The team moved in silence after setting off. Only hushed conversations between Uchiha Akihiko and Uchiha Hiro broke the quiet.
Two hours into the search, Uchiha Akihiko halted, his gaze fixed on a hidden entrance shrouded in darkness. Without turning back, he signaled with a series of gestures. Uchiha Masaki smirked and vanished with a flicker of his body.
The rest of the Uchiha spread out, laying traps and encircling Uchiha Hiro at the center.
Moments later, flames erupted from the stronghold ahead. Several figures darted out, scattering in different directions.
But their escape was met with razor-sharp wires and a symphony of detonating tags. Those who survived the initial trap were swiftly subdued by the waiting Uchiha.
"Already done?" Masaki reappeared with a grin. "I didn't even get to trigger half my traps. Kiyoshi really is too cautious."
Uchiha Hiro crouched near one of the subdued individuals. "No tags on this one. Looks like they're just here for training. Let's get some answers with genjutsu."
Akihiko nodded, grabbing the leader by the collar and dragging him aside. His Sharingan activated, the scarlet tomoe spun menacingly. But the instant their gazes locked, Akihiko's expression changed. He flung the man away and shouted, "Retreat!"
The team reacted instantly, abandoning their tasks and pulling back. A second later, the subdued ninja exploded, showering the area with blood and flesh. The shockwave hurled Akihiko into a tree, where he collapsed in a heap.
"You still alive?" Hiro pulled Akihiko up, his hands glowing faintly green.
Akihiko grimaced, holding his throbbing head. "Lunatics. All of them."
Masaki, now on high alert, activated his Sharingan. The tomoe spun faster as he scanned the surroundings. "Was that some kind of seal-triggered explosion?"
"Yes," Akihiko groaned. "A chakra-activated seal in the brain that detonates tags implanted in their bodies. The Senju clan doesn't care about lives if it means keeping their secrets."
Hiro's healing hands steadied Akihiko. "You're lucky the chakra backlash wasn't worse. Don't use genjutsu like that again until you're fully recovered."
"They're all probably sacrificial pawns," Akihiko muttered. "We should kill the rest and leave. This stinks of a trap."
Masaki's Sharingan gleamed dangerously. "Let's just wipe them out. We're not here to play nice."
Akihiko's voice dropped. "No. We need to pull back and avoid the main battlefield. Something's wrong." He turned to Hiro. "Send word to the frontlines. Use your summoning to warn them to retreat. If there's fallout, I'll take the blame."
Hiro's eyes widened. "And what should I tell them? That my leader got spooked by a human bomb?"
Masaki snorted, already moving. "We'll argue later. For now, they're still breathing."
In a flash, Masaki appeared over the downed Senju, his blade gleaming. With ruthless precision, he disabled their tendons, ensuring they couldn't escape or bleed out.
"Bind them," he ordered. "Set up more traps. The ones with sealing scrolls, follow me inside. The rest, stand guard."
As the team secured the area, Hiro pressed his hands to the ground. "There's movement below us. Don't kill them yet."
Masaki adjusted his grip on his blade, irritation flashing across his face. "Fine. But if they try anything, I'm not holding back."
Hiro's voice was grim. "It's a detonating array. Not fully activated yet, but linked to their lives. If they die, it'll go off immediately. The design is flawless—definitely Uzumaki handiwork."
Akihiko rubbed his temples, his headache intensifying. "That clan's always aiding the Senju... Notify the main battlefield and retreat. We can't risk it."
Hiro nodded, summoning his small, white-furred companion. The kitten yawned lazily as it appeared. "Didn't we agree no work at night?"
"Sorry, Yukimaru," Hiro said softly. "I owe you. Can you deliver a message to my brother? It's urgent."
The cat stretched, licking its paw. "Fine. But I want extra dried fish for overtime."
Hiro gave the message, concise and clear. The kitten vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving the team in tense silence.
Masaki returned, frustration clear on his face. "The place is empty. They cleaned it out long before we got here. Either they knew we were coming, or this was never a real base."
Akihiko straightened, his tone sharp. "Evacuate. Now. We'll continue along Kiyoshi's suggested route, but I don't want anyone lingering here."
Masaki sighed, gesturing for his squad to erase traces of their presence. "Kiyoshi's paranoia is rubbing off on you."
"Better cautious than dead," Akihiko snapped.
Masaki smirked. "Fair. He is reliable... when he's not obsessing over training."
Hiro snorted. "Obsessing? That guy's been blind for weeks and still trains like it's his last day on earth."
Akihiko cut them off. "Enough. Focus on the mission."
As the team moved out, Hiro and Masaki fell back to their usual bickering.
"Duel me when we get back!" Masaki declared.
"Why bother? You'll just lose again," Hiro retorted.
Akihiko sighed, his headache pounding harder. These two will be the death of me.