"They're coming!"
Seeing Taiichi's sudden reaction, Yohei and Saori looked at him, confused.
"It's the worst-case scenario," Taiichi sighed.
"No way..." Yohei muttered, disbelief written all over his face.
Saori gasped, covering her mouth in shock.
"After we left, three more people showed up at the Village Head's house," Taiichi explained. "My Shadow Clone overheard their conversation. The village isn't just sheltering bandits. They are the bandits."
Taiichi shook his head, still amazed by the absurdity of it. "The entire village decided to quit being normal people and go full criminal together. I've heard some weird stories, but this takes the cake."
"Taiichi, what do we do now? Do we really have to... kill the whole village?" Saori asked, her voice trembling.
"We don't have a choice. The mission order was specific: 'Total extermination of those involved.' We are ninja. The mission comes first," Taiichi said, steeling himself. His voice was hard, but he was trying to convince himself as much as them.
Yohei and Saori hesitated, but eventually nodded.
"But just to be absolutely sure, we need one final confirmation," Taiichi said, looking at his teammates. "Which one of you knows Genjutsu?"
Saori immediately turned to look at Yohei. Taiichi followed her gaze.
Yohei looked back at them, bewildered. "Wait, why are you guys staring at me? I never said I knew Genjutsu!"
"Don't all Uchiha with the Sharingan specialize in Genjutsu?" Saori asked, her eyes wide with innocent, pure ignorance.
"I mean, yeah, the Sharingan gives a buff to learning it, but I haven't actually learned any yet!" Yohei said, sounding exasperated.
"Alright, I'll do it," Taiichi sighed. "I'm not an expert, but I know a little."
He glanced at his Attribute Panel.
> [Yin Release Nature Transformation: Lv3 (24/400)]
> [Genjutsu: Tree Binding Death (C-Rank) Lv2 (243/200)]
> [Genjutsu: Fox Mind Sly Technique (C-Rank) Lv2 (273/200)]
Against regular civilians, this should be plenty.
Yohei and Saori looked at him with envy. "Seriously, is there anything you can't do?"
"Here's the plan," Taiichi instructed. "We go back, secure the Village Head, and I'll use Genjutsu to interrogate him. We need the full story before we act."
---
The trio slipped back into the village.
It was dead silent. Every house was dark, the villagers fast asleep. Under the cover of night, three shadows crept into the Village Head's home.
Standing over the sleeping old man, Taiichi silently wove hand signs.
Genjutsu: Fox Mind Sly Technique.
He carefully manipulated the man's chakra, slowly amplifying the fear deep within his subconscious. Because he took his time layering the illusion, the Village Head didn't notice a thing. Inside the dreamscape, he spilled everything.
They were originally just villagers. Years ago, they had been bullied and oppressed by the actual bandits in the fortress on the hill. But prolonged suffering didn't make them empathetic. Instead, it twisted them. They realized that being the oppressor was much more fun than being the victim.
After the original bandits were wiped out and the fortress abandoned, a seed of darkness began to sprout in the village.
It started when a merchant team stayed the night. Their wealth triggered the villagers' greed. The merchants died in a trap set by their hosts.
After that, it spiraled out of control. They pulled off several more "jobs." Anyone in the village who disagreed or refused to join in was killed under false pretenses. They used the abandoned fortress up on the hill as a decoy to throw off investigators.
This strategy had worked perfectly, allowing them to dodge the Capital's forces twice. Until the ninja arrived.
After hearing the full confession, the three Genin looked at each other. The world was truly a messed-up place. But the facts were clear: these people had to pay for their crimes.
Taiichi drew his tanto and drove it straight into the Village Head's heart.
The sharp pain snapped the old man out of the Genjutsu. He looked at the three young ninja, then down at the blade in his chest. A bitter, miserable smile crossed his face.
"I knew it would end like this," he mumbled, and then he was gone.
