Crisis

"Anko, are you all right?"

"I'm fine. Ah, Tetsu, where are those guys now?"

In a forest in the Mist-controlled area of the Land of Whirlpools, Mitaraishi Anko watched Morino Ibiki bandage her arm as she asked a Hyuga Tetsu standing nearby.

Not long ago, Anko Squad had received orders from Orochimaru. They were to head into the Mist-controlled area and carry out attacks and sabotage.

But they were out of luck. They had only just entered the area when a squad spotted them.

Although they had the Byakugan, which let them scout from a distance, using it required chakra.

No one could use the Byakugan without limit, so they'd simply been unlucky enough to run into the enemy while they weren't using it to scout.

After a fierce battle, Anko Squad had taken out a Mist Ninja squad, but the Mist had also caught their scent.

So now they had no choice but to push deeper into the Mist-controlled area while evading their pursuers.

If they could, they wanted to take out the Mist Ninja chasing them, too.

But those Mist Ninja were no pushovers. Even though Anko was Orochimaru's student and knew several powerful forbidden techniques, she couldn't hold back their assault.

Anko was already injured, and Morino Ibiki wasn't doing much better.

Hyuga Tetsu was even more exhausted. Constantly using the Byakugan to keep watch had left him in worse shape than either Ibiki or Anko.

"Things are looking bad. They're already closing in." Hyuga Tetsu panted slightly and spoke in a low voice. "We need to get out of here as soon as possible."

"I'm afraid it's too late." Morino Ibiki sighed helplessly. "We don't have time to cover our tracks."

For people on the run, failing to cover their tracks was deadly. Their pursuers only had to follow the trail they'd left behind to stay right on their heels.

Besides, the Mist Ninja were already so close that the Byakugan's advantage was limited—and their eyes were already exhausted.

"Don't think about it too much. Let's move first." Anko got to her feet, a smile appearing on her face. A hint of madness gleamed in her eyes. "If it comes to it, I'll stay behind."

Mitaraishi Anko had always been the reckless sort. Usually, she seemed carefree, almost as if her brain hadn't fully developed and her cerebellum hadn't developed at all.

But whenever she faced something troublesome or dangerous, that wild streak came surging to the surface.

Otherwise, when she learned that Orochimaru would return to Konoha to sabotage the Chunin Ninja Exams, she wouldn't have rushed off to die alongside him without a second thought.

"Damn it, they've spotted us!" Hyuga Tetsu suddenly shouted, immediately taking a fighting stance.

At that moment, a flare shot into the sky, and four Mist Ninja appeared in front of them.

"You lot are pretty quick on your feet," the lead Mist Ninja said with a cruel smile. "We've been chasing you for days. It's about time this came to an end!"

"Did you really think we'd be easy to bully?"

The madness on Anko's face grew more pronounced. She drew a kunai and licked her lips, imitating Orochimaru.

"Come on, then. Let's see what you've got!"

"Captain, we still haven't found anyone. Are we sure we're going in the right direction?"

In the forest of the Mist-controlled area, Shiranui Genma scanned their surroundings. After a while, he quietly asked Uchiha Sou.

After interrogating their prisoner for information, the three of them had carefully crossed the border into the Mist-controlled area and begun tracking and searching for the Konoha squad that had been captured.

Might Guy was still the most enthusiastic. That was simply his nature: passionate and kindhearted. Interestingly, Shiranui Genma was also much more eager than before.

His attitude had changed after he and Uchiha Sou spoke. Clearly, he agreed with Sou's plan.

As a civilian ninja, he had always believed what Uchiha Sou had said: never underestimate ordinary people. Given the chance, they could turn the tide of an entire war.

He was genuinely moved. Uchiha Sou was a rare sort of person—an arrogant Uchiha who held no prejudice against civilian ninja and even valued them greatly.

Besides that, after giving it serious thought, he had more or less come around to Uchiha Sou's plan.

After taking part in the war for so long, he knew just how much resentment the Mist's actions in the Land of Whirlpools had stirred up among ordinary people.

If those ordinary people had the power to fight the ninja, they would have done so long ago.

And if Konoha ninja like them, who were going after the Mist, asked for help, surely the locals wouldn't refuse.

"So, we really need manpower to build a stronger presence and get better results."

With that in mind, Shiranui Genma naturally became more enthusiastic—especially since the squad they were going to rescue had a Byakugan.

Everyone knew how much value the Byakugan could offer in an environment like this.

But in enemy territory, enthusiasm wasn't always much use.

They had to be careful not to meet the same fate themselves, track the enemy by following their trail, and find a suitable place to rest so they'd be ready for a fight at any moment.

So far, they hadn't found much.

"I can't be sure either. We didn't get much information, and it might be outdated."

Uchiha Sou was starting to feel troubled, too. Searching for so long without finding anything was no good sign.

If he weren't interested in that Byakugan, he'd be tempted to leave the Konoha squad to fend for themselves.

As the saying went, as long as the green hills remained, there'd be no shortage of firewood. If they hadn't run into them this time, could they really not find another Konoha squad somewhere in this vast Mist-controlled area?

Still, he couldn't quite bring himself to say that. They'd come all this way; they couldn't give up so quickly.

At least they could look for another day before deciding.

"Let's keep looking."

With that thought, Uchiha Sou spoke up.

"But we can't waste too much time. We have our own mission to complete, so if we still come up empty, we'll need to withdraw as soon as possible. Understood?"

"Yes, Captain." Shiranui Genma nodded, keeping his head.

"Captain. Yes, I understand." Might Guy looked conflicted, but Shiranui Genma had already agreed, so he could only nod along.

"Good. Then—" Uchiha Sou nodded in satisfaction, but just as he was about to say something, he suddenly frowned.

It wasn't just him. Might Guy and Shiranui Genma did the same, then instinctively looked up at the sky.

A flare, trailing a thick plume of smoke, was slowly rising into the sky.