Fandom Squad Shithead: A Naruto AU

[Gilzar]

Katsuro's hand was shifted away from Tetsuo, but the Jonin didn't seem to react to it at all. He just stared at Tetsuo with the same stern look as before as he listened to the boy's excuses.

"Then try harder." Katsuro replied simply. There was no sympathy in his voice.

He was about at his wits end with his troubled student. The boy was convinced he was lying, and from how adamant Tetsuo was acting Katsuro anything could change his mind. An awkward silence filled the air. As he tried to collect his thoughts his eyes naturally stared over at the manor. Just what was it that made Tetsuo think like this? Was it fear brought on by ignorance? Or was it something else. Tetsuo's father immediately crossed his mind. Katsuro didn't know what that coward thought about Jinchuriki, but it wouldn't have surprised him if he was the one who polluted the kid's mind with these thoughts. Every day Tetsuo showed he had more in common with his father than Katsuro would have liked.

He let out a sigh and shook his head. His eyes once again met with Tetsuo's. Only this time his gaze was one of disappointment, rather than just anger.

"Someday kid...you're gonna realize she's not a monster."

Katsuro stood back up and dug his round sunglasses out once more. He put them back on, and once again began to walk his patrol route.

 

[Pine]

Tetsuo stood awkwardly for a moment. Katsuro had effectively ended the conversation. Tetsuo had expected more anger, more cussing and belittling him, but instead the jonin just looked disappointed.

With his instructor moving on, he presumably had the chance to follow and have a quiet afternoon of patrolling like he'd wanted, but Tetsuo was too angry now. As much as he wanted to throw everything he had into protecting Rei, his exhaustion was finally catching up to him, and he couldn't stand the idea of walking with or otherwise crossing paths with Katsuro right at that moment. Tetsuo shook his head. He needed to blow off steam.

Fuck this. "I'm going inside," he said, not caring if his instructor missed hearing him.

With his hands balled into fists, he turned back around to find the nearest entrance. The estate was a bit of a labyrinth, but once he was able to cut across the courtyard, it was easy to find his assigned room. All the while he walked he fumed in silence. The occasional guard would quirk an eyebrow at him, either curious about the conversation with Katsuro or having witnessed him running off on his own that morning. Tetsuo shot a deathglare at the first guard to look at him this way, but all the following he just kept his head down and hurried past.

When he finally got to the room, he made sure he slammed the door with as much force as he could without breaking it. The sound it ended up making was too soft and too legato; he nearly ground his teeth at the thought he couldn't even get the simple pleasure of slamming a door right.

Tetsuo threw himself onto the bed and planted his face down straight into a pillow. He grabbed the edges of the mattress and clenched the fabric as hard as he could. He wanted to flip the mattress below him, slam the dresser doors and smash the pictureframes with generic looking mountainsides only the photographer had probably ever seen. As much as he wanted to do these things, he restrained himself from committing any real property damage. He only gripped the sheets in his hands tighter.

Stupid Katsuro. Stupid Mizu. He hated all of them. He hated Haruki for being fucking stupid and talking about nothing all of the time. He hated Mizu for being a fucking snitch and complicating everything with her condition. He hated Katsuro for looking down on him and not caring about what he thought or felt. More than any of that-

Tetsuo squeezed his temple between his hands and curled to lift his mouth off the pillow just enough so he could hear himself clearly when he said, "I fucking hate myself."

For not having the strength to protect Rei on his own. For how he knew if he was a different person, he could work together with the only people capable of helping him on this mission. Instead, he was who he was, and who he was was someone who released toxins and poisoned every opportunity he had to connect meaningfully with his peers. There wasn't a single person outside of his family who didn't hate him, he felt sure of it. Even Rei must, after having beared witness to the clash he'd had with Sando the instant she should've been rejoicing being back in a place of safety and familiarity.

Tetsuo stewed in his self-loathing, his mind broadcasting a loop of self-deprecation for a long time before there came any room for his mind to drift. He remembered his phone and how he hadn't checked it once since last night. Anxiety crept into his thoughts and settled in the space of his not-knowing how his mom and sister were doing. For all he knew they could be dead and he'd be none the wiser.

Eventually he slipped off the bed, shunting his bag off his back, kicking off his toeless sandals and walking to the dresser where he'd left his phone. Tetsuo flipped it open with a flick of his wrist. No new messages. No missed calls. He sighed through his nose, releasing the last bit of anger he felt.

It could just as much be a good sign as it could be a bad sign. Soto was not reliable when it came to giving the updates he always seemed to be asking for. It could just as well be that something terrible had happened to the village that she couldn't get to the phone even if she remembered to. The threat of whoever or whatever had assassinated the hokage loomed as a heavy dark cloud in his mind.

Tetsuo worried the inside of his bottom lip, walking back with his phone to sit on the edge of his bed. He typed their house number in his phone but stopped with his thumb hovering over the call button. If either his mom or his sister answered, what would they say to him? What would he say to them? Tetsuo couldn't tell either of them the nature of his mission, nor did he have the mental capacity at the time to navigate lying his way through any questions they may ask. He just didn't have the energy to talk to them.

Tetsuo thought for a moment, considering leaving it altogether before he remembered something. He backspaced to edit the number, adding the characters to the number he dialed to make the call anonymous. He pressed the call button and held it up to his ear.

He heard the muted sound of a tone ringing. It rang, paused, then rang again. On the third ring his anxiety was beginning to spike, but then the fifth ring got cut short with a soft click.

"-llo?" A pause. "Hello?" a young girl's voice repeated.

That was all he needed to hear.

Tetsuo shut his phone to hang up and let out a long sigh. Steadily, the tension he'd felt began to melt away.

He got up to replace his phone on the dresser, then got up to head to the bathroom that attached to the guest room. When he came back into the room, there was water collected on his eyelashes from splashing his face and the taste of rot and bile in his mouth had been replaced with a minty coolness. There was a nori senbei packed in his sack that he retrieved.

This time when returned to the bed, he was much more gentle sitting down. He peeled the packaging open and began to chew slowly on the snack, hoping it may ease some of the cramping in his stomach.

Tetsuo's shoulders burned and his wrists ached from the awkward landing he'd made earlier escaping through the window. He felt uneasy hearing the thud of the man's weight thrown against the wall, and how that strong arm had barely whiffed him and Rei when they tumbled out.

Then there was that room.

Spoiler

Although he hadn't processed it at the time, the room reeked of blood and the stench of what he had no doubt were other bodily fluids. His fingers began to feel weak and his hands shook. If Rei had gone in there at the wrong time, that would've been her guts he'd found. Possibly fresh wounds. Where would he have chopped down? Chunks of her cranium as shrapnel on the floor. Intestines spilled through a gash under her ribs. He pictured these grotesque portraits of the imagination as Rei, then as Soto.

He set the half-eaten senbei down still in the plastic wrapping down on the floor. If he ate one more bite he would get sick again.

Tetsuo closed his eyes and pressed his palms against them, but no matter how hard he tried, the images or equally gruesome memories of the carnage with the bear kept pervading his mind.

