2 PM, Border Forest of the Land of Fire
Sunlight pierced through the dense canopy like arrows, scattering shifting golden fragments across the mossy, damp forest floor. Deep in the woods, the interwoven branches formed an emerald curtain, leaving only scattered, dancing specks of light.
"This is so boring!"
Naruto, eyelids drooping, walked at the front of the group with his hands behind his head, his arms forming a perfect inverted triangle.
Sasuke trailed slightly behind on the left, scanning their surroundings warily. Kakashi and Tazuna took the center, while Hikari—moving at a leisurely pace—brought up the rear.
The five of them trudged along the bare, dusty path, all but Hikari glistening with sweat.
"Why isn't there even a single wild animal around?"
Sasuke, walking along the wide forest trail, rubbed his arm guard in confusion.
For days, there had been no sign of enemy ninja, bandits, or even beasts. This "escort mission" felt more like a picnic. The imagined thrills of an A-rank mission had given way to crushing boredom.
He hadn't even needed to draw his weapons. The forest was eerily silent—no beasts, hardly any insects. Even for a frequently traveled road, it was too clean.
Kakashi, one hand in his pocket, squinted his droopy eye against the sunlight.
He'd seen this phenomenon once before—three years ago.
Stray cats and dogs near the Hatake compound had vanished overnight, not even a sparrow left behind. At the time, he'd suspected a jutsu, but his Sharingan revealed no traces of chakra. Baffled, he'd let it go.
Now, though…
He glanced back at Hikari, strolling gracefully behind them.
Naruto and Sasuke definitely didn't have this ability. Neither did he or Tazuna. This anomaly had to be her doing.
"What's the big deal? No danger is a good thing! Save your energy for beating the crap out of Gato's thugs in the Land of Waves! If you can't handle his ninja, I'm not paying!"
Tazuna tipped his gourd upside down, a single drop of water clinging stubbornly to the narrow opening—maddening to watch.
"Tch. You're the worst, cheapest client I've ever met," Naruto muttered loudly.
Tazuna ignored him. His liquor had run out long ago, and even the refilled water was down to this last drop. With a sigh, he broke formation and trotted over to Hikari, his usually defiant face breaking into a smile.
"Lady Hikari, my gourd's empty again!"
No wonder the old man hadn't argued with Naruto—he needed a favor. Hikari nodded and took the gourd.
Holding the narrow opening skyward, the air around it rippled as moisture gathered like a spring.
Gurgle, gurgle!
The sound of clear water filling the gourd was torture to Tazuna's parched throat.
"You water-style ninja are so damn convenient!" he rasped, shaking his head.
The Land of Waves, though called a "country," was just a lonely island between Fire and Water. Only those who lived by the sea understood the true value of creating fresh water on demand. Someone with this skill would be worshipped like a god aboard any ship.
"You've met other water-style users?"
Handing the refilled gourd back, Hikari raised an eyebrow.
Nature transformation was common knowledge among ninja, but not something a bridge-builder from the Land of Waves should know. He must've encountered—maybe even befriended—a water-style ninja.
"Our country once had its own ninja," Tazuna said after a deep swig, his aura flickering with pride and melancholy. "Without his help, the sea bridge would've been destroyed by Gato long ago. We'd never have scraped together enough to hire Konoha. But…"
He trailed off, hesitating.
"But what?"
Hikari's interest was piqued.
The original story never mentioned a Wave ninja. And the sea bridge was built after the mission. This person had to be the reason the mission's rank had increased.
"Look out!"
Sasuke's sudden shout cut through the air.
From the bare earth beneath their feet, two pitch-black figures erupted like eels bursting from sand.
In an instant, they were at Tazuna and Hikari's throats—curved blades gleaming like twin crescent moons under the sun, edges dripping with viscous poison.
Tazuna froze, his gourd hitting the dirt with a dull thud.
His pleading eyes darted to Hikari—the ninja he'd paid a fortune to protect him—only to find her just as motionless, as if resigned to her fate.
Kakashi, Naruto, and Sasuke stood rooted, making no move to help.
A wave of bitter regret crashed over him.
He should've hired Kiri ninja instead.
I'm dead.
Seeing their targets paralyzed, the assassins' eyes gleamed behind their masks. Their blades were inches from flesh—
Bzzzt!
A faint hum filled the air.
Tazuna's ears rang as an incomprehensible sound—like a swarm of enraged hornets—erupted around him.
Then—
BOOM!
The two killers exploded into mist.
Clang! Clang!
Their curved blades and a pipe hit the ground. The steel was pitted like honeycomb, but the ordinary briarwood pipe was untouched.
"Wh—what?!"
Tazuna's jaw hung slack, his nose filled with the metallic stench of blood. His stomach churned.
That was mist.
Flesh, bone, clothing—everything that made them human had been shredded finer than hair, drifting apart like dandelion fluff in a breeze.
It was like watching a master chef's finest tofu silk dissolve in water.
"Don't worry. We'll protect you."
Having annihilated the two fools with wind-style, Hikari patted Tazuna's shoulder reassuringly—
CRACK!
A sickening snap echoed through the woods as Tazuna's shoulder collapsed, his scream half-pain, half-terror.
Hikari yanked her hand back like she'd touched lava.
The trio up front rushed over, laying the writhing Tazuna on the ground. Kakashi's silver hair was even messier than usual as he grimaced at the injury.
"Were you trying to kill our client?"
"I forgot."
Hikari clasped her hands awkwardly. She'd just wanted to comfort him—but human contact was off-limits for her. Whether善意 (goodwill) or恶意 (ill intent), the result was always the same.
She'd have to restructure her lifestyle—rely entirely on chakra for interaction.
She'd already been doing that: using wind-style to open doors, earth-style to reinforce the ground as she walked, water-style to drink without cups.
But it wasn't enough. If she wanted to function in society, she'd need to be even more meticulous.
"Agh—!"
Tazuna's groans weakened as adrenaline dulled the pain.
"His injury's too severe. Without a medic, he'll be crippled," Sasuke said coldly. "We should return to Konoha."
Naruto gritted his teeth.
Failing their first high-rank mission because of this was infuriating—but Tazuna's arm wasn't something to gamble with.
"Fine. We're heading back."
"Even Konoha might not be able to fix this," Kakashi muttered, examining the mangled shoulder. "We'd need a master medic just to prevent permanent damage—"
"No!"
Tazuna shot a terrified glance at the silver-haired demon before locking eyes with Kakashi. "The Land of Waves can't wait! If we turn back now—"
"If we don't, you'll never build bridges again."
Kakashi's blunt words hit like ice water.
As a bridge-builder, losing his dominant arm meant the end of his career.
Hikari studied Tazuna's face.
Though they hadn't known each other long, the old man's pride in his work was unmistakable. Losing that would break him as thoroughly as robbing Lee of his ninja dreams.
"It doesn't matter!"
To her surprise, Tazuna didn't hesitate. Struggling up with his good arm, he said, "The bridge was meant to save our country. If Gato destroys us, what's the point? I know you're strong now. Please—stop him!"
"Tazuna…"
Naruto's fists clenched. Even after being maimed by Hikari, the old man bore no grudge—only begged for his country's sake.
"We'll take down Gato!"
"Team 7 won't fail you!"
"Gato's dead!"
The team's fervent promises hung in the air as they rallied around their wounded client.
"Um…"
Hikari raised a timid hand, the awkward culprit amidst their righteous fury.
"I might've forgotten to mention… I'm also a medical ninja."
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