Chapter 59
"Stop hesitating, attack!"
Haneda drew the short sword from his back and dashed forward. With a quick slide, he maneuvered beneath one of the masked men, circling to his back. A sharp kick sent the man sprawling, while Haneda's short sword met the incoming large blade head-on.
Sparks flew as the short sword scraped against the large blade. At that moment, two more masked men charged at Haneda from the side. The force behind their strikes, from grown men, could easily split heavy wood. A direct hit would either kill or cripple.
However, Haneda had already activated his three-tomoe Sharingan. With just a glance, he controlled the two men coming at him from the side. Their blades stopped mid-swing, frozen in place, and within half a second, both collapsed unconscious where they stood.
"Ninja! Run!"
The remaining four masked men in front of Haneda were shocked. They shouted in panic and bolted toward the exit. Haneda calmly reached into his pouch, pulled out three shuriken, and with a casual flick of his wrist, sent them flying.
The shuriken flew in a precise trajectory, slipping beneath the legs of the fleeing men and piercing their calves. Blood splattered on the floor, and the faint scent of iron filled the air.
Asuma and Kurenai stood frozen, staring at the scene. The blood and carnage stirred their stomachs, making them feel sick.
Haneda glanced back at them, his voice calm as he spoke, "The remaining four are yours. Don't let them escape."
"Asuma, you okay?" Kurenai asked, her voice trembling slightly.
"Asuma," Haneda's voice was firm, "you handle it."
"Do we have to kill them all?" Asuma stammered, his face pale.
"If you can capture them alive, do so. If not, it's fine to kill them. I've already left enough alive for questioning."
As he spoke, Haneda casually tossed a kunai at the man he had knocked down earlier, ending his life. Then, he pulled out some rope and began tying up the two men he had put under a genjutsu, binding their hands and feet.
The remaining four, with their legs injured, had no chance of escaping. Despite their desperate resistance, they were no match for Asuma and Kurenai. Within a minute, all four were subdued, captured alive.
Asuma and Kurenai, however, couldn't bring themselves to kill. They were still unable to cross that line.
"What now, Haneda?" Asuma asked, his voice shaky, his face still pale as he stared at the blood on his hands.
"Interrogation," Haneda responded coldly, activating his three-tomoe Sharingan. He had left the four for Asuma and Kurenai to handle only to give them some training. Killing these seven thugs was as easy for him as a glance or a simple lightning release technique.
No matter how brutal these men were or how many lives they had taken, to a ninja, they were still just ordinary people.
Haneda opened one man's eyelids, the Sharingan spinning into view. "Tell me why you came to the warehouse and not to assassinate Yamano Sakamoto."
"I was ordered to kill Yamano Sakamoto, but I wanted to survive. So, I conspired with the others to steal some food here and then set the place on fire," the man confessed, under the influence of the genjutsu.
"Steal food? Food isn't expensive, right? And aren't you supposed to be assassins?" Asuma asked, confused.
"Food from the Land of Fire sells for ten times the price in the Land of Waves," the man replied. "We aren't assassins, just common folk from the Land of Waves. We only agreed to this because we were desperate to kill that blood-sucking leech, Sakamoto!"
Asuma and Kurenai were left speechless. Seven men had traveled all the way from the Land of Waves, risking everything, just for some food. And the food prices in the Land of Waves were that high?
"What about fish? Isn't it easy to catch fish in the Land of Waves?" Asuma asked.
"Fish prices are high too! Sakamoto controls all the trade routes in the Land of Waves and forbids us from fishing. That's why fish is so expensive!" the man ranted, his teeth grinding in anger.
This explanation clarified many things for Haneda. He drew a kunai and prepared to kill the man.
But Asuma stopped him. "Haneda, these are just civilians! Why kill them?"
Haneda glanced at the confused Asuma and Kurenai, his tone cold. "You should be asking why the client sent us here instead of the other warriors. And how did he know someone would attack the warehouse instead of assassinating him?"
With that, Haneda, without hesitation, slit the man's throat. Blood spilled out, further saturating the air with the smell of iron.
"The rest are yours to handle," Haneda said, standing up. "I don't want to see a single one left alive."
"And if you're wondering why, let me tell you, there's a traitor among these seven — a spy."
"And as for the client, all he cares about is showing a certain stance. Got it?"
Asuma still hesitated, holding his chakra blade but unable to strike. He looked up at Haneda, now walking toward the exit, and shouted, "Are we really going to help a bad guy?!"
Haneda paused, glancing back at the naive Asuma. His tone remained calm. "What makes you think he's the bad guy? Just because of what these people said?"
"And remember, he's working with the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. From our standpoint, he's on our side."
Haneda turned to leave but added one last thing before exiting the room. "If you can't do it, I can help. But only this once. In war, there's no good or bad — only sides."
Haneda waited at the door for a long time until the warehouse was filled with seven corpses before leaving.
Asuma and Kurenai sat on the ground, removing their Leaf headbands and staring at them in silence, lost in thought.
…
At the inn, Haneda stood before Sakamoto and Sakumo, calmly recounting the earlier attack. He withheld certain details, simply stating that he had quickly eliminated the intruders.
"Well done. Those seven must have been sent by my enemies. I understand. I'll increase the mission's pay," Sakamoto said, adjusting his glasses. "Five thousand ryo per person. That's fair for a D-rank mission."
"Very fair," Sakumo agreed.
Sakamoto added, "If there's nothing else, please rest for now. I don't expect any more incidents, but if something does happen, I trust you can handle it."
"Of course. If you need anything, don't hesitate to call us," Sakumo replied, bidding farewell and leaving with Haneda in tow.
Back in Sakumo's room, Asuma and Kurenai sat by the window, looking dazed and lost. When Haneda and Sakumo entered, Asuma jumped to his feet and ran to Sakumo.
"Sakumo-sensei, can we quit this mission?" he asked desperately.
Sakumo glanced at Asuma's pale face and then at Kurenai, saying nothing at first. Instead, he turned to Haneda and asked with a smile, "What do you think?"
***
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