Konoha: Naruto, trained by Aizen

"Damn it, this kind of boring mission doesn't improve my strength at all. At this rate, when will I ever have the strength to find the truth and then knock that man out?" Sasuke punched a tree in frustration.

He has thought about this very deeply during this period.

However, whatever Itachi's original intentions were, he would not easily forgive him.

He would knock Itachi unconscious and force him to help him revive the Uchiha clan.

The glory of the Uchiha clan will one day be restored.

but.

I'm now doing those kinds of low-quality jobs like finding pets and farming.

Keep in mind that Itachi's hands were already stained with blood at this age!

Compared to him, I'm like a little kid who hasn't even grown all his feathers yet!

“Kakashi-sensei, Sasuke and Sakura’s strength has also reached a bottleneck. It’s time to let them experience the cruelty of ninjas.” At this moment, Naruto stepped forward and said softly.

"The cruelty of ninjas, Naruto, you mean..." Kakashi narrowed his eyes, lost in thought.

Prior to this, Kakashi had received similar hints from the Third Hokage.

A ninja who hasn't been baptized by death is ultimately a rookie.

Naruto's strength is improving faster than expected, so they have no reason to deliberately suppress it.

It's time to let Naruto see blood.

However, Kakashi ignored this hint.

In his view, a ninja squad cannot serve an individual.

Each member of a ninja squad is unique and irreplaceable.

All missions involving bloodshed carry a certain degree of danger. The best time to accept a mission is only after confirming that all members have honed their character and abilities to a certain level.

Kakashi looked at the three of them; the adorable students' faces were filled with anticipation.

Just like Obito back then.

He chuckled lightly: "Since you've all put it that way, then let's take a mission to leave the village."

"Hooray!!!" Sakura was the first to cheer.

Even Sasuke, who is usually arrogant, had a look of joy in his eyes.

"However," Kakashi emphasized, "you must listen to my instructions and not act on your own!"

Soon, Kakashi accepted a slightly more challenging D-rank request.

Slay the bandits near Nightwish Town.

After the Fourth Shinobi World War ended, many displaced people and ninjas formed small gangs and committed crimes while on the move.

Their initial intention may have simply been to survive.

But as time went on, they became the very people they once feared most.

Nightwish Town is half a day's journey from Konoha. This group of bandits was very clever; they took control of Nightwish Town that very day, preventing anyone from having a chance to leave.

However, despite their meticulous planning, they did not anticipate that the man who left the town would accidentally discover that his hometown had been occupied through special coded markings within the town, and thus rush to Konoha to seek reinforcements.

The request was classified as Rank D, meaning even a low-ranking ninja could complete it.

Chapter Sixty-Three: The Commission in Progress

The next day, as dawn broke, Class 7 had already assembled at the entrance.

Because of their promotion request, they quickly packed up and set off for Nightwish Town.

The entire team remained completely silent throughout the journey.

Kakashi and Sasuke are both people who don't like to talk, while Sakura is nervous because it's her first mission outside the village.

Although Naruto had a smile on his face, he seemed to be thinking about something.

This is the first time in his history that he has left Konoha.

The air outside the trees is fresh and free, and small animals can often be seen moving among the bushes.

Naruto felt as if the sword that had been hanging over his heart had disappeared, and he felt a sense of relief he had never felt before.

So this is what freedom tastes like.

As they walked, Kakashi broke the silence by speaking first:

"This is your first mission outside the village. I will not interfere. You need to first gather intelligence on the bandit group, then formulate a plan, and finally complete the mission."

What are your thoughts on this commission?

“Timing,” Naruto said.

"Hmm, for example?" Kakashi became interested.

"At our current pace, we should reach our destination before nightfall and begin gathering intelligence. Nighttime is the best time to execute the plan. Under the cover of darkness, we can rationally assign responsibilities to each person. The thief gang may be insignificant, but the timing of their elimination is crucial. If we alert them, it could cause unnecessary trouble."

“That’s right, Naruto is absolutely right.” Kakashi’s eyes were filled with undisguised admiration.

"This is also the biggest challenge you will face in this mission. This will be your first time committing murder."

