Frost Country, Ren'ya Mountain.
The mountains stood like teeth, straight and sharp, their peaks connected by iron chains. In the depths of winter, frost covered the chains, making them impassable even for birds.
Kawamoto Seiichiro, bundled in a thick cotton coat, huddled behind a boulder, stamping his feet incessantly.
Bandit gangs relied on brute force and naturally didn't value loyalty and righteousness like in those legendary tales. The hierarchy within the gang was strict. Though Kawamoto Seiichiro was strong, he was a newcomer and thus relegated to night watch duty in the freezing weather.
"Night watch... what a joke! Those bastards are inside enjoying themselves, while I'm stuck out here..." Kawamoto Seiichiro cursed under his breath.
The cold wind howled, making him shiver. He stamped his feet harder.
Damn it... a bunch of idiots! Who would climb Ren'ya Mountain in this weather? I should just find a place to hide... and have some sake to warm up...
Grumbling, he stood up, thinking of sneaking into the building to find something to eat. Bandits, despite having rules, weren't as disciplined as a proper army. Leaving one's post during night watch was common.
However, the moment Kawamoto Seiichiro straightened up and instinctively looked beyond the mountain peak, he froze as if struck by lightning, unable to believe the scene before him.
In the heavy snow under the dark night sky, a figure appeared abruptly in mid-air. He stepped onto the iron chain connecting the mountain peaks, unfazed by the icy and slippery metal. With terrifying balance and body control, he walked across the chasm as if strolling on flat ground.
Kawamoto Seiichiro rubbed his eyes, thinking he was hallucinating from the cold.
He rubbed his eyes hard again. When he lowered his hands, the figure on the chain had vanished.
Then, he appeared before him.
"Ren'ya Mountain, huh? What a well-defended place."
The young man's clear voice was the last thing Kawamoto Seiichiro heard.
Bang!
Hyuga Yuto's hand lightly tapped the strong bandit's chest, effortlessly destroying all his internal organs. His heart stopped instantly, bringing instant death.
The Branch Family boy pushed the bandit's corpse aside, donned a conical hat to cover his face, and calmly walked towards the depths of the bandit lair, a kunai in each hand.
The main peak of Ren'ya Mountain housed the den of these thieves. The person who built this lair must have been quite knowledgeable. It imitated the structure of an anthill, with main passages and side routes. Even if attacked by a powerful enemy, the bandit leader could escape calmly through a hidden passage below.
Provided... they had the time.
Hyuga Yuto's killing speed was too fast.
After eliminating the sentry, he walked only a hundred meters before reaching the main gate of the lair.
Without a word, his Byakugan's insight was a deadly weapon in this snowy night. Three kunai flew into the heads of the guards almost simultaneously, slicing off half their skulls without a sound.
Then, the one-sided slaughter began.
Inside the warm mountain, the bandits drank and laughed, sharing their loot from the past few days. Each reeked of blood, some wearing clothes stained crimson. The dried blood, of course, wasn't theirs. In fact, they didn't even know whose it was. Burning, killing, and looting were their daily routine; who had the time to remember the poor souls who died by their blades?
Suddenly, a gust of cold wind blew in as the main gate was shattered by external force. The thick, iron-clad wooden door splintered into fragments.
No bandit could see the attacker. All they saw were sprays of blood.
The attacker's speed was like lightning, his strikes clean and swift. A quick, brutal thrust could shatter a bandit's neck. Bones, tendons, internal organs, muscles... all bodily armor was useless against the irresistible force, ravaged and broken, limbs scattered, blood flowing like a river.
This world belonged to ninjas.
The name of this mighty power was "Chakra"!
Before a Konoha Jonin, even the fiercest bandit was as fragile as tofu.
As the wooden fragments danced in the wind, the bandits on this level were already dead.
Then, Hyuga Yuto kicked open the second wooden door.
Expressionless, he moved like a nail piercing a block of tofu, turning this level into a bloody hell before descending further.
The third floor, the fourth floor, the fifth floor...
Killing was so simple. Hyuga Yuto encountered no resistance until the last level.
Clang!
Hyuga Yuto looked up in surprise at the muscular man who blocked his attack and was sent flying:
"Oh... a ninja?"
The bandit leader gasped, feeling the searing pain in his wrist, terrified:
"M-Master! Please spare me! We've already paid taxes to the Frost Country..."
Oh? Collusion between officials and bandits? Hyuga Yuto shook his head and closed in again. He didn't use Gentle Fist, but instead relied on his Byakugan's insight and solid physical skills, engaging in close combat with his kunai.
Due to excessive killing, the edges of his two kunai were chipped and jagged, resembling a shark's teeth.
The bandit leader desperately defended himself, soon covered in blood.
"Master! Please spare me..."
"How pathetic. A true ninja should charge to their death on the path they choose. When you led this rabble to pillage, burn, and kill, you should have anticipated this day... This is the ninja way you chose."
"Master! No! I... I'm still useful! I've plundered a lot of money, this money..."
"This money will be mine after you're all dead," Hyuga Yuto said calmly. But then he seemed to remember something and smiled.
"Oh... right. There is one thing I need your help with."
Overjoyed, the bandit leader was about to speak when he saw the opponent's speed suddenly explode, almost turning into an afterimage. The kunai danced, severing all the tendons in his hands and feet.
Then, a palm radiating pale white light slammed into his face.
The next moment, the bandit leader could see nothing.
"Argh! My eyes! My eyes!"
Excruciating pain and the terror of blindness overwhelmed him. The bandit leader completely broke down, screaming and rolling on the ground, just like the people he had tortured and killed before.
Amidst the boundless fear, the bandit leader faintly heard the voice of his powerful enemy.
The voice was calm and steady, as gentle as an old friend reminiscing.
"The muscles around the eyeballs are cut cleanly, but the cornea is damaged, and the fluid inside has leaked out... Hmm? As expected of a ninja, you instinctively covered your eyes with chakra to resist my medical ninjutsu, causing the optic nerve to be completely destroyed..."
"In conclusion... these eyes are unusable."
"My hands are fast enough, but not steady enough. I need to be more precise with my chakra control."
"But it doesn't matter, it was just practice... There will be plenty of opportunities in the future."
"The lessons learned from this failure will be applied next time."
Bang!
In the next instant, the bandit leader's head flew off his body. His eyes, which had been gouged out, were tossed aside casually.
All the bandits were eliminated.