The forest was silent except for the faint rustling of leaves as the ninja walked through it. His sharp senses picked up the metallic tang of blood in the air, and his brows furrowed. He clenched his fists, worry gnawing at him. 'Where are they?' He had told his students to stay near the pond, yet now they were missing.
As he approached the source of the smell, his heart sank. A boy, barely older than his own students, lay sprawled on the forest floor. His body was drenched in sweat and blood, his chest rising and falling faintly. The ninja crouched down, eyes narrowing at the wound on the boy's shoulder. A viscous liquid surrounded it, glinting ominously in the fading light.
'Poison... one of my students' poisons. Did they fight him? Did this boy hurt them? Where are they now?' His jaw tightened as anger surged within him, but he forced himself to stay composed. The boy was unconscious, barely clinging to life. If this boy knew anything about his students' whereabouts, they couldn't afford for him to die just yet.
The ninja swiftly retrieved an antidote from his pouch, recognizing the concoction as one his students often used. He injected it carefully into the boy's arm, hoping it would neutralize the poison in time. But even after administering it, the boy remained unresponsive.
He inspected the wound further and noticed something that made his stomach twist: the poison spike had pierced a large vein. Blood loss was severe, more than he'd realized. Gritting his teeth, he applied pressure to the wound, trying to stem the bleeding.
Suddenly, a faint sound reached his ears. He turned sharply to see his third student, a young girl, emerging from the trees. Her face was streaked with tears, and in her trembling hands, she held burnt, charred scraps of clothing.
"Sensei..." Her voice broke as she approached, holding out the tattered remains. "These... these belonged to them."
The ninja froze, his heart sinking. The sight of the burnt fabric—his students' clothing—was enough to confirm his worst fears. He clenched his fists, fury bubbling to the surface. For a moment, his gaze fell back on the unconscious boy. His fingers twitched, and a dark thought crossed his mind.
'He did this... didn't he? He killed them.'
His hand hovered over his kunai, the urge to avenge his students almost overwhelming. But then he saw the boy's pale face, his fragile state. The truth wasn't clear yet, and taking rash action wouldn't bring his students back. He forced himself to let go of the weapon, inhaling deeply to steady his emotions.
"Yuki," he said, his voice tight but controlled. "Heal him. Now."
The girl hesitated, her tear-filled eyes darting between the boy and her sensei. "But... Sensei, he—"
"He's the only one who might know what happened to them," he cut her off, his tone firm. "If we lose him, we lose our answers. Heal him."
Yuki nodded shakily and knelt beside the boy, her hands glowing faintly with green chakra as she began to work. The ninja stood, his gaze hard as he turned toward the forest.
"I'll handle their remains," he said quietly, his voice heavy with restrained sorrow. "Give them a proper burial... and figure out what this boy knows when he wakes up."
The jonin, Kazuki, stood in front of the hastily constructed funeral pyres for his fallen students, his face grim and shadowed. The evening wind rustled the sparse trees around him as he murmured a prayer under his breath, honoring their lives and vowing to uphold their sacrifice. Once the ceremony was done, he turned back toward where he had left Yuki and the unconscious boy.
When he returned, the scene before him was troubling. Yuki sat beside the boy, openly sobbing, her hands trembling as she held a kunai near his neck. Her tear-streaked face was twisted in anguish and fury.
"Yuki!" Kazuki's voice was firm as he stopped her hand mid-motion. "We need him alive."
"Why, Sensei?" she screamed, her voice cracking. "He doesn't deserve to live! He killed Yuma! My brother is dead because of him!" Her sobs grew louder, her grief overtaking her reasoning.
Kazuki knelt beside her, his gaze steady but understanding. "I know your pain, Yuki. But we won't get answers if you kill him now. We need to know what happened."
She hesitated, her grip on the kunai faltering before she dropped it. Tears streamed down her face as she sat back, clutching the burnt cloth that once belonged to her brother.
"How long until he wakes up?" Kazuki asked, glancing at the boy's pale face.
"Not for a few hours," Yuki replied bitterly, wiping her tears. "His body is still trying to recover from the poison."
Kazuki nodded and began rummaging through the unconscious boy's belongings. In his ninja pouch, he found a partially written mission report. The details were hastily scribbled, but the content was revealing. Kazuki scanned the report, his brows furrowing as the pieces of the puzzle began to fit together.
The boy was a Konoha shinobi, and his mission objectives were strikingly similar to their own. Both teams had been assigned to eliminate the bandit camp near the Land of Rivers. However, while Konoha appeared to be dealing with the bandit issue as part of their responsibilities, Sunagakure's involvement was more troubling.
Kazuki handed the report back to Yuki, his expression darkening. "Take him. We're heading to the village near the border."
Yuki hesitated, gripping her brother's burnt cloth tightly. "Why are we even doing this mission, Sensei?" she asked bitterly as she lifted the boy onto her back. "This isn't even our territory. We crossed the border twice just to get here, and for what?"
Kazuki's jaw tightened. His bitterness mirrored hers, though for different reasons. "Because the Wind Daimyo has chosen to prioritize Konoha over us. They give their missions, their money, and their resources to Konoha's ninjas, leaving us to starve." His voice was sharp, his words carrying years of pent-up frustration. "We're forced to accept scraps, dirt-cheap missions in lands that don't even belong to us, or our village's economy collapses. And meanwhile, Konoha sends their children on B-rank missions as if shinobi are disposable."