He thought about trying to find Katsuro again.

He did not want to be alone right now.

He did not want nor need to talk. He just needed somebody there. But he convinced himself it was too late now or that he'd somehow make things worse should he manage to find the jonin again to begin with.

Tetsuo crawled the rest of the way into the bed, a cavernous loneliness engulfing him. The only occupant found were the hauntings of what he'd seen that morning. He closed his eyes, willing a peaceful rest that would never come.

 

[Gilzar]

Hours would pass as the students rested and Katsuro patrolled the walls. As time shifted into the evening the sun lowered itself to just touch the horizon. The once bright blue sky was now replaced by a majesty of colors. A plumage of red, violet, and orange danced across the sky in an awe-inspiring fashion. A breeze picked up, and the unbearable heat of the day began to fade away as the cool night air was setting in.

Katsuro sat on top of the wall, staring out into the sunset. Its beauty gave him a calm feeling, one that he hadn't had all day. In his hand was his flask, which he slowly sipped on while taking in the view. By now almost all of the whiskey within was gone, the result of a stressful day with many ups and downs. Admittedly, even though a lot went wrong today, he wished most that things had went better with Tetsuo. Specifically, the jonin had hoped that their last conversation would have went better. Just when the boy seemed to have finally been opening up to Katsuro, everything fell apart. In part, Katsuro blamed himself. But he had to draw a line somewhere.

He wasn't about to allow blind hatred in his team. Today's argument about Mizu was just one of many that he had done with the residents of Konoha through the years. Mizu never knew it, but there had been plenty of heated discussions about her behind the scenes. Katsuro and Matsuda had always been the most vocal of all the jonin to stand up for her. Now he had to do so to his very own student. As he thought about it, he let out a sigh. Tetsuo reminded him a lot of himself when he was younger. That look of anger in the boys eyes Katsuro knew all too well. Even the kids relationship with Mizu reminded him of his past rivalry with Matsuda. Katsuro couldn't help but wonder if Tetsuo and Mizu had a rivalry between them yet. Maybe they did, and just didn't know it yet. Or maybe they'd never respect each other enough to get to that point?

Just then Katsuro heard someone approaching from below him. He turned to see none other than Yoshiyo staring up the wall at him. "Pardon me, but Sando would like you and your students to meet in the gardens as soon as possible."

Katsuro nodded, then pulled out his cell phone. He sent a simple group message to his students: "Meet in the gardens we trained in last night ASAP."

-----------

Mizu awoke from a dreamless sleep to the beeping of her phone. The bright screen of the phone notifying her of a message illuminated the dark room. She must have been out of it for hours. Scrambling over her sleeping pad, she had to squint to read the text as he eyes slowly adjusted to the light. After a few moments, her eyes adjusted and the message from Katsuro was clear: Meet in the gardens as soon as she could.

Mizu got out of bed and turned the only lamp inside the room on. She quickly changed into her dark blue long-sleeve shirt and black leggings from the day before. As she left the room, she grabbed her staff and strapped it securely to her back. Lastly, she grabbed her most cherished item before leaving the room: Her headband. To most shinobi a headband was nothing more than just a piece of a uniform that had to be worn. To Mizu though, it was more than that. The headband represented how far she had come since she first began her journey at the academy. The girl took pride in being a shinobi; it was all she had in her life. Even during a stressful mission like this one, getting in uniform and tying her headband on elevated her mindset and readied her for whatever was to come.

Headband secured to her forehead in the proper way they learned at the academy, Mizu made her way through the manner and into the garden. The cool night air brushed against her skin as she slid the door behind her shut, and walked down into the gardens. Before her were Sando and Katsuro. Sando stood in the same place they had met him the first day of the mission: Underneath a tree, next to the small pond they had trained on the night before. Katsuro stood next to him, arms crossed, clearly waiting for the others. It looked like Mizu had beat the other two.

"We'll wait for the others before we start." Katsuro said simply.

 

[Pine]

Haruki's phone made an 'oink' sound and he groaned loudly. "Finally!" he said to himself.

It had been hours since he'd left the sauna. As it turned out, there weren't a lot of things to do in the estate. First, Haruki had tried to look for rooms as exclusive and fancy as the pool room, but the only one he'd found was an isolated room with a grand piano. The instant he had touched a key, one of the workers had seemingly materialized behind him and nervously told him that he would need Sando's explicit permission to use the piano. As Sando was presumably in the aforementioned private chambers Yoshiyo had forbade him from entering, this became an impossible task.

After what must've been another half-hour of searching, he had tried to return to the pool room where he knew he could contact service from there. When he tried to, however, his previous suspicions they would not have swim trunks in his size was confirmed. The threat of boredom had started to feel damnimg by this point.

He tried to seek out Mizu, but it was to no avail. Haruki asked two of the workers which room hers had been, but neither of them knew, and that was enough for him to give up. He had gone into the courtyard for more peace and relaxation, but there weren't as many birds that settled there as he would've liked, and he could only stand looking at trees for so long. At one point when he had been wandering the grounds, he had seen Katsuro through a window and tried to wave to get his attention. Either the jonin-sensei had not noticed him or had completely bypassed acknowledging him, which was crushingly disappointing considering Haruki had the perfect silly face he'd wanted to pull on him.

Finally, he'd opened the right closet to find where board and card games were stored. Haruki had entreated the workers around him to play one, but most of them refused, claiming they were much too busy doing whatever they could make an excuse for. The one that had accepted his offer turned out to be the most apathetic and dull person he had ever met. Somehow they had taken the simple pleasure of playing a game and made it into a chore, constantly asking how the mechanics of the game worked on top of that. Haruki lasted maybe ten minutes before he pretended to read over the rules again, lied about the game missing essential tokens needed in order to actually finish the game, and hurried to put it away before the worker could make any alternate suggestions.

As it turned out, being rich when there was no one to be rich with was really boring. Haruki eventually settled for grabbing one of the 200 piece puzzles and taking it to his assigned room. Puzzles were not his favorite, but when he has tried to nap just to pass the time, he found it impossible to lay still long enough for sleep to take him.

The puzzle he'd chosen depicted two guardian lions drawn in a traditional art style. He was able to make good progress with it, but perhaps due to karma from earlier, he began to suspect some pieces were missing. While in the room, the only thing he thought of to call and request some sweet snacks from the staff. They did, in fact, have mochi, but after his fourth call they claimed they ran out of all the flavors that he liked.

So when he got the text from Katsuro at sunset, Haruki was all too ready to get on with the final part of their mission. The only thing was he wasn't actually quite ready, because nowhere in his boredom had he considered actually gathering his gear and placing it in an easy-to-access location. He spent entirely too long looking for where he had put his headband, then subsequently where he'd put his phone even though he'd had it just a moment ago (it had been in his hand the whole time).