After he finished speaking, the atmosphere in the team became somewhat somber.

Sasuke's eyes flickered, and it was unclear what he was thinking.

Sakura's face was full of resistance.

After all, they are only 12 years old.

Only Naruto remained calm and composed, his expression gentle.

He was surprisingly calm as he faced his first impending killing.

After half a day of travel, they successfully arrived near Nightwish Town.

A little further on, we'll encounter hidden sentries.

The physical conditioning during the journey also brought some minor problems to the seventh squad.

Due to Sakura's lack of stamina, they were delayed a little along the way.

"Then, begin your task execution." Kakashi created three clones, each assigned to follow one of his team members.

“The three of us will split into three groups to gather intelligence. First, we’ll use Nightwish Town as a central point…” Naruto immediately got into the zone, adjusted his glasses, and began to formulate a plan for intelligence gathering.

After completing the plan, the three of them disappeared into the forest.

Naruto moved through the forest and soon stood on a high place, observing the entire town with its rising smoke. His spiritual pressure gathered in his eyes, helping him to see the situation in the town more clearly.

This is a small town that can accommodate fewer than a hundred people. The economy is relatively depressed, and the villagers rely on agriculture for self-sufficiency.

All that could be seen now were people dressed in rough clothes and with fierce faces. Naruto noticed that no one was working in the fields. It was likely that the farmers had been controlled or killed.

During his observation, Naruto even saw several men dragging naked women out of the house. The women being dragged looked desperate and were like empty shells.

If these bandits hadn't appeared, the town's residents would surely be living a peaceful and carefree life.

There was no malice, no prejudice, only day-to-day labor and mutual help among neighbors.

In the ninja world, this is a rare and precious quality.

But all of that was destroyed.

Naruto's eyes darkened, and for some reason, a boiling killing intent was brewing in his heart.

This intensity was unprecedented, even when he was under the influence of the Nine-Tails' chakra.

After Naruto memorized everything in the town and the distribution of sentries, he temporarily retreated.

.....

night.

Soon, the trio reunited and shared the information they had gathered.

Compared to Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura obtained very fragmented information.

Naruto, still acting as the strategist, laid out a simple map of the town.

"Based on previous intelligence gathering, the bandit group has about 20 members. The leader and deputy leader have a rough flow of chakra, but they are not even at the genin level. I estimate that they are not even proficient in using the Three Body Techniques."

"So he poses no threat to you." Naruto then looked at Sasuke: "Sasuke, I'll leave this vice-leadership to you. Any questions?"

“No, just a small fry,” Sasuke said coldly, but Naruto saw tension in his cool eyes.

He chuckled softly, "If you're scared, you can leave it to me."

Upon hearing this, Sasuke's face flushed red, and he retorted, "Scared? I'm not scared! Leave it to me!!"

After being provoked by Naruto, Sasuke found that his tension had eased considerably.

“In that case, it’s settled.” Naruto pointed to a few places on the simplified map: “This area is mine, Sasuke is in charge of the leader, and Sakura, you’re in charge of this area.”

“Remember this.” Naruto’s gentle expression vanished, replaced by a serious look and a low voice: “Be ruthless, don’t hesitate.” He pulled a kunai from his ninja tool pouch.

"If there are no problems, let's get started."

As soon as he finished speaking, Naruto saw Sasuke disappear from sight.

He chuckled softly to himself.

Sasuke has a really strong competitive spirit.

But Sakura was still standing there, looking somewhat dazed.

The girl gripped the kunai tightly with both hands, her fingers even turning slightly white.

Seeing this, Naruto understood that Sakura's daily life of laughing and joking at the Ninja Academy, but accepting a mission that required bloodshed and even killing, was quite a leap for her.

He walked over to Sakura and whispered, "You must be scared."

"Hmm." Sakura's shoulders trembled as she mumbled, "I...I dare not."

“This is something you have to go through to become a ninja.” Naruto ruffled Sakura’s pink hair. “The real world is different from what we learn in textbooks. From the day we become genin, we have already stepped into this world.”

"Sakura, your grades are always among the best in the class, but do you know why your combat results are always surpassed by Sasuke?"