Deep into the night.
Mirai suddenly opened her eyes.
Stepping outside her room, she found Kurenai Yuhi and Asuma Sarutobi already waiting there.
Mirai greeted them casually, "You two are early."
Kurenai rubbed her hands together: "A little nervous."
Asuma tilted his head up with a soft snort.
Soon after, Shizuka Yuhi also stepped out from her room.
Mirai and the others exchanged glances before vanishing into the night.
...
Several miles beyond the village, after climbing a steep mountain path, lay a hideout on a flat plateau atop the hill—a place that resembled a small village.
Scattered flames flickered in various places, occasionally followed by bursts of noisy chatter.
Mirai's group halted at the outskirts of the hideout. Shizuka Yuhi spoke solemnly, "C-ranked missions are different from D-ranked ones. If you're not careful, people can really die."
"I won't be intervening, so make sure to stay safe."
"One thing only—I want no mercy shown!"
Seeing the seriousness on Shizuka Yuhi's face, both Kurenai Yuhi and Asuma Sarutobi nodded solemnly.
"Begin the mission!"
At that command, Mirai and the other three instantly disappeared from sight.
Just like during practice, they separated into three directions and stealthily advanced toward the hideout.
With the enhancement of the Sharingan, even under heavy darkness, Mirai could still see everything clearly around her.
One, two, three...
After identifying where the bandits were stationed, Mirai confidently strode forward.
A lookout bandit spotted Mirai's sudden appearance and was about to shout an alarm when he immediately lost consciousness under a genjutsu.
[Ding! Congratulations, Master — Reward acquired: Physique +0.5!]
"There really is no limit!"
Receiving another reward, Mirai couldn't help but grin slightly.
Death rides the wind by my side.
The slaughter began.
[Ding! Congratulations, Master — Reward acquired: Physique +0.5!]
[Ding! Congratulations, Master — Reward acquired: Spiritual Power +0.5!]
[...]
System alerts continued ringing one after another while Mirai's stats continuously increased.
Since Mirai made no effort to conceal herself, chaos had already erupted inside the hideout.
After the initial panic subsided, every bandit in the camp rushed toward Mirai's location.
"It's this guy—gang up and kill him!"
Seeing the horde of charging bandits, Mirai placed a hand to her forehead and laughed: "You lot really want to dance, huh?"
Mirai charged headfirst into the encircling bandits, cutting through them left and right.
He moved with lethal precision, each strike cutting down a life with ruthless efficiency.
In no time at all, the bandits were left dead or gravely wounded.
Not a single one had so much as grazed Mirai Uchiha's cloak.
"Damn it! This guy's a monster! A monster!"
"We're all going to die! Run now!"
"He's from Konoha! Those two bastards didn't warn us!"
"Get out of my way! Let me escape first!"
Under Mirai Uchiha's onslaught, the bandits began to flee in disarray.
"That won't do."
These were his experience points for strengthening his power. Mirai Uchiha had no intention of letting a single one escape.
[Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique]
[Fire Release: Flame Bullet]
...
With swift hand seals, Mirai Uchiha quickly continued reaping the lives of the bandits.
After half a while, the screams faded.
The bandits had been completely wiped out by Mirai Uchiha.
...
"Truly unexpected."
Shizuka Yuhi, observing quietly from a distance, couldn't help but shake his head.
Initially, he had expected Mirai Uchiha to eliminate them one by one through surprise attacks.
Who would've guessed this guy would charge straight in head-on?
Indeed, just like a ninja from the Uchiha Clan—always acting unpredictably.
...
Arriving at the center of the hideout, Mirai Uchiha found Sarutobi Asuma and Kurenai Yuhi standing there.
Their bodies were caked in filth, and they wore grim expressions.
It looked like they'd gone through hell.
Seeing Mirai Uchiha looking spotless and untouched, both Kurenai and Asuma felt somewhat ashamed.
If not for Mirai having drawn most of the bandits' attention, they probably would have been in an even worse state.
"What exactly is your meaning?"
Looking at the dozen or so elderly, weak, and injured people crouching before them, Mirai frowned.
"Mirai, they've already surrendered."
"These people aren't really a threat anymore, are they?" Kurenai explained.
"Don't you remember what Instructor Shizuka told us before?" Mirai replied coldly. "Having mercy on enemies will get you killed."
"Hey, how can you be so heartless?"
"You want us to kill these old people and children too?!" Asuma shouted angrily.
Meanwhile, those crouching figures on the ground began crying uncontrollably as one.
"Come here," Mirai Uchiha said coldly.
A terrifying aura radiated from him.
He had just killed dozens of people, and both Kurenai Yuhi and Asuma Sarutobi felt too intimidated to look him directly in the eye.
"Mirai... I... I'll do as you say."
Kurenai lowered her head in apology while Asuma clenched his fist tightly, yet neither dared to defy Uchiha Mirai's command.
Just as they were preparing to leave, an unexpected crisis erupted.
The bandits on the ground grabbed handfuls of dirt and threw them at Asuma and Kurenai.
"You little brat are really ruthless!"
A burst of white smoke erupted. From among the crouching crowd, two old women emerged with twisted faces, launching simultaneous attacks on Kurenai and Asuma.
"Not good—it's ninja!"
Asuma and Kurenai's faces changed drastically.
They never imagined that among these seemingly harmless elderly villagers were actually two ninja who'd used the Transformation Jutsu.
"There's no way to dodge!"
Asuma and Kurenai desperately closed their eyes in despair.
At such close range, attacked by surprise without any preparation, they had no chance to react whatsoever.
Slice!
Slit!
Two swift slicing sounds rang out. Uchiha Mirai arrived just in time, using his long katana to slit the throats of the two stealthy ninja.
Thud!
As the bodies collapsed onto the ground, a voice from the System once again echoed inside Uchiha Mirai's mind.
[Ding! Congratulations, Master! Successfully looted reward: Chakra +1!]
[Ding! Congratulations, Master! Successfully looted reward: Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!]
Ignoring the voice momentarily echoing within his mind, Uchiha Mirai turned his gaze toward Kurenai and Asuma. "You two handle the rest."
Although he could earn rewards by killing the remaining enemies himself, helping Kurenai and Asuma adapt quickly to being ninjas made losing a few stat points completely insignificant.
After all…
they would be his teammates for a long time to come.
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