One year later — a cave on the border of the Land of Lightning.
"Xiao Guang, are you alright?" Miyue asked softly, her eyes fixed on the bandages wrapped tightly around Xiao Guang's right arm.
"Mhm, I'm fine. It's already been treated," Xiao Guang replied, shaking her head to reassure her.
"It's all his fault! If it wasn't for him, you wouldn't have gotten hurt!" Miyue snapped, lashing out with a sharp kick at the Kumogakure shinobi bound nearby.
"Ugh!" The prisoner groaned, unable to resist.
"Enough, Miyue," Xiao Guang chided gently. "It was my own carelessness. Don't kick him again. If we make too much noise, we'll expose our position."
Miyue frowned but relented. "Fine. You rest—I'll keep watch outside." Without waiting for Xiao Guang's reply, she stepped out of the cave.
---
Miyue's frustration burned quietly beneath her calm expression. Before, she had begged for higher-ranked missions and was constantly refused. Yet here she was—supposedly on a low-risk escort mission—only for everything to escalate without warning.
Originally, her team had accepted a simple C-rank assignment: escorting a merchant caravan into the Land of Lightning. Relations between Konoha and Kumogakure had been relatively stable lately, so it was considered safe.
Their preparations had been adequate—for that level of mission. But fate rarely cared about fairness.
On the return journey, they crossed paths with a Kumogakure squad. Their movements were suspicious, but that wasn't unusual—shinobi always looked suspicious to outsiders. Wanting to avoid unnecessary conflict, Miyue's team had chosen to withdraw and give them space.
But instead of leaving things there, the Kumo-nin attacked.
Their opponents were formidable: a four-man squad with at least two Tokubetsu Jōnin and one full Jōnin among them. Far stronger than Miyue's team.
Konoha's side had only one powerhouse—Pingyi, freshly promoted to Elite Jōnin. The other three, including Miyue and Xiaoguang, were still only Chūnin-level.
Their saving grace came when they captured one of the enemies—a Genin. The sudden hostage situation stalled the battle. Under normal circumstances, things might have ended with a tense standoff and retreat.
But when Pingyi got hold of the captured Kumo Genin, his face darkened. He struck the boy down with a single blow, rendering him unconscious, and barked only one order before rushing back into battle:
"Kill them all. This one must be taken back to the village!"
Although confused, Miyue and the others obeyed. The enemy was skilled, but the sudden loss of initiative and the hostage's capture shifted the balance. By combining their efforts, the Konoha shinobi managed to win—barely.
But that was only the beginning.
From that day forward, Kumogakure trackers had hounded them relentlessly. Xiao Guang's injury came during one such ambush when the bound Kumo-nin tried to resist. Luckily, she reacted in time, and the wound was shallow. They reinforced his bindings with sealing tags and steel wire, preventing further escape attempts—but it slowed their pace and made travel dangerous.
Now, Pingyi and Takeda were outside, clashing with Kumo pursuit squads, buying time for Xiao Guang to rest.
Inside the cave, Miyue stiffened. Her senses sharpened, and she quietly drew a kunai, slipping into the shadows.
Two voices drifted closer.
"...Who do you think the target really is? The village is making such a fuss. I heard even the next Raikage and Killer B were mobilized."
"Hah, don't be ridiculous. Those two don't need petty missions for merit."
"Then why are we here? Something's off."
"Tch. Just shut up and do your job. There's a cave ahead. Let's check it."
The pair approached cautiously, their easy banter fading into silence. Despite their casual tone, they weren't reckless—they knew better than to charge blindly.
But they had already wandered too close. The muffled groans of the bound prisoner inside the cave gave them pause.
"What was that?" one muttered.
That moment was all Miyue needed.
She flashed from the shadows, forming a quick hand seal with one hand. Her genjutsu wasn't strong enough to truly control them—but it didn't need to be. A flicker of illusion clouded their senses just long enough for her kunai to strike true.
Thud! One of them fell instantly, a kunai buried deep.
The survivor cursed, drawing his blade. "Damn it! You were hiding here after all!"
But Miyue gave him no time to breathe. She pressed forward in silence, attacking relentlessly. Though Xiao Guang was injured, two against one was more than enough.
Soon, the Kumogakure shinobi's fate would be sealed.
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