This was the reason why, although he had been arguably the most enthusiastic and energized when they arrived to the courtyard, he was the last. Haruki had eyed Tetsuo for a moment, who for all intents and purposes looked like a zombie the way he stood with a dull expression, not looking at anyone in particular. He wrinkled his nose, put off by how unkempt the other boy looked to him, before sidling up to where Mizu stood at attention.

"Mizu," he whispered to get the kunoichi's attention. Haruki pulled out his phone and flipped it open to show her the text from their group chat. "Which one is your number?"

 

[Gilzar]

"Uhh..." Mizu awkwardly hesitated. She couldn't help but wonder why exactly Haruki wanted to know her number. Immediately she thought back to how he treated her on the train. By the end of the train ride he wanted nothing to do with her. Now things seemed to have circled back, and the boy was wanting to know what number to contact her with. Haruki was an emotional enigma that she couldn't understand.

"It's that one." Mizu said, pointing to the number at the top of the contact list. She hoped she wouldn't come to regret this...

Her eyes discreetly glanced over at Tetsuo. She tried not to look at her estranged comrade, for the sake of keeping the peace, but it was difficult. Something was off about Tetsuo: He looked like a mess. There was a dead expression in the boy's eyes that was hard not to miss. Just what was his deal? Before she had anymore chances to look over Tetsuo, Katsuro began speaking.

"Alright Sando." Katsuro said. "We're all here. What's your plan on getting out of here?"

Sando nodded at Katsuro. He looked over the group for a brief moment, then cleared his throat.

"The plan is -"

BOOM!

A thunderous explosion suddenly rocked the front of the estate. The sheer power of the explosion rattled the group even within the confines of the garden. Sando was nearly knocked off of his feet, along with Mizu. Katsuro was also caught off guard by the sheer force of the explosion, but he was able to lock his footing to keep his balance. A Harrowing silence followed the explosion, interrupted only by the dull ring that echos in one's ear after an explosion.

Sando frantically looked around, trying to make sense of what had just happened. A large plume of smoke ascended from the gate side of the mansion, the source of the explosion.

"What...What in hell was that!?" Sando shouted out.

The sound of bells could be heard ringing across the entire mansion.

"We're under attack!" A guard shouted in the distance.

----------------

Through the smoke in the courtyard, Genzo walked through what remained of the front gate. The entire front portion of the wall had been completely leveled. The explosion from the front gate such a high magnitude that even the mansion itself was hit. Several parts of its walls were in ruins, with various holes and debris scattered through the front of the courtyard. Small fires were beginning form on the side of the mansion, the product of flammable materials destroyed by the explosion.

Genzo halted in the middle of the courtyard. Despite the destruction around him, his posture was as calm and collected as when the genin had first encountered him in the woods.

"Katsuro Katashi!" He shouted loudly over ringing of the alarm bells. "Come out here and speak with me now!"

 

[Pine]

A wicked, conspiratorial grin came over Haruki's face. The adults were starting to talk. He would make this quick.

As fast as his thumbs allowed, he drummed a series of commands to select Mizu's number. To save as her contact number, Haruki typed 'Mizu!! >^.^<' in the field. He then selected Tetsuo's number and typed 'JERK >: P' for his name. Before he could grab Mizu's attention to show her, a blast went off that he didn't see, but the force of it was enough to make him fumble and drop his phone.

Tetsuo, who had only just begun to tune into his surroundings, stumbled the most between them. The explosion crumbled the smaller boy, folding him nearly to his knees, saved only by catching himself on the ground with one hand.

Haruki pushed his palms into his ears, as though this would cancel out the ringing already rattling in his head. When he lowered his hands, the ringing had been substituted by the racket of alarm bells. He was shaking a little. They were under attack? He grabbed his phone to replace in his pocket without thinking, because his mind was focused on who their assailant might be. Just as his suspicions were beginning to make his pale, Genzo's voice carried over the alarms and crumbling debris.

Haruki grit his teeth in fear. It wasn't supposed to happen like this! They were supposed to have been on the road, a well-formulated plan already discussed well before Genzo showed up. Why did he have to attack now just as they'd all gathered back together? And what was this, he said he wanted to talk? Haruki, having seen plenty of movies, doubted the villainous cliche was meant to be taken literally.

He whipped his head to look back at their jonin instructor. "Katsuro-sensei, what do we do?"

Tetsuo, meanwhile, was a little slower to get his bearings. After a beat, he was able to right himself. His eyes were on the plumes of smoke unfurling in the air above the mansion, then traveled down to the infrastructure's damage visible to them from their viewpoint. His blood ran cold when he heard Genzo's voice. Then a thought struck him.

He turned back to face Sando. "Where's Rei?" he demanded.

 

[Gilzar]

Katsuro recovered from the blast with relative ease, compared to the rest of the group. As an explosives expert, he'd grown used to the side-effects of nearby explosions. The ringing in his ear was no less familiar than pulse of his heartbeat. What really put him in his small state of shock was how unexpected the attack was. Genzo was an opportunist. From the last time he encountered him, as well as from the stories he had heard, he didn't expect that Genzo would have been bold enough to launch an upfront assault on the manor. He would have anticipated an ambush as they had tried to leave. Just what did the rogue-ninja have planned...

As the initial state of shock left him, Katsuro gritted his teeth in anger. Haruki called out to him, asking what they should do. The answer was obvious to Katsuro. There was really only one thing they could do.

"We fight." Katsuro stated to his team.

Sando was still trying to steady himself as Tetsuo spoke at him. His eyes stared into Tetsuo's, with a scared blank expression. It would be obvious to Tetsuo that he was still trying to process everything that had just occurred. As the alarm bells rang out, he glared back up at the plume of smoke at the front gates. Once he looked back to Tetsuo, he seemed to get at least some bearing at the situation.

"She's... in her room, not far from here." Sando said. "There's an escape tunnel underneath the mansion, we could use it to get to safety!"

"That's the plan then." Katsuro announced to the group. "I'll deal with Genzo. You three will protect Sando and Rei. Use that tunnel and get the hell out of here! This mansion isn't safe anymore and I don't want you getting caught in the crossfire."

"Y-Yes Katsuro-Sensei!" Mizu replied to Katsuro's orders. She was still a little unsteady from the surprise explosion, but the adrenaline beginning to surge through her system balanced that out. There was an uneasy feeling lodged inside of her, a fear of what was to come. She dreaded having to go off alone without the protection of their instructor. Last time they had to something like this it nearly cost Mizu her life. But after witnessing the fear and confusion on Haruki and Sando's face, she knew she needed to be brave. If not for her sake, then for the team's.

"Listen up!" Katsuro said. "You've all been through a lot of shit, but it's time to put that all aside. You three need to be a unit now more than ever! I know you can do this. Work together out there and we'll all get out of this alive. Now go find Rei and get the hell out of here!"

Katsuro then hopped onto the roof of the manor, and vanished out of the group's sight. It was now up to the three genin to get Sando and Rei to safety.

"Come on, this way!" Sando shouted frantically to the group. He limped across the gardens and into the mansion as fast as his cane would allow.

