Secret Base (1)

In front of their eyes, Tendai began to peel off the skin off his face, revealing a completely different person. His figure had also changed as the chakra surrounding his body dissipated into thin air.

"Transformation Technique, a skin mask, and a light touch of genjutsu... you're quite adept at blending in. Sadly, your acting skill isn't up to par."

"Tch-!"

The man pulled out a kunai, and then rushed toward Kurenai. She was about to parry when he suddenly leaped over her head, arriving right behind Hinata in the blink of an eye. The tip of the cold blade pressed closely on her skin.

"Don't you dare get any closer or this girl will die!"

"Hmm... what a classic development."

Kurenai wasn't fazed at all. She leisurely strolled over toward the man, who grew panicked when he saw that his threat had produced no effect.

"W-what are you doing?! I'll really kill this brat!"

"Go ahead."

His words only hastened her steps.

"Damn you! 'm not messing around!"

In his panic, the kunai pierced deep through the girl's skin, drenching the ground with fresh blood. And yet, the other kids merely stared coldly at him, while a sly smirk appeared on Kurenai's face.

"As long as it's for the completion of the mission, we will give up everything, even our life. Isn't that the way of a shinobi?"

"G-guaah!"

The man fell to the ground, cowering at the approaching Jonin...

---

"So that's Miss Kurenai's genjutsu... was that how we looked like when we got caught in it?" Kiba murmured.

"...Possible."

The kids were still perched on the trees following Kurenai's order to stand by and watch. After their commander went down and confronted their opponent, they witnessed him making some pointless gestures as if he had sliced someone with his kunai before he crumbled down.

Soon, several shadows flickered in from the direction of the town. Atsushi had arrived with Hyoumaru, Seki, and three other Chuunin in tow.

Upon seeing the man's dazed look, Atsushi let out a deafening laugh.

"As expected of miss Kurenai! I'm impressed."

"You're finally here. I thought you're addicted to acting like a drunkard. The Third will surely be interested with that detail..."

"S-spare us, please... We need to do that to confirm our suspicion..."

He made a wry smile as his team surrounded the trembling man.

"So? Any info about his identity?"

"Nothing much. Either he's a missing-nin, or just a mercenary shinobi from an obscure village," Atsushi replied. "Yoshifumi's coming in a few hours. His team is more suited for interrogation. We'll just leave it to them."

While the two were talking, Hyoumaru and his team were about to apprehend the man when the latter suddenly swung his kunai at his own shoulder. The blade dug deep into his skin, drawing out blood.

The dazed look on his eyes quickly disappeared following the sudden pain.

"Kuh... don't think I'll go down that easily!"

He pulled out two wooden blocks from his robe, the 'wind' and the 'moon' pieces. With a poof, the paintings turned into a pair of doves, which quickly flew away to different directions.

Using that split second of distraction, he slipped away from the encirclement, disappearing into the depth of the forest as fast as he could.

"What are you guys doing?!"

"Apologies, Sir. We'll chase him at once!" Hyoumaru bitterly glanced at the fleeing doves. "What should we do about the paintings?"

"Tch! Split into two teams, then retrieve those paintings back! Seki, you're coming with me. We're the fastest ones in the unit, so we'll chase that man!"

"...Yes, Sir...!"

"Wait! I'm coming too!"

Kiba was about to follow them when Kurenai grabbed him by the shoulder, stopping him from going any further.

"Kiba, stop messing around. Giving chase to an active ninja is a dangerous task. You guys are not ready yet!"

"Teacher, I've memorized his scent just now. I'm currently the best choice for tracking him, right? Let me go with them!"

Woof!

Akamaru chimed in as well.

"This..."

Even if he was just a young kid, Kiba was an Inuzuka. There was no doubt in his tracking ability. Kurenai knew that, but still...

"Let him come, miss Kurenai," Atsushi commented. "He's already a Genin. Excessive coddling will only hinder his potential. Besides, we're there to protect him in case something happened."

Faced with the boy's determined gaze, Kurenai's resistance finally crumbled.

"...Fine. Shino."

"Understood."

One of Shino's kikaichu leaped off of his finger, landing on Kiba's coat.

"Don't push yourself. Leave it to Atsushi and Seki if you end up in a fight. Contact us through Shino's insect if you need help."

"I know, I know! Jeez, Miss Kurenai, you're even more of a worrywart than my sis!"

The two chuunin's faces contorted as they tried their best to stifle their laughter. Of course, Kurenai didn't fail to notice that. When they caught a glimpse of her worsening expression, they quickly leaped away, unwilling to suffer under her fearsome illusion.

"Alright, kid! It's up to you now!"

"Ou! Follow me!"

He crouched on all four, allowing his chakra to burst out and cover his body.

