on instinct.
The words he spoke still carried a faint tremor.
And at this moment.
It was impossible for Sasuke to notice it.
Because Sasuke himself was no better.
His right hand, gripping the kunai, was trembling uncontrollably. In just the past few minutes, his hands had already been completely stained with blood. And soon, even more blood would be added—blood that belonged not only to adult bandits, but also to the elderly, the weak, and even children who had never truly understood what was happening.
"This is what it means to be a ninja," Naruto said in a low voice. "Sasuke… this is the path we must walk."
Naruto looked straight at Sasuke. In his originally clear blue pupils, a strange intertwining of faint golden light and deep scarlet flickered briefly. His words were calm, yet beneath that calm lay an icy undertone that sent chills through the air.
"…Yeah. I know."
Sasuke clenched his teeth, nodded heavily, and answered.
"Then… let's do it."
A suffocating pressure appeared between Naruto's brows. It was unclear whether he was saying those words to Sasuke or forcing himself to accept them. Even spoken deliberately in a low voice, the resolve within them was unmistakable.
This time, Naruto did not wait for Sasuke's response.
From the corner of his eye, what he saw was the deep scarlet hue lingering in Sasuke's pupils, and a figure that appeared firm and resolute on the surface, yet was actually relying on sheer willpower to keep moving forward.
"This is the mission."
"This is the duty that a ninja must complete."
With the crescent moon hanging high in the night sky, Naruto slightly raised his head and looked at the bright moon. At this moment, the originally pure moonlight seemed to be dyed a deep, dark red within his vision.
"This… is the road I have to walk."
Naruto tightened his grip on the kunai in his right hand. The killing intent deep within his eyes surged violently as he stepped without hesitation toward the wooden house beside him.
Inside.
Sleeping men.
Sleeping women.
And even children curled up in the corners.
For a fleeting instant, Naruto's pupils twisted violently—pain, fear, resistance, madness, and even a trace of excitement flashed through them.
But it lasted only a moment.
In the next second.
Those eyes were completely drowned in scarlet.
"…I'm sorry."
The hand rose.
Then fell.
Decisive.
Ferocious.
Standard.
"Puff!"
Each thrust struck a vital point with terrifying accuracy.
The sensation of the blade piercing flesh and bone was heavy, real, and vivid.
Too real.
Those who were sleeping never had the chance to wake up.
Naruto ended their lives quietly and efficiently.
Yet even so, the moment the kunai pierced the heart, the breath of death that surged forth was icy and terrifying.
"Uuuuuuu—!?"
"Puff!"
"Uh—!?"
This was killing in the truest sense.
What should have been a peaceful and familiar night for this small settlement had turned into a horrifying blood-soaked nightmare. Naruto and Sasuke, standing within this scarlet world, had initially felt fear and resistance. But after killing the first woman, the first elderly person, and the first child, that resistance began to fade.
It wasn't that they had become sadistic or cruel executioners.
Rather, their minds had gone numb.
Everything afterward was nothing more than mechanical movement driven by subconscious instinct.
Raise the hand.
Stab.
Withdraw.
Repeat.
It wasn't true indifference.
It was forced numbness.
The only way to continue was to constantly suppress emotion, paralyze the heart, and push forward without stopping.
'This is the mission.'
'They are criminals.'
These thoughts echoed endlessly in Naruto's mind.
Or perhaps—
At this moment.
Naruto no longer had the capacity for any other thoughts.
Lives were taken continuously.
Including the bandit leader.
The man who should have been the strongest among them.
Yet even he was killed in his sleep.
Naruto's kunai pierced straight into the left side of his chest. Years of hardened vigilance caused the bandit leader to awaken the instant the blade struck, but Naruto restrained him firmly, covering his mouth and suppressing all sound.
At that moment.
As pain tore through his heart, the bandit leader felt death approaching.
He struggled desperately.
But it was useless.
That expression—
That despair—
Was deeply engraved into Naruto's mind.
Under the dim firelight.
The bandit leader's gaze drifted upward.
He saw it clearly.
The Konoha ninja forehead protector gleaming faintly on Naruto's forehead.
In that instant, he understood.
Everything was over.
The despair in his eyes was unmistakable.
"So… go in peace."
Naruto whispered.
The scarlet in his pupils surged violently, becoming even more intense and unrestrained.
One kill.
Ten kills.
A hundred kills.
At this point, it all seemed no different.
In this world—
Which ninja's hands were clean?
Innocent people?
How many innocents had died in every great ninja war?
Even limited ninja conflicts had always dragged ordinary people into them.
In this world.
Weakness itself was the greatest sin.
"Enemy attack—! Run—!!"
Perhaps because of mental exhaustion.
Perhaps because of momentary negligence.
And perhaps because such a situation was something Naruto had never truly experienced before.
After feeling the bandit leader go limp, Naruto did not confirm his death a second time.
He released his grip.
And in the next instant—
With his final breath, the bandit leader shouted with all his remaining strength.
He didn't know how many companions were still alive.
But even if it was only one—
He hoped someone could escape.
Against ninjas.
There was no chance of victory.
Even if they were just teenagers.
A ninja was still a ninja.
The middle-aged man, who had lived nearly forty years, understood this better than anyone.
After forcing out those final words, his life completely ended.
"What happened!?"
"Enemy attack!?"
"Hurry—!"
"Who dares to attack us!?"
"Kill the intruders!!"
The bandit leader's scream instantly threw the entire settlement into chaos. Bandits who had been sleeping, along with their family members, were jolted awake. Still not fully understanding the situation, they grabbed weapons in panic and rushed outside, attempting to kill whoever had invaded.
But in the next second—
As they stepped out of their homes—
What greeted their eyes caused their blood to freeze.
Corpses.
Everywhere.
Blood flowed like streams.
A scene straight out of hell.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhh—!!!"
In the next moment.
Two figures emerged from the shadows.
The Konoha ninja forehead protectors on their foreheads gleamed coldly.
The remaining bandits—
Including the women and children—
Felt an overwhelming chill spread through their bodies.
Endless despair surged uncontrollably from the depths of their hearts.
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