Karui's eye twitched.
Raizen lay sprawled along the tree branch exactly where she'd left him, one arm hanging loose, face slack with the deepest sleep she'd ever seen him in.
"Raizen," she hissed, jabbing a finger into his forehead. "Wake. Up."
Nothing.
She grabbed his flak vest with both hands and shook him so hard the branch shuddered.
"HEY! LIGHTNING BRAIN! WAKE UP!"
His head lolled. His breathing stayed slow and even, like he was napping on a beach instead of in the middle of an exam.
Karui's temper spiked. "You've gotta be kidding me—"
The world twanged.
For a split second, everything…blurred. The campfire bent like heat mirage, the trees around them swam, and a low humming settled in her ears. A whisper crawled along the back of her mind:
Sleep. No danger. Rest…
Karui's hands went numb. Her fingers slipped from Raizen's vest as her knees buckled—
No.
She bit down on her tongue, hard. Pain spiked through the fog. Her chakra surged as she forced it to flow wild and jagged, disrupting the smooth lull threading through her system.
The world snapped back into focus.
Karui stumbled, panting, vision clearing. The fire was normal again. Trees were still. Raizen—
Still asleep.
"Genjutsu," she spat, heart racing. "Somebody hit us with genjutsu."
She slapped a hand onto Raizen's chest and sent a sharp, painful jolt of chakra through his network, the exact way Raizen had taught her to break illusions on teammates.
"Release!"
Nothing.
His chakra… felt weird. Not blocked—just… far away. Like she was pinging an empty house.
"Raizen?" Her voice cracked. "Don't screw with me right now."
A twig snapped behind her.
Karui's body moved before her brain did—she twisted, hand flying to the hilt of her sword—
A heel slammed into her back.
Air exploded from her lungs as she sailed forward, smashing shoulder-first into the ground. Dirt and pine needles scratched across her cheek.
"Ghk—!"
She rolled, coughing, and saw him—a boy in a different forehead protector, older, taller, a smug grin on his face. His leg was still extended from the kick. He bounced lightly on his toes, savoring it.
"You broke it," he said, sounding vaguely impressed. "Not bad for an Academy brat."
Karui's vision went red at the edges.
"DAMN YOU, RAIZEN!" she wheezed, scrambling to her feet. "What the hell is this timing?!"
The boy didn't give her a second.
He flickered.
One instant he was ten meters away; the next he was in her face, fist rocketing toward her gut in a clean, practiced straight.
Karui twisted with the punch, letting it graze her ribs instead of crushing her stomach. Pain flared along her side, but she used the momentum, spinning with the strike and leaping back, boots sliding as she angled herself toward the heart of camp.
Get to the traps. Make them chase you. Use the field.
She'd helped Raizen lay those lines. Paper tags under loose rocks, tripwire buried shallow, detonators hidden at knee-height. If she could drag them in just a little—
She made it three steps.
A shadow dropped behind her.
Another genin—shorter, stockier, shoulders thick under his jacket—appeared at her back in a blur. She felt the displacement of air and tried to pivot—
His kick hammered into the back of her knee.
Her leg buckled. She crashed down to one knee, teeth clacking together hard enough to hurt.
"Too slow," he taunted.
Karui snarled and slashed backward blind, sword singing through the air. The boy hopped back just out of reach, his taller teammate already sliding around to her flank.
"Raizen," she panted, forcing herself up again, "I'm going to kill you when you wake up."
The first boy smirked. "He's not waking up. Our team's genjutsu specialist made sure of that." His eyes flicked to the tree branch above with lazy confidence. "You're on your own, little Kumo."
Specialist, Karui thought. So there's at least one more…
Her grip tightened on her sword. Her arms trembled. Her body screamed at her that she was outmatched, that this was a fight she was supposed to take with a squad, not alone.
She stepped forward anyway.
Lightning chakra prickled at her fingertips as she dragged it down her blade in a rough coat—sloppy, incomplete, but enough to sting.
