As the blanket of night cloaked them, Naruto and his team found themselves in a secluded spot within the village...
"I just can't wrap my head around it. How could anyone be daft enough to risk their life with such reckless training." Tenten remarked.
"Yeah, it's baffling. The way she described it, it sends a chill down my spine." Naruto mused.
"First, the star goes missing, and now Sumaru too. It's hard to fathom what the enemy has up their sleeve!" Hinata worriedly said.
"Whatever their game is, we need to step on it, or we're in deep waters." Naruto declared.
"I agree, this mission isn't as straightforward as it appears. There's more to it than meets the eye..." Neji postulated.
"I dunno, but there's something fishy about that Akahoshi guy. Something about him just rubs me the wrong way, like he's a real piece of work." Naruto expressed.
"What do you mean?" Tenten queried.
"I mean, come on! Who in their sane mind would expose the village's children to such perilous training." Naruto exclaimed.
"But let's not forget, our main goal is to retrieve the star, so we can't get too involved with the village's affairs," Neji reminded them.
"Absolutely..." Naruto agreed.
"Understood..." Hinata and Tenten chorused in agreement.
"Now, Hinata, Tenten, I need you two to do another sweep around the village chief's place," Naruto instructed.
"Again?" Tenten questioned.
"Why would the shinobi who stole the star flee to the perilous Valley of Death? It doesn't make any sense," Naruto pondered.
"True, and what was the reason for kidnapping Sumaru?" Neji wondered.
"There's a piece of the puzzle missing here, we need to dig deeper..." Naruto concluded.
"Now take this earpiece, and for the sake of god don't lose or damage them like last time." Naruto said giving both of them one earpiece each.
The following dawn...
At the Valley of Death...
Akahoshi was on one side of the valley when a masked ninja, Natsuhi, suddenly appeared on the other side.
"Your Ninja Art: Kujaku never fails to impress, Lady Natsuhi," Akahoshi acknowledged.
"Where is he...? Where's Sumaru?!" Natsuhi demanded.
"Before we get to that, I'll need the star back," Akahoshi countered.
"I'll exchange it for Sumaru!"
"I want the star first!" Akahoshi insisted.
"I decline."
"Then I'll retrieve it forcefully if necessary!" Akahoshi proclaimed, causing Natsuhi to burst into laughter. "What's so amusing?" Akahoshi queried.
"Akahoshi, you're out of your league," Natsuhi retorted.
"After you deserted the village, some of us who were intrigued continued to train secretly!" Akahoshi revealed.
"Do you believe you've mastered the star training on your own?" Natsuhi scoffed.
"Determine for yourself whether I'm out of your league!" Akahoshi challenged, "Ninja Art: Kujaku!" With that, chakra began to seep from his back and morphed into a beast that charged at Natsuhi.
"This is absurd... I have no choice," Natsuhi thought to herself, "Ninja Art: Kujaku…beast!" She too summoned a similar chakra beast which clashed with Akahoshi's. Natsuhi's power clearly surpassed Akahoshi's and he was thrown backwards.
"She's stronger than I anticipated..." Akahoshi muttered as he stood up, "Yotaka! Shisou!" Two of his ninja allies flanked him.
"Go!" Akahoshi commanded, and his two ninja allies swiftly obeyed, moving away as instructed.
"What are you planning, Akahoshi?" Natsuhi inquired.
"I'll let you play along with me a little while longer, Lady Natsuhi," Akahoshi replied with a smirk.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
"There's a surge of intense chakra," Neji observed.
"Yeah, I sense it too. It seems like there are two distinct chakra signatures," Naruto confirmed.
"Who could it be?" Neji questioned as he gripped a kunai in his hand.
Suddenly, two of the ninjas who were loyal to Akahoshi appeared in front of them. "The shinobi who took the star has appeared! Lord Akahoshi is currently stalling that person... please join us in the fight," one of the Hidden Star ninjas informed them.
"Alright, let's go," Neji agreed, ready to follow them. "Naruto, what's wrong? We need to move," Neji urged, noticing that Naruto was deep in thought.
"Nothing, let's go," Naruto responded.
"The enemy is incredibly powerful, and Lord Akahoshi alone cannot handle them. All he can do is buy time for us," the ninja explained.
In the village, Hinata and Tenten were on a mission. Their task was to discreetly investigate the office of the Hoshikage for valuable information.
On their way, they paused before a certain room...
"It appears to be a medical facility. There's someone resting on a bed," Tenten observed as they both peered into the room.
"That's... Sumaru.." Hinata recognized.
Meanwhile, in the Valley of the End...
Akahoshi and Lady Natsuhi were engaged in an intense battle.
"Why did you force Sumaru and others to undergo the star training?" Natsuhi questioned, "The third Hoshikage must have informed you about its potential risks!" she added.
"The answer lies within you!" Akahoshi retorted angrily.
"What?!" Natsuhi responded, puzzled.
"The chakra it yields is magnificent! It could significantly enhance our combat power. If we had even ten Shinobi like you, we could stand against the five great hidden villages, even if they united against us! It's not late yet! We can transform our village into the invincible Hidden Star Village!" Akahoshi declared.
Natsuhi's mind was suddenly filled with haunting memories of the cries and agony of ninjas undergoing the star training, their sufferings vivid in her mind.
"Enough... there's no need for more pain for the sake of the Hidden Star Village... the past tragedies shouldn't be repeated..." Natsuhi mused.
"If you plan on continuing this...!" Natsuhi threatened, darting towards Akahoshi, who stumbled over a tree root.
"H Hold on! If I die, Sumaru will also perish!" Akahoshi exclaimed.
"That won't happen!" A voice echoed from nearby. Turning to the source, they saw Naruto and Neji.
"Ah, you're here! This is the man who robbed our village's star, my people must have briefed you!" Akahoshi pointed out.
"First things first, we need an explanation. Why is Sumaru in the village while you're here, especially after his kidnapping? And if I'm not mistaken, you just threatened to kill Sumaru, didn't you?" Naruto confronted.
"No... No, What are you talking about... " Akahoshi said.
"Let me explain... " Natsuhi said as she removed her mask from her face.
[A. N: Thanks for reading, drop Powerstones that will help a lot and drop reviews if you like the story and add to your library]