Gekkō Hayate asked, "What do we do now—charge straight in?"
"Let's clear the hidden sentries first, so no one escapes when the noise starts. They couldn't get far anyway, but chasing is a pain."
"All right, we'll do it your way."
Gekko Yun Jian simply followed the three the whole time, saying nothing; this was the students' mission, a process they had to experience themselves.
He would only step in to correct a wrong decision—like an emotionless newbie guide in a game.
Most of a Jonin leader's job is exactly that.
Higashino Shin led the squad straight to the next Hidden Sentry. The perception granted by absorbing White Natural Energy worked like a full-coverage radar, mapping not just Chakra but the entire terrain inside his head.
Ultra-smooth reading from a Taiwan-novel selection
Still not as shameless as the Hyuga Clan—those guys come with built-in X-ray vision once their eyes open.
When they reached the spot, Yūgao Uzuki suddenly said, "Let me handle it; I'll finish them."
Higashino Shin didn't object. "All right, be careful—it's only two ordinary Pirates inside."
The girl clenched her small pale fists, took a deep breath, and, copying Hayate's method, slipped quietly into the cliff-side cave.
By the time Higashino Shin and the others caught up, Yūgao was trembling slightly but had completed her first kill without a hitch.
That's how it is for Ninja: psychological conditioning begins the day you enroll, so very few lose sleep over taking a life.
If you really can't stomach it, you either retire or request a non-combat post.
The first step is the hardest; once that's done, the rest flows smoothly. The trio spent a while clearing the outer sentries, then regrouped under Higashino Shin's lead outside an unremarkable wide isle deep in the Dog Fang Archipelago.
Ahead lay a broad stretch of water, a Large Ship moored upon it.
Beneath the wide isle a simple pier had been built; a sloped cliff face was carved into steps that climbed to a midway cavern entrance.
Light spilled from the opening—this was the Sea Shark Gang's lair.
After silently dispatching the guards outside, Gekko Yun Jian asked, "Shin, do you sense any Ninja inside?"
"Two of them; their Chakra feels about like our Chunin instructors at school."
"Need me to act?"
Gekkō Hayate quickly stopped him. "No, Sensei—leave them to us."
"Go on then—clean the place out."
The three exchanged glances, drew their weapons, and rushed in. The tunnel was short, brightly lit and raucous.
A crowd of burly men in assorted clothes were holding a debauched party: some drinking, some gambling, others passed out on the floor.
Young women in skimpy clothes served them, while villagers in slave garb ferried food and drink; a single mistake earned a brutal beating, the onlookers roaring with laughter at the spectacle.
These bastards sure knew how to enjoy themselves—this place was their paradise.
It was the first time Hayate and Yūgao had seen such a scene, and one thought blazed in their minds: slaughter every last one of these scumbags.
Cut every head clean off.
Compared with Ninja from other Villages, Konoha Ninja generally lean more toward justice—after all, the Village was founded by the great man Senju Hashirama.
Hayate and Yūgao charged first, sweeping through the hall like a whirlwind; blades rose and fell, replacing the drunken laughter with screams.
Higashino Shin formed the Shadow Clone Seal, sent three clones elsewhere, and followed the pair into the fray, striking like lightning—each blade kissed a Pirate's throat with surgical precision.
Nauseated by killing? Not a chance. After the first odd sensation, he now felt only exhilaration. Watching panicked Pirates drop one by one, writhing like fish out of water—this was art.
Is art eternal? Is art an explosion? No—art is the red arc the instant a blade kisses a neck.
Higashino Shin suddenly realized that once the floodgate of slaughter opened, he might be turning a little twisted.
In his previous life the honest man who'd never even killed a chicken now discovered a hidden side.
———
When the Carnage ended, corpses littered the ground.
The abducted civilians huddled in the corner, trembling, staring in horror—yet no one wept; many even watched with satisfaction as the once-arrogant thugs became cold corpses.
He died too cheaply—should've tortured him for days.
Higashino Shin had no time for torture; he wasn't here for revenge. It was just a job: wipe out every Sea Shark Gang member operating inside the Land of Fire.
The job was done.
After the rush of battle, Yūgao Uzuki looked at the carpet of corpses and felt a little sick, but mostly satisfied—every last one of these bastards deserved to die.
Gekkō Hayate stepped up to the cowering men and women. "Any Sea Shark among you?"
They glanced at one another, then all shook their heads—no clever little imp hiding among the victims.
Certain nothing was missed, he studied the cave: several wooden-doored rooms stood open, corpses inside.
"Shin, where are the two Ninja hiding?"
"In the sealed Stone Chamber."
The moment chaos erupted in the hall, the two Sea Shark Ninja leaders had peeked through the Spy-Hole—no need to guess; only Konoha Ninja would come here.
They had zero wish to throw their lives away against Konoha Ninja. Even if the three intruders looked like kids, Rogue Ninja live for easy money and freedom—dying ruins the business.
So the pair ran. They'd expected this day; Cash and Valuables were packed into two bulging chests.
Too bad Higashino Shin had already slipped in through their room's Hidden Passage.
He wasn't one for chatter. Facing two men gripping Kunai, he opened with several Wind Release: Shadowless Swords.
Invisible blades of wind were far beyond these Chunin-level foes; before they sensed danger, their hands—and Kunai—were shredded by the sharp wind Chakra.
Shin lunged, kicked, and sent both crashing through the wooden door to land among the corpses in the hall.
Two grown men, nearly thirty, dressed plainly but wearing hitai-ate—one Iwagakure, one Sunagakure, each slashed: Rogue Ninja.
Which begged the question: why wear a scratched Forehead Protector after deserting?
Does that mark of the Five Great Ninja Villages earn respect among thugs? Or is a Rogue from a great Village proof of strength?
Sounds about right.
We're both grassroots, but a Harvard grad isn't the same as a technical-school dropout.
Even the Ninja World has a hierarchy.
Shin's main body looked down at the pair. "Sunagakure and Iwagakure are still at war, yet you two deserters get along. Don't you hate each other?"
The lanky Suna Rogue sneered, "That's the Village's grudge, not mine. Dying for some stupid reason would be idiotic."
"You've got life figured out."
The stocky Iwa Rogue sensed an opening. "So you agree, Konoha Ninja. Let us go and all this money is yours."
Shin felt his intelligence insulted and cut them down with two backhanded slashes.
Dead or alive, the money's still mine.
But he was an honest man; he only thought it—shouting it would betray the will of fire.
Gekko Yun Jian entered, unrolled a sealing scroll, and sealed both corpses. Dead Ninja could still yield intel for the Analysis Squad.
For Ninja, interrogation doesn't require a living tongue—corpses work too.
With their skill level, neither Rogue would carry a Fuinjutsu brain-Seal.
"All done?"
Shin dispelled his Shadow Clone. "Yes, sensei. I cleared every Sea Shark in the rooms. Cash and Valuables are in the two Rogue's chamber."
"Good. Have the victims gather their things; we'll sail the big ship back to Hemo Port. We'll need the Local Officers to sign off the mission and scuttle this vessel."