The forest we were moving through was called Piteruichi. It was vast, spanning across several provinces. In this forest, you could find common trees like maples, ashes, yews, and oaks, along with many others. However, there were also trees that I recognized only from the books at the Shinobi Academy. These trees were either products of local evolution or influenced by chakra. Some were so tall that a small shopping district could easily fit atop their canopies.
The Piteruichi Forest has a long and rich history. When the Land of Fire was just forming, before the villages existed and even before the parents of the First Hokage's great-grandfather, the ancestor of the current daimyo, were minor local lords, there was an uprising. The history books say it was because he could no longer endure the tyranny of the ruler of another country that existed here at the time. I was skeptical of this account, knowing that no daimyo would allow their great ancestors' names to be tainted with such a scandal. However, the story goes that he lost the first battles because his opponent fought dishonorably, and the gods punished him for it. The future Daimyo of the future Land of Fire somehow managed to secure a small contract with the Uchiha clan and persuaded the Senju clan not to side with his opponent.
These agreements immediately gave him the leverage he needed for future victories because the Uchiha clan was always the strongest, especially during those times of constant shinobi clan wars. This didn't mean his opponent lacked allied shinobi clans, but they were no match for the Uchiha. After the first victories, a small merchant clan named Sarutobi joined the future first daimyo of the Land of Fire, bringing with them the Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi clans. Together, they formed a powerful force that crushed the other daimyo's allies, leading to uprisings in all provinces. After several years of active war, during which the Uchiha and Senju clashed several times, victory ultimately favored the future first daimyo of the Land of Fire and the ancestor of the current daimyo.
The Piteruichi Forest holds significance because it was here that a minor noble, on the brink of execution, hid with the remnants of his forces and managed to negotiate with the Uchiha. This small but crucial event is a key part of the forest's history.
Our caravan moved steadily along the path, covering kilometer after kilometer, though not at a fast pace. Today, it was my turn to lead the caravan and keep an eye on the surroundings. So far, I hadn't noticed anything unusual. The absence of animals was curious, but not yet alarming, as we hadn't ventured far from the village. At least, that's my perspective.
I had to walk beside the caravan leader, who paid little attention to me. That suited me just fine, as I assumed he had seen much in his life. I wasn't eager to engage in conversation either, so this arrangement worked well for both of us.
Then, a rabbit with a broken leg appeared in front of us. The most striking thing about it was that its brain was visible, not covered by a skull but by a strange, plasma-like substance. It paused, twitching its ears, then attempted to continue moving. It seemed to be a chakra beast.
So, what should I do about this? There's no sign of aggression yet, but the broken leg makes me doubt we can simply pass by it. The caravan leader continued guiding the wagon calmly, not paying any attention to the rabbit.
"There's a rabbit," I said to the caravan leader.
"And?" he responded calmly, without any intention of changing course.
"Maybe we should go around it?" I suggested, a bit uncertain.
"I don't get paid for that," he replied, still not altering his direction.
Well, if he's not getting paid for it, then I guess it's up to me. I ran a little ahead, grabbed the rabbit by the neck, protecting my hand with a piece of cloth, and quickly moved it off the path. Its leg might be broken, but that doesn't mean I should take away its last chance. That's just not my way.
The caravan leader simply shrugged and kept driving the wagon as if nothing had happened. I decided not to dwell on it either. We kept moving.
We didn't encounter any more chakra beasts on the road, though I had a feeling something was rustling in the bushes.
Occasionally, I would glance at the captain and signal that everything was fine, that I wasn't dozing off. We followed protocol, and the captain's responses were just as by the book, which made the journey smoother. Time seemed to pass more quickly this way, and nothing appeared to signal any trouble. But then...
I sensed movement in the bushes and heard a faint "Ting!" out of the corner of my ear. A bad feeling washed over me. I spotted a gray, shiny dot heading straight toward me. My reflexes took over, and I jumped to the side, rolling on the ground. Another shot rang out, and another silver dot flew—not at me, but at the caravan leader.
A kunai appeared in my hand, and without hesitation, I threw it to intercept the incoming projectile. Just then, an arrow struck the spot where I had been moments before. My mind quickly processed the situation, and realization hit me. I shouted:
"Alert! We're under attack!"
I hurled two shurikens with all my strength into the bushes that had begun to stir. For a moment, I thought they hit something solid, maybe human flesh. Meanwhile, my kunai successfully deflected the arrow aimed at the caravan leader.
"Alert!" came Shiko's loud voice from the rear of the caravan. "We're under attack!"
It became clear that bandits were hiding in the Piteruichi Forest. I realized this as soon as I saw the arrow lodged in the ground. Peaceful villagers wouldn't hide in bushes and shoot arrows at traders under shinobi protection.
