The sudden bad news drained all color from everyone's faces in the mess hall.
Especially Mei Terumī — the young woman's already fair complexion turned completely white, as if all blood had fled her veins. Her eyes lost their focus, and a wave of suffocating anxiety and restlessness surged in her chest.
It clogged her heart, rising and falling without release.
She felt so stifled she almost wanted to pull out a kunai and slice open her chest, just to see if her heart was blocked by traffic inside.
Otherwise…
why did it hurt so much just to breathe?
"...Tch!"
Hōzuki Mangetsu's expression darkened. He turned toward Biwa Jūzō and said gravely,
"Jūzō, we can't afford to wait any longer. Give the order to set sail! If we let Orochimaru get close and he destroys our two ships— then we'll all end up as food for the fish."
The jōnin named Suiren went pale as well and added hurriedly,
"Jūzō-sama, we should leave now!"
"Everyone, calm down!!"
Jūzō barked, his voice slicing through the chaos like a whip.
At once, the room fell silent.
"Aomori, you too — calm yourself."
Once everyone quieted, Biwa Jūzō turned to the sensory ninja who had brought the news.
"Explain clearly. You're certain it's Orochimaru's chakra? Is he alone? How long before he reaches the coast?"
He fired off each question in rapid succession.
Aomori, still shaken, found himself steadying under Jūzō's icy, composed gaze. He took a breath and replied,
"I can confirm it — that chakra definitely belongs to Orochimaru. But… he's not alone. There's another chakra signature moving with him. Their speed is—"
He suddenly sucked in a sharp breath.
"What is it? Something wrong?"
Seeing Aomori's startled reaction, Jūzō's heart sank.
Great. More bad news?
"N-no, it's just… I might have made a mistake," Aomori stammered. "That other chakra traveling with Orochimaru — it might not belong to a Konoha ninja. It… it feels like one of ours."
"One of ours?"
Jūzō blinked, then frowned deeply.
"Aomori, speak plainly. You're all over the place and confusing the hell out of me. What do you mean it's one of ours? Do you recognize the chakra? What's going on exactly?"
"It's just…" Aomori scratched at his head nervously. "When I first sensed Orochimaru's chakra, I panicked and assumed he was chasing us. But now that I've calmed down, I realize their pace is much slower. And that second chakra — I've sensed it before. It's the one belonging to the man who came with you to reinforce us earlier…"
"You mean Kyoichi is still alive?"
The pale-faced girl blurted out before he could finish.
"...Yes, I think so. Koeda Kyoichi — that was his name, right?" Aomori answered, still a little dazed by the sudden question.
In an instant, color flooded back into Mei's cheeks.
The suffocating weight in her chest vanished like mist in sunlight.
"...Aomori, did you just say you mistook someone's chakra?"
Jūzō stared at him blankly.
Seriously?
When he'd heard Orochimaru was chasing them, he'd nearly assumed Kyoichi had already been wiped out — and now it turned out the guy was alive and kicking!
"I-I just wasn't familiar enough with it!" Aomori mumbled weakly.
"What, do you need to sleep with someone before you can recognize their chakra properly?" Jūzō snapped.
Aomori shut his mouth immediately.
He couldn't argue — this was clearly his blunder. As a sensory-type ninja, that was literally his job. Forgetting the chakra of a low-ranking genin was one thing, but among the jōnin? There were only so many in the village, especially here on this mission.
"Let's head to the deck."
Jūzō didn't press further.
Now wasn't the time for scolding.
The group quickly moved to the upper deck.
The sky was still as overcast as before, thick clouds of dull iron-gray pressing low overhead.
But everyone's mood had changed completely.
The news that Kyoichi was alive hit them like a shot of pure adrenaline.
They weren't the only ones who gathered on deck — Kirigumo Ryūsei and Koeda Yūsuke had come running after receiving word as well.
"Aomori, how far were Orochimaru and Kyoichi's chakra signatures from here?" Jūzō asked, peering northward toward the mainland.
"About five kilometers away, at the forward outpost," Aomori replied quietly.
Their sensory range wasn't large enough to detect things from the ship itself, so they had stationed lookouts on land to watch for pursuit. The idea was to have enough warning to set sail before Konoha's forces arrived.
"When I detected Orochimaru's chakra, it was about two kilometers from the outpost — which puts it seven kilometers from the coast. They were on the move, but their pace was slow. If they've maintained that speed, they should be arriving at the outpost right about now."
From the precision of Aomori's response, it was clear he'd paid attention in the academy's theory courses — unlike Jūzō, who'd always relied more on gut instinct and battlefield experience.
"Five kilometers…" Jūzō murmured.
After a short pause, he gave his orders:
"Mei, Yūsuke, Ryūsei, Suiren — you stay on the ship and head south immediately. Don't go too far, just far enough that the shoreline's out of sight. Mangetsu, you're with me. We'll intercept Orochimaru and see what condition Kyoichi's in. If we can, we'll extract him and retreat together."
"I'm staying too," Yūsuke said quickly.
"Yūsuke, don't be reckless."
Jūzō shot him a look. "You specialize in genjutsu and earth release. Genjutsu's useless against Orochimaru, and earth release is limited out here on the sea. Mangetsu and I can handle it. Out here, the water's our home turf. On land, Orochimaru might overpower us — but on the ocean… we can at least hold him off."
Yūsuke clenched his teeth, lowering his head reluctantly.
He knew Jūzō was right. His skills in genjutsu and earth release were nearly useless at sea; staying behind would only slow them down.
"If Yūsuke's not suitable, then what about me?"
Mei suddenly stepped forward, eyes bright and unwavering — twin pools of jade that shone like polished spring water, sharp as needles.
"I'm good with Water Release. Out here… this is my home turf too."
"Mei…" Jūzō raised a brow. "You sure you want to stay?"
"With just you and Mangetsu, you'll be short-handed. Add me in, and that's a full three-man squad."
"...Fine. As long as you don't regret it, you're in."
Jūzō nodded decisively.
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