--------------

Atop the roof Katsuro emerged, staring down Genzo, as well as the scene of destruction all around him. The second confrontation between the two felt inevitable, but Katsuro hadn't imagined it would be like this. By now the alarm bells had finally stopped ringing, and an errie silence was all that remained.

Genzo glared up at Katsuro through the smoke of the nearby fires. His pale blue eyes had been locked onto the jonin from the moment he saw him again. Although it was the evening, there was still enough light from the sunset for each man to see each other clearly. The tension in the air thickened as both men watched the other silently, anticipating if either would make a move. After about a minute or so, Genzo broke the silence between the two adversaries.

"You have something of mine!" Genzo called out to Katsuro. "Give up the girl, and her crooked father. We can all walk away from this."

All was silent between the two. The only sound that could be heard was the crackling of the growing flames in the courtyard.

"No." Katsuro replied simply. He dug into his gear belt and grabbed a single kunai knife. From the sides of the couryard, the guards of the mansion began to flock into the courtyard with their swords drawn.

"Hmph....Very well." Genzo muttered. His eyes scanned the crowd of guards, and slowly unsheathed his sword.

"Boys!" He shouted back behind him. "Light this place up!"

An large orange light began to shine through the smoke behind Genzo. At first, the cause of this glow was a mystery to Katsuro. Yet shortly after it first appeared, Katsuro would have his answer. From behind Genzo a small band of armed criminals with torches emerged. In an instant, they all charged the guards of the manner.

The sounds of the clash could be heard in all parts of the mansion.

 

[Pine]

Tetsuo saw the panic in the old man's eyes and it only incensed him. Sando had claimed earlier he was suffering for his past. Now it was at the front gate here to collect its debt, and all Sando could do was stare vacantly at him. Just as he was on the verge of shouting him down, the businessman was able to pull himself together and tell him Rei was nearby. Not only that, but he had an out for them as well. He let out the breath he'd been holding and turned his attention to Katsuro as the jonin gave instructions.

Haruki similarly released a shaky breath. Katsuro's initial response to say they would fight had sent a jolt of terror through him, and he had thought for sure that meant going toe-to-toe with Genzo again. Evacuating Sando and Rei seemed much more manageable. Although this was a better plan for the rest of them, he feared what that meant for Katsuro. He only vaguely knew about some reputation the veteran had in combat from what Mizu had told him yesterday, but even with that, would he be okay facing down an S-ranked criminal on his own?

The same concern crossed Tetsuo's mind. To him, a clash between two shinobi at their level meant certain death for one of them. He had not been able to see their fight yesterday, only the devastation left behind by it. He had assumed the two were more or less evenly matched. Whatever the case was, he knew from the scars on the forest this morning that the crossfire Katsuro was referring to was no joke.

His final words made his jaw clench. Did he really have faith in them to pull together now in their most desperate moment, or was he only saying that because if they didn't, it would mean a certain end for them? What did it look like for the three of them to truly operate as a unit? He wasn't sure if he'd ever felt something so intense in his life.

Before he could so much as think to respond, Katsuro was gone.

"Good luck," Haruki called pitifully after him, certainly too quiet for the jonin to have heard.

Tetsuo swiped a hand over his face. He knew he was running on fumes, but that would just have to be enough fuel for him to keep going. For the second time today, he had to get Rei out of there.

The boys followed close behind Sando. This was not a difficult thing to do, as even with Sando moving as fast as he could, they were able to keep pace with barely more than a jog.

When they entered the mansion, Haruki thought it might have felt warmer than before, even though it was nearly sundown now. Shortly after, there was the unmistakable sound of battle outside. In a way different from yesterday, he thought he heard it coming from all around them. "Could he have brought more of those samurai with him today?" he quaked, more talking on compulsion than actually asking anyone. He considered grabbing his kunai now so he wouldn't have to later.

Tetsuo looked over his shoulder as he moved, catching onto the same thing as his teammate. They may have more than just Genzo to worry about guarding their clients from. If someone came after them, what would they do?

Sando was not moving fast enough for him. He knew it was all the man could do, but it wasn't enough. Not for the level of anxiety that was propelling him forward now. "You said she was close?" he asked with impatience.

 

[Gilzar]

"Yes." Sando responded in a hurried tone. "She's just around this corner."

By now the sounds of battle had fully escalated into what sounded like an all out war outside the mansion. Metal clashing against metal, against an ambience of of shouts and cries. Occasionally an explosion would echo through the sounds of battle, likely from the battle between Katsuro and Genzo. Smoke slowly began to creep into the ceiling of the mansion above the group, and the temperature continued to rise. Down the hall from them a feint orange glow began to rise, along with the sounds of crackling flames. It was clear to the group that this location wouldn't be safe for much longer.

Mizu eyed the smoke as it began to cloud up above them. She had never experienced anything like this before. The chaos of the shouting, the weapons, and the shrieks of agony. Everything around them screamed of immediate danger, and it was overwhelming. Right now the only thing keeping her grounded was the task at hand: Getting Rei and Sando to safety. She reached behind her and drew out her staff. Looking at Tetsuo and Haruki, she shifted her position to the back of the group and watched their flank.

Sando led the group down their current hallway, then peaked down the hallway to the right. So far, the path seemed clear. He turned the corner, and hastily went down the next hallway before stopping suddenly at a door on their left. He quickly slid the door open, revealing a large bedroom on the other side of the door. Standing patiently in the doorway was none other than Rei. The girl's body language was one of outward fear. She clung tightly to her stuffed rabbit, while shaking quietly.

Tetsuo went to pick up the girl, and she didn't resist. As he held her, Rei clung on tight. Her eyes darted around as her home descended into chaos all around her. Sando reached for Rei for a moment, but paused. Realizing it'd be quicker if the boy carried Rei, he gave Tetsuo a small nod before leading the group down yet another hallway.

"We need to get to my study. It's not far either..." Sando said to the group. He proceeded to lead everyone through the maze-like interior of the mansion. Turn after turn Sando moved as fast as he could. The heat inside the mansion was continuing to climb, and the smoke dancing above intensified. A light haze now filled the hallways, a clear indication of the mansion burning down. Fires could be seen consuming some of the hallways they passed. They didn't seem to deter Sando, he just maneuvered around the hazards using various rooms and hallways. After about three minutes of navigating the mansion, they finally reached Sando's private study.

The room was a standard study lounge. Large book shelves were stacked across the walls. Nice furniture filled the middle of the room, along with a desk along one of the few walls not covered with a book shelf. Sando limped across the room to the only desk. He began to fiddle with the surface of the desk, sliding a small piece of wood along the edge of the desk to the side revealing a simple button that he promptly pressed in. Upon its activation the nearby bookshelf to his right partly opened, revealing the hidden passage he spoke of..

"In here, quick!" Sando whispered as he pushed the door open and held it for the group to pass through. Heavy footsteps could be heard walking down the nearby hallways, along with incoherent shouting.

