The Missing Cloud Ninja

The battle on the main front between Konoha and Cloud Village was in full swing. The smoke of war had yet to clear, and the air was thick with the pungent stench of blood and dust.

In a secluded corner of a valley far from the main battlefield, a group of silent figures was cleverly concealed.

Minamoto Takuya's original body lounged lazily against a thick branch of an ancient tree. Tilting his head slightly toward the sky, darkened and obscured by ninjutsu smoke, he let out a long, absentminded yawn.

Below the tree, silent work was underway.

A group of unidentified people without any ninja insignia efficiently bound up the unconscious Cloud Ninja sprawled among the bushes and behind piles of rocks, then stuffed them into specially made black restraint bags.

The one leading them was none other than Nadare Rōga, an elite of the Land of Snow.

He stood solemnly to one side until the last prisoner had been dealt with. Only then did he turn and look up through the mottled shadows of the trees at the figure above. The reverence in his eyes was nearly overflowing as he lowered his voice, though every word remained crystal clear.

"My lord, there are twelve Cloud Ninja in this batch. They have all been 'packed' and can be transferred to the Land of Snow prison at any time."

"Mm. Good work." Minamoto Takuya's voice drifted down from above, carrying a sleepy sort of laziness.

"It is our greatest honor to serve you, my lord!"

Nadare Rōga's tone was utterly resolute, his devotion coming straight from the heart.

Ever since they had been recruited into this brutal war involving two great nations, the power and methods Minamoto Takuya had displayed had once again conquered their proud hearts, forged upon the ice