The bushes rustled, and two bandits jumped out from them. I couldn't call them anything else. Although... they weren't dressed like ordinary bandits but rather resembled rogue samurai. They wore dark kimonos with intricate patterns and wide hakama pants designed for freedom of movement. The katanas in their hands gleamed with a cold, polished light.
They didn't stop to talk or wait for me to make the first move. No, like true bandits, they quickly closed the distance, holding their weapons aggressively. Without much thought, I threw several kunai at the one on the left and several shuriken at the one on the right. The one on the left, who was trying to flank me, skillfully dodged, showing that he wasn't just wearing a samurai's outfit. The other, on the right, wasn't a simple laborer either. He used his blade to deflect two shurikens. The third struck the armor protecting his shoulders. Not good.
The first bandit swiftly slashed his katana at me. I instinctively jumped to the side, feeling the blade's tip pass just centimeters from my body. The second attacker lunged at me, trying to catch me off guard, but like a dancer, I gracefully slipped past his strike, almost feeling the cold metal on my skin.
Ah, so, the first thing I can say is that the situation isn't too bad. They're definitely not on my level physically. Most likely, they can barely control chakra, but not enough to become shinobi. This brief moment was enough for me to devise a plan for further actions. The only thing I can't forget is that there might be an archer hiding in the bushes somewhere, ready to shoot me at the most convenient moment.
Quickly turning around, I delivered a powerful punch to the first bandit's stomach, knocking the wind out of him. He doubled over in pain. The second bandit tried to take advantage of my momentary distraction, but with the grace of a predator, I dodged his strike and, closing the distance, delivered a crushing kick to his face. There was a crack because I didn't intend to hold back. I released a bit of chakra at the moment of impact, just as I was taught in the books.
The second bandit was thrown aside as if he were made of paper. He rolled on the ground and stopped in an unnatural pose. An arrow whistled through the air. On pure reflex, I dodged. The arrow struck the wagon, slightly startling the ox pulling it. The driver, however, had hidden and wasn't coming out.
My reaction to the archer was almost instantaneous. I managed to notice where the arrow had come from, and by intuition, I created a technique:
"Earth Style! Stone Spear Jutsu!"
Someone in the bushes immediately screamed in pain. Looks like I hit. The scream of pain appeared and disappeared just as quickly. I turned to the still-living bandit, noticing that he had started slowly retreating backward. Is he trying to escape? Or is it some kind of trap for me? Strange, strange.
Pulling out another kunai, I spun it on my finger through a small ring. The bandit looked at me with a grim expression and tightened his grip on his katana. He didn't want to be captured, but even more, he didn't want to die.
I took a step forward, slowly and inevitably. The bandit took a step back, moving closer to the bushes.
"Look!" I shouted loudly. "A bear!"
"What?" he asked and looked in the direction I was pointing. That was his mistake because there was no bear. But that moment of distraction was enough for me to swiftly close the distance, twist his arm, and disarm him of his katana. With one powerful strike, I swept his legs out from under him. The bandit tried to hit me on the leg, but that was his biggest mistake because all his weight was on one leg.
A swift movement to change my position, and a sweeping strike straight between the legs.
"Oof!" the driver exclaimed for some reason.
The bandit began to sink to the ground, whimpering like a beaten dog. I glanced at the driver, who clasped his hands between his legs as if trying to protect his most precious asset. Understandable, a blow between the legs is definitely not something any man would want to feel. Although, maybe there are some who enjoy it...
The bandit was completely out of the fight and was now just lying on the ground, trying to overcome the pain that must be radiating throughout his body. I calmly approached him, kicked him in the ribs, and rolled him onto his stomach. Then I tied his hands and feet and gagged him. Just as they taught in the academy books.
Only after this did I allow myself to exhale a little. Of course, I couldn't lose vigilance because the bandits might try to attack again, hoping we would relax and fail to react in time. But after a few minutes, nothing happened. The fight at the rear of the caravan was over, as well as in the middle.
Just then, Captain Kiochi landed next to me, quickly scanning my condition with his eyes. Seeing that there were no problems, he relaxed slightly.
"Genin Mashina, report."
"Yes, Captain," I replied. "We were attacked by bandits. They shot arrows at us, and then two bandits tried to kill me. The attack was repelled, and one of the bandits was captured."
I pointed to the bound man, who was glaring at me with great anger. It seemed he had already started to regain some of his senses. I didn't particularly like the way he was looking at me. I wanted to walk over and slap him again.
"I see," the captain nodded. "What happened to the archer?"
"I probably got him," I replied, not very confidently.
"Probably?" the captain was surprised. "So, you don't know if you got him or not? Or what?"
"I don't know, Captain," I replied. "I decided to stay here and guard the caravan."