Mizu quickly entered through the hidden passage, along with the rest of the group. With a large heave, Sando pulled the bookcase door shut behind them. As he slowly closed the door, the light breeching in from the other room was closed off with it. The group was now covered in darkness, but only for a short while. Mizu, along with Sando, pulled out their cell-phones and activated their flashlights. Their small beams of light illuminated most of the tunnel, although pitch black shadows still loomed on the edge. From outside the hidden door voices could be heard, it seemed the group had concealed themselves just in time.

In front of the group was a staircase leading straight down into the rest of the tunnel. Its walls and floor consisted of cobble grey bricks with the occasional green moss scattered about. As the group went down the stairs the sounds of chaos began to muffle, and the temperature of the moist air in the tunnels began to cool. Sando continued to lead the group once they reached the end of the stairs. From where they stood the end of the tunnels could not be seen with their flashlights; only a black veil of darkness sat in front of them.

Mizu let out a sigh of relief, glad to be out of the warzone that was the mansion. "Is everyone alright?" She asked. Her voice echoed down the tunnel.

 

[Pine]

Feeling Rei's arms wrapped securely around his neck, much of the tension in Tetsuo's body eased. He held onto her wrists just as before for the extra security, but also for the peace of mind that, yes, indeed, she was there and she was safe. She was under his protection again and he would make sure that nothing happened to her.

The two followed Sando into the study. Tetsuo was once again itching with impatience as the businessman fumbled around doing seemingly innocuous tasks at his desk. His grip around Rei's wrists tightened, but just as soon relaxed so as not to hurt her.

Haruki wanted to marvel at hidden switch. He felt like he had always dreamed of going into the secret section of a mansion, going through the secret false panel of some wardrobe or the other side of a spinning bookshelf. Unfortunately, the sound of war outside and the crackle of collapsing wood overrid any hope he had of enjoying this moment. The screams from the injured and concussive booms from explosives rattled him.

Tetsuo whipped his head around at the sound of shouting. It was completely reckless for anyone to pursue them with the mansion in this state, but he had no doubt that was exactly what he heard. Along with the rest of the group, he hurried into the passageway Sando had opened for them. It took far too long for the panel to close for his tastes, but when the last wink of light was snuffed out of the tunnel, he let out a shaky breath. He started a little when the lights from Sando's, Mizu's and Haruki's phones flashed on. Even after realizing what the source of the light was, he didn't relax until the sounds of the voices outside retreated.

For the time being, they were safe.

He hurried to follow after the rest of the group down the stairs, making sure his steps were light so as not to cause any more needless disturbances for Rei as he ferried the young girl.

At the bottom of the stairs, Haruki wiggled his phone's light around, trying to feel out an end to the tunnel which he would not find. After the excitement of bustling through the manor, it felt strange to dial their pace down to a more leisurely gait.

When Mizu asked if they were alright, Haruki nodded. "I'm okay," he said. He meant this in the very literal sense that he hadn't lost any limbs. He felt out of touch with his surroundings, like his skull had been cracked over a hot skilled and scrambling his brain into an omelet. After waiting just a beat for the rest of the group to chime in, he continued, "That was... scary. I didn't expect Genzo to attack us right now like that." He had taken the group's conclusion of the rogue ninja as an opportunist to heart without consciously realizing it. That, and anytime he had pictured them in combat with him again, it had been in the forested area, which Katsuro had concluded would put the enemy at a disadvantage. Haruki had thought over how to use that terrain to their advantage should they end up in that life-or-death situation again, but now all of his imaginings were useless. Physically he was fine, but even with them now moving through the tunnel, away from all the noise, his mind was still clouded with fear. "Is there any chance of this tunnel collapsing on us?" he asked Sando.

Tetsuo was completely silent in the meantime. He did not respond at all the Mizu, but continued pressing forward staring down at the vague outlines of where his feet were walking, face screwed up in concentration.

 

[Gilzar]

"These walls aren't pretty to look at, but they're strong. I wouldn't worry about them collapsing in." Sando replied to Haruki. As he lead the group down the hallway, the sound of his cane echoed down the hallway in an almost clock-like rhythm. He was moving at a pretty decent pace considering his disability.

"This tunnel is only 10 years old. I had them built a year or two before the war began...hmph...never thought I'd actually have to use them."

"How long does this tunnel go on for?" Mizu asked from the back of the group. It was the first words she had ever spoken to Sando since the moment they had arrived at the mansion.

Sando glanced back at Mizu. Although only apart of his face was dimly lit by their flashlights, she could see for once he wasn't looking at her in disdain. "About half a mile or so. This tunnel leads away from the village, and toward the main road you all took to get here."

Sando then shifted his attention to his daughter. "Rei, how are you doing?"

"I'm good." She replied quietly.

The limping businessman nodded slowly to himself, relieved to hear his daughter was well.

"What about you, boy?" Sando asked Tetsuo. He hadn't heard from the kid since their confrontation in the courtyard.

 

[Pine]

Haruki smiled, nerves still frayed, but a little relieved. If their pursuers were going to follow them, it would've been from the study, and for all they knew that study may be destroyed now. They definitely would have known if they were followed. If the tunnel's structure was as sound as Sando said, then they had made it.

Tetsuo eyed Sando warily when his attention turned to him. Although preoccupied with his own thoughts, it did not escape his notice that his tone towards Mizu had changed. Perhaps it was a fluke, or only because he was at their mercy now.

"I'm fine," he said testily, because between the two interactions he had with Katsuro earlier that day, he was getting sick of people checking on him.

After a moment, he sighed through his nose, almost visibly deflating. Now was not the time to linger on past frustrations, especially with Rei in such close company. He tried to correct himself. With a more soft tone, he said, "I'm fine, I'm just... thinking." Tetsuo looked toward the tunnel's end, where the dark swallowed their lights. It made him feel uneasy, like something dark and foreboding was waiting them at the end. Playing off of Mizu's question he asked, "What does the exit look like? Is it well hidden?"

 

[Gilzar]

"The exit is just a reinforced metal door. It opens to a small man-made cave in the woods." Sando replied to Tetsuo's question.

The group continued to move through the dark tunnel. As they walked on through the darkness, eventually the sounds of the mansion completely went away. All that they could hear now were their own footsteps and Sando's cane against the ground. Mizu looked up at the top of the tunnel and thought about Haruki's concerns. If this tunnel collapsed they'd be doomed. Nobody would find them down here. It was an uneasy feeling to say the least, but Sando was convinced the tunnels wouldn't collapse.

After about 10 minutes of walking through the darkness, the group had finally reached the end of the tunnel. In front of them was just a simple metal door. It had many locks and barricades over it, likely to prevent unwanted entry from the other side. Sando limped up to the door, and began to undo the metal bars that secured shut one at a time.

If anyone had anything else to discuss with the group, now would be the time.

 

[Pine]

Having had the time to process everything that went down, Haruki had gotten over his concerns by the time they reached the door. They had managed to escape before whatever forces from the Naku Shita could see them. He marveled for a moment at the elaborate locking mechanism Sando was having to unravel. Then a thought struck him.

