Two months had passed as quickly as a blink of an eye. The Kusa Group was in the middle of a small vilge, surrounded by bodies lying motionless on the ground.

  —Hasn’t there been an increase in the number of bandits? —Akihiro asked.

  Although he understood that there were many bandits, the number was simply ridiculous. Over the past two months, most of the missions had involved hunting down bandits, criminals, or rogue ninjas. Originally, the number of missions to eliminate bandit groups had been low, but recently, it had been increasing at an armingly noticeable rate.

  —Most of them come from the Land of the Waterfall. Apparently, the internal problems have only worsened. Also, the Land of the Rain isn’t in its best shape either. There have been many reforms, and their leader, Hanzo, has been wiping out criminals without hesitation. Now, they are all fleeing to smaller countries like ours —Miyuki responded while signaling to Aiko.

  Aiko nodded, performed several hand seals, and struck the ground with her hands. A rge amount of earth moved, swallowing the bodies of the dead bandits.

  —Done, let’s go —Miyuki said. They all vanished from the spot immediately.

  An hour ter, they arrived at a small checkpoint. Miyuki went in and came out with a scroll.

  —What’s the next mission? —Aiko asked.

  —A criminal from a cn in Konohagakure escaped and crossed the border. The higher-ups want us to capture him before Konoha catches up to him —Miyuki answered.

  —A Konoha cn? —Akihiro asked, surprised. —Is it Uchiha?

  —I doubt it. If it were Uchiha, more teams would be deployed. It must be a smaller cn with some interesting secret technique.

  Akihiro thought about it. There were many cns in Konoha, but the ones that came to his mind were the Aburame, Akimichi, Inuzuka, Kurama, Nara, and Yamanaka cns. They all had some kind of secret technique, so it was hard to know who the target could be.

  He was hoping it was the Kurama Cn, as they had some pretty interesting genjutsus. But he doubted they would even deploy a team to capture a genjutsu user, no matter how skilled they were, so it must be another cn.

  Still, if it turned out to be the Kurama Cn, with a little persuasion, he might be able to convince Miyuki to help him obtain those techniques once the criminal was captured.

  They quickly arrived at the approximate location of the target. However, upon arrival, they found nothing. Aiko stepped forward and began to examine the area. It only took her a few minutes to determine the approximate direction.

  —This way —Aiko announced.

  Without wasting any time, they all immediately set off.

  The group moved quickly through the forest. Aiko led the way, trusting her sensory ability to track the target. Miyuki kept formation, watching the fnks in case of an ambush.

  —What do we know about this criminal? —Akihiro asked as they ran.

  —Not much —Miyuki replied without stopping. —His name is Renjiro. He’s a rogue ninja accused of treason and stealing cssified information from Konoha. Details about his cn or specific abilities are scarce, but reports suggest he specializes in mind-based techniques.

  —Mind techniques? —Aiko repeated, frowning. —That sounds troublesome.

  —It is. Stay alert and don’t get too close. Renjiro may have set traps —Miyuki warned.

  After a few more minutes of running, Aiko raised a hand, signaling them to stop.

  —He’s near —she whispered. —There’s residual chakra traces in that direction.

  They advanced cautiously, slowing their pace to avoid alerting the target.

  Suddenly, Aiko came to an abrupt stop, forcing the rest to halt as well. With a silent gesture, she pointed ahead.

  —He's there, —she whispered, her voice barely audible. —Hidden between those two trees. He seems injured.

  —He must have tried to fend off a Konoha hunting squad, —Miyuki murmured.

  —Do we attack him right away? —Aiko asked, clenching her fist.

  —Not so fast. He’s likely prepared a trap. Akihiro, use a genjutsu to distract him. Aiko, get ready to capture him once he’s incapacitated.

  Akihiro nodded and took out his ocarina. He positioned himself behind the cover of a tree and began pying a soft melody that spread through the air like a gentle breeze. Renjiro looked up, visibly alert, but his gaze quickly turned confused.

  —Good job, Akihiro —Miyuki whispered.

  Aiko seized the opportunity and leapt close to where the target was, performing rapid hand seals. Before Renjiro could react, the hardened earth enveloped his body, pinning him in pce.

  —Don’t get too close. Akihiro, seal his chakra —Miyuki ordered firmly.

  Akihiro nodded, jumped down from the tree branch, and nded next to Aiko. Calmly, he took a small scroll from his pouch, unfurled it, and performed the release seal. Immediately, the characters inscribed on the scroll detached as if coming to life, slowly floating in the air before heading toward Renjiro.

  The inscriptions began to surround Renjiro, covering every inch of his skin until they were completely embedded in it, forming a sealing pattern.

  —It’s done —Akihiro said, putting the scroll away.

  Aiko nodded, and with a wave of her hands, she released Renjiro from the earthen prison that had held him still. However, the criminal remained trapped in the genjutsu, his gaze vacant and his muscles stiff.

  —Is he still trapped in the genjutsu? Did you use a particurly powerful one? —Miyuki asked, slightly furrowing her brow.

