In a village utterly massacred by bandits.
With Sharingan activated, Yasu confirmed the number of bandits: a total of 34.
he locked his gaze on the four bandits heading to fetch wine.
"It's so exhilarating! The way those two I killed knelt on the ground begging for their lives was so satisfying!"
"Who says it isn't?"
"But this village is a bit poor. Even after looting it, there's so little money. By the time it's divided among us, we might not get much."
"It's already good. Have you forgotten that the last village was even poorer? Some of us didn't get any money at all."
"Don't worry, didn't the boss say that the Land of Rice Fields is tapped out? He said he's going to take us to the neighboring Land of Hot Water to make a fortune."
.....
Like a phantom, Yasu silently appeared behind one of them, the cold gleam of a kunai flashing as it sliced across the man's neck.
The other two smelled a familiar scent of blood and glanced at the bandit whose throat had been cut.
And that glance was their last, as Yasu slit the throats of both bandits.
The last bandit hadn't even noticed his companions being killed and was still enthusiastically talking about future plundering plans.
"I heard that although the Land of Hot water is a small country like the Land of Rice Fields, it's very wealthy. Robbing just one village in there might bring in more money than robbing all the villages in here combined. We'll definitely get a share then."
"Ahh, just thinking about it is exciting. Don't you think so? Life is really looking up for us. I told you, being a bandit is a promising career. Do you believe me now?
Hey, why aren't you guys talking?"
The bandit, who had been talking non-stop, noticed that the other three weren't saying anything. He looked over in the firelight and his hair stood on end.
The three bandits were clutching their necks, blood gushing from their mouths. They wanted to say something, but with their windpipes severed, they could only cough up blood.
Suddenly, the bandit felt a pain on the skin of his neck, instinctively touching it, his hand instantly covered in warm liquid.
A feeling of suffocation followed, his face turning red, and finally, he fell to the ground with his companions.
Yasu flicked the blood off his kunai, glancing coldly at the corpses on the ground.
Hmm... feels quite stimulating.
"30 left."
After muttering a number, he disappeared back into the shadows, continuing his assassination.
his plan was to eliminate the stragglers first, then wipe out the remaining bandits in one fell swoop.
"29... 26... 23..."
He was reaping the lives of the bandits.
The bandits were still immersed in the joy of the feast.
"Hey? Where's Shinichi? Didn't he say he was going to take a leak? Why hasn't he come back yet?"
"He wouldn't have gotten drunk and fallen asleep somewhere, would he? That kid's tolerance is so bad, haha."
"Something's not right! Soha, Tsukasa, Ryusuke, and Yuri, the four of them went to get wine and haven't been seen since."
"Futo is also gone!"
...
After Yasu assassinated so many people, the bandits finally started to realize something was wrong.
The bandit leader immediately organized the remaining bandits, gathering them together and calling out numbers.
There were originally 34 people, but now only 21 remained, a full 13 people missing.
The bandit leader decisively shouted: "Everyone, grab your weapons!"
He then led the bandits to search for their companion.
When they saw the bodies of their companions on the ground, the bandits felt a chill run down their spines.
So many people had died without a sound. This kind of unknown was the most terrifying.
"Earth Release: Earth Spear Jutsu!"
Yasu appeared behind the bandits, forming hand seals and pressing his hands on the ground.
He created sharp rocks in the ground beneath the bandits, several of whom were directly impaled by the sharp rocks.
The faster-reacting bandits immediately retreated, dodging the attack.
The bandit leader stared in horror at Yasu, whose figure was obscured in the shadows.
A ninja!
In the ninja world, even a Genin has an extremely high status.
And this status comes from strength.
Before the advent of chakra, the highest status belonged to the samurai.
Now, only the Land of Iron remains with samurai. Moreover, even some samurais nowadays have begun to train chakra, no longer purely training in swordsmanship.
These bandits are just ordinary people. Facing a ninja, even a Genin, is difficult to defeat.
So, after realizing it was a ninja, the bandits were all frightened.
The bandit leader understood that if they retreated now, they would likely be picked off one by one. They had to gamble to have a chance.
Moreover, he felt that the opponent's strength couldn't be too high. Otherwise, he wouldn't need to resort to assassination.
"Don't panic! There are more of us! There's only one of him! Don't lose your composure! Listen to my orders, everyone charge together!"
After stabilizing the emotions of the crowd, the bandit leader shouted: "Charge together and kill him!"
Hearing their leader's order, all the bandits charged towards Yasu in a frenzy.
Yasu quickly formed hand seals.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
He gathered chakra in his throat and spewed a huge fireball forward from his mouth.
The bandits at the front were directly blasted into the air by the fireball, flames engulfing their entire bodies.
"Don't be afraid, keep charging! As long as we get close to him, we can kill him! If we retreat now, we're completely finished!"
The bandit leader stood at the back, yelling at the top of his lungs.
Yasu formed hand seals again.
"Water Release: Water Bullet Technique!"
A stream of water shot from his mouth, impacting the bandits.
However, this water stream could only push back the bandits, unable to cause effective damage.
But now small puddles had appeared on the ground, and most of the bandits were covered in water.
After forming hand seals, Yasu touched his hand to the puddle.
"Lightning Release: Thunder!"
His hands erupted with dazzling lightning, illuminating the dark surroundings.
The lightning conducted through the water, shocking the bandits until black smoke rose from their bodies.
He then drew the katana from his waist and charged straight forward, beheading each of the bandits who were paralyzed by the electricity.
The bandits who hadn't been splashed with water stared at him in horror. They hadn't even touched him, and already most of them were dead or wounded.
How could they fight this?
The remaining bandits instantly turned around and ran in a panic.
And during the escape, they realized that their leader was long gone.
After beheading all the bandits who were paralyzed by the Lightning Release, Yasu whispered '9', then slightly crouched, putting strength into his legs, and darted out like a cannonball.
After three years of training at the ninja academy, plus a month of intense training by Orochimaru.
Even without using Lightning Release chakra to activate his body, Yasu could now reach the speed he had when he first learned The Thunder Breathing.
Yasu, like a messenger from hell, continued to reap the lives of the last remaining bandits.
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