Naruto: Skill Editing System

"Then let's just kill them all."

Hearing that, Namikaze Minato nodded in agreement, which surprised Hirakawa Yuuki. He hadn't expected Minato to be so ruthless toward outsiders.

Noticing Yuuki's startled expression, Minato explained,"It's not that I'm cruel. These bandits are just taking advantage of the chaos.In previous years, Konoha frequently accepted missions from the Land of Fire's citizens. Under normal circumstances, there wouldn't even be a place for these kinds of bandits to survive here.Now, Konoha doesn't have the time to deal with them. But since we've run into them, wiping them out is the best choice."

"This too is part of our duty as Konoha shinobi."

As he finished, Minato glanced once more toward the dozens of bandits in the distance.

Yuuki quietly pondered his words. Born and raised in the shinobi world, Minato's mindset was inevitably different from his own.

These people were clearly civilians driven into banditry by the war. Just look at their weapons—who robs people wielding hammers and sickles?

But there was no denying it. Bandits were bandits. With Konoha's attention pulled toward the conflict in the Land of Rain, they could no longer maintain strict control of domestic law and order. Eliminating these bandits was the only real option.

"No choice, I guess. This is the way it has to be."

With his thoughts settled, Yuuki nodded in agreement with Uchiha Yuichi's proposal to wipe them all out.

"Let's go then. There's a lot of them, but we don't even need to get serious," Yuichi said eagerly.

"Don't rush in," Yuuki said, stopping him. "They may be weak, but that doesn't mean they're useless."

"This is the perfect chance for our team to gain some real battle coordination. We can use them to sharpen our edge."

Holding back the impatient Yuichi, Yuuki began discussing tactics with Minato. In the end, they decided to split the bandits into two groups, each squad handling one side.

Minato gave Yuuki a small nod before leading his team around to flank the bandits from the other direction.

A few moments later, Yuuki, who had been watching the treetops across from him, spotted a flicker of reflected light, that was the signal he and Minato had agreed on.

Yuuki pressed his palms together and quickly formed hand seals.

"Go!"

With a sharp command, Yuichi and Shiina immediately darted out.

"Lightning Style: Current Surge!"

As soon as Yuuki finished his seals, arcs of lightning burst from between his hands.

Zzztttt!

Crackling with violet-blue electricity, the current surged forward at lightning speed, rushing past Yuichi and Shiina toward the group of bandits.

Through the lens of his [Extreme Reaction], Yuuki could clearly see every flicker and branching arc of the lightning as it twisted through the air.

BOOM!

The lightning slammed into the center of the bandit formation, erupting in a burst of electric light that engulfed the entire area. Nearly all of the bandits froze in place as their bodies began to twitch uncontrollably from the shock.

"Nice one!" Yuichi shouted, transformed into a one-man bulldozer. He charged into the paralyzed crowd, kunai in hand, slashing and stabbing with wild abandon. The bandits, numbed and unable to flee, were nothing but helpless targets.

On the other side, Shiina was no less fierce, darting in and out of the crowd like a leopard, taking down enemies with precision and lethal grace. His efficiency was astonishing.

The two of them attacked from both flanks, and within mere seconds, nearly all the bandits were dead.

Yuuki didn't hesitate. With a single Body Flicker, he dashed toward the last few bandits still barely standing.

Wind whipped past his ears as he leapt through the trees, arriving swiftly before one of the survivors.

This lucky bandit had avoided the lightning's direct path and, unlike his frozen comrades, retained control over his body. The moment he realized it was a shinobi ambush, he tried to flee.

Unfortunately, in a crowd of immobilized men, his movement stood out like a sore thumb, and Yuuki had zeroed in on him immediately.

"What the..." The bandit heard a deafening roar behind him, rapidly closing in.

He whipped his head around, eyes wide, but his dull perception only registered a blur—an oncoming shadow slicing through the air.

A chilling sensation brushed his throat, followed by a sudden gush of warm liquid.

There was no pain, but he instinctively clutched his neck, desperately trying to plug the wound and cling to life.

But it was no use. Blood loss rapidly dulled his thoughts, and the blood that spilled into his windpipe suffocated him. The bandit collapsed to his knees, his life fading fast.

Splurt.

A soft thud. He slumped lifelessly to the ground, eyes dilated, body drained of all vitality.

Without stopping, Yuuki turned and dispatched several more bandits nearby.

By now, Yuichi and Shiina had already cleared out the rest. Even Minato's team on the other side had nearly finished their job.

Seeing that, Yuuki didn't bother jumping in to help. Instead, he turned back to look at the corpses he'd just slain.

All of them had died the same way: clean slashes to the neck, bleeding out while choking on their own blood.

This was Yuuki's first time killing someone in this life or his last. In most novels, the first kill usually came with nausea, trembling, even vomiting. That was considered a normal human reaction.

So... he stood still, staring at the bodies, quietly checking in with himself.

And finally, he came to a conclusion.

"I'm not normal, am I?"

"Aren't people always saying the first time hurts? Why do I feel... nothing?"

Maybe after ten years of living in the shinobi world, he'd already been numbed to it. His first kill stirred no turmoil, only a strange, calm clarity.

In fact, Yuuki felt something else stirring: the thrill of battle. That spark hadn't been satisfied. These weaklings had died too easily. It left him feeling empty.

"A hell joke, huh?"

He wondered, would he go to hell someday?

Chuckling faintly, Yuuki turned around to leave.

Splshh.

His foot landed in a pool of blood hidden beneath thick grass. Red soaked into his sandals, staining them completely.

He looked down at the dark red covering his feet, wiggling his toes to feel the sticky warmth of the blood seeping through. The coppery scent filled his nose.

A faint wave of nausea rose within him.

"So maybe I am normal after all..."

Yuuki quickly stepped aside, glanced around, then tore off a broad leaf from a nearby bush and started wiping the blood from his feet.