Time passed quickly. The annual top student competition once again ended in Sasuke's favor, while Neji remained the number one of his own class.
Naruto and Lee had no interest in showing off.
After this came a short but important holiday.
This time, Naruto had a different plan.
He wanted them to see blood.
Because in the world of shinobi, only after facing bloodshed could one truly be considered a ninja. What kind of shinobi would you be if you didn't even dare to kill?
"What?!"
"See blood? You mean… kill someone?" Lee's voice held surprise, but he quickly calmed down.
After all, in this world, killing was not a strange idea. They had long known they would eventually face it—Naruto was only moving that moment forward.
"Neji and Sasuke should use Shadow Clones. As for Lee, since both of us are orphans, a day's absence won't raise suspicion."
Naruto's eyes turned serious. "You two are different. Neji is a genius of the Hyūga Clan, and Sasuke is the last Uchiha. Even if no one monitors you constantly, it would still cause trouble if you were discovered."
He spoke softly, but his words carried weight. Naruto himself had already seen blood. He had used Shadow Clones to do it before, since it was inconvenient for his true body to leave the village.
The first time, it had shaken him. But afterward, he grew used to it.
Even when blood splattered on his face, he would simply wipe it away.
"Oh, right! I have a gift for you."
Naruto smiled faintly at the three of them before taking out three rings.
"Hm? Naruto, what's this?"
They looked at him with curiosity.
Naruto's grin widened. "These are Spatial Rings. They represent your identity—and can be bound with your chakra."
He had forged them himself, using chakra metal.
The cost was far higher than that of ordinary storage scrolls. The internal space wasn't as large either—only about ten cubic meters—but scrolls were bulky and inconvenient to carry. Rings had both function and style.
The chakra metal had been supplied with the help of Uchiha Shisui.
"Alright, let's move out."
The group quickly followed Naruto, leaving Konoha through a hidden path in the mountains. His true body, however, remained in the village.
Their journey brought them to a discreet safehouse—one of Shisui's hidden contact points.
"Lord Naruto!"
The one receiving them was a chūnin in plain clothing, impossible to identify as a shinobi at first glance. His eyes burned with fanaticism as he looked at Naruto, having already been won over by Naruto's red ideology.
Naruto nodded. "Your name was… Hayakawa Kawai, correct?"
"Yes, Lord Naruto!" Kawai replied with fervor.
"Kawai, do you know of any nearby bandit groups?"
"Bandits?" Kawai thought for a moment before answering. "Most of the ones around here were already wiped out by us. But recently, a few outlaws have been active near Kamimura Town."
Kamimura Town…
"Give me the map."
"Yes!"
Kawai handed over a map before respectfully excusing himself.
Once he left, Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Naruto… who was that?"
Naruto folded the map. "Someone from a force I've been building outside. If we want revenge in the future, the few of us won't be enough."
"You've built a force?!"
The three were visibly surprised. When had Naruto done this?
Still, they didn't press further. If Naruto wanted to explain more, he would tell them in time.
"Alright," Naruto said, shaking the map in his hand. "Let's continue your training."
Unfolding the map, he pointed at the marked territories. In the center lay the Land of Fire—the largest and most fertile of all nations. It was no wonder other countries coveted it and attacked Konoha time and again.
The group moved swiftly across the terrain, Naruto guiding them with the map.
"According to Kawai's intel, the bandits should be active around here."
His voice turned cold.
"Let's split up and track them down."
The group scattered into the forest, though Naruto kept Lee by his side—he worried Lee's straightforward nature might give them away.
As for the bandits themselves, Naruto felt nothing but contempt. Too many had already died at their hands.
"Have you scouted the situation properly?"
Naruto asked in a low voice.
Neji's Byakugan faded as he replied, "That group of bandits numbers over forty. We don't know their origin, but their aura is thick with blood… they've definitely killed many before."
With Neji's eyes, the enemy's details were quickly laid bare.
Naruto made a few quick hand gestures, outlining their strategy.
"Remember—don't be soft. These men live by the blade. Underestimating them will get you killed."
His tone was calm, but his words sharp.
The others nodded firmly. This was what it meant to be a shinobi—if you lacked the resolve to kill, then you weren't fit to call yourself one.
And more importantly, each of them carried vengeance in their hearts.
"Move out."
At Naruto's order, the three sprang into the night, advancing swiftly toward the bandit camp. The bandits remained oblivious, drinking and laughing in their den of blood.
"Cheers! Brothers, keep drinking! That woman last night—ah, she was something else!"
In the heart of the camp, a group of men reveled, only a few half-heartedly standing guard.
"Hahaha! Don't forget, our boss is a shinobi. With him around, we'll live easy!"
"Right, right! Once we raid a few more villages, we'll move out before any ninja come hunting us down…"
The raucous voices carried through the night.
Hidden in the shadows, Sasuke and Neji's killing intent surged. There was no doubt—these men deserved to die.
The two nodded once at each other before vanishing into the darkness.
Cold kunai pressed against the throats of two sentries.
Whoosh!
A spray of blood burst forth. The men collapsed soundlessly, and though Sasuke and Neji's hands trembled, they tightened their grip and pressed forward.
Suppressing the nausea twisting in their stomachs, they attacked again.
Meanwhile, Lee charged directly into the fray, fists and kicks tearing through enemies. His fighting style was noisier, but no less deadly.
The sudden commotion and stench of blood finally reached the bandit leader.
His eyes narrowed as he shouted, "Enemy attack!"
The bandits, though crude, were trained enough to instantly draw their massive blades.
The leader himself, however, had already begun calculating escape routes. Only shinobi could infiltrate so quietly, and he knew his own strength—barely at the level of a genin.
By sheer luck, he had once killed a shinobi and taken his pouch of tools. From it, he had learned a single jutsu: Wind Release: Wind Cutter Technique.
Neji and Sasuke cut through the bandits relentlessly. When the leader finally spotted them, his tension eased slightly.
"Children?" he muttered in disbelief.
But these were no ordinary children.
Ignoring their nausea, Neji and Sasuke's kunai never stopped flashing. Suddenly, both sensed a surge of chakra. A large bandit charged, chakra flaring—he was the shinobi leader.
They exchanged a glance and wordlessly agreed: he dies first.
Their speed spiked. Kunai arced through the air— slash!
The leader's head tumbled from his shoulders, his wide eyes still frozen in disbelief that he had been cut down by mere children.
From there, it was a massacre. One by one, the bandits fell until silence returned to the camp.
When it was over, Neji and Sasuke stared at the carnage, their stomachs lurching. They turned aside and vomited violently.
Lee fared better—his body and spirit were tougher, perhaps less sensitive to the horror.
"Not bad."
Naruto's Shadow Clone appeared, arms folded. He hadn't lifted a hand in the fight—this was their trial. His first time had been no different; the stench of blood, the sensation of life slipping away before your eyes… it left you shaken.
"To kill this many on your first try is impressive. But you left flaws." His tone hardened. "You didn't use your full strength. Your movements were loud, your concealment sloppy. On a real battlefield, you'd be the first to die."
The words cut sharp, but they were true.
Naruto had been trained in battlefield tactics and survival by Uchiha Shisui. With that foundation, and his own practice, his experience far exceeded his age.
Sasuke, Neji, and Lee had fought like novices. But for novices, they were exceptional.
...
TN:
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