Rooftop after rooftop slipped backward beneath his feet.
Up ahead, the ANBU leading the way kept a steady distance of seventy or eighty feet, neither speeding up nor slowing down. Gekko Hayate followed in the middle, silent all the way except for an occasional quiet cough.
Uzumaki Hayashi brought up the rear, the night wind whipping cold past his ears.
Fine, then.
Dragged out to work overtime in the middle of the night, with navigation included.
As they passed the main avenue through the village center, he glanced down.
Someone was sprinting along the empty street.
The man's Chunin vest bounced with every stride, and even from far away, his bellows-like panting was audible.
The moonlight fell across him-
Oh?
Iruka-sensei?
Where was he going at this hour?
The thought had barely crossed his mind before he found himself amused.
Where else?
With Naruto causing such a commotion tonight, there was no way his teacher could sit still.
As for who had tipped him off-
Heh. Who else could it be?
Uzumaki Hayashi chuckled silently to himself.
Sure enough, a good teacher like Iruka could never abandon Naruto, no matter what.
He just wondered when it would finally be his turn to step in.
Up ahead, the ANBU suddenly stopped, turned, and gave a hand signal.
They had arrived.
At the same time, in an unnamed forest outside the village.
Insects chirped throughout the clearing.
Naruto Uzumaki dropped from the treetops, carrying the scroll that was half as tall as he was, and looked around.
No one was there.
"Mizuki-sensei-?"
No answer, either.
He scratched his head. Hadn't Mizuki said he would be waiting here? Where was he?
He couldn't worry about that now.
He set the scroll on the grass, untied the cord wrapped around it, and unfurled