After agreeing to meet at the Village entrance later, the few people temporarily split up.
Ren didn't go home; he skillfully made his way to a Ninja tool shop, walked in, and saw the owner meticulously wiping the counter, looking up towards the door upon hearing footsteps.
"Oh, welcome, customer. What can I get for you this time?"
"Hmm, this time I need to buy some equipment."
Ren nodded with a smile and began selecting items from the shelves.
Kunai, Shuriken, smoke bombs, Soldier Ration Pills, and Exploding Tags were all available.
"Hmm..."
"Boss, I'll take a bit of everything, two of each, and please give me a larger Ninja tool pouch as well."
Ren pointed to a few items, and finally, he pointed to his severely damaged Ninja tool pouch. He had been too lazy to change it before, but now that he was a Ninja, it wasn't appropriate to carry around a tattered Ninja tool pouch.
"Alright, please have a seat and wait a moment."
The boss cheerfully motioned for Ren to sit down, then went to the back warehouse and rummaged around for a bit. Soon, he came out with a brand new Ninja tool pouch and handed it to Ren at the counter.
"Customer, everything is ready as you requested. This batch of goods was shipped by me from the Land of Fire's capital. This Ninja tool pouch is wear-resistant and breathable, and my Ninja tools on this street are absolutely top-notch..."
"Stop, give me my change, thanks."
Seeing the boss talk endlessly, Ren pulled out a banknote and slapped it on the counter.
"Hehehe, that'll be ten thousand, and here's three thousand in change. Take care, and welcome back next time."
The boss took the banknote and quickly found the change, handing it to Ren. His smile was as radiant as could be.
"Alright, I'm off."
Ren walked out of the shop, checked the time, and quickly rushed towards the Village entrance.
When Ren arrived, he found that the other two had already arrived and were standing at the Village entrance chatting.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
Ren approached, nodded to Ryufeng, and then spoke to Sarutobi Shinnosuke.
"It's fine, we just got here a moment ago."
Sarutobi Shinnosuke waved his hand, then turned and motioned for the two of them to move out.
"I'll tell you the details on the way. Let's go now."
"Yes!" (x2)
Along the way, Sarutobi Shinnosuke explained the details of the mission to the two of them.
There was a group of bandits on Changpu Mountain, 20 kilometres north of Konoha Village, who had abducted many young women from a Village at the foot of the mountain. The villagers had pooled some money and came to Konoha Village to post a mission. The mission objective was to completely wipe out the bandits and rescue the women.
Completely wipe them out? Perfect for us!
The three travelled quickly through the forest, arriving at their destination around 5 PM. After entering the Village and asking the villagers for directions to Changpu Mountain, the group set off towards Changpu Mountain under the hopeful gazes of the villagers behind them.
At dusk, the three hid in the trees, looking at the brightly lit bandit stronghold ahead. On the watchtowers outside, four or five bandits sat together chatting, drinking, and eating meat, completely at ease. Meanwhile, the three of them squatted in the trees, chewing Soldier Ration Pills and waiting for an opportunity.
"According to the intel, there are about sixty bandits. We'll move in half an hour. You two are responsible for taking care of the left and right watchtowers, then begin your actions. I will find and protect the mission targets. After completing the mission, return here to regroup. Remember, the goal of this mission is total annihilation!"
"Yes."
After speaking, Sarutobi Shinnosuke used the Instantaneous Body Technique to leave, leaving only Ren and Ryufeng leaning against the tree trunks, checking their Ninja tools.
"You take the left, I'll take the right. We'll meet in the largest building."
"Okay."
As night fully descended, the two began to move separately.
Using the light from the watchtower, Ren easily pinpointed the positions of the few people. There were three in total, taking turns on duty. It was clear that two in the watchtower were drinking, and one was patrolling back and forth.
As expected of bandits, they had no discipline at all. Ren stealthily approached the watchtower from the darkness and began to climb up silently.
The watchtower was only about four or five meters high. Ren looked at the two bandits drinking with their backs to him, quietly took out two Shuriken from his Ninja tool pouch, aimed at their throats, and threw them!
Ren then rushed forward. Before the patrolling bandit could react, a gleaming Kunai had already sliced across his throat. He widened his eyes, looking at the figure that had suddenly appeared before him. He was just about to shout.
"Help..."
Before he could even cry out, Ren's gaze turned cold, and he delivered another stab to this bandit's neck. This time, the bandit was thoroughly dead.
The remaining two bandits had already been struck in the throat by Ren's Kunai and were lying on the ground, twitching, breathing out more than in.
"Hoarse..."
One bandit looked at the approaching Ren in horror, wanting to shout but unable to make a sound.
Ren squatted down, pulled out the Shuriken, and used the Kunai to deliver two more finishing blows. After confirming that all three were dead, he wiped the Shuriken and Kunai clean on the corpses' clothes, then stood up, ready to begin the assassination.
It was his first time killing, and although there was some discomfort, Ren quickly adjusted. As a Ninja, killing would be commonplace from now on. If you don't kill, others will kill you. Hiruzen Sarutobi sent them on this mission precisely to let them experience bloodshed, otherwise, they would never become true Ninja.
With his mindset adjusted, Ren then turned his gaze to the bandit stronghold before him. With over twenty rooms on both sides combined, on average, there should be two to three people per room. The large tiled house at the very back was most likely the bandit leader's residence.
The bandits were already resting, but Ren and his team's mission had just begun.
Quietly opening the door, this room contained three beds, with a bandit sleeping on each. Their snores rose and fell, conveniently reducing Ren's risk of being discovered.
"Hmm..."
The snoring of the sleeping bandit abruptly stopped. At this moment, he opened his eyes wide, just about to scream, when a hand covered his mouth. Ren quickly delivered two more Kunai strikes, and soon, the bandit went still.
Releasing his hand, Ren moved to another bed, raised his Kunai, and continued his ruthless harvesting of these scumbags' lives.
"No, please don't do this."
"Hehehe, scream all you want, you can shout until your throat breaks, and no one will come to save you!"
Ren heard the woman's screams and the man's sinister laughter coming from inside the room. Through the door crack, he saw two bandits and a woman inside.
Ren gently pushed open the door under the cover of the screams. When the woman saw Ren enter, her eyes lit up. Just as she was about to ask for help, Ren stopped her with a "don't make a sound" gesture. The woman understood Ren's meaning and continued to scream to attract the attention of the two men.
"Huh? Who are you? Ene—"
One bandit inadvertently turned his head and saw Ren. His face changed drastically when he saw Ren's forehead protector. Just as he was about to shout, Ren stabbed him in the throat with a Kunai, and he could no longer make a sound.
"Hmm?"
The other bandit was tearing at the woman's clothes. Hearing his companion's voice beside him, he was just about to turn around. But he felt a sharp pain in his neck, covered the wound with both hands, and before he could speak, Ren delivered another finishing blow. He then fell to the ground, motionless.
"Put on these bandits' clothes and go meet your sisters."
Ren glanced at the woman and turned to leave.
"Tha-thank you."
Ren heard the voice behind him but didn't stop, merely waved his hand behind him, then closed the door and continued to the next house.
The assassination continued.