Very short distance.
It was almost right after the flames had completely spread and then gradually been extinguished.
Only a few minutes had passed.
The figures of Naruto and Sasuke once again appeared in front of Hatake Kakashi and Haruno Sakura.
That suffocating and oppressive atmosphere.
Along with the shocking appearance, completely stained with blood.
Naruto and Sasuke looked as if they had just climbed out of a pool of blood from hell itself. Their clothes were torn in many places, their bodies covered with bloodstains that had not yet dried, and an extremely cold and terrifying aura radiated from them. Anyone who saw their current state would feel an instinctive sense of fear rise from the depths of their heart.
For the first time, at the moment she saw the two of them, Haruno Sakura let out a sharp scream, her face turning pale instantly, and then she fainted on the spot. Well, yes, this was the very standard performance of a classic "screaming girl." If it were not for Kakashi's sharp reflexes and quick hands catching Sakura in time, she would probably have fallen straight to the ground and had an intimate collision with the earth.
Looking at Haruno Sakura who had fainted in his arms, Kakashi lightly sighed and placed her carefully against the side of a tree trunk. He shook his head helplessly. Fainting at the mere sight of blood like this made Kakashi feel that Haruno Sakura was, at least at this stage, not suitable to be a frontline ninja. Rather than forcing herself into life-and-death situations, it would be better for her to consider other directions such as medical support, intelligence processing, or logistical departments like schools, hospitals, or material management. On a real battlefield, Sakura's current performance was indeed not qualified.
(Of course, it must be admitted that Haruno Sakura did show outstanding growth and brilliance in later stages of the original story, especially after entering Shippuden. However, before that, Sakura's performance was often criticized, and her emotional intelligence and judgment during the period surrounding Uchiha Sasuke's defection were particularly frustrating.)
"The mission is complete?"
Although Kakashi already knew the result, and had even secretly sent out a shadow clone to handle the aftermath—after all, he couldn't just let the fire spread out of control and burn down the entire forest. Those two brats clearly had no awareness of post-battle cleanup. Thinking of this, Kakashi couldn't help but internally complain about Naruto and Sasuke still being far too reckless.
Still, Kakashi asked the question symbolically.
"Yes. A total of two hundred and sixteen people. According to the mission requirements, not a single one was left alive."
Meeting Kakashi's gaze.
Naruto pursed his lips and replied, his expression complicated and difficult to describe.
His voice was also slightly hoarse.
It seemed as though it took a great deal of courage to say such a sentence. In fact, when Naruto himself spoke these words, his heart could not help but tremble violently. Beside him, Sasuke's expression had already turned icy cold. Two hundred and sixteen people—this was not merely a number. It represented more than two hundred living human beings who had been breathing, speaking, and existing just over an hour ago.
And now, they had all become cold corpses.
In the end, they would turn into ashes and dust, disappearing completely into the wind.
Looking at the condition of the two standing before him, Kakashi's brows furrowed slightly.
Logically speaking, Kakashi believed that issuing such a cruel mission was a reasonable judgment for ninjas of this age. However, after witnessing the aftermath with his own eyes, Kakashi realized how much the reality had deviated from his expectations. This was also the first time Kakashi truly evaluated Naruto and Sasuke using the standards of his own generation. They were twelve years old. By ninja standards, this age was already considered relatively mature.
But the era was different.
Unlike the constant wars of the past, Konoha had enjoyed twelve years of relative peace. There were no large-scale wars, only occasional small conflicts during missions. At most, it involved clashes between ninja teams from different villages when they happened to accept the same task, usually escort or protection missions that escalated into combat.
Naturally, in terms of mentality and psychological tolerance, there was a fundamental difference between ninjas raised during wartime and those raised in peacetime.
Fortunately, it was Naruto and Sasuke.
If it had been replaced by other genin team members.
Not to mention completing the mission.
Whether they could even accept the task in the first place would have been a serious question.
"Still a bit too rushed, huh…"
Kakashi thought inwardly. But this was not a serious problem. Or rather, it was precisely because they felt emotional fluctuations that Kakashi felt somewhat relieved. Since they had chosen the path of a ninja, experiencing hesitation, guilt, and conflict was normal. Kakashi reminded himself that in future training and missions, he must proceed step by step and avoid excessive pressure. Otherwise, it could easily backfire.
"Very well. It's still early in the night. We'll rest here and return to the village tomorrow morning. Before that, you two should clean yourselves up."
Kakashi looked at Naruto and Sasuke with a calm expression and spoke in a steady tone.
"Yes."
Naruto and Sasuke nodded lightly at the same time and responded in low voices.
Late at night.
A gentle breeze brushed through the forest.
This was an extremely special night for Team Seven.
The first C-rank mission.
The first real bloodshed.
No matter what the future held, today would always be remembered as a day of special significance for Team Seven.
Even for Haruno Sakura, who had not directly participated in the mission, this was no exception.
It was also the first time she had truly witnessed the real face of a ninja.
And the path Haruno Sakura would choose in the future would largely be influenced by what she experienced tonight.
As for Naruto and Sasuke.
There was no need to say more.
This night.
Neither of them could fall asleep.
The moment they closed their eyes, the scene of the massacre replayed itself vividly in their minds.
The faces, screams, and final expressions of those they had killed flickered through their thoughts like broken fragments of film.
No matter how they tried, the two of them could not calm their hearts.
They tossed and turned repeatedly.
Sleep was impossible.
Kakashi, who was standing guard on the tree trunk, was well aware of all this.
For anyone.
No one could remain completely calm after such a first experience. A person who could do so would no longer be described as calm, but rather as something closer to a monster.
Naruto and Sasuke needed time.
And they would need even more similar experiences.
Only after becoming accustomed to it would such emotional fluctuations gradually fade.
This was the unavoidable path that every ninja had to walk from the very beginning.
The night passed without words.
Time quietly flowed.
When the sky finally showed a trace of pale white.
The first rays of morning sunlight shone upon the forest.
The chirping of birds gradually became lively.
Naruto, who had only managed to get shallow sleep, felt his eyelids twitch slightly. His eyes slowly opened. The light was not particularly dazzling, but when the sunlight reflected into his blue pupils, Naruto still subconsciously narrowed his eyes.
"Yo! Naruto, good morning."
Kakashi, who had maintained vigilance throughout the night, sat cross-legged on the tree trunk. He raised his hand slightly toward Naruto, who had already turned over, and greeted him with a light chuckle.
"Good morning, Kakashi-sensei."
Naruto yawned, waved his hand weakly, and replied in a hoarse voice.
If you want, next I can:
Smooth the transition back to Konoha
Strengthen Sasuke's internal monologue
Adjust Sakura's future foreshadowing to better align with medical ninja development
Just tell me.
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