She leveled the sword at them, eyes sharp and wild.
"You idiots picked the worst nap time of your lives," she growled. "If you think I'm letting you anywhere near my team—"
They moved together.
The stocky one came in low, sweeping for her legs. The taller genin darted high, feinting for her head. Karui lunged at the tall one, sword flashing, forcing him to twist away—
The low sweep clipped her ankle.
Her foot flew out from under her. She barely got her sword down in time to catch herself, the tip digging into the ground. Her shoulder flared with pain.
The tall genin didn't miss the opening.
His knee smashed into her jaw.
White exploded behind her eyes. She reeled, tasting blood, and stumbled backward straight into a waiting palm.
A third chakra signature flared behind her—quiet, controlled, the one she hadn't seen. A hand already glowing with a suppressed strike slammed between her shoulder blades, and a precise blast of chakra ripped through her nervous system.
Every muscle in her body spasmed at once.
Karui hit the dirt, sword skittering out of her hand as her fingers refused to listen. Her limbs twitched uselessly; she couldn't even grit her teeth properly.
"N-Neutralization… jutsu…?" she slurred, trying to push herself up. Her arms shook and collapsed.
Footsteps circled her.
From the corner of her eye, she saw all three enemy genin now:
• The tall one, cocky striker, grin sharp and lazy.
• The stocky brawler, cracking his knuckles like this was a warm-up.
• The calm genjutsu-user, eyes cool and distant, veil of chakra still fading from his hand.
The tall one planted a boot on Karui's shoulder, pressing her back into the ground.
"Stay down," he said, casual. "We only need the scroll. No need to break you too badly… unless you make this annoying."
Karui glared up at him, fury burning through the fog in her body.
Her eyes flicked toward the tents where Aika and Reina slept. Toward the tree where Raizen lay, utterly still, soul somewhere she couldn't reach.
"Raizen…" She forced the words through numb lips, voice raw. "If you don't wake up after this… I swear I'm gonna—"
Her threat cut off as the pressure on her shoulder increased.
Pinned, trembling, Karui could do nothing but watch as one of the enemy genin turned toward the camp, eyes narrowing at their carefully prepared traps and the scroll hidden somewhere within.
—
The boot lifted from Karui's shoulder.
"Let's grab the scroll and get out of here," the tall genin said, already turning his back on her.
The stockier one snorted. "She's not going anywhere. That neutralization hit will keep her twitching for a while."
The calm one headed toward the cluster of tents. The other two fell in behind him, stepping over Karui like she was nothing but debris.
Karui's fingers scraped at the dirt, barely moving.
Her body still wouldn't listen—nerves buzzing from the suppression strike, muscles sluggish and numb. She could move her eyes, roll her head a little. Everything else might as well have been wrapped in sandbags.
Reina… Aika… Raizen, you bastard…
She watched as the enemy team slipped past the central fire and into the shadowed heart of camp. They spotted the first tripwire and stepped neatly over it, grinning.
"These kids really thought this would stop somebody?" the tall one muttered.
"Focus," the calm genin said. "We're in their nest. No mistakes."
They eased deeper.
The camp was too quiet. Just the low crackle of the fire and the faint rustle of canvas from the tents. The calm genin's eyes swept the ground, the low branches, the rocks.
"Traps under the surface," he said. "Watch your feet. They didn't half-ass this."
The stocky one smirked. "Then they should've been here to use it."
His heel came down on a half-buried stone with a thin paper edge.
There was a soft crick as a seal line snapped.
"Wait—" the calm one started.
The forest detonated.
A cluster of explosive tags hidden under the stone lit at once. A flash washed the clearing in white. The blast slapped into their backs, hurling all three genin forward in a shower of dirt, splinters, and shredded leaves.
Karui felt the shockwave roll over her, lifting her an inch off the ground before dumping her back. Her ears rang; sound turned into a high, thin whistle.