<Imitation Beast Ninja Art: Four Legs Technique>

With his speed greatly enhanced by chakra, Kiba darted off toward the direction of the man's scent with Atsushi and Seki.

---

"Damn! That guy really can run!"

It took them an hour until they managed to catch up with their target. Perhaps sensing that his pursuers were by his tail, the man increased his speed as well putting them in a stalemate.

"Seki! We'll go around and try to catch him by surprise!" Atsushi commanded.

"...Understood!"

Atsushi and Seki split off from Kiba, leaving the boy alone to keep pressuring the fugitive. It didn't take long before the two showed up again on both sides, forming hand seals in blinding speed.

<Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall>

The earth rose to form a high wall right in front of the escaping man. Unable to control his movement due to excessive fatigue, the man rammed straight at it, breaking many bones in the process.

"...Got him!"

Seki quickly swooped in to tackle the man down, finally ending the long chase.

"Phew, I haven't run that far since my academy days!" Atsushi wiped the sweat off his neck. He then grinned widely at Kiba. "You're not bad, kid! How about doing missions with us when you've become a Chuunin?"

"Well... I'll think about it," Kiba laughed wryly. "By the way, where are we now?"

They didn't pay much attention to their surrounding during that frenzied hunt, but it seemed that they had crossed over the entire northern region of the Land of Fire.

"It's all thanks to this bastard!" Atsushi gave the writhing man a kick to the face, making him even more bloodied than he already was.

"Oh, great! He fainted! Now we have to carry him back! Scumbag!" He gave him another kick just for good measure.

"...Captain, you're the one who knocked him out..."

"Meh, who cares! You carry him back!"

"...I knew it..."

Defeated, Seki could only let out a sigh. Nevertheless, he still followed the order and halfheartedly carried the man like a sack of potato.

"Say, Inuzuka boy, how far d'you think we've come from the town?"

"Not sure. Think we've gone pretty far."

He had long since lost track of his team's scent. That means the distance wasn't anything to scoff at.

Atsushi shrugged.

"Nothing we can do about it. Let's go. We can only hope to return before dawn."

"...Agreed..."

As they were about to move out, an explosion occurred right behind the earth wall that they had raised. What followed was a cacophony of battle noises with sounds of clashing steel and jutsu firing off one after another.

A figure flickered over the wall. They floated in mid-air for a moment before landing right in front of Atsushi's group.

"Eh?"

Kiba touched his hood. There was a trace of red splattered on of it.

"...Are you from Konoha...? What are you doing here...?" A raspy voice rang out.

Under the moonlight, they could finally see the gray suit and flak jacket, as well as that distinctive porcelain mask with the shape of a bear's face covering the figure's face.

"Y-you're an Anbu!" Atsushi muttered. "What's going on?!"

"Save the questions for later... we're under attack...!"

Several shadows leaped over the wall following the Anbu. When they saw the group, their hands formed various seals before they fired up their jutsu in one go.

Scorching flames and sharp winds shot out of their mouth. The two elements converged, creating a devastating inferno that threatens to turn everything it engulfed into ashes.

Facing their attack, the Anbu had made a move of their own. Lifting their mask slightly upward to reveal their mouth, their hands moved to make a barrage of seals, ending the motions with a Snake sign.

And then, they exhaled.

<Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave>

A torrent of water blew out of their mouth, raising like a tsunami and colliding with the incoming flame. Thick vapor quickly covered the entire region as a result of the confrontation.

The attackers were shocked silly with the Anbu's display of skill. One person alone was enough to counter their combined jutsu... wasn't that a bit too overpowered?

Not to mention, because of the thick vapor, they couldn't see their target anymore...

<Wind Release>

One of the attacker blew out a strong gust of wind, pushing the vapor away. However, their target, as well as the other three people, was no longer in sight.

What a blunder!

"Find them!"

The shadows leaped off one after another, desperate to find and kill that slippery intruder.

Meanwhile, Atsushi's group had fled using the opening that the Anbu had created.

"...Leader, is that officer going to be fine?" Seki muttered.

"We have no choice! Staying back there will only drag him down!" Atsushi remarked. "Our best bet is to inform Konoha and send backup as soon as possible!"

Seki nodded. Although he was worried about his fellow shinobi, he also knew the limits of their abilities. This was the most proper thing to do.

"...Haaah... this is turning into a major drag... right, kid? Eh...?"

Seki abruptly stopped.

"What is it?"

Atsushi halted as well. When he looked back, he suddenly noticed that Kiba was no longer with them.

Cold sweat drenched his back as he glared at his companion.

"...B-but he was right behind me just now..."

"..."

Goddamnit!

"...What should we do, leader? Should we go back and fetch him...?"

"We press on!"

