Mizumine Hario The Dead Man walking!

Ryuu and Itachi traveled through the forest. They tracked them using one of Ryuu's ninja hounds after finding a droplet of blood.

These mercenaries had little experience, so this wasn't hard.

"Thanks for the help, Bingo.

Here's a treat." Ryuu gave him a bone.

"Itachi, follow me."

Ryuu moved quickly into the forest and evaded all kinds of traps.

Ryuu led Itachi near their hideout and stood above them on a tree and started scouting.

'Looks like their base is on a Fort.'

Ryuu unsealed his Katana.

"Itachi, take the right side, and I'll go left, I've connected our minds, speak freely when you need to." Itachi nodded.

Ryuu and Itachi both ran on each side, looking at their targets.

'Some were sitting next to a campfire, others were in their room inside the Fort and the rest were scouting for potential enemies.

They weren't doing it right.

This doesn't make sense to me, why would they go back to their Fort after stealing documents like that? Are they really that stupid or are they that arrogant?

At the same time.

They took down an Anbu, that isn't a simple task. They might get arrogant because of that.

Or…' Ryuu wondered what happened as he looked for the documents.

"I found the documents, shall I make the move?" Itachi asked.

"Wait a minute, let's stay here for a while.

To see if they contact whoever they were hired by."

"You think they were hired?"

"Yes.

These guys aren't smart or strong enough to do this by themselves.

I want to confirm a suspicion." Itachi nodded.

Ryuu and Itachi stayed above them on a tall tree.

Ryuu hid their presence using ash, and they would use binoculars to spy on them.

The leader of the group reached for something in his pocket.

He removed a small communication device.

"Hey, Nobu, wake up, I need your help to spy on that person."

"Alright."

Ryuu stretched his hand and a thin line of fire came from his hand and shaped itself like a snake. It formed black scales from Ryuu's ashes.

Nobu slithered towards that man and hid near him.

"I have the copy of the documents, no one has seen us yet, my team and I have made some decoys, but we can't delay this at all.

If Ryuu Uchiha finds us we're finished, we both know that, report back soon.

I know you can't answer the call or call back, but I'm leaving this message here.

We'll be leaving the documents where we met, you better have our money."

He cut the call.

Nobu came back to Ryuu and told him what he heard, and then Ryuu told Itachi.

"I see… big brother, what's your plan for this?"

Ryuu held his chin and thought of a plan.

"Did you see that wireless radio he was using?" Itachi nodded.

"That's the same one we leaf shinobi use on missions.

You can't just get it at a local shop, that means whoever was on call can access our gear.

He's also very careful about how he handles this deal, that's not a common trait, it means he has experience or he simply knows how to do deals like this."

"You think he's a professional?"

"That would explain a lot, but…

That doesn't sit right with me.

We can catch this guy tonight, that wireless radio doesn't have a good range, maybe we can set a trap once we find the other radio, they always come in pairs." Itachi nodded.

"Shall I get the other radio?"

"Yes, and be discreet about it, I'll summon one of my hounds."

"Of course." Itachi flickered away.

Ryuu jumped back far enough not to make noise, he bit his finger.

"Summoning jutsu!"

*Poof!* A German shepherd wearing a blue Konoha leaf on his neck appeared from white smoke.

"You need me Ryuu?"

"Bingo, I need you to trace the owner of the other radio."

"Consider it done."

Ryuu and Bingo ran back to meet up with Itachi.

Itachi was back with the wireless radio.

"Here, I cast him in a genjutsu because he's alone.

Now he thinks the kunai I gave him is a radio."

Ryuu took it.

"Excellent job, Itachi."

Ryuu gave it to Bingo to sniff it.

"Can you get the other one?"

"One moment."

Sniff… Sniff…

Bingo sniffed the device, and then he sniffed the air.

"I got it."

"Excellent, wait for us, and then we can set a trap for him." Bingo nodded.

'That's if this isn't a trap.' With a glance, Itachi and Ryuu could think of the same idea.

