Caught?

Bending slightly to meet his height, Miori gently cupped Ryomaru's face, her thumb brushing his cheek before placing a lingering kiss there. She then shifted to press a soft kiss on his forehead, her gaze deeply entrenched in his eyes. "Always remember, Ryomaru," her voice was barely above a whisper, yet carried a gravity that made every word resonate, "In this vast world, no one holds more significance than you. Loyalty isn't something you owe anyone—it's a gift that they should earn from you."

Ryomaru's ice-blue eyes shimmered with emotion as he absorbed her words. "Mum," he murmured, his voice thick with feeling, "There's no one above you in my world. My loyalty? It's already been claimed by you, and no one else can stake a claim on what's already taken."

Emotion welled up in Miori's eyes, blurring her vision momentarily. "My precious boy," she whispered, holding back tears.

Releasing her, Ryomaru turned to face his mentors. Samui and Mabui stood patiently, understanding the depth of the bond between mother and son. As the trio began their journey, Ryomaru let out a sigh, the weight of the upcoming mission pressing down on him. There was an undercurrent, a feeling in the pit of his stomach, hinting that this mission would unearth truths and challenges they hadn't anticipated.

Joining the other members of Team 8 - Hanabi, Hinata, and Temari - at the village's main gate, Ryomaru's team met their client for this mission, Tazuna. The elderly man looked at them with an assessing gaze, clearly trying to judge whether these young shinobi were indeed capable of the task at hand.

Once the mission papers were signed and handed over at the entrance, the group made their formation. With Mabui taking the rear, Samui led the way with determined strides. Ryomaru walked with tempered confidence beside her, his senses heightened. On the left, Temari's eyes darted around, her fan strapped securely on her back. Hinata and Hanabi formed a protective barrier on the right, their gazes watchful. At the center of the formation was Tazuna, who occasionally stole curious glances at the young protectors around him.

As they journeyed, Ryomaru's hand never strayed far from his kunai. The stillness of the forest was disconcerting. Every rustle of leaves and distant bird call seemed amplified. The quiet, however, was deafening in its own right. He could feel it in his bones, something lurking just out of sight.

The forest was dense, with shadows playing tricks on the eyes. The path ahead seemed to stretch endlessly, the chirping of the birds and distant rustling of leaves being the only sounds that punctuated the stillness. But to a trained shinobi, this quiet was almost unsettling.

As they walked, Ryomaru's sharp eyes suddenly caught an anomaly—a seemingly out-of-place puddle of water right in the middle of the sunlit pathway. Instincts honed from training in Cloud Village screamed at him to act, his fingers twitching towards his weapon. But before he could move, Samui's discreet hand gesture caught his eye—a sign to hold his ground. Ryomaru, though surprised, trusted her judgment and continued walking, his senses heightened.

As they stepped past the puddle, it came to life. In a dramatic spray of water, two figures emerged, lunging directly at Samui and Mabui with blistering speed. The ensuing confrontation was a brutal dance, the two rogue shinobi launching a coordinated attack on the seasoned Jounin.

The sudden eruption of violence was shocking, even to trained shinobi. In a matter of mere seconds, the two rogue assailants, identified by Tazuna as the dangerous brothers, sliced through Samui and Mabui with a single, synchronized assault. Blood sprayed, and the two Jounin fell, their bodies gruesomely bisected. The cruel precision of the attack sent chills down onlookers' spine.

Tazuna's face paled, his eyes widening in shock. The realization that he was the next target made his legs shake, but Ryomaru and his teammates immediately stepped into formation around him, faces grim and determined.

With the immediate threat looming large, Ryomaru's focus swiftly shifted to the imminent danger. The rogue brothers, seemingly confident after dealing with Samui and Mabui, launched themselves at Tazuna with feral intensity.

Temari shouted, "Protect Tazuna!" as she quickly began to unsheathe her fan. But Ryomaru and Hanabi were quicker in their response.

One of the rogue shinobi lunged from the front, the other from the rear, their moves synchronized, aiming to end the mission then and there. But as their attacks neared their mark, Ryomaru and Hanabi sprang into action.

With a fluid motion, Hanabi intercepted the shinobi coming from the front. Her Byakugan activated, the veins around her eyes bulging with intensity. She expertly disarmed the attacker with a swift strike, using the gentle fist technique she'd mastered. In one fluid motion, she delivered a powerful palm thrust, hitting the assailant's chakra points and rendering him immobile. His body crumpled to the ground, temporarily paralyzed by the precise strikes.

Meanwhile, Ryomaru's reaction was more visceral. There was a raw ferocity in his actions, a palpable rage. The thought of someone trying to harm those close to him unleashed an aggressive side of him that few had seen. Intercepting the rogue shinobi from behind, he didn't just aim to disarm. He grabbed the assailant's arm, twisting it with brutal force, causing the attacker to drop his weapon. Without missing a beat, he delivered a ruthless elbow to the rogue's midsection, causing him to gasp for air. Before the man could recover, Ryomaru, fueled by protective instincts, ended the confrontation with a sharp kick, sending the rogue sprawling.

The forest was once again engulfed in silence, the only sound being the heavy breathing of Team 8, regrouping after the sudden assault.

Ryomaru's gaze flitted over to the places where Samui and Mabui had fallen, a knowing look in his eyes. Instead of grusome sight they first saw, there were only pair of split woods, work of Replacement Jutsu.

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