"Hey Rei, check this out." Now with the beam of light from his phone pressed closer to the door, casting a wider range, Haruki maneuvered his free hand to make a dog shadow puppet. He mimicked the soft growl and low, half-hearted bark of an old dog as he smacked his hand-puppet lips. Haruki looked at her with a big, toothy grin.

Tetsuo just sighed. Under different conditions, he might have gotten onto him for his antics, but right now if it could distract her, that might actually be good for her. He turned his attention to their employer.

"Sando, what about that envoy? You never got to share your plan."

He was still on edge. With the tunnel's exit behind a locked door, half a mile from the manor and in some random cave in the woods, it didn't seem likely that Genzo's men had found this place and known its significance. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was missing something.

 

[Gilzar]

Rei seemed fixated on Haruki's shadow puppets. Although she didn't express it verbally, the boy had clearly gotten her attention with his trick. Tetsuo could feel her breathing calm a little.

"The Land of the Wind is supposed to be sending an envoy to pick up Rei and I." Sando replied to Tetsuo as he slid away the final metal bar, and began to turn the deadbolt locks. "Exactly when I'm not sure. All I was told over the phone is that they'd be here sometime tonight...a little late for that now I suppose."

Sando twisted free the last lock, and slowly pulled the door open. The door looked to be made from at least half a foot of solid steel. The crippled man seemed to have some struggle opening the door, but eventually managed to get it open. He stood for a moment, catching his breath. As he stood idle, Mizu took point and lead the group out of the cave. Just as Sando had said, the tunnel lead into a small cave, dug into the side of a hill. Spanning only 12 feet in width, and 15 feet in length, the cavern resembled more of a deep hole dug into a hill than an actual cave. Yet it served its purpose. So far, nobody seemed to have located the tunnel.

Mizu let out a sigh of relief. She was almost anticipating that something would have went wrong given their luck the past few days. As the group began to trickle into the cave, she ventured toward the entrance. The exit led to a small opening in the forest, with tall grass up to Mizu's knees. Just as Mizu exited the cave, and the evening light hit her skin, Mizu halted in place without any warning.

Standing in the center of the glade was a woman, clad in shinobi gear. Her long orange-red hair glistened in the evening light, while her pale white skin made her stand out from the tall-green grass surrounding her. The clothing she wore suggested some level of experience as a shinobi: A fine robe wore over a tight-fitting long sleeve shirt, and a baggy skirt of some kind. Over her robe she wore a green flak-vest, similar to the one Katsuro wore. Draped over the top of her head was a shinobi headband, but it was angled so high that Mizu couldn't make out what village she was from. The woman's amber eyes stared down Mizu, and the rest of the group as they slowly came out of the cave.

Ashes slowly rained down from the sunset above, like snow would at the beginning of winter. By now the moon had risen over the horizon, and a gloomy array of blue and violet were all that colored the sky above. On the hill behind them, a raging inferno could be seen where the mansion once stood. There was a dead silence in the air, interrupted only the sound of the passing breeze. As the grass shifted below the unknown shinobi, needles slid out of her sleeve and landed in her right hand, while she slowly drew a kunai knife out with her left.

"This is your last chance: Give up the father and daughter, and walk away." She said calmly to the group.

(Appearance in spoiler)

Spoiler

 

[Pine]

Tetsuo scoffed lightly in response. It was not the kind of answer he wanted to hear. Not only did they have nothing to go off of in terms of who to look for, but they also had no idea when they were supposed to arrive or where they could've ended up now. It might only be by a stroke of luck that they can intercept this envoy now. He was torn between wishing they could drop the two off so they could return to the warzone that was the manor and at least see if Katsuro was still alive, and being unsure if he could even trust that the envoy will be able to keep them safe in these conditions.

The boys allowed Mizu to slip into the lead as they passed through the door and toward the lip of the cave. As soon as she came to a halt, they stopped too.

Haruki frowned at her. He asked softly, "Mizu, what's up?"

But the sound of a woman's voice was what answered and told him all he needed to know. Someone had either found or been waiting for them, and now she was demanding they turn Sando and Rei over from their protection. "Ah," Haruki said, smiling uneasily.

Tetsuo couldn't help but roll his eyes and groan. "Great," he muttered. Of course there would be someone there. Of course evacuating their employer wasn't going to go smoothly. He didn't know why he let himself begin to believe otherwise. He should've stopped everyone to plan for this, but being in the tunnel had made him antsy, and he supposed there was no point in lingering over what he should've done.

"Hey Rei," he said, crouching to his knees so she could unbuckle herself and dismount easily, "stay close to your dad, okay?" Once she had gotten off, Tetsuo straightened himself and looked to Haruki. He wasn't sure if the other genin was just going to freeze again, and if he was being honest, he was apprehensive the boy knew how to fight even if he could spur the desire in him. So even though he did not feel as lucid as he would've like, and even though in a way he felt safest with Rei in arm's reach, he told Haruki, "Cover Rei and Sando." Then when the boy didn't immediately move from his position, he added, "Don't let anything happen to them."

Haruki looked back at Tetsuo. It was obvious that whatever ease he'd felt before was gone, and he was once again overwhelmed by his nerves. What if this was another Genzo? Even a smaller version of Genzo would be a force to be reckoned with for them, and this time, they didn't have any distress signal or means of pulling Katsuro away from combat to come save them. They really, truly, were on their own this time. Not even thinking about the nagging undertone of Tetsuo's order now, he nodded and moved to stand in front of Rei and Sando. Haruki tried to watch with concentration, and after a moment, pulled a kunai knife out from the pouch on his leg and held it close to his chest with both hands, looking and feeling very uncertain as he did this.

Seeing the other boy obey, Tetsuo stepped up to place himself next to Mizu. As he did so, the tall grass tickled his ankles uncomfortably.

Now in the open, he could see their adversary more clearly, the flecks of ash carried on the wind, and if he chose to look in that direction, he was certain he would see the blaze that was once the mansion they'd been staying in. This was another shinobi. It would not be like facing the samurai they had yesterday. He saw no point in dignifying this woman with a verbal response. Their defensive posturing would surely tell on themselves anyway.

He cursed the timing of it all. Even in the heat of the moment, standing next to Mizu made his skin crawl. Although they did not spend as much time close together like they did yesterday, so much of his day had been devoted to the animosity between them. The argument this morning that drove him off. The look she'd given him when he came back. His last argument with Katsuro. In the privacy of the guest room, while tormented by visions of what had come to pass and nightmares of what worse things he could've seen, he spent a non-zero amount of time reflecting on the situation between them. Nothing that had led him to draw any decisive conclusion, and this was evident by the discomfort he felt standing next to her now. He wasn't sure how much of his fear was actually because she was the nine-tails jinchuuriki, or if it was actually just about everything that was unresolved between them. In this crucial moment, would they be able to set everything aside and come together to protect Sando and Rei, who couldn't protect themselves?

