Find an Opening

Yuhi Kurenai followed close behind, her steps cautious. She kept glancing back, as though afraid something might stir behind them.

Kawaki Aoba brought up the rear, his gaze alert as he listened for the faintest sounds—the distant wind, an occasional dog barking, and the soft scrape of Sunagakure patrols' boots against the sand.

The three slipped silently into the alley. The air was cooler there than outside, carrying a faint earthy smell.

Windblown sand had scarred the walls on either side. Loose sand and gravel gathered in the corners, and a few dry weeds clung stubbornly to cracks in the masonry.

Aoba brushed his fingers against the wall and frowned at its rough texture.

"This terrain is complicated," he whispered to Asuma. "It's good for hiding, but it also makes ambushes easy. We need to be careful."

Asuma nodded, scanned the length of the alley, then motioned for them to crouch against the wall.

He took a map from inside his clothes and studied it by the faint moonlight.

Drawn on coarse parchment, it showed the rough outline of Sunagakure and marked several key locations.

Asuma's finger moved slowly across the map before stopping at a spot labeled "Elders' Residence"

.

"This is our target,"

he whispered. "According to our intelligence, one of Sunagakure's elders may have the information we need.

But it's heavily guarded. We need to learn the patrol patterns first."

Kurenai leaned in to examine the map, her brow creasing. "The Elders' Residence... That doesn't sound easy to get into.

Asuma-sensei, do we have a specific plan?"

Worry edged her voice. Her gaze shifted between Asuma and Aoba, as if looking for reassurance.

Asuma put the map away and met her eyes steadily. "We have a plan, but the details depend on what we find.

Sunagakure's defenses