"Boss, eight hundred meters ahead, there are ten people hiding on both sides of the road. They're all armed. They don't seem like shinobi—probably bandits trying to ambush us," Megumi reported quickly while looking at the lens display.
"Got it."
Natsuki raised a hand to halt the group. He scanned the area himself and confirmed they weren't ninja.
"Just a bunch of small fry," he said to Rinya and Megumi. "Wanna play with them? It's been a boring walk so far."
Rinya immediately replied, "Yeah, it's been pretty dull. Boss, Megumi, leave the small fry to me. I'll be done in no time. Though, Boss, how should I deal with them?"
Natsuki waved his hand. "Just subdue them first. Aoba-sensei can use Mind Reading Technique later. If they're scum, then we kill them."
Killing was inevitable for a shinobi—just a matter of time.
So, the three of them were mentally prepared. The reason Natsuki didn't ask Rinya to go straight for the kill was simply because he didn't want to murder indiscriminately. Even in a twisted world like this, he refused to become a butcher who disregarded life. Kill when necessary, but spare those who don't deserve death. That was all.
It wasn't about being a saint—just his bottom line.
Rinya nodded and quickly formed a few hand seals before slapping the ground.
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu: Karasu Gun!" (Summoning Technique: Flock of Crows)
"This is the Scatter Chidori Technique my bro taught me!"
As he spoke, the summoned crows swooped into the bushes ahead, driving the hidden bandits out. The place erupted into chaos.
These weren't ordinary crows but summoned beasts. No matter how wildly the bandits slashed at them, they couldn't land a blow. Instead, they were pecked and clawed repeatedly.
Rinya dashed forward, and in the blink of an eye, knocked each bandit to the ground with one kick each. The whole thing didn't even take two minutes.
The mustached merchant and his four guards swallowed hard. They hadn't expected a twelve-year-old ninja to have such skill, taking out ten armed men alone. And that boy called "Boss" hadn't even made a move yet—he must be even stronger.
As for the instructor walking at the rear, well, there was no need to even mention him.
They had previously dared to complain about these powerful ninjas. The fact they hadn't retaliated already was mercy enough. They'd better be more respectful from now on.
Natsuki smiled. "Aoba-sensei, Rinya's improving fast, huh?"
Aoba nodded slightly. "He's been working hard. It's only natural that he's made progress."
"Heh, or maybe he just wants to show off in front of a certain someone. Isn't that right, Megumi?"
Natsuki's teasing remark made Megumi blush. She immediately realized he had seen through the situation between her and Rinya and shot him a glare.
Natsuki simply shrugged. Teasing was fine, but he didn't intend to interfere.
Still, he remembered Megumi used to be part of the Sasuke fan club. How did she forget about Sasuke so quickly and start liking Rinya?
Maybe… their names really are fatefully linked?
Soon, Rinya returned, dragging the ten subdued bandits behind him. Grinning, he said, "Boss, all done!"
Then he gave Megumi a smug look, as if to say, "See how awesome I am?" making her blush again and roll her eyes.
Natsuki nodded and looked toward Aoba.
Aoba approached the bandit leader, performed a few hand seals, and placed his hand on the man's head. After a short while, he withdrew it.
"They're just drifters trying to charge people for passage."
"Then beat them up and dump them by the roadside."
Since Natsuki was primarily in charge of the mission, he had the authority to decide how to deal with them. No one objected.
Rinya personally gave the ten bandits a good thrashing before tossing them aside.
"Alright, keep moving. Once the sun sets, we'll stop and camp by the road."
Under Natsuki's orders, the group resumed their journey. But the merchant caravan moved painfully slow, and the sun soon began to set again, forcing the team to stop.
If it were just the ninja, they'd have reached the Fire Capital before nightfall.
But they were escorting this slow merchant group—who hadn't even bothered to bring horses—so naturally, things dragged out.
Still, this was part of being a shinobi. More missions lay ahead, and such situations were normal. Less complaining was better. Besides, field camping was inevitable for future missions, so it was good to get used to it now rather than suffer later in worse conditions.
Natsuki took out a scroll and summoned several tents, along with pots and pans.
Of course, this setup was for his own team. The merchant group was responsible for their own food and shelter.
After all, Team 9's mission was only to escort and protect in dangerous situations—nothing more. And considering the mustached merchant had been rude at the start, there was no need to go out of their way for them.
So, while the five merchants gnawed on dry rations, they watched enviously as Natsuki's group cooked a hot meal.
Later, while the merchants huddled by their cart for the night, Natsuki and the others slept comfortably in tents. They even arranged for night shifts. Otherwise, the merchants probably would've cried.
The night passed uneventfully. The well-rested Team 9 looked at the merchants' tired faces and couldn't help but feel a bit of smug satisfaction.
These guys called themselves merchants, yet they hadn't even brought tents? Either they were broke or just stingy.
And they had the nerve to complain about the shinobi Konoha sent?
You can't even spend 800 ryo on yourself, and you expect the Hokage to personally protect you?
The rest of the journey went without incident. After all, this was the main road from Konoha to the Fire Capital. With Konoha shinobi escorting the group, most bandits wouldn't dare make a move—unless they were desperate or suicidal.
Besides, the merchant's goods were so shabby that they weren't even worth robbing.
By evening, the group finally reached the Fire Capital, officially completing the mission.
Team 9 immediately parted ways with the merchant caravan. With night falling, they decided to stay in the city and take a stroll.
Truthfully, the mission had been pretty boring.
If they hadn't encountered those bandits along the way, they probably could've completed the whole thing while yawning or napping.
What Natsuki looked forward to most was just enjoying the city and picking up a few gifts for his girlfriend. Everything else was secondary.
Aoba found a cheap inn and kindly said, "The Fire Capital is quite lively at night. Go out and have fun—but make sure to come back tonight. And remember, we're Konoha shinobi. Don't cause trouble, but don't be afraid of it either. Just don't bring shame to the village."
"Yes, Aoba-nii / sensei! We're off to play!"
(End of Chapter)
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