They were already halfway through. There was no guarantee that they could arrive on time, not to mention it would further complicate the Anbu's mission. Their only choice was to keep going with the initial plan.

'Don't die on us, kid! You have to survive...!'

In his mind, Atsushi lamented over and over again that Kurenai was going to kill him when she heard about this...

---

As expected of an Anbu officer, the masked figure was proficient in more than one nature. Water Release, Earth Release, Wind Release, they fired them with apparent ease, countering their pursuers' jutsu again and again.

However, they were only one person. Even though they had been pumping out chakra in-between fights, it was still not enough to keep up.

Soon, their chakra molding speed dropped. The pursuers were quick to notice it.

"He's getting tired! Attack now!"

Five ninja rushed over toward the Anbu, two at front with their kunai on hands while the rest on the back preparing to shoot their jutsu.

At that moment,

<Beast Human Taijutsu Secret Art: Fang Passing Fang>

A pair of spinning drills entered the fray at ferocious speed, crashing onto the two frontal attackers and pushing them away.

That slight chance was enough for the Anbu to make his move.

<Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique>

Opening their mouth wide, a stream of water poured out like a flood, rising through the air to imitate the shape of a dragon.

Its maws opened wide as it crashed down at the pursuers, the mighty current tossing them far into the woods.

"Don't get dazed, kid."

"Ah-!"

Kiba flinched, realizing that he had blanked out for a moment after witnessing such a strong jutsu. He gingerly ran toward the Anbu, who proceeded to give him a cold stare behind the mask.

"Why are you here? You should've retreated with your superiors."

"No, I mean..." He scratched his nose. "Don't you need help?"

"You're only weighing me down."

"Really? Seems like I've saved you, though."

"...I won't say it twice. Leave. This is a direct order."

Kiba scoffed, shaking his head vigorously.

"You're hurt, aren't you?"

That red splash from earlier, Kiba could tell from the metallic smell that it was blood. This person's blood. He'd be damned if he left an injured ally fend for themselves!

"..."

The Anbu was too tired for this crap...

"Listen, you-"

Their words were cut short as an earth wall suddenly rose between them, cutting them off from each other. Before the Anbu could break the wall, more pursuers came their way, while three shinobi with the same gray clothes and full-face masks set their sights on Kiba.

"Kid! Focus on your survival! Escape if you can!"

The Anbu's voice came from behind the wall, followed by the sound of intense battle.

"Tsk, run, is it?" Kiba murmured as he scanned the opponents before him. They looked composed, clearly more experienced compared to a greenhorn like him. However...

"Let me tell ya, my clan never leaves an ally behind! I'll come to help you, so just sit there and hang on!"

Woof!

Akamaru jumped off into the air as if responding to his courageous declaration.

The green pouch around his neck slid off from the sudden motion and revealed a small scroll hidden inside. The action briefly halted the opponent ninja from coming closer as they suspected it was a trap.

The scroll promptly rolled open, showing rows of characters forming a distinctive phrase pertaining to a certain branch of ninjutsu.

The art of seal, Fuinjutsu.

The characters began to distort, the ink blending together to form a circle in the middle of the scroll. A blinding light flashed out, and a figure was seemingly thrust out from inside the thin paper itself.

It was a brown-haired girl in a dark-colored robe. A ninjato was hung on her side, while a dolphin-faced mask was tied on top of her head slightly to the side.

"Eh?"

Kiba couldn't believe his eyes. He pulled on his cheek with all his might, thinking that it was a genjutsu cast by the opponents.

It already hurt so much, and yet the illusion still wouldn't go away...

"...What just happened?"

The girl blinked rapidly as she kneeled on the ground. It took her a few more minutes before she began to notice the group of strange ninja staring blankly at her in the distance, as well as the more familiar boy pinching his cheeks nearby.

"Kiba? Is that you? What are you doing here? Aren't you out for a mission?"

When he heard her muddled voice, he finally snapped.

"Why the heck are you here- No, why did you pop out of that thing- I mean, what the f- AARGH !@#$%^"

She winced at his unfolding mental breakdown.

"I have no idea either. I was in the middle of meditating in the training ground when a seal suddenly formed under my feet- Wait. A. Minute."

She cranked her head toward Akamaru and gave him an accusing glare.

The dog tilted his head in return while happily wagging his tail.

...Fuck it, Daji! Can't you pass a single day without making a spectacle?!

Between the confused girl, the merry dog, the mentally-collapsing boy, and the three enemy shinobi, the last party was the fastest to regain their bearings. They got back to an attacking stance, rousing the others out of their stupor.

Hikari let out a tired sigh.

"I'll ask for your explanation later. More importantly..."

She slowly got up to her feet, drawing out her ninjato while pulling down the porcelain mask to cover her face.

"...It seems that we have guests... am I wrong?"