章節 14: C-Rank Mission I
Neji is leading the Team through the forest, using his Byakugan, he can see farther than any of us, Rock Lee is the second in line, in case we find ourselves in a combat situation, he will be able to aid Neji, I'm currently in the center of the formation, as the third in line my duty is to provide crowd control, using my Genjutsu and my Illusions, not that they are aware of the Mist Flame, I can give us a way to escape or Ninjutsu with an Area of Effect powered by the Storm Flame I can get rid of multiple hostiles at the same time, Guy-Sensei is on the rearguard, covering for sneak attacks and to provide me protection long enough for me to use any of the previously mentioned techniques.
We traveled for four hours straight without incidents, Neji was able to navigate between bears and boars territories, we could have handled them, but it was a waste of energy and time, Guy-Sensei gave the order to take a rest, we have to replenish energy, he gave each of us a ration pack, and a bottle of water.
"Guy-Sensei, can I speak with you for a moment?" I said to him, walking away from the rest of the team, he followed my until I was sure they couldn't hear our conversation, "this isn't a recon mission, right?" I asked, going straight to the point.
"I was wondering how long it would take you to figure it out" He was serious once again, "for the moment it is a recon mission, we'll gather information about their camp, their numbers and habits, once I know that I will make my final decision" at least he was honest.
"I think we are ready, at least I am as ready as anyone could be to take the step into the real Shinobi world, Neji could be ready as well, but that'just me guessing, as for Rock Lee, I think he'll never be ready, but the sooner he realizes the truth, the more time he'll get used to the idea or resign and look for another way to make a living" I said bluntly, Guy-Sensei just stood there, looking at me.
"You remind me of my good friend and rival Kakashi, he was mature for his age just like you, he always put the mission before anything else, until he realized there are things far more important than following orders, I tell you this not as a scold, but in hope you take my advice and find the things important to you before is too late" He said with calm, it was good advice.
"I know what matters, Sensei, my friends, my family, the Team, that is why I'm willing to take the next step, I know we live in a world where the night is long and the path is dark, we had three great ninja wars in a hundred years, if I want to protect what is precious to me, I need to be ready to take a life when the time comes" I said with conviction.
"Kenji, enough, I will make the choice, not you, I appreciate as your Leader and your friend, that you trust me enough to tell me your ideas and concerns, but put yourself in my position, you are asking me an adult, to give three kids, the order to kill, that's a heavy burden, not only for you to commit, but for me to ask, this mission is not only to test if you are willing and ready to take a life, is also a test to see if I'm ready to give the order and carry the weight of my choices, when you take a life, you kill a part of yourself, the first time is the hardest, and it only gets easier with time, if I ask you to do it too early, you can end traumatized for life, but if I ask you to do it too late, you won't be able to do it and that's a mistake that can cost the Team's life" He wasn't angry, but he was happy about this whole situation, he is right, but so do I, this was an argument no one could win.
"I'm sorry for not thinking things properly, Sensei, I will meditate your words" with that said, Guy-Sensei and I returned with Team, we finished our meals, made some small talk to wait for the food to be digested, stretched for a while, and kept going down the road.
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{3rd Person POV}
"What do you think they are talking about?" Rock Lee asked.
"Maybe about the mission" Neji replied.
"What about it? We just need to gather information, and capture some bandits if Guy-Sensei thinks we can handle the fight" Lee said, puzzling about what Neji was trying to convey.
"Lee, we are ninjas, our world is not as simple as that, Kenji figured out the moment they explained our mission, it took a bit longer for me, our mission is not to gather information, and capture bandits, sometimes I amazed by your innocence" Neji replied.
"Then what is our Mission, Smart ass?" Rock Lee said angry at Neji rudeness.
"They want to see if we can kill" Neji stared into Rock Lees eyes, who was shocked by the idea, the Academy never taught them about killing, but then he realized, he was being naive, they train them to use weapons sharp enough to pierce trunks, they taught them how to break bones, how to change their appearance or blend with the environment, they were being trained to infiltrate, to kill, to assassinate, but they never put it on paper, Lee knew that ninjas died all the time, and he knew they fought other ninjas, but no one talked in the open about taking lives, and until now, that part of the ninja world was ignored by him.
They remained in silence, eating, aware of the true nature of their mission, they knew this could be the last time they eat before becoming killers, after this mission they could return the same way they left, or they could return a different person, a true Shinobi.
創作者的想法 
Duskstar
Duskstar I hope you enjoyed the chapter, I wanted to make something different, instead of just going for "they are ninjas, they are okay with killing" I wanted to make it as real as possible, like what some soldiers experiment in real life, they are trained to kill, but pretending to kill someone and actually doing it are two different things, hope I was able to portray it properly.
And like always with love, the author.
P.S I think I got my first hater, am I a big boy now?
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