Now came the hard part. As agreed, they split up. Under the cover of darkness, they moved from house to house to carry out the final purge.
Earlier, Taiichi had talked a big game about "The Mission comes first." But actually doing it was a different beast entirely.
Taiichi stood over a sleeping child. The boy couldn't have been more than five years old. He knew nothing of the world, nothing of his parents' crimes. Yet, he had to die by Taiichi's hand.
Next to the boy lay the bodies of his parents, their throats already slit.
Taiichi's hand, usually steady as a rock, was trembling. The blade hovered near the child's neck, but he couldn't bring himself to make the cut.
He tried to rationalize it.
If I leave him alive, he'll grow up hating me. I'm just cutting the roots.
He ate the food bought with blood money. He's complicit.
An orphan in this world? He's better off dead.
None of the excuses worked. They all felt hollow.
But in the end, Taiichi sliced the blade across the boy's throat.
The reason was simple: Taiichi wanted to live. He wanted to survive, and he wanted to protect the people who cared about him. His strength was limited; he only had enough to protect his own circle. He couldn't afford the luxury of mercy for anyone else.
At least, that was what he told himself.
Looking at the lifeless family of three, something inside Taiichi shifted. Since getting his Cheat Ability, his life had been smooth sailing. He had been floating, treating this world like a game. But now, his frivolous heart was finally settling, becoming heavy with reality.
He saw himself clearly. He saw the Ninja World clearly. He understood where he stood in this cruel ecosystem. This grim realization laid a solid mental foundation for his future growth.
> [Congratulations. Mental State Evolved. Spirit +1]
> [Evaluation: You finally look like a real ninja. Before this, you were just a child playing dress-up.]
Taiichi glanced at the notification, his eye twitching. The text box mocked him, threatening to break his newfound calm. He looked away, ignoring it, and stepped out of the house toward his next target.
But peace is fragile. Just when you think things are under control, chaos erupts.
SCREECH—BOOM!
A signal flare screamed into the sky, exploding in a burst of light that illuminated the entire village.
"Damn it! That's Saori's sector!" Taiichi abandoned his current target and sprinted toward Saori's location.
By the time he arrived, the village was awake. The farmers who had been cowering in fear during the day were now swarming out of their houses, clutching weapons and converging on them with murderous intent. Yohei arrived from the other side at the same moment.
"I'm sorry! Taiichi, Yohei... I got spotted by someone going to the bathroom, and he set off the flare," Saori said, her voice small. She looked miserable, clearly blaming herself for messing up.
"It's fine," Taiichi reassured her. "Stealth was just to stop them from scattering. Now we just have to do it the loud way."
With his mindset shifted, Taiichi no longer cared if some of these people were technically "innocent." They chose the bandit life; they chose the consequences.
"Yeah, don't sweat it, Saori. I was actually bummed I didn't get to test my new Jutsu. Now I have the perfect audience." Yohei grinned, looking at the mob of angry villagers rushing toward them. He started weaving hand signs.
Rat – Ox – Dog – Horse – Monkey – Boar – Tiger.
"Fire Style: Great Fire Destruction!"
Yohei spat out a massive fireball. It didn't just explode; it hit the ground and spread like a tidal wave of flame. The front line of the mob was instantly swallowed by the sea of fire. They didn't even have time to scream before they were incinerated.
Taiichi stared, stunned. That was C-Rank? No way. Since when could Yohei pull off something with that kind of destructive power?
He turned to look at his teammate. The Yohei who had been full of energy a second ago was now face-planted on the ground, completely limp.
Taiichi's face went blank. Seriously? You drained your entire chakra reserve just to show off? We're in the middle of a fight!
Yohei looked up, grinning sheepishly. "Got a little excited... used up all my chakra. The rest is up to you guys."
Taiichi sighed. He created a Shadow Clone to drag Yohei to safety, then turned to Saori.
"Let's go. We need to hunt down the stragglers."