To the north of the land of fire, almost on the border with the land of rice, a team of ninjas makes their way through the dense forests of the sector. Led by the chunin Izumi Uchiha, the group of genins carries out an investigative mission for the Konoha police, following the trail of a group smuggling explosive seals.
Konoha police don't usually get involved in matters outside the village, but this case is different, as a currently unidentified group is trafficking highly regulated items from within the village.
Izumi, as the leader of the group, has the dual task of following clues that lead to a possible hideout of the smuggling group, as well as guiding his group of genins in the art of tracking in non-urban areas, something rare these days within the police.
The first day has been hard for the team, because as part of the training, they have had to run more than one hundred kilometers from the village, passing through endless forests and using all kinds of tracking techniques. Izumi is a strict teacher, so the genin were completely exhausted by the time the sun began to set.
"Very well, team, it has been a very productive day, now let's set up camp, because first thing tomorrow morning we will concentrate on the border" Izumi orders his three companions, after finding a small clearing inside the forest.
"Captain, my feet hurt!" Says a kunoichi with short hair and short stature, apparently about 14 years old with Uchiha features and clothing, who as soon as she arrives at the place, collapses on the floor massaging her feet.
"Stop complaining and better help" Another ninja intervenes, a young man of about 16 with long brown hair, who is struggling with the assembly of a tent.
The three genin are a long-established team, which Izumi took over just three months ago, after their other captain was promoted within the police force. Yuina Uchiha, the kunoichi sitting on the floor complaining about her feet; Saburo Naose, the young man struggling to work at the tent; and Kenta Enami, an introverted character who chose to disappear to go gather firewood.
"Yuina, help with the fire if you don't want to move too much" Intercedes Izumi, who settles on the branch of a tree to check the perimeter and observe her subordinates.
"Ughh… But Kenta just went for the firewood" Yuina insists.
Izumi's response is a scroll that flies straight at Yuina's face, hitting her on the forehead. The young woman complains for a few moments, but in the end she proceeds to open the scroll, ending up with a bag of charcoal in her hands.
Incredulous, Yuina looks at Izumi. "Captain, do you carry a bag of charcoal everywhere?"
Shaking her head in clear disappointment, Izumi replies, "Idiot, part of a ninja's preparation for each mission is to anticipate situations where the necessary resources aren't easy to find. Imagine if it rains and you can't find dry firewood, or if you need a fire that doesn't make too much smoke. Have you ever burned wild firewood or wet wood?"
Both Yuina and Saburo, who still hasn't managed to set up the tent, show embarrassed expressions at Izumi's words. Izumi, tired of Saburo's incompetence, climbs down the tree and begins to help him.
It is at that moment that two individuals appear behind Izumi, almost as if by magic, both dressed in full-body samurai armor. Yuina was the first to notice them, immediately screaming.
"Captain behind you!..."
Izumi responds by pushing Saburo and putting distance between himself and the unexpected guests, but when he turns around he sees the scene of Yuina flying through the air, apparently due to a wind jutsu from the tallest individual, a man in full black armor and a demon mask. The other individual appears to be a short woman, dressed in a similar manner to the man except that she wears a completely smooth mask without any holes.
"Who are you...?" Izumi tries to say, before being interrupted by a surprise jutsu from both warriors, where their armor begins to emit a dense fog.
Izumi reacts quickly using several hand seals. "Fuuton Daitoppa"
A great gust of wind is expelled from Izumi's mouth, clearing much of the fog, but both warriors seem to have moved from their original position and the fog begins to rapidly replenish.
Izumi immediately runs to the nearest visible tree and climbs to the top, but the fog continues to expand, reaching even higher than the treetops. The young woman's panic grows as the seconds pass, as even her Sharingan doesn't allow her to see further than a meter.
"Haaaaaaaa!" A scream is heard in the distance, clearly from Yuina.
Izumi grits her teeth, unsure of what to do, and sweat builds on her forehead. The screams grow louder, but the young woman knows it's a trap. Her position is precarious, but not as precarious as being on the ground. She knows the fog affects everyone equally.
Crack!
Suddenly the tree creaks and begins to lean quickly, they have cut the tree.
"Fuuton Daitoppa" The young woman launches a new attack towards the ground as she falls, momentarily revealing the ground.
Upon falling to the ground, Izumi begins to execute multiple hand seals, then slams her palms on the ground.
"Doton Doryuu Heki"
The jutsu causes several earthen walls to emerge from the ground, nearly three meters high, creating a labyrinth-like structure no more than 60 meters in diameter. But when Izumi stands up, a presence appears behind her.
Izumi, still unable to see clearly, tries to jump toward one of the walls, but a powerful gust of wind slams her against it. The young woman tries her best to remain calm as a wooden staff approaches her. Limited visibility allows her to react only when the staff is about to hit her, using a kunai to block the impact.
Unfortunately, and beyond all reason, the cane produces a powerful electric shock upon contact, causing Izumi's body to become completely paralyzed. What follows is a kick to the young woman's stomach, which ends with a gentle blow from the cane to her forehead, causing her to completely lose consciousness, courtesy of an electric shock.
…
[Izumi]
When Izumi managed to regain consciousness, she found herself lying on a comfortable bed, in a stone-walled room, without windows and with only one entrance, blocked by a metal door.
The young woman immediately attempted to investigate her personal status, but found herself unable to use chakra, apparently due to the collar on her neck and shackles on her hands, with at least the ability to move freely around the room. She also noticed that her clothes and equipment had been changed to a simple white dress.
The young woman sighs and collapses onto the bed, staring at the bedroom ceiling and the single light bulb. She knows well what happens to ninjas who are captured, and her eyes can't help but shed a few tears. At only thirteen, she's still too young, with a whole life ahead of her. But the life of a ninja is like that, glorious but fleeting.
For a moment, Izumi considers committing suicide—biting off her tongue or snapping her neck somehow, perhaps even biting the veins in her arms—but her survival instinct prevents her. Her memory reveals that her enemies never used deadly attacks, but rather sought to capture her from the beginning. 'It must be the damn sharingan' she thought, as an uncontrollable rage told her to tear out her eyes and be done with it all. Kumogakure is known for its tendency to kidnap ninjas with rare powers, or kekkei genkai, to force them to reproduce. 'Maybe it was them'.
The young woman's tears turn into crying, but only briefly, as she immediately regains her composure, pounding her fists on the mattress and staring at the metal door.
When Izumi tries to knock on the door, she provokes a reaction, causing the light bulb in the room to blink for a few seconds. She simply stands there, waiting for whatever happens.
Almost a minute later, footsteps are heard from the other side of the door, and after the sound of a lock turning, the door opens completely, revealing the man responsible for everything, still in his armor and wearing his demon mask.