Yuki's grip on Kaito tightened, her anger now mixed with a sense of helplessness. She looked at her sensei's profile, noticing the bitterness etched deep into his features. Neither spoke further as they approached the bandit camp.
When they arrived, the camp was in chaos. Bandits were already scattering, some carrying supplies while others hurriedly armed themselves. Kazuki narrowed his eyes, observing their movements. "They're leaving," he muttered, scanning the camp.
Turning to Yuki, he pointed at the outskirts where smaller groups of bandits were already moving away. "Gather those who have already left and bring them back to me. I'll handle the ones still in the camp."
Yuki hesitated for a moment, then, without another word, she nodded and disappeared into the shadows with the unconscious boy still strapped to her back.
---
Satoru groaned as he adjusted the bandages around his arm, the dull pain reminding him of the intensity of their encounter with Naka. Reiko sat a few feet away, keeping watch with a kunai in hand, her gaze sharp and alert.
"Reiko," Satoru called out, his voice raspy but firm, "keep an eye out. I need time to heal properly."
Reiko glanced at him, her brows furrowed in concern. "Sure, but… where do we go now? Do we continue the mission or—"
"We're heading straight to Konoha," Satoru interrupted, not even looking up. "We're abandoning the mission."
Reiko's eyes widened in shock. "What? Just like that? And what about your teammates? Chosuke and Kaito might be in the same mess as us—or worse!"
Satoru sighed, his tone carrying an edge of frustration. "Reiko, think about it. Genins like us shouldn't even be on a B-rank mission, let alone one this dangerous. With people like Naka around, even chunins should think twice before stepping in. Shinichi-sensei will catch up to them and handle it."
Reiko's lips pressed into a thin line. "You're seriously just going to sit back and hope your sensei saves them?"
Satoru finally looked up, startled by the intensity in her voice. Before he could respond, Reiko stood and marched over to him. Without warning, she slapped him hard across the face.
"How can you be so heartless?" she yelled, her voice trembling with anger and frustration. "Your teammates might be in danger right now! If they're facing someone like Naka, they won't survive. You can't just gamble on your sensei showing up in time!"
Satoru rubbed his cheek, stunned into silence. He thought about her words, 'She's right. What if Shinichi-sensei doesn't make it in time? Am I really going to abandon them just because it's easier?'
Before he could reply, Reiko raised her hand, clearly prepared to slap him again. Satoru flinched and immediately started packing his supplies.
"Alright, alright!" he said hurriedly, his voice filled with reluctant resolve. "We'll go find Kaito and help him. Naka's too dangerous to deal with, but we can at least help my teammates get out of there."
Reiko's anger melted into a satisfied smile. She summoned her puppet horse and gestured for Satoru to sit. "Good. Now get on, You need to save your strength."
Grumbling, Satoru climbed onto the puppet, wincing slightly from his injuries. As the horse began to move, the rhythmic clatter of its wooden legs against the forest floor filled the silence.
Reiko glanced back at him, her voice softer now. "I know you care about your team, Satoru. Don't let fear make you forget that."
Satoru didn't respond, but her words lingered in his mind.
Unbeknownst to them, in the dense shadows of the forest, Naka watched their every move. His amused smirk returned as he followed them from a safe distance. His presence was like a phantom—unseen, yet undeniably felt.
---
Yuki crouched near Kaito, her attention divided between his shallow breaths and the distant sounds of Kazuki battling the bandits. Her grip on the kunai tightened as worry gnawed at her. 'These bandits… why are they using ninjutsu?'
A faint rustling behind her snapped her focus. She turned sharply, raising her kunai, but before she could act, invisible chakra strings snaked around her body, delivering a surge of electricity. Her muscles seized, and her vision blurred as she collapsed unconscious.
Satoru appeared from his concealed position, releasing his invisibility. He knelt beside Yuki, quickly checking her pulse and inspecting Kaito's wounds. The blood loss was significant, but the bandages suggested the sand ninja intended to keep him alive—perhaps for interrogation. Satoru exhaled in relief. Good thing Reiko made me turn back. Going straight to Konoha would've been a mistake.
He glanced at the forest edge, his mind racing. He couldn't leave them exposed. He lifted Yuki and Kaito carefully, carrying them toward the rendezvous point where Reiko was waiting.
Reiko stepped out of her hiding spot as he approached. Her eyes widened when she saw Satoru carrying a sand ninja and Kaito. "You weren't kidding about running into trouble," she muttered.
Satoru laid them down gently. "Keep them safe. She is still breathing, and Kaito's wounds look manageable for now. Use her ninja pouch for supplies—I found poison and antidotes in there. Split it with me, just in case."
Reiko nodded, already rummaging through Yuki's belongings. "What are you planning?"
"I'll scout ahead and figure out what we're dealing with," Satoru replied. "These bandits are using traps and ninjutsu. Someone's leading them, and I bet they're the key to this mess. Draw out their leader if you can and get them to fight this jonin while I stall."
Reiko smirked slightly. "Draw out the leader, huh? Easy enough. Just don't get yourself killed."
Without another word, she disappeared into the forest, moving like a shadow among the trees.
---