The first thing I felt when I opened my eyes that morning was discomfort. Sleeping in the middle of the forest with no campfire or proper mattress wasn't exactly the best experience in the world. And to top it off, I had woken up in the middle of the night to keep watch.
My back ached, and the early morning cold still clung to my skin. In those moments, I found myself missing the luxury of a king-size bed and a nice, chilly air conditioner. Ah, civilization, how I miss you...
But there was no time to complain. We quickly got up and packed our things. Dekai-sensei showed us how to quickly cover our tracks so no one could tell we'd been there, and then we were back to running.
Just like the day before, we spent the whole morning running, keeping the same relentless pace our dear sensei had set from the start. The only sound that filled the air was the rustling of leaves beneath our feet and the distant calls of birds. But before long, Jimei and Natsu started chatting to pass the time.
"Jimei-kun, do you think trees like it when we climb them?" Natsu asked, tilting her head slightly as if she was actually pondering this deep question.
Jimei tripped over his own feet when he heard that, and I couldn't blame him. What kind of bizarre conversation was this?
"What?! Natsu-chan, what kind of question is that?! Trees are just... trees! They don't think!" Jimei practically shouted, throwing his hands up in disbelief.
"But what if they did?" Natsu insisted, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Maybe some trees like being climbed, and others get embarrassed! What if there's an ancient tree that decides who can climb it and who can't? Like, the boss of the trees!"
"That's ridiculous! How do you even think of stuff like that while we're running for our lives?!" Jimei's eyes were wide, holding his head as if trying to keep his brain from melting.
That was definitely the weirdest thing I'd heard in months. And believe me, after all the nonsense I've had to listen to in this team, that's saying something... Well, I wasn't about to let Jimei have all the fun.
"If there was a tree boss, it would probably kick me out for mistreating its branches every time I break one." I said, laughing lightly.
"Great! Now you're joining her madness! Am I the only normal one here?!" Jimei groaned, frustrated.
He shot me a glare, but before anyone could reply, Dekai-sensei suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. It was so abrupt that we almost collided with him. My heart skipped a beat, and my body automatically went on high alert.
"Natsu, activate your Byakugan and scan the area around us," he ordered in a serious tone.
Natsu quickly made the hand seals and activated her Byakugan. The veins around her eyes became visible—honestly, no matter how many times I saw that, it still looked pretty cool.
"Sensei, the trees ahead... they're covered in explosive tags!"
Crap, we almost became human barbecue. I was curious about how Dekai-sensei had sensed something was wrong, but it wasn't exactly the best time to ask.
"Everyone, get down from the trees. Now." Dekai-sensei said briefly.
He didn't need to repeat himself. In the blink of an eye, we were on the ground, all senses on high alert. Natsu's face turned pale as her eyes went wide.
"Two enemies approaching from the east!"
Two enemies? Here? Why now? Damn, I thought this was supposed to be a simple low-rank mission.
"Fall back!" Natsu shouted immediately.
A kunai with an explosive tag embedded itself right in front of us. I grabbed Jimei by the arm and pulled him back, jumping just before a devastating explosion lit up the forest. The wave of heat washed over us, followed by a boom that made the leaves fall from the trees like rain.
"Are you guys okay?" I asked, looking at Jimei and Natsu, my voice tinged with concern.
Natsu and Jimei quickly nodded, though they looked a little freaked out after being literally blown up. But they seemed okay.
"Manji Formation!"
At Dekai-sensei's shout, we immediately formed a triangular formation. As the smoke from the explosion started to clear, the enemies were finally revealed.
The first figure caught my attention right away. He was tall and thin, no eyebrows, with wrinkles under his eyes and a cross-shaped scar on his right cheek. Bandages covered parts of his face, neck, and ears, and his sharp teeth made him even more intimidating. But nothing compared to the enormous sword he was holding. My stomach churned.
Kubikiribōchō.
My mind was spinning. Zabuza's sword? What the hell was the Decapitating Carving Knife doing here in the hands of some fake Zabuza?! What was going on? Did I fall into some kind of hellish AU?
"Be careful. This is Jūzō Biwa, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist... Or rather, a renegade former of the seven swordsmen from Kirigakure." Dekai said.
My brain finally put the pieces together. I remembered this guy... He appeared in Naruto Shippuden. He was partnered with Itachi in Akatsuki! But why was he here? Did that mean...
Before I could finish my thought, I looked over at the man next to him. He was tall and thin, with gray hair tied in a bun. A cracked Konoha mask covered half of his face, leaving only a creepy smile visible. His jounin vest looked just like the ones Konoha jounins wear, but it was torn and worn. Shinobi tools hung from his belt.
"Renga Shuro..." Dekai-sensei murmured, almost to himself.
"Ah, well, well, didn't expect to find you here, Dekai." The guy, Shuro, smiled and spoke with irony.
"Who's this guy?" Jimei whispered, swallowing nervously.
"Renga Shuro. Former Konoha jounin, expert in infiltration and assassination. He deserted after being accused of killing his own team during a mission." Dekai-sensei replied without hesitation, keeping his eyes locked on the enemies.
Apparently, something about sensei's words was funny because Shuro let out a dry laugh that, to be honest, was pretty creepy.
"Accused... That's such an ugly word, don't you think, Dekai? I prefer to say the mission didn't go as planned." He chuckled again. "Ah, but of course, you've never had a sense of humor. Still as boring as ever."
"It doesn't make sense for two rogue ninjas to be together." Dekai murmured, his face showing confusion. "Renegade ninjas usually work alone."
Apparently, Dekai's words weren't as quiet as he thought because Biwa crossed his arms and responded.
"Believe me, I'd rather work alone too. But the test to join a certain red cloud required us to work in pairs." He said with irritation in his tone.
Dekai, Natsu, and Jimei all seemed confused. But me? I understood immediately. My head was spinning as I looked around quickly, feeling a chill run down my spine.
Akatsuki.
So that's it. They were trying to join the organization. Which meant Zetsu was probably nearby, watching. That damn talking fern.
"And speaking of annoying things, Dekai, you've got a scroll on your back with exactly what we need." Shuro said, pointing at us. "Hand it over and we might just let your little pups live."
"Never,. Dekai-sensei responded without hesitation.
Shuro dramatically sighed and pulled a kunai from one of his vest pockets, casually tossing it up in the air and catching it.
"Ah, what a shame. Guess we'll just have to take it from your corpses."
At that moment, I felt it. For the first time since becoming a ninja, I felt the raw, suffocating sense of a real killing intent. It was like a sharp blade was pressed against my throat, threatening to cut at any moment.
I swallowed hard.
This fight… was going to be serious.