From inside the main tent, a startled yell cut through the noise.
—
Aika jerked awake as the ground jumped.
Heat and light flared orange through the thin canvas walls, shadows thrashing across the ceiling. Her scrolls and medical kit rattled as they bounced across the floor.
Her hand was already on the kunai under her pillow.
"What—?"
Her chakra, low but not empty anymore, surged as adrenaline hit. She pushed herself upright, head spinning for a moment before the world steadied. Reina slept a few feet away, brow furrowed even in unconsciousness, bandages peeking from beneath her blanket.
"A trap," Aika breathed. "Someone hit Raizen's line…"
Voices bled through the ringing—curses, groans, the scrape of bodies getting back up.
We're under attack.
She crossed the space in three strides and crouched by Reina. Her fingers hovered over Reina's shoulder… then curled back.
Reina's chakra coils were still too ragged. Waking her into a fight would be a death sentence.
"Sorry, captain," Aika whispered. "You rest. I'll cover this one."
She bit into her thumb, copper flooding her tongue, and flew through familiar seals.
"Boar. Dog. Bird. Monkey. Ram."
The air in front of her warped. For a heartbeat the tent felt deeper, like the shadows had grown a spine.
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu."
Her palm slapped the floor.
Smoke burst outward, ballooning the tent walls. When it thinned, three shapes stood between Aika and the entrance.
Scarlet fur. Long limbs. Bright golden eyes.
One was just a little taller than Aika's waist, fur slightly darker, no armor or cloak—just a simple cord at his waist. He stood straight, tail coiled with the easy authority of someone used to being obeyed.
Beside him, a shorter langur in a dented samurai kabuto and tiny chestplate puffed his chest out, hand on the hilt of a comically small tanto. The helmet immediately slid down over his eyes. He pushed it up with grave dignity.
On the other side, wrapped in an oversized wizard cloak stitched with crude moons and stars, a lanky langur blinked once, yawned hugely, and hugged his gnarled stick like a child clutching a toy. His tail flicked once, then dragged on the floor.
All three turned to Aika.
She exhaled, tension easing from her shoulders just a hair. "Scarlet troop," she murmured. "I'm glad it was you three."
The leader langur tilted his head, eyes sharp. "Ti-ti?" he chirred, the sound quick and clipped.
Aika jerked her chin toward the camp. "We've got three enemy genin. They hit our traps. Karui's down, Raizen's… not waking up. We need to hold the line."
The samurai langur gave a solemn nod, then immediately started picking his nose through the visor slit. The wizard langur turned in a slow circle, cloak tangling around his feet, then sat down and started dozing, chin on his chest.
The leader slapped the wizard on the arm and snapped a sharper, commanding ti-TI! followed by a pointed gesture at the tent flap.
The wizard grumbled in rapid, warbling langur-speak, ears twitching, then dragged himself to his feet like the world's most exhausted old man. The samurai langur threw his arms wide in an exaggerated stretch, nearly poking the leader in the eye with his tanto. The leader ducked without looking.
Outside, someone cursed.
"Watch your step, idiot—those tags were chained—"
Aika tightened her grip on her sword. "Reina stays here. Big guy," she nodded to the leader, "you and the wizard come with me. Samurai—"
The samurai langur snapped to attention so fast his helmet slid down again.
"—you guard Reina," Aika finished. "No one touches her. Got it?"
He shoved the helmet up, thumped his small fist against his chest with a quiet "Krrk!" and padded over to Reina's side. He drew his tanto with theatrical care and took position like a tiny statue.
The leader flicked the tent flap aside.
Cool air rushed in—along with the smell of smoke and scorched dirt.
Aika stepped out first, sword already drawn. The leader slipped out behind her in a low, smooth motion; the wizard shuffled after them, cloak dragging, rubbing sleep from his eyes with the back of one furred hand.
The campsite was chaos.
