Crossing Over!

"Damn it... I clearly... clearly sensed them... Why... why..."

The young Kumogakure ninja wearing a forehead protector stared wide-eyed as blood spilled from his mouth. Slowly, he dropped to his knees, then collapsed to the ground with a thud, never making another sound. Behind him, the ninja sword he carried was buried deep in the center of his back, blood gushing from the wound.

"It took ten minutes to come here in pursuit. It will take another ten minutes to return, and about twenty minutes to reach the designated location. That means that in thirty minutes, I need to wait for Chiba and the others at the meeting point. If they still haven't returned after an hour, I'll head to the destination and hide first. No matter who I encounter, I must not make a move. If I run into Kakashi and the others, I'll help them if they come under attack. If they are not attacked, I'll follow and protect them the whole way."

As the young Kumogakure ninja fell, Yukina's figure slowly emerged from behind him. Her brows were slightly furrowed, and her prominent Byakugan eyes glanced downward. She lowered the hand she had held as if ready to throw something, took a scroll from her clothes, unfolded it, and murmured to herself.

On the unfurled scroll was a copied section of a tactical map. Chiba had sketched it offhand while they waited for Kumogakure and Iwa to meet up. It was somewhat rough, but usable. None of the necessary details were missing; only the unneeded portions had been greatly simplified.

"What exactly is Chiba trying to do? Aren't our team and Kakashi's team supposed to serve as each other's bait and backup? Why do we specifically have to protect Kakashi and the others?"

After studying the map