Guarding

The moon hung dark behind heavy clouds, and crows occasionally cawed in the dense forest.

A dark figure crept through the woods. He suddenly crouched, tilting his head as he carefully pinpointed where the sound had come from.

The sense of danger in his heart faded.

He stood and continued cautiously onward. Each step landed in time with a crow's cry, and without a sound, he vanished into the darkness once more.

As a Sunagakure spy, Nishikawa Jiken had been undercover in Konoha for ten years.

He could no longer remember how old he had been when he arrived in Konoha. He thought he had still been a child.

For the first year, he had lived in constant fear, often waking from nightmares.

He was terrified that one day he would wake to find the dreaded Anbu standing beside his bed.

But the thing he feared never happened, and he truly did manage to remain safely undercover.

One year, two years...

When there were no assignments, he was like an orphan forgotten in a corner, staying quiet all the while.

Little by little, he had adapted to life in Konoha and had even grown into a ninja.

Just when he thought his life would go on like this forever,

an order from Sunagakure suddenly arrived.

The dormant pawn had been awakened.

Nishikawa Jiken looked up. Through the gaps between the branches, he could see only the ink-black night.

The memories of his former home had faded with time, growing blurry.

He had been away for so long. He didn't know if the home he remembered was still there.

His father had died in battle, and the vow he had made as a boy to avenge him still rang in his ears.

If he hadn't chosen this path, he could have stayed by his mother's side all along.

At the thought of his mother, Nishikawa Jiken smiled for a brief moment.

Perhaps once he completed this mission, he could go home and reunite with his dear mother.

The night remained long.

Soft footsteps touched the ground, sounding distinct in the silent forest.

Nishikawa Jiken suddenly stiffened.

Something was wrong!

It was too quiet.

Even the insects had stopped chirping.

When had that happened?

A chill crawled up his spine, and he drew the long blade at his waist.

"Jiken, come back with me. It's not too late to turn back."

Tono Kojiro stepped out from behind a tree, blocking his way.

Nishikawa Jiken was conflicted. There was a trace of reluctance in his gaze as he looked at Tono Kojiro.

They had been close friends since they were boys.

They had grown up together, graduated together, and fought together. Their friendship had stood the test of blood and fire.

He still remembered Tono Kojiro carrying him on his back for a day and a night as they fled, finally shaking off their pursuers.

He, too, had once taken a kunai meant for Tono Kojiro, shielding him with his own body.

Perhaps this was the bond Konoha was always preaching about.

The hand gripping his sword trembled slightly. In the next instant, the reluctance in his eyes gave way to a firmer resolve.

"You shouldn't have come tonight. You know... out of everyone in Konoha, you're the last person I want to kill."

His voice was low. As his final word fell, the hand holding his sword stopped trembling.

"Shing!"

The sound of a blade being drawn carried far into the night.

Once-close companions now faced each other with swords drawn.

"I didn't want you to die at someone else's hands, so I came."

Tono Kojiro looked grief-stricken, a faint, bitter smile on his face.

"Maybe we were both born in the wrong era."

"Caw—"

A crow's cry broke the stillness of the long night.

Sparks suddenly flashed in the dark forest as metal clashed.

The Land of Wind, Sunagakure.

There was a guard every ten paces outside the secret meeting room, and a sentry every five.

Farther out, several teams of ninja patrolled in overlapping circuits.

The meeting room's walls were covered in runes to prevent any jutsu from spying on them.

Inside, only four people sat silently around the table.

"Word has come from the front. Our spy successfully stole the layout plans of Konoha's main camp. Now the two of you must decide who will infiltrate enemy territory and bring the plans back."

As soon as Elder Chiyo finished speaking, the two young people seated across from her immediately volunteered.

"I'll go!"X2

Rasa and Pakura spoke almost simultaneously, their eagerness to claim the mission plain to see.

Chiyo nodded with satisfaction, looking at the two young people with great admiration.

"This mission is dangerous. Orochimaru is no ordinary opponent. You should understand Sunagakure's current situation. This operation must succeed."

Chiyo didn't say what would happen if they failed, but everyone present understood it perfectly well.

"Please rest assured, Elder. I'll bring back the intelligence even if it costs me my life."

Pakura stood and made her pledge to Elder Chiyo in a solemn voice. There was no doubting her resolve.

"What good is simply risking your life? The question is who has the better chance of bringing the intelligence back."

"You!"

Rasa ignored Pakura and looked toward Elder Chiyo with a resolute gaze.

"Let me go. My abilities make me better suited than Pakura to fighting in complex terrain, so I have a better chance of bringing back the intelligence."

"No, I won't agree! Are you saying you're stronger than me? Then let's fight. Whoever wins gets to go."

Elder Chiyo raised a hand, cutting off their argument.

"Rasa will lead the mission. His abilities really do make him better suited to operating behind enemy lines."

Then Chiyo assigned Pakura a task as well.

"Once Rasa has infiltrated the camp, you'll lead the attack on the main battlefield. The harder you hit them, the greater Rasa's chance of success. So... your role is crucial, too."

The matter was settled. Even though Pakura had her complaints, she could only accept the order.

"All right, you two. Go and get ready."

"Yes!"