A shallow crater smoked not far from the firepit, embers scattered like little orange eyes. The three enemy genin were in various stages of recovery—tall striker already standing, sword half-drawn; brawler on a knee, spitting dirt; the calm one brushing ash from his sleeves, eyes sharp and cold.
They all looked up as the tent flap snapped aside.
"Great," the tall one muttered. "The summoner woke up."
The calm one's eyes narrowed. "Those monkeys again, huh…?"
Karui lay where they'd left her at the edge of the clearing, still trembling from the suppression hit. But she'd managed to twist her head enough to see Aika. Relief tangled with annoyance on her face.
"Aika…" she croaked. "What took you… you and your damn monkeys…"
Despite the situation, Aika's mouth quirked. "Overslept. Sorry."
The leader langur stepped up beside her, tail coiling around his waist. He rolled his shoulders once, then slapped his palm lightly against the ground. A faint shimmer of chakra rippled out in a thin ring barely visible in the dirt.
"Stay behind me until I say otherwise," Aika murmured. "You two," she added for the langurs, "same plan as last time. Fan… pin… cook."
The leader bobbed his head—sharp, clipped. "Ti."
The wizard just stared at her, one eye half-closed, then let out a long, complaining trill. The leader jabbed him in the ribs with an elbow. He flinched, grumbled, then gave a reluctant double-click of acknowledgment.
The tall genin snorted, dusting soot off his vest. "You really think three spirit monkeys and a half-burnt girl can stop us?"
The stocky one cracked his knuckles. "Just grab the scroll and crack their ribs if they get in the way."
The calm one lifted his hands, fingers dancing into seals. "Don't underestimate summoners. We saw what those langurs did in the pass."
Good, Aika thought. Be scared of the wrong things.
The tall genin flickered.
He blurred in, leading with a straight punch for Aika's face—same opening he'd used on Karui. Aika slid her front foot back, blade snapping up in a tight guard.
Fist met steel with a dull ring. Aika turned with it, letting the force slide along her sword and past her shoulder instead of into her teeth.
"Karui!" she shouted, twisting aside. "On my word, roll toward the firepit!"
Karui coughed a bitter laugh. "C-can't… move, genius…"
"You don't have to do it well," Aika shot back.
The tall genin recovered fast, using his free hand to hook at Aika's wrist, trying to yank her off balance. The leader langur darted in low, grabbed a fistful of his pant leg, and yanked with a sharp bark of effort.
It barely moved him—but it messed up his footing.
Aika snapped a kick into his shin. He swore and hopped back a step, guard coming up.
The stocky brawler saw the opening and rushed Aika's flank, shoulder lowered.
The leader's earlier chakra ring flared under his next step. His foot punched into the ground up to the ankle like the dirt had turned to thick mud.
He pitched forward with a panicked shout, slamming into the ground chest-first.
The leader chittered smugly.
The calm genin's seals finished. His gaze sharpened, eyes locking on Aika—then slid past her to Karui instead.
Karui saw his fingers twitch and knew what was coming.
Not again.
He inhaled to trigger whatever jutsu he'd primed—
A small rock whistled through the air and bounced off his temple with a sharp tock.
He flinched, losing the thread of the technique. His glare snapped toward the source.
Karui lay half-sprawled in the dirt, arm shaking, fingers still outstretched from the throw.
"D-don't… ignore me," she rasped.
Aika's grin flashed feral. "That's my girl."
"Now!" she shouted.
Karui gritted her teeth, dragged every stubborn scrap of will into her muscles, and rolled.
It was ugly—more of a lurching flop than an actual roll. But her shoulder and hip hit the ground, her body tipped, and her boot scraped across a mostly-buried paper tag Raizen had warned them about.
The ink flared.
The second explosion was smaller but closer. It erupted in a flash and a concussive slap that sent the two standing enemy genin staggering, smoke and dust billowing up around their legs.
The wizard langur perked up at the blast, ears pricking. He shuffled forward, flipped his stick in one hand, and jabbed it lazily toward a pebble at his feet.
