Naruto: The Scourge

The night was as dark as ink, and the world was shrouded in darkness. Clouds churned, with no trace of moonlight to be found. Occasionally, a gust of wind roared past, rustling the branches and leaves, producing a screech like that of a night owl.

At the foot of the mountain, Yuji raised his head to look at the sky. Feeling the biting cold of the wind against his cheek, he murmured, "Looks like it's going to rain."

The bandits' stronghold was situated at the mountaintop, accessible by only one path. They guarded it well, making the stronghold difficult to breach. However, for ninja, taking down such a base was not a challenge.

Orochimaru led the three directly up the steep mountain wall, stealthily infiltrating the stronghold without alerting a soul.

Hiding behind one of the simple houses, Orochimaru didn't give Yuji and the others time to observe the personnel distribution. Instead, he made a hand gesture, signaling them to take immediate action.

Infiltrating the stronghold was only to minimize external threats. The primary goal of this mission remained shedding blood and facing blades directly. Orochimaru forbade Yuji and his teammates from gradually taking down the bandits through assassination.

Kushina and Hokuto hesitated upon seeing Orochimaru's hand signal, their faces showing a trace of doubt.

When he saw the two still standing in place, Orochimaru furrowed his brow slightly but did not urge them further. He understood this was a process all academy graduates needed to experience. They didn't have to be cold-blooded yet, but they needed the ability to remain indifferent to bloodshed.

Compared to the hesitation of Kushina and Hokuto, Yuji acted decisively. As soon as Orochimaru's signal fell, Yuji locked onto a man who had stepped into a corner to relieve himself and charged directly at him with a kunai in hand.

The low sound of his footfalls on the sandy ground startled the man in the corner. Turning his head and catching the faint light of the fire, he saw only a kunai plunging toward his throat.

"Enem—"

The man's eyes widened. Before he could finish his shout, the sharp kunai easily pierced his throat. Warm blood spurted out, splattering across Yuji's face.

The warmth of the blood on his face, combined with the pungent metallic scent in the air, stirred an uncomfortable feeling in his stomach. Yuji kept his arm extended, staring blankly into the man's eyes filled with despair and resentment.

"Gurgle..."

The dying man made a meaningless sound as the light in his eyes gradually dimmed.

Yuji maintained his gaze, staring into the man's eyes until all light faded. Only then did he slowly withdraw the kunai, wiping the blood from his face with his hand. It was his first time killing someone—watching a life snuffed out by his own hand—yet he didn't feel much guilt. It was as if he had merely slaughtered a chicken for a meal.

In truth, he had seen too much tragedy in his youth. He had witnessed people maim others cruelly for just a piece of bread. He had once pondered whether, if conditions had been dire enough, cannibalism might have occurred.

Thud.

The lifeless corpse collapsed to the ground with a soft noise. Without sparing the body another glance, Yuji silently rushed toward his next target.

From the shadows, a faint smile curved Orochimaru's lips. Kushina and Hokuto, however, stood frozen, staring blankly at Yuji, who was bathed in blood.

Hokuto trembled slightly. As a timid individual, this was his first time witnessing such a bloody scene. Despite having mentally prepared himself beforehand, the reality overwhelmed him.

Kushina, looking at the fallen corpse, saw that the head was turned toward her. Under the firelight, the lifeless eyes seemed to retain an air of resentment.

She bit her lip slightly, stepping forward cautiously. Yet, after just one step, she froze like a statue.

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