A week later, early in the morning, they gathered in the same small forest.
White Fang was already waiting there, while Miki and the other two arrived precisely on time.
"You're late," White Fang said. "Can't you have some professional ethics as Shinobi?"
"We're perfectly on time," Miki said.
"Three seconds left," Chiri said.
"Time's up," Hitomi said. "Just right."
Ah, so this is how it unfolds, is it? My leadership is being suppressed by their combined efforts.
White Fang scratched his head, looking at the three of them dressed in matching hooded robes, and said, "Then, if there are no questions, we'll depart."
"What's the mission?" Miki asked.
"It's an Anbu tradition, a practice mission for new recruits joining the team," White Fang said. "A test cut. A blade that isn't sharp enough has no right to be in the Anbu."
It truly is a cruel and barbaric way of doing things.
However, this is the Konoha Assassination Tactics Special Forces, renowned throughout the Ninja World.
"A boring mission," Miki said coldly.
She had killed many small animals, but she had never killed a person.
"It wouldn't be just finding someone on the street and cutting them down, would it? That would be too boring," Hitomi said. "I have no interest in the weak."
She hadn't killed anyone either.
Her hand, gripping the sword hilt, tightened until her knuckles were white.
"A bit disappointing," Chiri said. "The first one is too simple."
Chiri, too, showed no expression on her face, only a faint smile.
"Killing people isn't simple," White Fang said, scratching his head. "My experience is, as long as it's the Village's order, it's the right thing to do. That way, there's no burden."
"It's true when they say you're dense. Do you have no brain? What if it's a wrong order?" Hitomi said bluntly. "I won't obey it!"
"You still have to execute it," White Fang said. "That's what it means to be a Shinobi. In the past, the survival of the Clan was everything; now, the survival of the Village is everything. No matter what kind of mission, it must be executed. That's the meaning of the Anbu's existence."
"Clan and such…" Hitomi was about to continue.
"Hitomi," Miki said indifferently.
Hitomi fell silent.
"Who are we killing?" Miki asked, looking at White Fang.
"According to Anbu custom, only the captain knows the mission details to prevent information leaks," White Fang said. "Considering your abilities, and for better mission execution and to facilitate your individual decisions, I will now tell you the mission content."
"The location is the Land of Fire border. The mission is to suppress bandits to prevent them from harassing border residents and ensure their safety. Therefore, the more you kill, the better. Finally, ascertain their origins."
"Is it a large number of bandits?" Chiri mused.
"Exactly," White Fang said.
"Generally speaking, mountain bandits and robbers are spontaneously formed by displaced people who can't survive," Miki said.
"Precisely," White Fang said. "But we can't rule out encountering Shinobi from other nations."
"Assassination troops?" Miki asked.
"Possibly, so we need to confirm," White Fang said.
"Why?" Hitomi asked.
"Border harassment, an old trick," White Fang said. "Normal Shinobi squads taking on such a commissioned mission would die horribly."
"How insidious," Chiri said.
"So, who died?" Miki asked.
"Some of your juniors, three Shinobi squads. Two squads were led by Chunin, and one by a Jonin," White Fang said.
"A Jonin, huh…" Miki murmured softly.
"We can't confirm the exact numbers yet; it might just be general harassment," White Fang said. "They'll retreat when we arrive, hiding among the large number of bandits, making them hard to find."
"What's the other possibility?" Chiri asked softly.
"A trap," White Fang said. "We might encounter a small number of enemy Shinobi."
"What's a small number?" Miki asked.
"Four squads, a scale of over ten people," White Fang said. "One person per squad is still within our response capabilities."
"What about a large number?" Hitomi asked curiously.
"Four people per squad, ten squads make a small team (forty people), five small teams make a medium team (two hundred people), five medium teams make a large team (one thousand people), three large teams make a regiment (three thousand people)," White Fang said, scratching his head. "Roughly the size of a small team to a medium team."