He chirped something soft and nonsense-sounding.
The pebble rolled.
It gathered dust, then stones, then a chunk of loose earth, swelling with each turn until it was the size of a medicine ball and still growing. The wizard's eyes stayed half-lidded, tail twitching like this was the bare minimum required by his contract.
The tall genin burst out of the smoke, squinting, mouth twisted in a snarl. He charged Aika again, going low this time for a tackle.
Aika stepped sideways and down, redirecting him with her shoulder, sword biting for his ribs. He twisted, taking only a shallow slice instead of a deep one.
The leader langur darted through his legs in a blur of red, slapping a tag onto his boot and cartwheeling away on long arms.
The stocky brawler finally ripped his leg free of the chakra-slick ground with a roar, clumps of earth stuck to his greave. He stomped forward, both fists up, zeroing in on Aika's back—
The leader snapped a sharp ti-TI! and pointed.
Karui, still panting on the ground, dragged her head up enough to see him gesture and rasped out a hoarse laugh. "You want the big guy…? F-fine…"
She hooked one heel behind the brawler's ankle as he stepped past her.
He went down in an undignified heap.
The wizard's earth-ball trundled toward him, carving a shallow groove in the dirt. The calm genin swore and leaped aside. The brawler tried to roll away, but his timing was bad; the ball clipped his side and flipped him with a strangled yell.
The wizard released a sleepy trill and flicked his stick again. A faint shimmer of heat licked around the ball's surface—barely a flame, more of a hot shell.
The tall genin pivoted on instinct, trying to position Aika between himself and the rolling threat. Aika stepped light, refusing to be herded, keeping just ahead of his attempts to line her up.
The leader langur, reading the angle, sprinted up a tree, launched off, and latched onto the tall genin's back like a furry backpack. He dug his fingers into the boy's hair and pulled.
The genin staggered, arms flailing. "Get off—!"
Aika slid in, sword slashing in tight arcs. Each strike forced him to block, weight shifting, balance unraveling as the langur tugged his head side to side. One cut carved his shoulder; another nicked his forearm.
The calm genin, face tight now, abandoned long seals for speed. He snapped a shorter sequence and flung a flash of chakra at Aika's feet.
Her vision warped for a heartbeat—ground tilting, horizon bending, Karui and the tents smearing at the edges.
Genjutsu.
The wizard screwed up his face, lifted his stick, and thumped it once into the dirt with a sharp bark.
A ripple pulsed out—short, annoyed.
The illusion cracked like thin glass around Aika's head. She sucked in a breath as the world snapped straight again.
"Thanks," she muttered.
The wizard yawned, as if to say she was making too much work out of this.
The brawler staggered back to his feet, clutching his side where the earth-ball had clipped him. The leader whistled a quick pattern; the ball slowed, crumbling apart into harmless rubble just before it rolled into campfire embers and set the whole place ablaze.
The three enemy genin regrouped by instinct—tall in front, brawler to his right, calm one slightly behind. They were scraped, singed, breathing harder.
Aika's sword arm trembled. Chakra reserves were thin. The leader's tail twitched with contained energy; the wizard seemed half-asleep, but his eyes were watching everything. From inside the tent, the samurai langur's helmeted head peeked out once, checking that no one was close to Reina, then ducked back in.
Three enemy genin.
One half-paralyzed redhead on the ground.
One exhausted summoner.
Three ridiculous scarlet langurs who couldn't say a word she understood, but whose eyes glinted with mischief and murder in equal measure.
The tall genin spat blood and reset his stance.
"All this," he said, "for one scroll."
Aika rolled her shoulders, brought her blade back to guard. The leader settled at her side, fingers flexing. The wizard planted his stick, cloak flapping in the smoky breeze.
"For our scroll," Aika corrected, a fierce little smile tugging her mouth. "And our team."
The three enemy genin surged as one.
The fight for the camp truly began.