  —No, I just used a basic genjutsu that affects mental perception. I’m surprised he hasn’t broken free yet —Akihiro replied, narrowing his eyes as he studied the prisoner with curiosity.

  He didn’t seem particurly strong, nor did he have unusually rge chakra or anything out of the ordinary. In fact, he appeared quite average.

  —Is this really the target? Did we get it wrong? —Hiroshi asked, clearly skeptical.

  —We can sort it out easily —Miyuki replied calmly, walking toward the immobilized man. She pced her hand on his forehead and, with precise control, injected a small amount of her own chakra to interrupt the prisoner’s chakra flow.

  —Wake up, sleeping beauty —Miyuki said, her smile far from kind.

  The man woke up startled, and upon opening his eyes, he found himself surrounded by Miyuki and a group of young people. His face filled with confusion and anger.

  —Who the hell are you!? What the hell are you doing!? —he shouted, trying to use his chakra to escape, but quickly discovered he couldn’t access it.

  —We’re the ones here to ask you questions —Miyuki replied, her tone now cold and authoritative. —Renjiro, right?

  The man frowned upon hearing his name but did not respond. His gaze moved frantically, looking for a chance to escape.

  —Don’t try anything stupid. Your chakra is completely sealed —Aiko intervened, gring at him.

  —And we’re quite impatient, so it would be better if you cooperate —Akihiro added, casually holding his ocarina, though the threat in his gaze was clear.

  Renjiro spat on the ground and ughed bitterly.

  —What do you want from me? Money? Information? I can see you’re not ninjas from Konoha. If you took a mission from them, I can pay you ten times what they would.

  —Konoha didn’t send us —Miyuki replied sharply. She crouched in front of him, her face just a few inches from his. —But our mission is to take you to another pce, alive or dead. Now, would you prefer to answer a few questions, or test how well you withstand a little... persuasion?

  The implied threat in her words made Renjiro swallow hard.

  —Fine, fine, speak. What do you want to know?

  —I’m gd you decided to cooperate. Now, which cn do you belong to?

  The man hesitated for a moment before responding.

  —I don’t belong to any cn.

  Miyuki turned to Akihiro, who nodded slowly.

  —Then, if you’re not part of any cn, why is Konoha looking for you? —Miyuki asked, her tone heavy with suspicion.

  The man answered almost without thinking.

  —I stole a scroll with a cn’s secret technique.

  —Expin —Miyuki demanded, frowning.

  —I was dating a girl from the Yamanaka Cn. I took the opportunity to steal the scroll with their cn’s secret techniques. I was pnning to return it after replicating it and selling it to ninjas from other vilges. But I got caught sooner than I expected, and I had to escape.

  —Why would you do something so stupid? —Akihiro interrupted, incredulous. He couldn’t believe someone would be reckless enough to steal a secret scroll and think they wouldn’t be found out.

  —For money, what else? —Renjiro responded with disdain. —If I sold those techniques, I could live without worries, without having to take dangerous missions or risk my life.

  Miyuki watched him in silence. —And where is the scroll? —she asked coldly.

  Renjiro hesitated for a moment, clearly conflicted, before responding.

  —I hid it before I escaped. But I can’t tell you exactly where it is unless you ensure that you’ll let me live and take me to a safe pce.

  —Do you really think you have something to negotiate? —Miyuki asked with disdain. —You have no power to make demands.

  Renjiro, visibly nervous, tried to keep calm.

  —I know, I know... but without my help, you won’t find the scroll. And if Konoha finds me, they won’t just kill me; they’ll kill everyone involved. I’m willing to hand over the scroll, but I need guarantees that you’ll let me go. My life may have no value to you, but without me, you’ll be searching for something you’ll never find.

  Miyuki frowned, clearly doubting Renjiro’s intentions.

  —We don’t have time for games, Renjiro. If you have the scroll, say it now. Where is it?

  Renjiro looked at Miyuki, waiting for her response, and then, in a low voice, he said:

  —I hid it in a secret pce, far from the vilges and out of Konoha’s reach. If you promise me that you’ll let me live, I’ll tell you where it is. That’s the only way I’ll do it. It’s the only way I can save myself.

  Miyuki stayed silent for a moment, evaluating the man’s words. Finally, she nodded, but her tone was firm.

  —We’ll let you live if you give us the scroll and we fulfill our part. But if you lie to us, there won’t be a pce in the world where you’ll be safe. Do you understand?

  Renjiro nodded quickly, fear visible on his face.

  —I understand. The scroll is... in a secret pce, inside an ancient cave, near the border of the Hidden Leaf vilge. Only I know how to get there. I’ll take you there, and give you the scroll, but you have to promise me that you’ll let me go.

  —We promise that, if you give us the scroll, we’ll let you go. But if you betray us, there won’t be a pce where you can hide. Is that clear?

  Renjiro swallowed nervously but nodded.

  —It’s clear. I’ll take you there.