"Alright," the captain nodded. "Then let's go take a look. Where was he hiding approximately?"
I pointed to the bushes and followed the captain. Very soon, we found the person my spear had impaled. Blood had already pooled on the ground and a little on a rock. The captain calmly walked around the corpse, nodding at something. Behind his back was a quiver, also pierced by the spear. The bow lay on the ground.
The dead man's hands were on the rock because he had tried to lift himself, and that was the reason for his especially quick death. Otherwise, he might have struggled for a few more minutes, but instead... he just died. Quickly and ordinarily.
"Not bad, not bad," the captain said. "What do you feel when you look at this corpse?"
"Nothing, Captain," I replied after a few seconds of thought. And indeed... looking at this body, I felt nothing because I know what happens to souls afterward. I went through something similar myself, though I was very fortunate not to end up on the usual execution platform like all the others. "Maybe pity. He could have found himself somewhere else. He could have been a productive member of society. After all, he was an archer."
"Yes, he could have," the captain nodded. "But he didn't. And he met his end in the forest, defeated by your technique. You killed him."
"That's right," I agreed. "What else was I supposed to do? He would have killed me if he could."
"Correct," the captain smirked. "Alright, let's go back. I still want to show this... sculpture to Ayame and Shiko."
"Captain, how did they handle the attack?" I asked the sensei.
"What do you think?" he asked.
We had just returned to the wagon, where the driver was now examining the arrow stuck in the wagon. It was clear that he wasn't particularly pleased with this turn of events, but not a word came from his mouth. The merchants were now furiously kicking the bandit I had captured. They were venting their anger with great passion. In between, they didn't forget to spit on him.
"Well, um," I began to answer. "I believe they managed to repel the attack on their sides, and no one was injured. In general, I think they performed excellently."
"Hah," the captain smirked. "Yes... excellently. If everyone in Konoha worked like that, we wouldn't have survived the First World War."
"What, was it not that good?" I asked the captain.
"Ask them yourselves," the captain replied. "Hey, Mugiwara and Itadori merchants. Don't kill the prisoner. We'll still need him."
"Of course, Kiochi-san," said the merchant from the Land of Iron and immediately stopped beating the prisoner. The merchant from the Land of Waterfall just spat in his face one last time and then silently returned to his people and goods, checking if anything was damaged.
The captain returned with Shiko and Ayame very quickly, and we headed back to the body that had taken my technique to the chest. The captain led the girls closer to it and allowed them to look. Shiko immediately turned pale, almost becoming whiter than her own hair.
Then he silently led them to the bandit I had killed with my blow. There was a large dent in his face, suggesting that the bones of his skull had turned to shards. Slight bruising and swelling on his face, bloodshot eyes, hinted that the death, while painful, was quick.
"And what did you do?" the captain asked the girls. "This is the first and last time I'll say this. When you fight outside of a friendly sparring environment, always try to kill your opponent as quickly as possible. It doesn't matter how. Drive them insane, strangle them, burn them, cut them into pieces, or use any other method. Your goal is to kill the enemy and not lose your own life. Understand?"
"Yes," Ayame replied, pale.
"I don't think so," Captain Kiochi drawled. "Suzuki, hand me the katana."
I didn't need any persuasion to do so. I quickly handed one of the katanas to the sensei and waited to see what he intended to do with it. He swung it several times, evaluating some characteristics only known to him. Pressing his lips in displeasure, he added:
"Follow me. All of you."
We followed him to the rear of the caravan, where the guards, composed of ordinary people, had now lined up all the captured bandits. There were ten of them, which surprised me a bit. Additionally, there was a small pile of corpses a little off to the side, which would soon start to smell very unpleasant. As soon as the captain approached and stood before the prisoners, all the ordinary people stepped aside.
"You, you," he paused, looking over the prisoners. "You and you. Step forward."
Two fairly young guys and two older men stepped forward, under the confused looks of their comrades and the guards.
"Follow me. The genin too."
We moved deep into the forest. The prisoners didn't even try to escape because the captain was watching them very closely. His gaze was cold as steel. In general, any escape attempt would have resulted in death. Immediate and swift. The captain formed a seal, and two clones appeared beside him. Then he created a strange cube out of stone. Very small and low...
His clones approached the first guy. They grabbed him and dragged him to the cube. Any attempt to resist was futile. One blow, and you no longer want anything but to catch your breath and pull yourself together. The captain's clones pressed him chest-first against the cube. Then he handed the katana to Shiko.
"Now, Shiko. Behead him."
"What?" the genin asked with wide-open eyes.
"I don't have time to slowly get you used to blood," the captain exhaled. "So this is the fastest way. Behead him with the katana in your hands."