Naruto: The Clanless Prince

In a village that had been ruthlessly slaughtered by bandits, Sora activated his Sharingan, scanning the area to confirm the number of enemies—a total of 34 bandits.

His gaze locked onto four bandits busily unloading barrels of wine.

"It was so enjoyable," one of them bragged, a cruel grin on his face. "The two people I killed were kneeling on the ground, begging me to spare them. It was so satisfying!"

"Who says it wasn't?" another chimed in, laughing.

"But this village is dirt poor. Even after looting, we only managed to get so much. Once we split it, there won't be much left for any of us," the first complained.

"It's not bad," the second shrugged. "You forget the last village was even poorer. At least here, there's something worth taking."

"Don't worry," a third bandit interjected. "Didn't the boss say so? The Land of Sky's villages are no longer worth the trouble. He plans to take us to the Land of the Moon next. That place is supposed to be loaded. We'll make a real fortune there."

Like a ghost, Sora appeared silently behind one of them. The cold gleam of his kunai flashed, slicing the bandit's throat. The man collapsed with a gurgling gasp.

The other two bandits froze, catching the sickly sweet scent of blood. Their eyes darted toward their fallen comrade—just in time to see him collapse, clutching his neck.

That brief glance would be their last.

With blinding speed, Sora's kunai slashed across their throats. Both men crumpled to the ground without even a scream.

The fourth bandit remained oblivious, still rambling about future plunder plans. His words echoed in the dim firelight.

"I heard that although the Land of the Moon is as small as the Land of Sky, it's much richer. Robbing even one village there could earn us more than all of the villages in the Land of Sky combined. Just imagine—we'll finally get our hands on some real wealth."

He paused to laugh, excitement lighting up his face.

"The days ahead are looking better and better. I've been telling you—the bandit life has a future! Don't you believe me now? Hey… why are you all so quiet?"

When no one responded, he frowned and glanced around, his eyes adjusting to the flickering light of the fire. His breath hitched as he took in the scene.

The three other bandits were on the ground, clutching their throats. Blood gushed from their wounds, pooling beneath them. They tried to speak but only choked on their own blood. Their eyes locked onto the surviving bandit, wide with pain and terror.

Panic surged through him. Before he could react, a sharp pain shot across his own neck. His hand instinctively flew up to the wound, feeling the warm, sticky liquid that now coated his skin. His breaths came in short, ragged gasps, and his vision blurred as suffocation set in. His body crumpled to the ground alongside his comrades.

Sora wiped the blood off his kunai, his cold eyes lingering on the lifeless bodies. With an emotionless tone, he murmured, "Thirty."

He disappeared into the darkness, his silhouette swallowed by the night. He was determined to clear out the lone bandits first, saving the larger group for a final strike.

As he stalked through the shadows, Sora continued his silent hunt, whispering the numbers under his breath with each kill.

"Twenty-nine... Twenty-six... Twenty-three..."

The bandits remained blissfully unaware, celebrating loudly around their fire.

"Eh? Where's Shinichi?" one of them asked, his voice slurred from drink. "He said he was going to take a piss, didn't he? Why hasn't he come back yet?"

"That guy probably got drunk and passed out somewhere," another replied, laughing. "His drinking's always been terrible. I swear, it's hilarious."

"That's not right!" one bandit exclaimed. "Souta, Tsukasa, Ryusuke, and Yuya all went to get drinks, and no one has seen them since."

After Sora had assassinated so many of their comrades, the remaining bandits began to sense that something was wrong. Fear crept into their ranks.

The bandit leader quickly organized the group, gathering the survivors together and doing a headcount. His heart sank when he finished.

"There were 34 of us," he muttered. "Now there are only 21 left. Thirteen people are gone."

Panic spread through the group, but the bandit leader barked a sharp order: "Get your weapons!"

Under his command, the bandits fanned out in search of the intruder. However, when they stumbled upon the lifeless bodies of their comrades strewn across the ground, a chill ran down their spines. So many of them had been killed, and yet not a single sound had been heard. The sense of an unseen, deadly predator was almost paralyzing.

From the shadows, Sora appeared, his Sharingan glowing faintly in the dim light. Swiftly forming seals, he slammed his hands to the ground.

"Earth Style: Tearing Earth Spears!"

The ground beneath the bandits erupted with sharp, jagged rocks. Several bandits were impaled instantly, their cries cut short. The more alert bandits scrambled back, narrowly avoiding the deadly spikes.

The bandit leader stared into the darkness, his eyes wide with horror. Though Sora's figure was obscured, the leader had seen enough.

"A ninja…" he whispered, his voice trembling.

In the shinobi world, even a Genin commanded respect—and fear—because of the strength and skill they represented. Before the advent of chakra, warriors had been the pinnacle of power. Now, only the samurai of the Land of Iron retained their traditions, though even they had adapted to use chakra alongside their swordsmanship.

But these bandits were ordinary people. Facing a ninja, even one fresh out of the academy, was a death sentence.

The bandit leader clenched his fists, realizing that retreat would only ensure their deaths. Their only chance was to fight.

"Don't panic!" he shouted, rallying the remaining bandits. "There's only one of him! We have the numbers! Stick together, follow my orders, and we can take him down!"

The remaining bandits, bolstered by the leader's words, raised their weapons and charged at Sora in unison.

Sora's hands flew through a series of seals.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

A massive fireball erupted from Sora's mouth, hurtling toward the charging bandits. Those at the front of the group were engulfed in flames, their screams filling the night as their bodies were thrown backwards.

"Don't stop!" the bandit leader roared from behind. "Keep charging! He can't kill all of us! If we get close, we can take him down! Retreat now, and we're all dead!"

While the bandits hesitated, Sora formed more seals.

"Water Style: Water Wave Technique!"

A powerful jet of water burst from his mouth, striking the advancing bandits and soaking many of them. Though the attack lacked the power to kill, it scattered the group and left pools of water on the ground. Most of the bandits were now drenched, vulnerable to what was coming next.

Sora's hands moved into his final set of seals.

"Lightning Style: Thunder Shock!"

A surge of blinding lightning burst from Sora's hands, illuminating the battlefield in a brilliant flash. The lightning arced through the water, striking the soaked bandits. Cries of pain filled the air as their bodies convulsed, smoke rising from charred skin.

Sora drew his sword and charged forward, cutting down the paralyzed bandits one by one with precision. Their weapons clattered to the ground, useless in their trembling hands.

The few remaining bandits who hadn't been soaked stood frozen in fear, watching their comrades fall. The overwhelming power of this lone ninja was beyond anything they had ever seen.

"How can we fight this?" one muttered, dropping his weapon. The others quickly followed suit, panic taking hold.

They turned and fled into the night, abandoning their leader. In their desperation, they didn't notice the bandit leader slipping away as well, hoping to escape unnoticed.

When the last of the paralyzed bandits had been slain, Sora wiped the blood from his blade. His voice was cold and quiet as he counted. "Nine."

With a slight bow of his head, he crouched, chakra flowing to his legs. In an instant, he vanished from sight, propelled forward with immense speed.

The result of three years at the ninja academy, combined with a month of intense training at Orochimaru, sharpened Sora's skills to a fine edge. Even without using Lightning Style Chakra to enhance his body, his speed rivalled what he'd achieved when he first learned the Thunder Breathing technique.

Now, Sora moved like a reaper, cutting through the darkness to harvest the lives of the fleeing bandits.

The hunt was not yet over.

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