Chapter 23: The First Kill
The location of the bandit suppression mission wasn't far. For ninjas, it'd only take half a day on foot. So the group that set off in the morning arrived at a nearby village in the evening.
However, the three of them didn't go into the village. Instead, at Ling's insistence, they stopped in the woods around the village.
"Why did we stop here?" Madara looked a bit confused. "Didn't you say the bandits often harass the village? Shouldn't we go and investigate now?"
"Well, that's how you see it, Madara," Ling said with a gentle smile. "While it's a valid approach, it's a bit too rushed... Kenji, can I leave the reconnaissance to you?"
"Sure. Wait a sec while I dig it out..." Uchiha Kenji reached back to his ninja tool pouch and took out a small spray bottle filled with light green liquid. He handed it to Ling and said, "Use it sparingly. That Hiro guy's a real rip - off."
"What's this?"
"It's a reagent that only shows color in a cat's eyes," Uchiha Kenji didn't try to hide it. "I'm a bit hopeless at finding my way... So when we need to split up, I usually have my teammates carry the color - showing reagent. After the investigation, I'll get a summoned beast to help me find my way - I've got one myself too. The color - showing effect lasts for about half a day."
Madara felt a complex mix of emotions, but on the surface, he just nodded coldly to show he understood. Then he turned to Ling. "What are we gonna reconnoiter?"
"We're gonna look into the possible connection between the village and the bandits," Ling said gently. "According to the info we have, these bandits have been lurking around the village for ages, and they can always tell caravans from disguised officers and soldiers. Do you get it, Madara?"
Madara glanced at Uchiha Kenji who had quietly run towards the village. He seemed to understand. "You mean... there might be bandit informants in the village? So to avoid tipping off the enemy, we need to send someone to gather intel first?"
"You're half - right," Ling nodded with a faint smile on his lips. "Another possibility is that the whole village consists of [bandits]."
Madara didn't quite understand this time and asked directly, "Why do you say that?"
"Because the taxes and laws of the lord this village falls under are extremely harsh. I once saw a farmer deliberately send a message to the bandits to have them come and rob him, so as to avoid having all his belongings taken away - there's a tax law here that says, '[Those who are robbed by bandits are exempt from the monthly tax. The unpaid tax will be covered by the local official in charge.]'"
Ling paused for a moment. "But I'm not sure if this law has been changed. It's always better to be careful."
Madara nodded thoughtfully. "Looks like I gotta pay more attention to this kind of hidden info from now on... If only my big brother and I had come, this mission might have been a bit difficult in terms of investigation. After all, I'm better at frontal combat..."
"No, there's a way for two of us," Ling shook his head. "Missions are static, but people are flexible. There's no absolute rule for doing missions. One should adapt to the situation... Alright, let's go to the surrounding mountains to investigate the bandits' gathering points."
Madara responded by following Ling's steps. Then, Ling took this opportunity to teach Madara many tricks of Concealment and identifying traces. Many of them were different from the clan's teachings but more efficient - though they also had a lower margin of error in operation.
Not long after the two found the bandit stronghold, Uchiha Kenji also returned with his ninja cat. "Most of the people in the village are old people and children. There are few young adults, and each family's food supply doesn't last more than ten days - but every family's fields are well - managed. How about you guys?"
"The opposite of yours," Ling turned his head, with a much fainter smile on his lips. "It's really the last situation I want to encounter... Hide and rest. Act at dawn. Don't let any bandit in the stronghold go."
Uchiha Kenji nodded and said nothing more. Madara seemed to understand something too, but he didn't care. Whether there was any connection between the bandits and the villagers was none of his business. After all, this was just an ordinary mission.
When the moon had set and the sun hadn't risen, the three resting men almost moved simultaneously. Ling lowered his voice. "Kenji, go to the watchtower. I'll go to the houses. Kill anyone you meet on the way. Try not to make a sound. Madara, you follow behind to finish off the wounded and make sure no one fakes death."
Taking advantage of the night's Concealment, the three easily crossed the stronghold's wall. As the blades flashed, bloody blossoms symbolizing the fading of life silently unfurled one by one. A one - sided massacre was taking place in this stronghold.
During this, Madara also stabbed the Tantō forcefully into the neck of the person in front of him. The feeling of the blade cutting through flesh and blood, and the hideous and resentful expressions of the dying people made him extremely uncomfortable.
After roughly going through the stronghold, the three no longer walked together but dispersed to search for survivors in the stronghold.
Madara also chose a direction and searched house by house. However, he still couldn't help recalling the feeling of the sticky and warm blood splashing on his hand and then quickly losing its temperature.
[Is this what it feels like to kill someone... It's really unpleasant.]
Stopping again in front of a door, Madara frowned as he heard the heavy breathing behind the door. After gathering a little strength, he concentrated his chakra on the soles of his feet and kicked open the door.
The wooden board flew apart the moment it was hit, and the person hiding behind the door fell to the ground with a cry of pain. Madara walked into the room, drew the Tantō from his waist, and was about to end this person's life so that he could go to the next house to search. But at this moment, a young voice sounded. "Bad guy! Don't touch my dad!"
Madara followed the sound and saw a young girl glaring at him with rage. Behind the girl, a woman was frantically pulling her back, her face filled with terror. When she noticed Madara looking their way, despair welled up in her eyes. "Please, spare the child at least! She's just a kid, doesn't know anything. She'll forget about this soon. Have mercy, please!"
The woman's tearful plea made Madara hesitate for a moment. His eyes involuntarily scanned the simple yet warm interior of the house. He lowered his eyelids, but his grip on the Tantō tightened. "Sorry... It's my mission. I'll end it fast."
As his words faded, Madara spun the Tantō in his hand and thrust it straight into the chest of the man who had been kicked away and was now trying to sneak up on him. Warm blood splashed, and the room fell silent.
Note: The content of this book is fictional. The characters' actions do not represent the author's views. Do not imitate or judge the author based on them.