After the two left, Ebizo, who had remained silent until then, suddenly spoke up.

"Older sister, the Kazekage's seat shouldn't stay vacant for too long."

"Are you saying we should choose one of those two young people as Kazekage?"

"Do we have any other choice?"

Chiyo was taken aback, then gave a wry smile and shook her head.

"You always see right through everything. Yet when I offered you the Kazekage's seat, you refused."

Ebizo tucked his hands into his sleeves, looking like an old man from the neighborhood.

"Leave the position to the young. We're old, and no longer capable of steering this war machine."

"Indeed. The young people these days are remarkable. Sometimes I really envy Konoha. It always produces geniuses."

Ever since the Third Kazekage disappeared, Chiyo and Ebizo had been called upon in their time of crisis to shoulder the burden of leading Sunagakure.

At the time, Sunagakure had been like a powder keg packed with explosives, ready to blow at any moment.

Going to war with Konoha had been a last resort, forced upon them by circumstance.

Sunagakure had desperately needed an outlet, and there had been no better target than Konoha.

Chiyo knew that if she started a fight, others would surely follow.

The greatest crisis had passed. Now it was time to prepare to deal with the second.

"Ebizo, who do you think is better suited to become Kazekage, Rasa or Pakura?"

"Rasa!"

Her younger brother's answer didn't surprise Chiyo. She just didn't understand why he was so certain.

"Why? Tell me what you're thinking."

Ebizo still looked half-asleep as he answered lazily:

"Rasa is ruthless. Pakura is an excellent ninja, but she wouldn't make an excellent Kage."

As he spoke, he lifted his bleary eyes and glanced at Chiyo.

"Older sister, you already have someone in mind. Make your decision. Sunagakure can't withstand another upheaval."

Chiyo knew her younger brother was right.

"Yes. Sunagakure truly can't withstand another upheaval."

It was Rasa's ruthlessness that had kept Chiyo from making up her mind.

If Rasa inherited the position of Kazekage, he wouldn't tolerate Pakura, the highly popular hero of Sunagakure.

For the sake of Sunagakure's future, Chiyo was persuaded by her younger brother to make a choice.

Mo Jingxian wiped the blood from his blade and sheathed it.

A wild boar lay in a pool of blood.

He had lost count of how many times he had been attacked.

It had been about a week since he left Konoha, and he had already covered most of the distance.

Far from Konoha, small bands of bandits and wild beasts kept harassing them, leaving everyone on edge.

He tossed the boar onto the cart, and the group continued onward.

After spending several days together, he had grown familiar with the other ninja in the group.

For example, the Genin beside him, Haruki Den.

"Xian, are you really a Genin? You took down something this big with one strike..."

Haruki Den was two years older than him. He leaned toward Mo Jingxian, talking and gesturing as he spoke, a bit of a chatterbox.

"Be careful, or the captain will see you and chew you out. Get back to your post."

"What's there to worry about? We'll reach the main camp in two days. We'll be safe then. The enemy won't—"

"Boom!"

An explosion sounded several miles away. Mo Jingxian recognized it immediately: an Explosive Tag.

He had his blade in hand at once, his body taking a defensive stance before his mind had caught up.

Haruki Den was still standing there in a daze.

"Where did that explosion come from?"

"Go back and guard your post."

"Oh—oh!"

Haruki Den finally reacted and hurried toward the front of the group.

After the explosion, nothing else followed.

The convoy waited in place for a while. The ninja who had scouted the perimeter returned with a report.

"There are signs of an Explosive Tag detonating three miles away. No suspicious people were found."

Captain Yamashiro Baiyun immediately gave the order:

"Everyone, move at full speed. Except for Chunin Haneda, the rest of you, keep watch within a five-kilometer radius."

As soon as Mo Jingxian received the order, he raced away along the tree trunks.

The four Genin spread out around the convoy to patrol the perimeter. Yamashiro Baiyun led the way as the group rushed toward the main camp in the Land of Rivers.

Leaves slapped against Mo Jingxian as he moved. He activated Mist of Vitality, extending its range to 50 meters.

The group ran at full speed for nearly ten minutes.

Suddenly, he heard the clash of weapons not far behind him.

A moment later, a blurry figure appeared in his mist-bound perception.

He didn't rush in. He immediately pulled out a signal flare and fired it into the sky.

"Do you think reinforcements will come in time?"

The enemy's threat didn't faze him. He turned and fled without hesitation.

Mo Jingxian hadn't forgotten what the High Ninja Yamashiro had told him: if he was in danger, he should head straight for him.

He didn't know the enemy's strength or numbers. He'd have to be crazy to charge in blindly.

The enemy pursued him relentlessly, staying right on his heels.

In Mo Jingxian's perception, two figures were closing in fast, moving slightly faster than he was.

"Tat-tat," went the sound.

Before he could figure out what was happening, the attack came.

A Puppet!

He had relied on Mist of Vitality to sense the attack a step ahead.

His body zigzagged between the trees in a Z-shaped pattern.

Countless fine needles scraped past his heels and embedded themselves in the trees. On close inspection, their tips occasionally glinted with a cold blue light.

The hidden weapons were clearly coated in poison.

Mo Jingxian abruptly stopped running.

Another Puppet blocked his way a short distance ahead...