"Hahaha! Didn't see that coming, Konoha ninja? We were one step ahead!" Aoyama struck with all his strength, driving Captain Yamaguchi back. He flexed his arms, weary from fighting at full power for so long, making no attempt to hide his smug delight.
Before Taiichi and the others, who had stopped at the sound of his voice, could respond, a pop rang out. The "Taiichi" maintaining the jutsu vanished, and the enormous Water Prison collapsed. The two ninja trapped inside fell to the ground.
Anyone could see they were already dead. Nearly ten minutes had passed since the fight began, and the two were only ordinary wandering ninja. They had never stood a chance of surviving that long in a Water Prison full of violent currents and crushing pressure.
Their deaths were like two hard slaps across Aoyama's face, wiping away the triumph he had shown moments earlier.
"Damn it!" Aoyama glared at Taiichi, the one responsible, as if he wanted to eat him alive. "It's all that brat's fault. He ruined our last attack, too."
Wandering ninja were nothing like bandit lackeys; they were hard to recruit. Only Aoyama knew how much effort he had spent gathering these men. He had lost so many on this mission alone, including two Chunin. How could it not hurt?
Aoyama pushed the thought aside and steadied himself. "We have the target," he told Captain Yamaguchi. "There's no need to keep fighting. Call it here, and the child might still live."
"Otherwise, a corpse will serve nearly as well." Aoyama's threat was vicious, but he did not want to fight anymore. Who knew how many more men he would lose? It was not worth it. They were Rogue Ninja working for money, not defending their village.
"Are all Sunagakure ninja this shameless?" Captain Yamaguchi mocked him.
"Hmph. I haven't been a Sunagakure ninja in years. I'm a Rogue—"
Another pop cut Aoyama off.
Saori, who had been beside the carriage, suddenly turned into Taiichi, then dissolved into white smoke. The Shadow Clone had run out of chakra.
"A Shadow Clone. The Transformation Technique." Aoyama ground the words out through clenched teeth.
The "Saori" by the carriage had been Taiichi's Shadow Clone all along. During the battle, she had stayed by the carriage, only stepping in to deal with a few bandits. No one had realized she was a fake until she vanished.
That girl was a fake? Then where had the real one gone? Events had moved far beyond anything Aoyama had expected, leaving his thoughts in disarray.
"Guangtai! Check the child, now!" Koji shouted to the Chunin holding him.
There was no need for Guangtai to check. The "Little Ishihara" in his grip vanished with a pop of smoke as Taiichi released the Shadow Clone himself.
Everyone on Aoyama's side stood frozen. Then came the fury of realizing they had been played. Their prize had slipped away just when they thought it was theirs. How could they not be angry?
Five nights earlier, on the night of Aoyama's first attack.
"Ma'am, if Saori carries Little Ishihara and takes a different route straight to Jinsong City, she'll be much faster than the rest of us," Captain Yamaguchi told Mrs. Ishihara. "If all goes well, they should arrive on the seventh day."
Taiichi had proposed the plan. It had much in common with Masao Ishihara's earlier idea: both relied on deceiving the enemy.
"They've only just retreated in a panic. They won't expect anyone to leave our group and travel alone now. We'll use the Transformation Technique to pose as Saori and Little Ishihara and stay here to draw their attention," Captain Yamaguchi continued.
"By the time they bring in reinforcements and attack us again, it'll be too late even if they discover the truth."
Mrs. Ishihara considered the plan, then nodded. She knew that if the enemy attacked again, they would not get off so lightly.
Captain Yamaguchi and the other three breathed easier once she agreed. They had promised to see the mission through, but they did not want to throw their lives away fighting the enemy head-on. Now they only had to stall for time, rather than fight to the death.
"Please make your preparations too, ma'am. We'll come for Little Ishihara once we're ready." With those final instructions, Captain Yamaguchi led the other three out of Mrs. Ishihara's tent.
Just as they were about to leave, Taiichi remembered something and turned back. "Ma'am, don't tell anyone about this. Not even Masao Ishihara. Understood?"
"You mean someone in the caravan...?" Mrs. Ishihara hesitated.
"Better safe than sorry." Taiichi said no more and followed the others out.
Before long, a figure slipped out of the camp under cover of darkness, took a detour, then headed straight for Jinsong City.
Back in the present.
"Where are they? Where did you hide them?" Aoyama roared.
"Ha! By my reckoning, they should be almost at Jinsong City by now!" Yohei could barely contain his excitement, looking as proud as if he had devised the plan himself.
Captain Yamaguchi saw the anger rising in Aoyama and his men and had no desire to provoke them. At this point, there was no reason to keep fighting.
"It's over. As you said, your mission has failed. Neither side has a reason to fight anymore. Going on will only mean more casualties," Captain Yamaguchi told them.
As he spoke, Taiichi and Yohei moved to either side of him, ready to fight to the death if they had to.
Aoyama could hardly stomach it. After all that effort and the loss of four men, he had ended up with nothing. How was he supposed to swallow that?
"Boss, let's go," Koji urged him, his head still clear. "If they fight to the death, they'll take at least one of us with them. We need to cut our losses."
"Damn it. We're leaving!" After a long pause, Aoyama gave up the fight.
At the order, both sides broke off from their opponents and backed away, keeping a wary eye on each other.
Captain Yamaguchi, Taiichi, and Yohei watched them leave and let out a breath. The enemy force had been formidable, especially with another Chunin appearing unexpectedly. If the fight had continued, they might have suffered losses of their own.
Fortunately, everything had gone according to plan. Without their target, the enemy had finally retreated.
The caravan members understood what had happened, too. The most dangerous part was over; all that remained was to travel on in peace. Cheers broke out among them.
Sure enough, the rest of the journey passed smoothly. They did not see so much as a bandit. Even the sky seemed to share their relief: the lingering drizzle gave way to warm sunshine.
On the afternoon of the eighth day, the caravan finally caught sight of Jinsong City in the distance. Many of its members wept with joy. The toll of the journey had been terrible. Someone who had laughed with you yesterday might be dead today, leaving behind nothing but a handful of ashes.
When they reached Jinsong City, Taiichi saw a crowd waiting to greet them. He spotted Saori Furukawa at once, with Little Ishihara standing beside her. Only then did he truly relax. Their mission was finally complete.
The head of the Ishihara Clan gave Taiichi and the others a warm welcome. He apologized again for deceiving them at the start of the mission and promised to inform Konoha of what had happened so the mission's rank and payment would be raised.
Captain Yamaguchi handled the negotiations, of course. With time still left before the mission's deadline, Taiichi and the others spent a full day enjoying Jinsong City. Only just before the deadline did they bid the Ishihara Clan farewell and set out for Konoha.
Before you continue