"Are there really that many people?" Hitomi exclaimed. "Even if they stood there for me to cut, it would take a long time!"
"Speaking of which, how many people are in the Anbu in total?" Miki asked.
White Fang looked at Miki, hesitated for a moment, then said, "One large team. The minimum is elite Chunin, all are the elite of the elite, executing missions in a Jonin-led Chunin model, or multiple Jonin leading teams to execute missions together. The roster is confidential; don't ask such questions."
"Is it the same in other nations?" Miki continued to ask.
Normal Shinobi wouldn't know such things, but the Anbu definitely would.
After all, they are colleagues among colleagues.
"The numbers are roughly the same," White Fang said. "After all, each Village only has so many elites."
"Does the Uchiha have a regiment?" Miki suddenly asked.
"The Police Force has that many people," White Fang said. "Excluding the old and weak, the Uchiha is one of the few Shinobi Clans where all members are capable of fighting."
"What about the Senju?" Miki asked.
"They are only stronger, not weaker," White Fang said.
"On the surface, the Village only has over twenty thousand Shinobi," Miki said.
"The Anbu is independent of this system; they are Shinobi with no existing records," White Fang said. "Many Shinobi Clans are also outside this system; the Shinobi within their Clan do not obey the Village's orders."
White Fang glanced at the Hyuga and Uchiha, then finally at Miki, and said, "Most of your Clan are in the Anbu."
Excluding the old and weak from the Clan, the actual fighting force was only about two hundred people.
As long as they grew normally, they basically all had the combat power of a Jonin, with no obstacles in their training.
Most who went to the Anbu did so out of their nature.
Although she hadn't become the Clan head yet, Miki already knew these basic facts.
"Back to the main topic," White Fang said.
"Wait," Miki said. "What's the situation with the Anbu in the other Four Great Nations?"
White Fang scratched his head; this topic barely touched on the main subject.
"Since the establishment of the Konoha Anbu, the Great Nations have all followed suit, but they differ according to their respective customs."
"The Hidden Mist Anbu, also known as the Corpse Retrieval Unit, is characterized by its willingness to pay any price for a mission, extreme brutality, numerous cannon fodder, many Bloodline Limit Shinobi and Secret Technique Shinobi. It is primarily composed of the Terumi Clan, Yuki Clan, Hozuki Clan, Kaguya Clan, and Ninjato Clan, and its troop size is the largest among the Five Great Nations."
White Fang said.
"Ninjato Clan?" Miki asked, confused.
She could understand the others, but the Seven Ninjato Swordsmen seemed a bit off.
"A Clan that uses seven different Ninjato, each with its own unique function," White Fang said with a hint of longing. "I hear they are extremely troublesome to deal with."
Miki thought carefully and understood a little.
Undoubtedly, before the so-called first Seven Ninjato Swordsmen, there must have been previous users.
The reason they weren't famous was propaganda.
The title 'Seven Ninjato Swordsmen' was the result of the Hidden Mist's political propaganda after the World War II and before the Third Shinobi World War.
The purpose included boosting morale, among other possibilities.
Then, in their first battle, they were beaten into a pulp by Might Duy.
It was quite unexpected.
"How large is 'large scale'?" Miki asked.
"Nearly three regiments," White Fang said.
"Are they crazy?! Almost half of the Village's fighting force!" Hitomi exclaimed.
"It's because…" White Fang was about to speak when.
Miki said, "It's because their geographical location doesn't require large-scale domestic defense, therefore, the Anbu is filled with a large number of Genin, which means cannon fodder sent to die."
"During wartime, the Anbu can be split into regular combat units at any time."
White Fang praised, "Your intelligence analysis is good."
"Moreover…" White Fang looked at Hitomi and said, "The Hidden Mist themselves are madmen."
"Got it," Hitomi said.
"I'm telling you not to be careless," Chiri said gently.
"Honestly, I got it," Hitomi muttered softly.
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