Naruto: From Novice to Grave

The Third Shinobi World War began with the Sand Village's invasion of Konoha, but the war between the two sides was also the first to end.

Both sides are currently bogged down in their respective adversaries and have no time for another battle, leaving only a small number of guard troops on the border as a precaution.

As a buffer zone and main battlefield between the two countries, the situation in the Land of Rivers has not improved since the signing of the peace treaty between Sunagakure and Konoha. Two years have passed, and the domestic situation is still in a state of chaos.

War destroys production, and chaos breeds rioters.

Bandits, rogue ninjas, wandering ninjas, samurai, and various minor ninja clans gathered in a small country between the five great nations, fighting each other for petty gains or meaningless beliefs.

A vibrant scene of life, where everything flourishes.

Among the small and medium-sized countries, the Land of Rivers has a considerable territory, but it does not have its own ninja village. The missions assigned to the country are mostly taken by Konoha, with Sunagakure also getting a share.

The daimyo and nobles of the land of Kawano, who were served by two great powers in turn, were not worried about the safety of their positions, so they did not care that the country was in ruins.

As long as the important and bustling towns are safe and sound, no one cares how many people die in the vast rural areas.

Anyway, those people have the "leek" mentality. As long as the gentlemen close their eyes and open them again in a few years, they will be surprised to find that the population has been refreshed. How amazing!

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In the forest on the border of fire and river, the three members of Higashino Makoto's team did not leap between the trees, but instead ran forward on the ground.

Suddenly, the leader, Uzuki Yugao, stopped and squatted down to examine the area, as if searching for something.

"This is definitely the right direction!"

Moonlight Gale nodded and said, "Then let's continue the pursuit!"

Higashino Makoto followed at the back, saying nothing, but silently changing direction with his two teammates.

Of the three members of the team, Uzuki Yugao is the weakest, so everyone is intentionally working to develop her abilities in various aspects.

The land of rivers is teeming with bandits, and some of the clever ones from the border of the land of fire often cross the border to do business here.

The villages and towns in the Land of Rivers that could be plundered have all become impoverished, with no more profit to be made. Staying in their own country and getting caught up in the infighting is not as enjoyable as plundering the wealthy people of the Land of Fire.

It's all about taking risks, but fortune favors the bold. What if we're lucky enough not to be caught by the ninjas?

They were incredibly naive, completely lacking any understanding of the tracking and mobility capabilities of ninjas.

Soon, the three-person team entered the territory of the River Country. As the forests thinned out and the hills rose into mountains, a cluster of log houses came into view at the foot of a mountain where a river flowed.

It looks new, but the style is rough and primitive, so it must have been built not long ago.

Uzuki Yugao asked, "Seriously, are there ninjas inside?"

Since adapting to the life of a ninja, the little girl seems to have suddenly grown up, and no longer calls Higashino Makoto and Gekko Hayate "brother".

"No, they're all ordinary people."

"Alright then, let's finish this quickly, just like before."

Having said that, the three drew their weapons and charged directly into the makeshift camp. Strength was the guarantee of confidence; dealing with these ordinary bandits, there was no need for stealth or assassination.

The people in the stronghold quickly noticed them and, upon seeing the Konoha headbands on the three people's heads, immediately knew who they were.

But instead of running away, they fiercely drew their weapons and charged forward, shouting and yelling. They had all sorts of weapons, including knives, spears, clubs, and axes, and their faces were extremely fierce.

"Damn it, he's a Konoha ninja."

"Just three little devils."

"Kill them, and we'll be safe once we kill them."

So they were too naive. They had no concept of the strength of ninjas and no understanding of how a great nation's ninja village operated.

Higashino and his two companions were like tigers among sheep; no matter how hard the group swung their weapons, they couldn't touch a single hair on their heads.

Screams echoed across the chaotic battlefield as tall adults fell one by one. Finally, someone realized the disparity in strength between the two sides and understood one thing: ninjas, even those who looked like children only a few years old, were not someone they could defeat.

The remaining bandits scattered and fled for their lives, but it was no use. The three men, relying on their speed, steadily reaped lives. There was no disgust, revulsion, or excitement in their eyes.

Nearly two months have passed since the initial killings. The three members of the team, reminded by Moonlight Cloud, have re-examined their hearts and have not become psychopaths who enjoy killing.