Itachi returned the device and then came back to Ryuu.

"Let's go." Itachi nodded.

"Wood clone jutsu!" Ryuu made a wood clone to keep his eyes on the group.

Fwoosh…

Ryuu and Itachi ran after Bingo as he led them toward the scent.

"Hold on," Ryuu called out to Bingo.

"We're close, aren't we?"

"Yeah, it's just up ahead."

Ryuu nodded.

'If I'm right about my suspicions, that means a certain trap is set up ahead.'

"Bingo, thanks for the help, I'll take it from here now."

Bingo nodded.

Ryuu unsealed a bone and gave him.

*Poof!*

Bingo vanished.

"Why did you send him away? We could've found the device much faster, right?"

Ryuu nodded.

"Do you remember the Hario trap?"

"Hario, that's…"

'If he's dead, then why is big brother talking so much about him?

That trap…

It's his specialty, isn't it?'

"Mizumine Hario, he was a specialist in making traps, I almost got caught in them myself, you know."

"Big brother, why bring him up? Do you think this could be him? Didn't he die?"

"Maybe…

Or maybe we're just seeing what he wants us to see.

No body was found, and I'm certain someone like a random group of bandits wouldn't defeat him, he was one of the finest Anbu we had.

Plus, when you look at the equipment he used, it's really hard not to see that."

"You're right."

"Shadow clone jutsu!" Ryuu made two shadow clones.

"Itachi, hold on before we go."

"Alright."

Ryuu looked at the forest ahead with his Sharingan on.

"Look at this line over here." Ryuu flicked the line with his finger.

"It's kinda loose, meant for even the slightest movement.

And when one person hits this line, it'll probably trigger many other traps, too.

I might have already triggered some delayed traps."

Ryuu used his Mangekyou and released ash from his dimension.

'This trap might be for some other hostages somewhere else, or maybe it's just for us.

I'd be fine if it's just us, but the problem is…

I can't take that risk.'

Ryuu controlled his ash to liquefy, and he spread it on the wires and made it follow the wires.

After nearly 30 minutes, Ryuu was done, and he had reached the final wire.

"Light them up, Nobu."

Whoosh…

Ryuu's flames traveled on the wires, revealing multiple others. By the time it was done, the whole place lit up and revealed a maze of wires.

"Alright, let's go."

Ryuu and Itachi ran ahead and saw the communication device.

"Let's not move it too much, we're trying to set a trap here, you know."

Itachi nodded.

"What kind of trap should we make?

Obviously, a basic trap won't work, right? After all, this is Mizumine we're talking about, isn't it?"

"Trust your instincts Itachi." Itachi nodded.

'I can't use a basic trap, he's too cautious.

Even if I use one as a diversion, I also can't use a very popular or commonly used trap, he's too good at finding that.

I have to come up with a better plan…' Itachi thought to himself.

"I have an idea, what if we don't trap him at all?

We can make it look like a trap, making him more desperate, and then he'll rush his plans while we follow him to the location he makes the deal with those bandits."

"I see… That's a good idea, let's do it."

Itachi nodded.

Ryuu and Itachi made the trap and waited until Mizumine showed up the next morning.

He was a tall and slim person with short hair; he was very careful while walking toward his device.

Within an instant, he saw through the first diversion and then noticed the trap.

"A trap huh?" Mizumine avoided triggering the trap and took his device.

He switched it on and then spoke.

"Hey, you there?

Do you copy? It's me, I'm on my way to point two, they have compromised us.

Don't call back, leave the documents there and you'll get your money, I'm out."

Mizumine cut the call and stabbed a kunai through his device.

"They're onto me, all I can do is just hope the captain isn't… neither one of them will be good right now."

Mizumine flickered away.

"Let's keep this distance from him, any closer and he'll spot us, plus, this way, we can anticipate a trap or attack better." Itachi nodded.

Whoosh! Whoosh! They followed Mizumine while keeping their distance.