The dense forest was filled with darkness, and everything around returned to silence, as if the fierce battle that had just taken place never existed.
The surrounding light was very weak, and with the addition of three injured people, the group of four moved very slowly.
The summer forest was filled with various mosquitoes and insects.
Nawaki swatted with his hands while constantly sizing up Mikoto and Tatsumi with his eyes.
At this moment, Tatsumi's hand was on Mikoto's shoulder, and with Mikoto's support, he slowly walked forward.
Tatsumi felt a little unnatural being stared at by Nawaki's small eyes.
He said impatiently, "What are you looking at?"
"Looking at you, so what?"
Tatsumi calmed down a little. "It's just that I didn't let you support me? Any normal person would choose Mikoto between you and Mikoto, right?"
"Tch." Nawaki made a funny face, then made a strange 'ooh ooh' sound.
"Nawaki, what are you pretending to be cute for? You're clearly a rough man. 'Ooh' your grandpa!" Tatsumi barely suppressed his discomfort.
He felt a little nauseous.
The feeling wasn't even as strong when he was killing people just now.
Nawaki didn't answer but instead looked up at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle. Then he flicked his little brown hair and sighed softly.
"It's not like that, you don't understand." Nawaki shook his head.
"A genius who killed a Jonin at the age of nine, plus a genius who awakened the Sharingan at the age of nine. I suddenly realized that I have unknowingly become the weak link in this team."
Tatsumi was stunned, about to pat Nawaki on the shoulder to comfort him.
But Nawaki still said with melancholy and emotion, "It's all because excellence has blinded my eyes and made me arrogant."
"...."
Orochimaru, wearing a ninja uniform, smiled and said nothing, continuing to walk in the front.
After walking for a while, the group finally arrived at Windmill Village.
However, the current Windmill Village had already turned into a ruin.
It was as if this place had been razed to the ground by a demolition team and urban management.
Everywhere was filled with rising black smoke and scattered burning fires.
Tatsumi looked around. He didn't expect that he would return here again.
A small mission would actually produce so many waves.
But the final outcome was always good.
How should he put it—at least he would be someone who single-handedly destroyed a village in the future.
Orochimaru walked to the door of a house that hadn't been affected by the explosive tags and stopped.
He stood at the door, looking at the already broken village outside, and then fell silent.
The entire sky was dyed crimson red by the great fire of the explosive tags, appearing somewhat enchanting under the encirclement of the night.
Mikoto helped Tatsumi find a clean place to sit down.
Nawaki formed a hand seal, then puffed out his cheeks, "Water Release: Water Disruption Wave."
Under the rush of water, all the surrounding flames were extinguished.
Nawaki revealed a smile. "Was my Water Release technique not bad? Does it have a bit of the meaning of a Water God?"
Tatsumi nodded. "Indeed not bad. If you don't become a ninja in the future, you can also make a living as a firefighter."
Orochimaru was silent for a moment, then said in a hoarse voice, "Your mission is not yet complete."
"No, right? This place has already become like this, and it's still not complete?" Nawaki asked doubtfully.
Orochimaru didn't answer Nawaki. He sat down casually on the ground.
"What do you think a ninja needs the least?"
This question was very strange.
There were too many things a ninja needed—ninjutsu, chakra, experience, all kinds of things. A ninja could give a thousand answers.
But what did a ninja not need?
Orochimaru pointed at the little brown-haired Nawaki, signaling him to answer.
Nawaki hesitated for a moment, then scratched his head and asked, "Not need to be too excellent?"
"...."
"Because people who are too excellent, no matter where they are, are like fireflies in the dark—so bright, so outstanding."
In a sense, what Nawaki said also made sense. Geniuses were the easiest people to be targeted on the battlefield.
But Orochimaru always felt something was strange.
They were all receiving six years of compulsory education at the Ninja Academy. Why could the fifth-grader Nawaki be so showy while others could only look up to him?
Orochimaru resisted the urge to blow up Nawaki, this show-off, with an explosive tag. Then he looked at Mikoto.
"What about you, Mikoto?"
Orochimaru was still very interested in this disciple who awakened the Sharingan at the age of only nine.
Awakening the Sharingan at this age was not uncommon in the history of the Uchiha clan, but it could definitely be ranked among the top.
Even the son of the Uchiha clan leader, Uchiha Fugaku, who was already a teenager, hadn't awakened the Sharingan yet.
Mikoto carefully considered Orochimaru's words, then slowly said, "Is it emotion?"
"You're partly right. Your scope is too broad."
"Ninjas are people, not killing tools. No one can prevent themselves from having emotions."
"Having one's own subjective emotions, no one can avoid this. You can be angry, you can be sad. As long as it doesn't affect your judgment, it doesn't matter," Orochimaru said slowly.
"There's only you left. Tatsumi, if you answer wrong again, I regret to inform you that this mission will only get a D rating."
"What are the consequences of a D-level rating?"
"You may very well lose the opportunity to graduate next year and become a Genin, and you'll need to stay back a year."
"After all, this will affect what kind of mentality you will have when you go to the battlefield in the future. It also relates to your ability to survive on the battlefield. Mentality determines fate—you said that yourself."
Tatsumi carefully considered it. "Since you said Mikoto's answer was too broad, that means it's just a certain emotion. Then... is it pity, or rather, compassion?"
"That's right, it's compassion," Orochimaru nodded.
"A ninja can be angry, hateful, or happy during missions and wars, but the one thing you can't have is compassion."
"This compassion is bidirectional. You can't have compassion for yourself, and you can't have compassion for the enemy."
Seeing Nawaki and Mikoto showing confusion, Orochimaru continued, "Just like the enemy who's fighting and killing you, of course, you can kill them without hesitation."
"But if the ones lying on the ground are wounded enemies... If the mission requires you to slaughter civilians, can you bring yourselves to do it?"
"They cry, grab your pants, begging you to let them go—can you bring yourselves to do it?" Orochimaru asked in a hoarse voice.
"The compassion of the strong for the weak is innate. But this is what you ninjas need the least. This is the last thing I want to teach you."
"There's not so much time on the battlefield for you to adapt."
"Once you're dead, nothing matters."
"So, what you need to do now is very simple."
Orochimaru stood up. He took out three kunai and threw them at the feet of the three of them.
"Inside the house, there are still some bandits and their families who weren't killed by the explosive tags. Now they're tied up inside by me."
"Pick up the kunai and kill all these people. I'll be waiting for you at the door."
"Of course, it doesn't matter if you can't do it. After all, it's you who will be going to the battlefield, not me."
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