Naruto :I will survive

The night was darker than ink. The sky was shrouded in impenetrable darkness. Leaden clouds swirled, hiding the moon's disk. Gusts of wind, howling, rushed between the trees, rustling the leaves with a piercing sound, similar to the cry of a night bird.

Reaching the foot of the mountain, Kano looked up at the sky, feeling the cold wind sting his face, "It looks like it's going to rain."

The bandits' lair was located at the top. There was only one path leading there, and the bandits, using the terrain as an advantage, turned their refuge into an impregnable fortress. However, for the ninja, such an obstacle did not present any particular difficulty.

Orochimaru, leading the squad, led the trio straight up the steep cliff, silently penetrating the bandits' lair. Hiding behind a dilapidated building, he, not giving Kano and the others time to reconnoiter, immediately gave the signal to begin acting.

Infiltrating the lair was only to reduce risk. The main objective of the mission was baptism by blood - the need to face danger and learn to kill in cold blood. Therefore, Orochimaru did not allow Kano and his comrades to act covertly, eliminating the bandits one by one.

Kushina and Haru, seeing sensei's signal, were in no hurry to carry out the order. Indecision was visible on their faces.

Orochimaru, noticing their hesitation, frowned, but did not rush. He understood that this was an inevitable stage for every graduate of the Ninja Academy. It was not necessary to be ruthless, but it was necessary to develop the ability to calmly perceive the sight of blood.

Unlike Kushina and Haru, Kano acted decisively. As soon as Orochimaru gave the signal, he, noticing the man who had gone to relieve himself in a secluded corner, rushed towards him with a kunai in his hand.

The muffled sound of footsteps on the sand made the man turn around. And in the flickering light of the fire, he saw a kunai aimed at his throat.

"Enemy...!" the man inhaled sharply, but did not have time to finish. A sharp kunai easily pierced his throat, and hot blood splashed into Kano's face.

Feeling the warmth on his face and the sharp smell of blood that stung his nostrils and made him sick, Kano, without lowering his hand, looked into the man's eyes, which were full of despair and hatred.

"Gh..." the dying man made a meaningless sound, and the light in his eyes began to fade.

Without taking his eyes off the man's fading eyes, Kano waited until the life had finally left the body before he pulled out his kunai and wiped the blood from his face. It was his first kill. He had taken a life, but he didn't feel much guilt about it, like he had killed a chicken to satisfy his hunger.

In fact, he had seen too much cruelty as a child. People maimed each other for a piece of bread. At that time, he thought that under certain circumstances, people might even eat each other.

The lifeless body fell heavily to the ground, making a dull sound. And Kano himself, without looking at the corpse, silently rushed to the next victim.

Orochimaru, hiding in the shadows, smiled contentedly. Kushina and Haru, however, watched their bloodied comrade in a daze. Haru was shaking. It was the first time he had encountered such cruelty. And although he had prepared for it, the reality was much more terrifying.

Kushina looked at the dead body. The dead man's head was turned towards her. And in the dim light of the fire, it seemed that hatred was still smoldering in his extinguished eyes. She, gritting her teeth, seemed to take a step forward, but then froze, like a statue.

At the same time, about a couple of minutes later, when Kano had already killed several people, the bandits finally noticed him. A menacing cry was heard, and the bandits poured out of their hiding places. Seeing the ninja protector on Kano's forehead, they were afraid, but fear quickly turned to rage, because in front of them was only a child.

"Some puppy! What is there to be afraid of?!" the strong man with the mace in his hand barked. But as soon as he said these words, a kunai flew out of the darkness and pierced his throat. He widened his eyes, looking incredulously at the handle of the kunai sticking out of his neck, and collapsed to the ground.

Having thrown the kunai and killed the thug, Kano, still full of strength, took out a new kunai from his weapon bag and, like a wolf breaking into a flock of sheep, rushed at the rest of the bandits.

After running a kunai across the throat of another bandit, he jumped back, barely managing to dodge the iron rod. There were too many enemies, and they possessed considerable strength. Therefore, even a small wound could turn into a serious problem for him.

Despite the bloodlust that had overtaken him, Kano did not lose his mind. After killing about a dozen people and feeling that his strength was beginning to leave him, he abruptly jumped back, breaking out of the encirclement. Assessing the situation - there were still about a hundred bandits in front of him - he glanced at Kushina and Haru, who were still hiding in cover, and frowned.

In terms of individual ability, Kano was absolutely certain that he was superior to any of the bandits. But their numbers gave them an advantage. And the task had to be completed by all.

Feeling Kano's gaze on them, Kushina and Haru finally realized that they had come here to carry out a mission. After which, Kushina, overcoming her hesitation, came out of hiding, and Haru, after a slight hesitation, followed her.

Corpses lay everywhere. Scarlet blood flowed in streams across the sand, soaking into the ground. The air was filled with the pungent smell of blood.

The bandits, who were frightened by the small but deadly Kano, now, seeing two more ninja, became despondent.

"Even if we are destined to die, we will take them with us!" shouted one of the bandits, and the others supported him with fierce cries.

Having lost their human form, they walked on the edge of a knife every day. In addition, each of them had many lives to their credit. They killed as cold-bloodedly as Kano.

At that moment, lightning flashed in the stormy sky, momentarily illuminating the distorted faces of the bandits. Kano, looking at the approaching crowd of bandits, and ignoring Kushina and Haru, who had just appeared, made seals...

"Katon: Great Fireball Technique!" he shouted. A scorching fireball erupted from his mouth, rushing towards the crowd.

The sight of the rapidly approaching red-hot ball instantly cooled the bandits' ardor. And the ferocious grimaces on their faces were replaced by expressions of horror.

Bang! - the fireball exploded. Heart-rending screams rang out. The heat of the flames instantly destroyed more than a dozen bandits. And the sickening smell of burnt flesh hung in the air.

Looking at the charred bodies, Kushina and Haru's faces turned pale. The remaining bandits, overcome with panic, lost all fighting determination. Their hope for an easy victory crumbled to dust. After which, they scattered with wild cries.

"What are you standing there for?!" Kano barked, rushing at the fleeing bandits with a kunai in his hand.

Kushina and Haru exchanged glances, suppressing the rising nausea, and joined in the bloody massacre. If they couldn't kill even one bandit, then what right did they have to call themselves ninja?

Lightning flashed across the sky. A moment later, a torrential rain began to fall, extinguishing the flames fanned by the fireball. The mixture of the smells of burning, blood, and excrement was unbearable. Kano, as if not noticing it, slightly tilted his head back, closed his eyes, and exposed his face to the cold streams of rain, washing away the scarlet blood from his face, while lifeless bodies lay at his feet.

Kushina looked down at the kunai in her hand. Flashes of lightning illuminated the drops of blood dripping from the tip. Not long ago, when she killed the first person, she almost threw everything inside out. But now… she did not feel the slightest discomfort.

She looked at Kano with her eyes closed. His face was as cold and impassive as the rain. Suddenly, a chill ran through her. The cold pierced her, and she shuddered, not knowing if it was the freezing rain or something else.

"This is what it means to be a ninja," Haru whispered, looking at the corpse-strewn ground, his body still shaking.

"Mission accomplished," came the hoarse voice of Orochimaru, who emerged from the darkness...