Tetsuo only did one quick passover to see if there were any obvious signs of other Naku Shita there or approaching them. While he was still on high alert for any actions this woman may take, he found his eyes looking over to Mizu's. The same blue eyes of the late Hokage. In them, he searched for some silent understanding between them that he was not sure he would find.

He prepared one kunai for each hand, ready to intercept any knives or senbon thrown their way. For now, it was the formation they had discussed with Katsuro earlier this morning. He would do his damndest to cover the kunoichi and keep up the pressure.

 

[Gilzar]

As far as Tetsuo could tell there was nobody else coming. Only the red-haired woman stood in the middle of the glade. As the shinobi prepped for an attack she just stood there, emotionless. It was clear they had reached a quiet understanding that only battle would resolve this conflict. Her eyes scanned over the group, likely preparing for a plan of attack.

Mizu's eyes looked over into Tetsuo's. It made her uncomfortable having someone she loathed that close to her. Yet she knew the question Tetsuo's dark eyes were searching for. In any other situation she likely would have walked away from him. Yet this situation was an exception. If they didn't work together they would probably meet their bitter end. She gave Tetsuo a subtle nod, an acknowledgement that she'd put aside their colorful past for now. Readying her staff, Mizu took in one last breath before she dashed forward. Just like Katsuro planned, she was going to pressure the shinobi and hopefully create an opening for Tetsuo to exploit.

Mizu eyed the woman as she charged her. The woman dashed back, maintaining distance from Mizu. As she traveled backwards she rubbed her fingers across the needles in her hand, before throwing a volley of them at both Mizu and Tetsuo. Just as the needles left her hand, they suddenly lit on fire as they traveled through the air. Moving in a quick succession, two of the flaming needles were moving toward Mizu while three were traveling at Tetsuo.

 

[Pine]

At seeing the subtle nod, everything he needed to know was confirmed. Tetsuo let out one last flush of air through his nose as a more calm feeling washed over him.

He turned his attention back to the woman as Mizu led the charge. Seeing the woman dash backwards, he felt a compulsion to close the distance between them and ran forward, lagging only just behind Mizu.

Tetsuo stopped short when the red-haired woman threw needles at them both. He dully registered surprise when they lit on fire. With his dominant hand, he threw the kunai he'd prepared to try to knock the two that were launched at Mizu off course. The senbon being on fire provided one advantage and one disadvantage: the light made them easier to see, but it also obscured their shape. If his kunai missed, then Mizu would have to dodge.

Tetsuo pumped a burst of chakra in his feet just in time to leap over the flaming senbon that were aimed towards him. At the crest of his jump, Tetsuo threw his other kunai, intentionally overshooting his target. If the woman wanted to continue a straight trajectory backwards, she risked that knife embedding in her.

Haruki hitched a breath as he observed all of this. He held his own kunai horizontal to his body, meaning for it to deflect any of the senbon that may have passed Mizu and Tetsuo's line to make him a target instead.

 

[Gilzar]

The woman's original attack had been completely faltered by the group of genin. Tetsuo's kunai almost perfectly deflected the inflamed needles moving toward Mizu. At the same time, all of the senbon she had lunged at Tetsuo missed their target. One flaming senbon in particular that seemed originally aimed at Tetsuo ricocheted off of Haruki's kunai knife, while the other two landed near his feet. Had Haruki's knife not been there, it almost certainly would have hit him.

Although planted in the ground near Haruki, closer inspection of the flaming needles would reveal the needles were covered in some sort of flammable oil, that was leaking onto the grass and slowly spreading the flames in front of Haruki.

Mizu was surprised to see the flaming senbons deflected in front of her. That wasn't an easy shot to take, and even Mizu couldn't deny that it was an impressive feat. Without having to dodge, Mizu was able to continue charging ahead in hot pursuit of her target.

Meanwhile, the woman was now caught between Mizu and Tetsuo's kunai knife. She narrowed her eyes, slightly annoyed at the situation. Genzo told me they didn't have any cohesion. The woman hesitated for a moment, thinking about her options. In her head she came up with a quick plan, then followed through with it.

The woman used her kunai knife to deflect Tetsuo's blade, at the cost of giving up some distance to Mizu. Upon deflecting she quickly began dashing away from Mizu once again. As she moved across the battlefield, it looked almost effortless. She bounced foot to foot, similar to how a dancer would in an intricate show. Moving away form Mizu, she diverted her course so that she would be moving straight toward Tetsuo.

 

[Pine]

The needle clipped off of Haruki's kunai and the boy sighed in both relief and with some surprise at himself. He did not get to relish in that feeling for very long, as soon he felt the heat of the fire spreading warming his feet. "Oh crap, crap!" he said with rising panic. Haruki scurried over to kick the two needles so that they lay flat. Then with careful, but quick movements, he stomped at the small fire. This was something he'd seen done before in movie but never himself tried, let alone in grass that was this tall. He didn't know how quickly he could put the fires out like this, nor the risk it may have on burning his own feet. If this wasn't effective, it would be time for another plan of action.

Tetsuo saw the kunai he'd thrown be deflected as he was able to land safely on the ground. He resumed his charge, watching the woman turn to dash towards the glade's edge. In an instant, she switched her trajectory and the way she moved entirely. This was enough to give Tetsuo pause.

He stopped and furrowed his brows, making sure that the woman was indeed moving towards him now. Tetsuo was apprehensive that any attempt at hitting her from a distance would succeed now. He watched, trying to use the passing seconds to track any patterns in her movement, and get a feel for her general pace. He waited for her to close the distance. Quickly, once she was in a comfortable range, he clapped his hands together in the ram sign. In an instant, Tetsuo was on the ground next to her, barely visible in the tall grass. Where he stopped, his palms planted firmly in the earth, and he used the leftover momentum from the body flicker technique to kick his leg out. The intent was to strike her shins with his own to either trip or otherwise sweep her.

 

[Gilzar]

The woman charged in with her Kunai knife at Tetsuo. However, as she was crossing the grass field toward Tetsuo, he suddenly vanished. In an instant, her legs were swept out from under her, and she tumbled to the ground. Landing with a thud, the woman dropped her kunai knife as she laid on the ground and made a few quick handsigns. This wasn't ideal, but Tetsuo and Mizu were close enough that she could at least use the technique she had in mind. Seeing their opponent grounded, Mizu sprinted forward, preparing to strike her cold steel against her foe.

"Fire Style: Fire Dance!"

In a bright red-orange flash, fire formed over her hands and feet. With an impressive display of agility, the woman then pivoted her body upwards off of both of her hands, and kicked her legs in a wheel like motion. The end result was a spinning inferno, sweeping its inflamed feet to try and hit Tetsuo, wherever he was hidden, and Mizu who was also close at the point.

The woman's technique caught Mizu completely off guard. Based on how the woman seemed to be avoiding close range combat, she never would have guessed that she had such a dangerous move up her sleeve. Mizu was barely able to avoid the attack, having to dive out of the way of the spinning kicks. As she dodged the attack, the lower left side of her torso was singed by the passing flame. A smoldering hole was now at the bottom left side of her shirt, revealing second degree burns underneath her shinobi male. Rolling to her feet to recover from the attack, she gripped her side in pain while looking to see what had happened to Tetsuo.