Ninjas need to kill, but they cannot be controlled by killing.

This is just a job, and the people I'm killing are a bunch of ruthless bandits.

When facing ordinary civilians in the ninja world, they remain youthful, sunny, humble, and polite young men.

The screams suddenly stopped; all the bandits had turned into corpses, except for their leader who was still alive.

This was a tall, middle-aged man with long, flowing hair, his face covered in scars, and a fierce expression.

He knelt on one knee, leaning on his long sword, his gaze towards the three little ones filled with deep-seated hatred.

"I never imagined that even the children in the Great Ninja Village were like monsters. Did you hear me? You're all monsters! Why don't you just die?"

Higashino was already tired of hearing such insulting words: "Yeah, but aren't you the same?"

"We are not monsters, we are rebels. It is you ninjas from great powers who have turned my country into a battlefield, forcing us into this situation."

"I'm sorry, maybe you're right, but a mission is a mission. You crossed the border and robbed two villages and a town in the Land of Fire, killing more than 30 people. It's time to pay the price."

The scarred leader sneered, "When will you ninjas pay the price for your killings?"

"There will be a day when you pay the price, but you won't see it. Goodbye!"

This really exists. The Goddess of the Rabbit still hangs in the sky, and the chakra of ninjas is all her food.

After speaking, Higashino raised his right hand, revealing his thumb and forefinger, and made a shooting gesture towards the scarred leader.

A tiny chakra ball condensed at the tip of the index finger, with sharp wind-attribute chakra swirling around the tail of the ball, spinning wildly. Overall, it looked like a miniature badminton shuttlecock.

【Wind Release: Wind Finger Spear】

Another unmarked ninjutsu developed by Makoto Higashino, a modified and weakened version of the Wind Release: Rasengan, was inspired by the Water Release: Water Gun Technique of the Kirigakure Hozuki clan.

Does the original Higashino Keigo really know how to use it? Of course he does, but does killing someone require that much chakra? No, chakra is life itself, and he hates wasting it, so he improved it.

Under the horrified gaze of the scarred leader, the spinning chakra bullet, accompanied by a faint whistling sound, instantly pierced his heart.

Extremely sharp wind-attribute chakra exploded within his body, completely shattering his life core. The scarred leader felt only a slight pain in his heart before collapsing to the ground and losing his life.

Hayate Gekko and Yugao Uzuki had seen this move before. They admired it and wanted it, but they couldn't do it. It required the ultimate combination of form and nature transformation of chakra. They didn't know how many more years of training it would take to achieve that.

"Alright, this C-level mission is now complete."

After Uzuki Yugao finished her announcement, the three of them entered the mountain stronghold to search for cash and valuables. If they found any special information, that would be considered an unexpected gain.

Nearly two months have passed since the last time they wiped out the Sea Shark Gang, and they have already completed several similar missions.

Some missions will involve rogue or roaming ninjas, raising the mission level to B, but most will be C-rank missions that do not involve ninjas.

There is no A-rank. A-rank missions involve special jonin or jonin, and these people have a good status in the village. Even if they defect, they can live well anywhere. There is no need for them to become bandits, which has no future.

The money received after each mission was a pleasant surprise. After all, how much is the reward for a C-level mission? Even for a B-level mission, the maximum reward is only 20 taels, which has to be split among four people.

Just like the previous D-level beast clearing mission, why did Higashino mark each beast killed on the map? That's because the farm needs to send people to collect them, and then convert the cost into money for them.

The large ship that yielded the spoils from annihilating the Sea Shark Gang will also be converted into cash by the officials of Hema Port. No one dares to embezzle the money of the ninjas from their own village unless they want to die.

However, the four men from the third team unanimously agreed to give the money from the sale of the large ship to the rescued victims.

Ninjas are tools, but they cannot be ruthless.

After finishing packing, Higashino Makoto, seeing what he had gained, happily said, "Let's go back and meet up with the teacher. I heard the hot springs in town are nice; it'll be a good time to relax."

Doing tasks is so hard, can't you enjoy yourself a little?

Besides, none of them are short of money these days.

The village won't ask for any extra income from missions. After all, ninjas live in the village and their expenses are not low. The meat will eventually rot in the pot anyway, so there's no need to take it back by order. That would discourage the subordinates.