Chapter 41: The classic bandit hunting mission (Part 2) [BONUS]

Chapter 41 - The classic bandit hunting mission (Part 2) [BONUS] {HERE IS THE 1ST BONUS Chapter FOR ADDITIONAL 10 REVIEWS} Team 1 soon arrived at a location where numerous footprints and wagon tracks marked the ground. Utakata observed the scene for a moment before speaking. "This matches the description given by the village chief about the bandits stealing caravans. Can you still trace the chakra trail?" he asked, turning to Hitoshi. Hitoshi closed his eyes briefly, his kikaichu moving around before he responded. "Yes, it's faint, but I can still track it. The trail leads towards the mountains." Utakata nodded and glanced up at the sky. "It's already noon. Rather than waiting until nightfall, it would be more effective to eliminate them now. Hitoshi will lead us as close as possible to their location. Once we reach the target area, Ren will infiltrate first. His task is to find the missing children and confirm our suspicions regarding the bandit chief. Once we have that information, we'll formulate a plan. Let's move." The team moved swiftly towards the mountain, sticking to the trees for cover. Once they arrived, they each took positions, blending into the dense foliage. Hitoshi spread his kikaichu, letting them swarm the area undetected. After a few moments of silence, he spoke, "I've identified the cave where the chakra trail ends." Ren immediately created a shadow clone, supplying it with 500 chakra points. His mastery of the Shadow Clone Jutsu had reached an advanced level, allowing him to distribute chakra to his clones as needed. Hitoshi released a small insect, which buzzed in front of Ren's clone. "Follow this bug. It'll lead you to the cave," he instructed. The clone nodded and silently followed the insect through the thick trees, navigating carefully until it reached a clearing. At the entrance of a cave, two bandits stood guard, their stance relaxed, completely unaware of any approaching threat. The clone positioned itself behind a tree, quickly molding chakra to create two hardened stones using Earth Release. After ensuring no other bandits were in the vicinity, he flicked his wrists, launching the stones with precision. Both bandits collapsed instantly, knocked unconscious before they could even react. Ren's clone approached the cave entrance cautiously, scanning for hidden traps or weapons. Finding none, he suppressed his presence and masked his scent it was a basic yet essential stealth techniques taught at the academy. Moving inside, he immediately noticed bandits stationed at regular intervals. Instead of engaging them, he leaped onto the ceiling, using chakra to cling to the surface as he advanced deeper into the cave unnoticed. The tunnel led to a large chamber where most of the bandits had gathered. At the center of the room sat a hulking man on a pile of rocks, polishing his blade with a cloth. He was engaged in conversation with two boys standing before him. Ren could not see the boys' faces, as their backs were turned, but he focused his chakra to enhance his hearing. The bandit chief's deep voice echoed in the chamber. "You two did a fine job bringing in the girls. Since they're sisters, some perverted bastard might be willing to pay more." One of the boys responded in a sly tone. "There are still more pairs of sisters in the village. We can get more if you want." The other boy chimed in eagerly. "Yeah, Chief. We'll get them out of the village, and you can take them. But when are you going to unlock our chakra, like you promised?" The chief let out a rough laugh. "Don't worry, I'll help you soon enough. Now go. Plan how you'll snatch more girls. I need to rest." The boys nodded and turned around. Ren waited patiently, wanting to confirm his suspicions. As soon as the boys turned, his eyes narrowed, their faces matched the missing boys from the village chief's report. He also located the kidnapped girls, bound and gagged in the corner of the chamber. With his objectives completed, he carefully made his way back out of the cave. On his way, he dragged the unconscious guards near a tree and concealed them before dispelling himself. The real Ren absorbed the memories instantly. Turning to his team, he reported, "The girls are alive. The bandit chief plans to sell them. The two missing boys weren't kidnapped they actually joined the bandits willingly in exchange for having their chakra pathways unlocked. They were the ones who helped abduct the girls. There are fifteen people inside the cave, including the chief and the two boys. I knocked out two guards at the entrance and hid them, so there are thirteen left inside." Utakata gave a small nod, absorbing the information. After a brief silence, Utakata gave his orders. "We will complete the mission as assigned. Eliminate all the bandits and rescue the kidnapped children. Since we have reason to believe that two of the four abducted individuals are working with the bandits, we will confirm this first. If the information is accurate, they will also be eliminated." His gaze swept over the three genin before he added, "You three decide who will deal with the bandit leader. The other two will handle the rest. Ren, before you go inside, finish off the two you knocked unconscious." As soon as Utakata finished speaking, Yugao stepped forward. "I want to take on the leader. Both of you had some roles in the mission so far, so at least let me handle the strongest opponent." Ren had no objections. From what his clone had observed earlier, the bandit leader was only Level 12 barely genin level. He wasn't particularly interested in dealing with someone that weak. The remaining bandits would be enough for his first time. Hitoshi also gave a nod of agreement. Before they