 

[Pine]

The sweep connected, knocking the woman over. Tetsuo spun around and started to get up at the same time as the woman had nimbly gotten to her own feet. He hitched a breath as, on command, the woman's hands and feet lit up. Tetsuo removed his hands that had been pushing him up in order to drop back down. He couldn't react in time to even think about jumping back and out of range, but by falling and rocking back, he narrowly managed to miss getting struck by the smoldering attack.

The last of the fire had been snuffed out by Haruki's feet. He looked up just in time to see the woman's flaming kick strike Mizu's torso.

"Mizu!" he shouted, eyes wide and face cringed in panic as he watched her clutch her side. "Are you okay?"

It took Tetsuo a moment to recover from shock. He also hadn't been expecting a close-range jutsu like that from the red-haired woman. He had mistaken the heat from it passing over him as having actually been hit, but now he registered that he was fine. What had happened to Mizu though?

He was right underneath their opponent, but he couldn't see Mizu at all from where he was. Whatever happened, if Mizu had been hurt, he didn't need this woman to overwhelm her with more things and drive the young kunoichi into submission. He needed to divert her attention and find some way to actually restrict her movements.

Tetsuo wove three quick hand signs. A purely holographic version of himself materialized, crouched in the grass in front of the woman. It moved fast, in an attempt to not give her a chance to immediately notice any logical inconsistencies. Kunai in hand, the false Tetsuo launched to its feet, its kunai slashing at her in an uppercut.

The real Tetsuo, meanwhile, had retrieved his wire spool and was feeding the wire through two shuriken.

 

[Gilzar]

Mizu gritted her teeth together as she tried to block the pain out. The lower left side of her torso was searing in pain. She'd been burned before, but never in such a volume. Luckily the burn was only a second degree wound. Anything worse and it would have seriously compromised her ability to fight, but that didn't make it any less painful.

"I'm fine!" Mizu yelled, still breathing heavily. "Just keep doing your job!"

The woman finally ceased her attack, and regained her footing upright. No longer in attack, the fire around her hands and feet faded. She looked around alert, trying to anticipate the group's next move. Just then, right from under her Tetsuo sprung up. Kunai in hand, he tried to slash through the rogue shinobi. Once again the woman was caught off guard by Tetsuo's skill, but her reflexes would save her. She moved her body back just enough to get out of the way, before countering with a hard straight punch right toward Tetsuo's chin. Much to her dismay though, her hand just phased straight through her enemy. Her eyes opened wide in shock. It's a projection!

Mizu's breathe escaped her lungs as she watched the woman throw her counter punch with perfect precision and power. The girl couldn't help but wince as she anticipated a brutal knockout of some sort, but was immediately flooded with a feeling of relief when it turned out to be just a hologram of sorts. Even Tetsuo had fooled his own teammates. Realizing that Tetsuo was probably preparing some sort of attack, Mizu remembered her role in the team. I'm the pressure...

Mizu readied her staff, and charged their opponent. This time the woman wouldn't have time to flee. She closed the distance and with a quick flick of her arms she swung her metal staff straight at the woman's head. The woman only had a quick moment to turn and face Mizu, but impressively she was able to duck right under Mizu's attack. Once again she did the same hand signs as before, and her hands/feet were inflamed. Coming up from underneath Mizu's attack, she attempted a flaming uppercut to counter Mizu's attack. Having anticipated the counter, Mizu weaved her head back just enough to avoid the counter. Immediately following the attack, the woman threw a flurry of burning punches and kicks at Mizu. There were a few close calls, but Mizu was able to utilize her footwork and head movement to dodge the attacks. Every punch or kick she avoided, she could feel the heat getting closer and closer. This woman was definetely a taijutsu specialist, no doubt about it. If Tetsuo was going to do something, now would be the time.

 

[Pine]

The cringe on Haruki's face dissolved into a frown. Just do his job. He was doing his job, except there wasn't much for him to do. He thought back to the discussion they'd had that morning with everyone's role. Something about just sitting back and watching, essentially. How was that a job? Tetsuo had similarly told him to watch over their clients. He stole a quick glance at Sando and Rei behind him, then back to watching the battle at hand. Was there anything more that he could do?

Tetsuo watched as the red-haired woman attempt to counter his clone. The surprise on her face verified that, in spite of their proximity, she had completely lost track of him. He didn't need to wonder about Mizu's status for long, because almost immediately following he saw the girl's staff swing overhead. The woman ducked out of the way, even within the narrow time frame she had to do so. Soon, her feet were moving from him, and he could hear the bass of her whiffing fists fading further and further with each swing the rogue made. With her attention drawn, he released the clone jutsu. The projection of him vanished in the evening air.

Feeling safe now with the distance between them, Tetsuo rocked forward onto his feet to a crouch. He finalized the last loop around the shuriken to secure them to the wire strings. He wasted no more time. There were small fires starting from every step their enemy took. He wanted to end this quickly.

Tetsuo sprung to a stand. He looked at Mizu for a moment, watching to see if she'd notice him even in the heat of combat. It was a look meant to tell her: Be ready.

He waited just a moment longer before he threw the two shuriken simultaneously. As shuriken raced forward, slicing through the air, he let the wire slip between his fingers. They ran parallel to each other, giving a wide berth between them. Just a beat after they'd passed the red-haired woman on either side of her torso, Tetsuo yanked sharply at both of the strings. The shuriken suddenly changed direction. They twisted at nearly a complete right angle, sailing to cross over in front of the woman then back around. The aim was to ensnare her, which he would do by pulling the wire taut after a loop or two around her. He felt even if he was successful, there was only a small window of time for either him or Mizu to do something about it. There was a small risk of this somehow backfiring on Mizu with how close the two were, but he just had to hope she'd seen him and understood to continue moving back in time, or otherwise maneuver herself to get out of the way.

 

[Gilzar]

The barrage of strikes continued at Mizu. Her opponent was unrelenting, cutting angles to cut off any escape while Mizu tried desperately to get space between them. Then, from the corner of her eye she saw the real Tetsuo pop out of the grass. Mizu knew instantly that the genin had something planned, or why else would he reveal himself like that? Now she needed to create space, otherwise Mizu risked getting caught in whatever Tetsuo had planned.

With the small amount of time Mizu had between the woman's strikes, Mizu timed a quick counter to knock her opponent back. Just as the rogue shinobi missed a big kick, Mizu jabbed the front of her staff into the woman with all her might. Her counter hit flushed, and the blunt force knocked the woman off balance as she stumbled backwards. Just in time too, as Tetsuo's ensnared Shuriken whizzed past Mizu wrapped around their aggressor. It was a close call, but Tetsuo's trap had worked. The woman's enflamed appendages were now tangled in a mess of metal wire. Although most of her limbs were trapped, she still had one leg able to move freely. In an impressive feat of flexibility, she bended her leg toward her upper body and began to burn away the wires constraining her arms.