In the forest, three figures darted quickly through the trees.
On Inuzuka Hana's shoulder, her little dog crouched low, keeping its nose alert to every trace of scent ahead.
Night had already fallen long ago when Hyūga Tokuma, leading the group, raised his hand for them to stop.
"We'll rest here tonight. According to the map, if everything goes smoothly, we'll reach the destination in another five hours tomorrow."
Hana nodded, stroking her dog's head. "Rimaru's been on alert for four hours straight, he's getting tired."
Beside her, Izumi opened her pack and pulled out the supplies she had prepared earlier.
Tokuma looked at the two of them. "Rest for six hours. We'll rotate the watch every two hours. That means each of us only gets four hours of sleep."
Izumi nodded. "I'll take the first two hours. You and Hana were keeping watch earlier, so you should rest first."
Tokuma agreed. "Izumi takes the first two hours, I'll take the middle, and Hana will take the last shift."
As the only boy in the group, he naturally chose the hardest middle shift. Not everyone could fall asleep immediately, and whoever got the middle watch would inevitably end up with less than four hours of true rest.
Then Hana spoke. "According to your guess, Tokuma, the real test was supposed to start a few hours after leaving the village. But Yun hasn't made a move yet."
"So at least in the first hours of night, it should be safe… right?"
Tokuma scratched his head. "I can't be sure. But if this test was only about getting the proof of success, then with my Byakugan and Rimaru, it would be too easy."
Izumi nodded slightly. "My brother's tests are never that simple. Since it's not a direct combat trial, then this mission must have something unusual in it."
Hana thought for a moment and suggested, "Most likely the first hour or two of night will be safe. Let Rimaru take the first half-hour of watch, then split the six hours into four shifts. That way, we'll be in better shape tomorrow."
Both Tokuma and Izumi looked at Rimaru, who was eating to replenish his strength.
Hana smiled. "Don't underestimate him. His nose may not beat Tokuma's Byakugan at full power, but it's definitely sharper than mine or Izumi's."
In truth, the Inuzuka clan's sense of smell was just as sharp as their dogs'. But Hana said this partly to comfort Izumi, who didn't yet have her Sharingan.
The three quickly agreed.
Without making a fire, they replenished their strength and lay down to rest inside a protective insect circle. Rimaru, meanwhile, stayed vigilant.
…
After an hour and a half, Rimaru licked Izumi awake and then curled up to rest.
Rubbing her eyes, Izumi extended her senses, staying alert.
Rustle…
Half an hour later, a faint noise came from the distance.
Izumi snapped her gaze toward the sound, instantly withdrawing her chakra sense, then nudged Tokuma beside her.
Tokuma's eyes shot open at once. He didn't speak, just scanned his surroundings cautiously. Finding no immediate threat, he looked at Izumi in confusion.
"Is it time already?"
Izumi shook her head slightly and whispered, "Use your Byakugan to check that direction. Someone just passed by. Maybe they didn't notice us."
Without hesitation, veins bulged around Tokuma's eyes. His sight pierced through layers of trees and caught sight of three figures moving quickly.
'Ninja.'
'Wait, that forehead protector…'
'Kumogakure!'
He immediately cut off his vision and shook Hana awake.
"Izumi heard something and woke me. With my Byakugan, I saw them; they're wearing Kumo forehead protectors."
"Kumo-nin?!"
Hana instantly lost all drowsiness. Konoha and Kumo's war had only ended a little over a year ago.
Could they already be preparing revenge?
Wait…
"Could it be… Yun?" Hana asked cautiously.
Tokuma shook his head. "No idea. They just passed by. Like Izumi said, maybe they weren't sensing this way and didn't notice us."
Izumi nodded. "Their target doesn't seem to be us. But… it could still be my brother's doing."
Hana scratched her head helplessly. "Either way, we'll have to follow them and find out."
Izumi hesitated. "Do we fight directly? We're only genin. Tokuma, you said it looked like a three-man squad…"
She trailed off, but they all knew what she meant.
A three-man Kumo squad, deep inside Fire Country. There was no way they were weak. Even a single jonin among them would be more than they could handle.
Hana frowned. "We're only genin. We don't have intel on Kumo's current movements. Do you know anything, Tokuma? Like envoys coming to negotiate reparations?"
Tokuma shook his head. "I'm just a branch family Hyūga. Lord Hizashi might like me, but he wouldn't discuss Kumo matters with a fresh graduate like me."
Izumi finally understood. "So do we follow them to find out their purpose? But… their direction is completely opposite from our mission target."
Tokuma shook his head. "The mission doesn't matter anymore. If those three were Yun's clones in disguise, then following them is part of the test. If not, then Kumo sending a three-man squad deep into Fire Country at night reeks of conspiracy."
"The mission means nothing compared to a potential threat to the village."
He looked at Izumi. "Can you contact the village?"
