The rain had stopped. But the world still felt damp and oppressive, and the sun had yet to rise. Thick mist clung to the ground, making it impossible to see more than a few meters ahead. It was a suffocating silence, broken only by the creaking of wagon wheels in the mud and the rustling of wet vegetation.
Ryuusei rubbed his arms, shivering. It wasn't just the cold. Something in the air felt wrong. Why does this mist feel so... heavy?
He glanced at Misaki beside him. She felt it too. Her body was tense, eyes scanning the haze, a kunai already hidden in her sleeve.
Kousei, as always, walked ahead, separated from the group, ever watchful. His gaze swept through the fog like a seasoned predator.
Then it happened. Too fast.
From a puddle ahead of Kousei, something shot upward, a gleaming blade.
"Otou–!" The blade sliced clean through Kousei's chest. His body split in two.
Ryuusei froze. His mind refused to process it.
The air thickened. His knees nearly buckled.
"D-Dad...?"
The nearest merchant let out a strangled cry. One of the horses neighed in panic.
The attacker, a tall man draped in a soaked cloak, wearing a scratched Kirigakure headband, twisted the blade.
"Hmph. A jounin? Too easy."
Ryuusei couldn't breathe. His fingers trembled. This wasn't training. This wasn't a nightmare. His father... was...
"KUJAKU NO KENGEN!"
Kousei's voice rang through the mist.
Ryuusei's eyes widened.
"What?!" The nukenin barely had time to react.
A vortex of purple energy spun through the haze like a scythe.
The swirling force burst from the mist and cut through the nukenin before he could escape. Flesh parted. Blood sprayed into the air.
The man's body split in half, just like Kousei's had. The pieces hit the soaked ground with a sickening thud.
The mist now reeked of blood.
The merchants stood paralyzed. The horses stomped nervously.
Ryuusei tasted bile in his mouth. His body still refused to move.
Then... footsteps in the mist.
And his father's firm voice.
"We're under enemy siege! Nukenin from Kiri!"
Kousei emerged from the fog, unscathed, as though he'd never been struck.
But Ryuusei still saw the blood on the ground.
"D-Dad...?" His voice cracked.
"Don't just stand there!" Kousei ignored his son's confusion. "They're using the mist as cover! If we stay here, we're dead!"
Misaki appeared beside Ryuusei, eyes sharp.
"Ryuusei!" She grabbed his arm, forcing him to face her. Her face was pale, but her voice was steady.
"We need to move! You're leading the way, got it?"
He blinked, still dazed.
"But my dad…?"
"Kousei's covering us!" Misaki tugged harder, her cold hand gripping his skin. "If you don't move now, you'll die here!"
Ryuusei's eyes flickered. Misaki never spoke like that. She was scared.
He swallowed hard, breathing deeply. He had to move.
Behind them, the air hummed. Kousei raised his hands, purple flames swirling around him.
"KUJAKU NO KENGEN!"
A barrier of energy rose around the caravan, spinning like a storm of stardust.
The merchants stumbled backward, fear etched into their faces as the radiant aura enveloped them.
The mist shimmered with hues of violet and blue.
"Ryuusei!" Misaki's voice cut through the chaos like a blade. "Now!"
He inhaled sharply and dashed forward, cutting through the fog. The merchants and the caravan followed.
Behind them, Kousei stood firm.
The shadow of a second nukenin loomed in the mist. But before he could strike…
The purple vortex roared once more.
The hurried splash of footsteps in the mud blended with the creaking wagons and the frantic neighing of horses.
Ryuusei clutched a kunai tightly, sweat slicking his palms. He led the group, but his mind was chaos.
The image of his father splitting apart replayed endlessly. The clean cut. The body dividing. And then, Kousei's voice echoing from nowhere.
"We're under enemy siege!"
Moments later, the enemy, dead without hesitation.
Ryuusei gulped. He'd never seen his father kill before.
This wasn't like striking a wooden target. This wasn't training against straw dummies.
This was real. Raw. Bloody.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it…"
He blinked rapidly, struggling to focus on the path ahead. The mist was too thick.
Then,
SWISH!
Kunai flew from the mist. Fast. Precise.
THUNK!
Before they could hit him, a purple barrier flared around him.
"Ryuusei, focus on the path!" Kousei's sharp, commanding voice rang from behind.
Ryuusei glanced back, watching the kunai clatter harmlessly to the ground after striking the energy shield.
If not for his father, he'd be dead.
"Damn it!" He gritted his teeth. Why can't I react?!
"Keep moving!" Misaki shouted, eyes wide.
She held a kunai too, but her stance wavered, a rare break in her usual precision.
Misaki was fast, strategic, calculated. But now… she hesitated.
Before he could process it, another attack burst from the mist.
Kunai. Thin blades. A shadow in motion.
Ryuusei tried to turn, to block,
"KUJAKU NO KENGEN!"
Another energy barrier flared, stopping the blades an instant before impact.
Misaki would've been hit too if not for Kousei.
She spun, eyes wide. This doesn't make sense.
Normally, they could handle enemies like these.
The nukenin were only using Kirigakure no Jutsu to mask their presence. Their attacks weren't overwhelming.
They were patient.
Waiting for an opening.
And then… they killed.
Misaki bit her lip. That's the problem.
They're assassins.
Ryuusei hesitated.
She hesitated.
The blood. The strike. The shock.
That's what they wanted.
Misaki glanced at Kousei.
He didn't hesitate. He didn't dwell on the blood. He didn't flinch at the kill.
He just acted.
That's why they were alive.
Misaki turned to Ryuusei, who ran ahead, tense, wide-eyed.
"Ryuusei!" She closed the gap, gripping his wrist tightly.
He whipped around, dazed.
"Faster."
He blinked, confused. "What?"
"We need to clear the mist. Now." She tightened her grip. "Kousei's covering us, but we have to get out of here!"
Ryuusei trembled, breath shallow.
"I…"
"Focus, Ryuusei!" Her words were for both of them.
Electricity seemed to jolt through him.
Lead. Protect. Act.
His father was protecting them.
But if Ryuusei faltered, if he kept dragging his feet, they'd all die.
The merchants couldn't fight. Misaki couldn't react fast enough. And Kousei couldn't hold the barrier forever.
"Damn it!" Ryuusei growled, gripping his kunai tighter and charging ahead.
The mist swirled, shadows flickering within.
But he wouldn't stop.
Behind them…
Kousei stood firm, eyes sharp. The purple barrier pulsed around him, shielding the caravan.
The shadows thinned.
He'd faced worse.
He could've ended the threat immediately, but he didn't.
Because this was the lesson.
One moment of hesitation during a mission could be fatal.