On the afternoon of the second day, the group finally arrived at the location of their mission.
Looking at the mountain densely covered with trees before them, Tsunade spoke up.
"The bandit stronghold on this mountain is our target. I have only one requirement for you: leave no one alive among the mountain bandits - regardless of gender or age. Understood?"
Seeing Tsunade's serious expression, Hayato Ren and the others stopped their casual demeanor and nodded with equal gravity.
"Let's make a simple plan before attacking," Mikoto said, then she and Kushina both turned their gazes toward Hayato Ren.
After pondering for a moment, Hayato Ren began speaking.
"We'll begin our operation at 3 AM tonight - that's when people are in deep sleep. Charmander will be responsible for creating chaos inside. I'll block the back entrance, while you two guard the front gate."
Since this was just a simple C-rank mission, and Kushina had already confirmed through sensing that there were no shinobi among these bandits, their combat plan was rather basic. However, sometimes the simplest plans are more likely to succeed precisely because they're less prone to errors.
If not for Tsunade's directive to leave no survivors, Charmander alone could have charged in and wreaked havoc effortlessly.
Neither Kushina nor Mikoto had any objections to Hayato Ren's plan.
Thus, the three found a spot to sit, both to recover their strength depleted from the journey and to mentally prepare for the upcoming operation.
Because they were about to take lives, both Kushina and Mikoto were experiencing complex emotions. Although they had mentally prepared themselves since becoming shinobi, when actually faced with the reality, it was somewhat difficult to accept. Even the usually boisterous Kushina was trembling slightly, let alone the more sensitive Mikoto.
At that moment, Hayato Ren suddenly took both girls' hands in his and comforted them in a gentle tone.
"It's alright. Those bandits are all wicked people. We're eliminating a public menace - getting rid of them will allow more people to live. Don't burden yourselves with guilt."
After hearing Hayato Ren's words, the expressions on Kushina and Mikoto's faces improved considerably.
Tsunade, who had been observing from the side, nodded slightly. She had thought she would need to intervene personally. Although Hayato Ren was the weakest in the team aside from Charmander, his mental fortitude was the most mature among the three. When their teacher Tsunade wasn't around, Hayato Ren undoubtedly served as the team's backbone.
Soon, the time reached 2 AM.
After exchanging glances, Hayato Ren and the other two began quietly making their way up the mountain.
Meanwhile, at the mountain pass, two lookout lackeys were chatting idly.
"Do you think anyone would come at this hour?"
"How could anyone come to this godforsaken mountain valley?"
"Then what's the point of us being here?"
"Perhaps they were trying to fill the gap left by the lack of guards inside the stronghold."
The two chattering bandits remained unaware that a pair of dark eyes had silently appeared behind them.
Seeing that neither had noticed him, Hayato Ren drew two brand new kunai from his ninja tool pouch.
With two soft "thuds," the sharp kunai pierced the throats of the two bandits. They didn't even make a sound before departing to the underworld for reincarnation.
Warm blood flowed along the kunai into Hayato Ren's palm, yet his heart remained completely unperturbed.
His only thought at that moment was hoping the bloodstains on the kunai would be easy to clean.
After eliminating the only two bandits on night watch, Hayato Ren and the others advanced unimpeded into the stronghold.
Following the original plan, Kushina and Mikoto positioned themselves to block the main gate of the stronghold, while Hayato Ren located the rear escape route.
Once everyone had reached their designated positions, Hayato Ren nodded to Charmander.
Charmander immediately opened its mouth and used Flame Jet. The previously silent stronghold instantly burst into flames.
Since all the structures in the stronghold were wooden, the fire spread rapidly, illuminating the dark night as bright as day.
Within moments, the sleeping bandits scrambled up in panic, running around like headless flies.
"Fire! Fire!"
"The flames are huge! Put it out quickly!"
"Help! My leg is trapped! Save me!"
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
...
Charmander moved like an assassin, harvesting the lives of the bandits against the backdrop of the flames.
Most bandits turned into spirits before they could even comprehend what was happening.
The few who understood the situation didn't fare any better.
Charmander's attack was too unexpected for them; they didn't even have time to grab their weapons.
Not that having weapons would have made any difference against Charmander anyway.
Occasionally, a few bandits would come near Hayato Ren, but all were swiftly ended by his kunai.
These bandits might have been capable against unarmed civilians, but against professionally trained ninja, they could only await their fate.
After the entire stronghold had been burned to ruins, Hayato Ren and Charmander headed toward Kushina and the others.
Arriving at the main gate, they found Kushina and Mikoto pale-faced as they stared at several corpses nearby.
Although Kushina and the others hadn't sustained any injuries,
the experience of their first kill had left deep shadows in their hearts.
In response, Hayato Ren could only gently pat their shoulders a few times.
The rest would have to be left to time to heal.
Just then, Tsunade suddenly appeared behind the three of them and clapped her hands.
"Well, you three completed this mission quite excellently. As a reward, how about I treat you to barbecue when we return to the village?"
Even though everything was over, the scent of burning still lingered in the air.
Upon hearing the word "barbecue," Kushina and Mikoto's expressions immediately turned extremely uncomfortable.
Watching the two women run to the other side and vomit violently, Tsunade wore a smug smile on her face.
Hayato Ren could only say helplessly:
"Teacher Tsunade, aren't you being a bit too sadistic?"