moved, Utakata spoke again. "Ren will retrieve the girls first. Just in case anything happens, you need to confirm with them whether or not the boys were truly their kidnappers. I will be watching, but I will not interfere. And one more thing..." He paused, looking at each of them. "No matter what happens do not stop." Then, without another word, he vanished. The three genin exchanged glances before setting off toward the cave. Ren separated from them momentarily to finish off the two unconscious guards. He found them still lying where he had hidden them.Without hesitation, he pulled out two kunai and plunged them into their chests. Blood spurted out, staining his hands as their bodies was still just like it was before they were killed. He checked their breathing to ensure they were truly dead, then wiped his kunai clean and rushed back to the others. Yugao cast a glance at him, her lips slightly parted as if she wanted to say something. He already knew what she wanted to ask 'Are you okay?' But the truth was, he didn't feel anything. There had been no hesitation when he killed them, no sickness in his stomach, no guilt in his heart. It was as if he had done this before. But that wasn't possible right? Pushing those thoughts aside, Ren simply nodded at Yugao, signaling that he was fine. She didn't press further. Together, the three entered the cave. Yugao sprinted ahead without hesitation, heading straight for the leader while Ren and Hitoshi focused on clearing the hallway of bandits. Ren moved swiftly, his kunai slicing through throats with precision while Hitoshi just swarmed them with his insects. The bandits barely had time to register what was happening before they collapsed. Most were barely Level 7 or 8 about as strong as academy students. They were no challenge. By the time Ren entered the main hall, Yugao had already reached the bandit chief. "What the hell? Who are you br-" The moment she laid eyes on him, she didn't even let him finish his sentence. The sound of steel piercing flesh silenced him. Yugao's sword had already been driven straight through his chest. Meanwhile, Ren reached the two girls and immediately ungagged the older one. As soon as she could speak, she shouted without hesitation. "The two of them are with the bandits! They kidnapped us!" Her furious gaze was directed toward the two boys standing nearby. One of the boys scowled, his face twisting in anger. "You bitch! You think we wanted to do this?! We just wanted to have access to our chakra, to become strong! You think we're any different from those brats who came to save you? They were just lucky to be born in Konoha! If we had the same chances, do you think we'd be weaker than them?!" Ren finished untying the girls as the boy's rant continued, then turned toward them with kunai in both hands. "Well, this sounds more like a 'you' problem." Before they could react, he thrust both kunai into their throats. They gagged and choked on their own blood, some of it splattering onto Ren's hands. Their eyes widened in disbelief as life faded from them. Their bodies hit the ground with dull thuds. Ren turned away without a second thought and scanned the remaining bandits. There were still three alive. Without hesitation, he flicked his kunai at them, the accuracy sharpened by his 89% shurikenjutsu mastery. All three fell instantly. Once the team confirmed that all enemies had been eliminated, Ren picked up the younger girl who had fallen unconscious at some point while Yugao helped the older one to her feet. The three exited the cave and found Utakata waiting for them outside. The jonin gave a single nod. "Good job." Then he turned to Ren. "The boys?" Ren wiped his bloodstained hands on a cloth and responded simply, "With the bandits. The girls confirmed it, and they also confessed. I eliminated them." Utakata gave another nod. "Understood. Let's get the girls back." The team rushed back to the village, moving swiftly through the trees. The younger girl remained asleep on Ren's back, while Yugao carried the older sister. They reached Hito Village in no time. The guards at the entrance immediately called for the village chief, who arrived within minutes. He looked relieved the moment he saw the girls safe. Utakata stepped forward and spoke in a neutral tone. "The mission is complete. The bandits have been eliminated, and the kidnapped girls have been safely recovered. The two boys were not kidnapped they willingly allied with the bandits and were responsible for abducting these two girls. You can confirm this with her." He gestured toward the older girl. The girl, who had already run to her parents, turned back and firmly nodded. "It's true. The boys helped the bandits take us." The village chief's face paled. "We... we had no idea..." His voice was laced with fear, knowing how seriously Konoha treated cases of false information. Utakata shook his head. "Don't worry. This won't cause any problems for your village." The chief visibly sagged in relief. With a deep bow, he took out a stamp and pressed it onto the mission scroll, then handed it back to Utakata. "Thank you for your service, Shinobi-sama. I hope you and your students have a bright future ahead." Utakata accepted the scroll, nodded at the village chief, and turned to his team. "Let's go." Without another word, Team 1 vanished into the trees, heading back to Konoha. {So even though it was the first C-Rank mission there was no overused plot of something going wrong so I guess you can overlook for me not making some other mission right?} {Anyway tell me how you thought the Chapter was} {Even though I am not giving any benefits yet you can support me if you want to on http s://k o-fi .c om/zeenon Alternatively you can support me on UPI ID- goyalanmol1310@okicici}