The Akimichi bent down and picked Shisui up as he said, "I'll carry him." However, at that moment we all felt something, a shift in the air. Everyone looked around, confused as to where they were sensing this danger from. That was when my eyes widened as I looked at the dead bodies of Ox and Rabbit. I shouted, "Form an earth dome around us right away, enemy trap."
The Yamanaka guy flinched for a moment; however, to his credit, he reacted almost instantly. He slapped both hands to the ground. "Earth Release: Earth Dome Barrier." A dome of stone rose and covered us quickly as the Yamanaka expertly controlled his chakra, keeping his hands down to strengthen the structure.
The entire clearing shook with a powerful explosion that almost annihilated the dome around us, eating away at it while the Yamanaka continued releasing chakra, compensating for the thinning outer layer by adding more to the inner wall. The dome tightened around us as the explosion finally died down and the earth beneath us stopped shaking.
I followed Shisui's advice and warned, "Do not let your guard down." Yet again, his words rang true as a powerful vacuum slash collided with the dome. It started shaking and cracking as the attack dismantled the earth structure; however, the Nara quickly weaved through hand seals. He pressed his palms together, his shadow spreading along the ground until it merged with the base of the earthen dome. The darkness climbed its surface like living ink, seeping into every crack. The dome steadied, the trembling earth slowing as the shadow's chakra interlocked with the stone. It was as if the darkness itself held the structure together.
The Yamanaka cursed. "That Hawk is scary. He's relentless, with terrifying traps and an incredible sense of exploiting weakness. Thanks for the warning, kid." I nodded as he asked me, "Do you think he has much chakra left?" I took a deep breath, wishing I still had my chakra sense; however, this stupid chakra distortion area had taken away one of my favorite and most useful tools, sensing.
After a few moments of thought, I said, "Let's retreat as fast as possible, but we need to be extra careful." The Akimichi nodded and told the Yamanaka, "Let's do the usual." The Yamanaka nodded back with a smile before opening a small hole on top of the dome. The Akimichi threw a flash tag through the opening, and it exploded with light. The dome then crumbled from the side as the Nara and Yamanaka covered both flanks while the Akimichi carried Shisui, and I followed close behind him.
We kept running, eyes darting around with mounting paranoia, expecting Hawk to drill a hole through one of our skulls with a vacuum bullet at any moment. Every rustle of leaves, every breath of wind felt like a prelude to death. Yet nothing came. No attack. No sound. The silence pressed harder than any jutsu. The fact that we were not being targeted made it worse. It felt deliberate, a game, Hawk's way of letting us stew in fear until one of us cracked.
My pulse hammered in my ears, my hands slick with sweat despite the cold air. Every step forward felt heavier. The chunin team around me, however, stayed composed. Their eyes swept every angle and every possible opening. They moved like professionals, their fear buried beneath discipline. They did not need to speak. Their formation alone screamed experience.
The closer we got to the outpost, the faster we moved. I forced my chakra to keep up, lungs burning and heart racing faster than my steps. When the outpost finally came into view through the trees, a wave of relief hit me, and for a single moment I let my guard drop. My focus wavered, my footing slipped, and my boot caught a root.
That single misstep nearly ended everything.
A sound cut through the air, a sharp slicing hiss that made my stomach drop. The world seemed to slow as I turned my head, eyes widening at the faint shimmer of a vacuum bullet slicing toward me. My leg twitched, too slow to move. I could already feel the cold bite of death crawling up my spine.
Then, in an instant, a massive arm swelled with chakra and burst into view. The Akimichi's enlarged forearm took the hit with a sickening crack. The vacuum bullet collided violently, splitting skin and shattering bone before sinking deep into his arm. His scream tore through the forest, raw and guttural, but he never stopped moving.
The Nara grabbed me before I could react, his shadow tugging like an invisible hand. The next moment the world blurred. We flickered into the outpost, crashing to the floor in a heap. The Akimichi, blood streaming down his arm, threw Shisui toward the Yamanaka and slapped both hands on the ground.
The air thrummed with power as the outpost seals ignited, lines of chakra racing across the walls and floor. A bright shimmer spread around us as the barrier activated in full force. The Akimichi's blood dripped down his arm, seeping into the carved sealwork as he poured steady waves of chakra into keeping it active and stable.
The barrier flared bright and sealed tight. Outside, the forest fell eerily silent again. Only our ragged breathing filled the air.
Then Hawk appeared just outside the barrier as he observed the outpost while looking at Shisui's unconscious body. Given the previous sealing abilities he had shown, I was worried that he could work around the barrier seal. However, since we were out of the distortion area, I stretched my chakra sense and was stunned. Hawk had extremely low chakra levels by now. He sensed me sensing him, and he looked at me directly, knowing that I had realized his condition.
I stood up, and so did the Nara and Yamanaka, as if challenging him, though I could tell that they were not entirely sure. I said, "He's very low on chakra," and that was when their posture straightened a bit as they looked at Hawk, who remained there without doing anything for a long moment before flickering out of view.
The Yamanaka looked at the Akimichi and said, "Are you good? You can remove your hand now. You've injected enough chakra to keep it active for some time."
The Akimichi shook his head. "That crazy guy might attack again, and then you'll thank me for keeping so much chakra pumping into the barrier seal. Anyway, I'll be fine, though I might have a broken bone or at least a fracture. Good thing you asked for Naoki before we left. He should be here soon."
The Nara asked, worried, "Do you need me to sub for you, fueling the seal?"
The Akimichi shook his head. "I have the chakra reserves. Let's keep yours for emergencies."
His teammates both nodded, then carried Shisui to one of the outpost rooms and laid him on a bed. The Yamanaka sent out a message while the Nara kept observing the perimeter.
It was almost two hours before footsteps echoed outside the outpost. The Yamanaka confirmed the man's identity, and the barrier opened. A moment later, a man stepped inside, brushing dust from his flak jacket, which bore the Sarutobi clan symbol. His calm expression stood in sharp contrast to the tension that filled the room.
After everything that happened, I was naturally suspicious of the newcomer. I kept my eyes on Naoki, watching every small movement, half-expecting something bad to happen.
Naoki ignored the tension as we escorted him to Shisui. He knelt beside him, his hands glowing faintly green. Moving with steady focus, he passed them carefully over Shisui's body, scanning each injury with practiced precision. The air filled with the quiet hum of chakra as he worked.
After several moments, he spoke, his voice even but grim. "There's damage to his optical nerves, internal bleeding, and his chakra network is in terrible condition. I'll have to stabilize his body first before attempting any detailed healing."
I stayed silent, watching the green light pulse against Shisui's pale skin. Naoki's expression barely shifted, but after a moment he sighed, pulling a soldier pill from his pouch and swallowing it before cracking his neck. "This will be a long session. Try to rest, kid."
Even as he spoke, his hands began to move faster, the glow intensifying. He was calm on the surface, but the urgency in his movements told me everything about how bad it really was.