Izumi shook her head. "My brother doesn't like ninja cats, or Shisui's crows. But… I can contact Itachi."
'Itachi?!'
The name stunned Tokuma. They were classmates, though Itachi had graduated early after just one year. He didn't have Yun's fame, but during the war with Kumo, with those eyes of his, he had lived up to the name of genius.
"Send Itachi the intel. Have him get it to the village. Meanwhile… we follow them."
Hana frowned. "Isn't that… too risky?"
Tokuma shook his head. "We'll just tail them from afar. My Byakugan can read their lips. We need to know their purpose."
Izumi slapped her hand to the ground. With a puff of smoke, a small cat appeared.
The cat blinked, then spotted her forehead protector. "You're a ninja now, Izumi? On a mission?"
Izumi handed it a scroll. "Please take this to Itachi. It's very important. Get it there as fast as you can."
The cat eyed the scroll but hesitated. "Uh… last time, your brother Uchiha Yun warned us real bad. I don't want to get beaten up."
Izumi flushed with embarrassment, then whispered, "That was before. This is serious. The intel is crucial; it concerns Konoha's safety. My brother won't blame you."
The cat tilted its head. "Really?"
Izumi pressed her hands together. "Really! Please!"
After a moment's hesitation, the cat accepted the scroll. With another puff of smoke, it was gone.
Izumi sighed in relief. "Its summoning location isn't in Konoha, or I'd have asked it to go to my brother directly."
Tokuma smiled. "As long as the message gets through. Let's move."
…
With his Byakugan active, Tokuma tracked the targets ahead. Hana and Izumi stayed sharp behind him.
When Tokuma suddenly raised his hand, all three stopped.
"They've stopped. They're talking. I'll read their lips. Izumi, record. Hana, keep watch."
Izumi nodded, pulling out paper and pen. Hana stroked Rimaru's head, standing guard.
Tokuma began speaking softly, imitating the lip movements he saw.
"…Thirty years ago… intel… stumbled upon…"
"…the whole Konoha… could be… destroyed…"
"…once destroyed before… this time… it helps us…"
"…Revenge… for the Raikage…"
"…Operate covertly… must not… be discovered…"
"…Village… no longer has… the strength… to…"
"…An hour later… resume… moving out…"
Tokuma ended his Byakugan, his expression heavy.
They'd confirmed Kumo's plot against Konoha. But what exactly was this "power that could destroy the whole village"?
Buzz…
A faint ringing filled Tokuma's ears. Figures moved in the forest ahead. Izumi and Hana saw them too.
…
From Izumi's perspective.
She was still writing when suddenly, a voice came from the darkness:
"Three little Konoha rats. Genin, are you? To sneak this close… The Hyūga's Byakugan is indeed a fine tool for scouting."
Hana shouted: "Scatter!"
A bolt of lightning crashed down on their position. Even though they dodged, the sheer speed left Izumi numb for a moment, tumbling to the ground.
The moment she recovered, her hands blurred through seals. Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!
Flames roared toward the attacker, forcing him to dodge and giving Tokuma and Hana breathing space.
The earlier lightning had clearly been aimed at Tokuma. Both he and Hana had been stunned slightly longer.
"Lightning chakra infusion… he's a Kumo jonin!" Tokuma shouted.
A long blade crackled with lightning in the enemy's hands. No doubt, this was a Kumogakure jonin, easily strong enough to annihilate the three of them.
"The Hyūga brat has some knowledge, I see."
The man's eyes shifted to Izumi. The Uchiha fan crest on her clothes made his gaze brighten.
"An Uchiha girl? Where's your Sharingan?"
Izumi tightened her grip on her kunai. "Kumo-nin! You've infiltrated Fire Country, aren't you afraid of starting another war?"
At the same time, her other hand signaled Hana behind her.
Against this level of power, they had no chance. Their only hope was sending Rimaru to break through and call for help.
Izumi's peripheral vision confirmed that Rimaru had vanished from Hana's side. Hana gave her a tiny nod.
Their plan had worked. Izumi's heart eased slightly.
The Kumo jonin sneered. "War? If not for your Uchiha Yun, Kumo wouldn't be in this state! Your Konoha killed the Fourth Raikage; now you must suffer our vengeance."
His blade pointed straight at Izumi. "As a clan member of Uchiha Yun, the one who killed Lord Raikage, your death will be his great tribute."
Boom!
Lightning struck down, but only hit a clone.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
Six flaming shuriken rained from behind him. He slashed them aside with his lightning blade.
Bang!
Tokuma, aiming to strike his chakra points from behind, missed.
Boom!
Hana's exploding-tag shuriken went wide.
Without Rimaru, Hana's power was greatly reduced.
"His speed is too fast," Tokuma muttered. Izumi silently agreed. Even surprise attacks hadn't worked.
Swish! Swish!
Two more figures appeared, joining the jonin. The three Kumo-nin closed in, surrounding them.
…