"Here's the deets: there's some unusual activity in a village not far from here. Apparently, children are going missing, and the village has hired us to solve this problem," Daniel explained, his tone serious. "The village is southeast from here, about a kilometer or so."
Without wasting any time, they took off like shadows into the night. As they hopped from tree to tree, Daichi's excitement was palpable. "It's been a while since we saw people. I'm kinda excited!" he exclaimed.
Ryuu, however, was lost in thought, his mind occupied with how his father would react to his growth and the anticipation of the next Chunin Exams.
"I found something," Hikari announced, bringing the team to an abrupt stop on a tree branch. Veins pulsed near her eyes as she activated her Byakugan. "There's a strange building with a large underground passage. It leads to what might look like a random area in the forest, but there's a hidden base there west of this village. That's where the kidnapped kids are—there are fifty of them," she explained, her voice filled with urgency.
"Good. Daichi and Ryuu, you guys go rescue them. Don't underestimate your enemies. Hikari and I will head to the village," Daniel instructed.
Team 16 split into two groups: Daichi and Ryuu on the rescue mission, and Daniel with Hikari on the village investigation.
"Are there any other noteworthy details?" Daniel asked as he and Hikari proceeded.
"The people look really angry," Hikari remarked as they arrived at the village. The atmosphere was heavy with displeasure, and it seemed to envelop them as they entered.
A person came running towards them. "Leaf Shinobi, thank goodness!" the person said, but Hikari subtly signaled to Daniel, hinting that this person was suspicious.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Mebuki, my husband is the village chief, but he's currently busy with matters outside the village," the person introduced themselves.
"Leaf Shinobi!" a passing person exclaimed. "I thought you were going to arrive later, and there seem to be two of you—young ones, if I may add."
"Forgive my bluntness, but the both of us were chosen because we're most suited for this mission," Daniel replied, maintaining a calm demeanor.
The old man puffed up in anger at Daniel's words. "Hmpf, if we don't get our money's worth of service then..."
"Let's not get off track here," Mebuki interjected, her tone soothing.
"Ahem, right," the old man conceded. "I'll go call the other village committee members along with the head guard." He bid farewell and walked away.
"Please forgive him for his remarks. We are all just worried and frustrated with all that's happening," Mebuki explained, leading Daniel and Hikari. "Please, this way. Although the meeting might take a while to commence."
Meanwhile, Ryuu and Daichi had arrived at the location Hikari had spotted. "Byakugan," they both muttered, scanning the surroundings. They found an entrance to an underground basement hidden by a tree.
"Found it," they both said, a hint of competitive pride in their voices. Inside, they saw the kidnapped children and a few older people, likely the culprits. Ryuu generated a thin layer of chakra around his body, extending chakra threads to where the children were kept.
"...I'm telling you, we made it big this time. I told you, cooperating with the village folk would increase our profits by margins. Look at this," a person spoke, bursting into laughter. Ryuu used his chakra threads to eavesdrop.
"It seems this is a bigger operation than we thought," Ryuu said, his eyes narrowing. "Change of plans. We'll capture the ones watching the kids."
"And the others?" Daichi asked, his expression serious.
"The others don't matter that much," Ryuu replied, clenching his fist as the chakra threads moved, wrapping around the two guards and turning into stone to restrain them. The other threads covered the walls of the entire room, encasing it in solid rock.
"I isolated them. Let's go," Ryuu said. They dashed forward, entering the hidden entrance with swift, silent movements. They eliminated any identified foes swiftly.
"What the... What the hell is going on?" the two guards guarding the kids struggled, suddenly finding themselves trapped by rocks. The entire room was isolated, and the imprisoned children panicked.
Now three floors deep, Ryuu and Daichi arrived at the room where the kids were. "So this is what you made. It's really solid, for an earth wall jutsu," Daichi commented, tapping the rock wall. Ryuu touched the wall, turning it into sand to create an entrance.
"I'll take those guys. You take care of the kids," Ryuu instructed. Daichi freed the children, calming them down before leading everyone outside. Ryuu carried the two knocked-out guards.
"We'll take that passage back to the village," Ryuu said as they moved.
Back at the village, Daniel and Hikari had snooped around while their shadow clones attended the meeting. The village committee and head guard discussed the situation with the clones. Meanwhile, the real Daniel and Hikari were a step ahead, putting the culprits into a genjutsu, making them think they had burned the evidence. In reality, Daniel and Hikari had already seized it.
"I think this will be enough. Tomorrow, when the kids arrive, we'll wrap things up here," Daniel said, holding some documents. A person involved in the kidnappings lay unconscious at their feet.
"Is this the culmination of our training?" Hikari marveled at how quickly they had solved the mission. What would have taken her and her team much longer now seemed almost effortless.
She and Daniel returned to the building where they were assigned to stay during their mission, ready to conclude their task and bring justice to the village.
The next day arrived, and the village square buzzed with tension. Villagers gathered, their faces marked with anger and suspicion. They had turned their ire against one of the village committee members—the old man they had met before. Given his abrasive attitude, he was now the prime suspect in the children's disappearances.
"We demand you bring our children back!" one villager shouted, their voice trembling with a mix of fear and fury. The old man's only shield was a young village guard who had once experienced the old man's kindness and stood by him, albeit hesitantly.
"What's up with the people today?" Daniel asked, his curiosity piqued as he approached another committee member who had arrived not long ago.
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