At sunset, a horse-drawn carriage stained with dried blood sped along a forest road, kicking up bursts of dust. Inside the bumpy carriage, faint whimpers of a puppy could be heard.
On the trees surrounding the carriage, three figures, *swish, swish, swish*, guarded the carriage, darting through the forest. Tai protected the Shibauchi family inside the carriage.
"Sensei, at this speed, we'll reach the Land of Flowers by dawn, right?" Jieren asked, facing Saidaiji ahead of him.
"Yes, at this pace, we'll reach the Land of Flowers' border in a little while. We'll rest briefly at the border, then head back. We can return to the village tomorrow," Saidaiji replied.
"Great! When I get back, I'll use the money from this mission to buy a big house for my family and let my sister and father eat something good," Jieren said, his excitement similar to when he graduated from ninja school.
The Land of Wind lies in a desert with limited fertile land, so most people rely on buying food. Ordinary villagers in the Sand Village live in poverty, and those without ninja skills earn a living as laborers. Jieren's family was one such low-class household. His mother died of exhaustion on the road, and his father broke a leg after years of hard labor. When Jieren passed the Sand Village's ninja selection, it was a lifeline for his family.
As a Sand Village ninja, he could earn substantial mission rewards. Jieren thought of his five-year-old sister leaning against the door before he left: "Brother, come back soon."
"When I come back, I'll let you and Dad eat delicious food," Jieren had said, looking at his sister before heading to the assembly point.
Thinking of his sister's rough face, weathered by wind and sand, Jieren touched the face cream in his ninja pouch. He recalled asking Tachie before they departed, "Miss Miyo, how do you keep your skin so nice?" His voice was hesitant.
"It's just, don't get me wrong, I have a younger sister who's exposed to wind and sun all year, and her face often dries and bleeds," Jieren explained quickly, looking at the graceful Tachie with a flushed face.
"Oh, I see. Wait a moment, I'll give you a box of face cream for your sister to use," Tachie said. She climbed into the carriage, searched through a box, and handed Jieren a box of skin cream.
* Miss Miyo gave this to me * Jieren thought. His heart stirred at the memory of Tachie's appearance. When she placed the cream in his hand, her soft fingers brushed his rough palm, toughened by years of training. He raised his right hand to his nose, catching a faint fragrance.
* Snap! *
A rope shot up across the road.
The white horse pulling the cart tripped over its legs.
* Boom! *
The carriage overturned in the middle of the road.
* Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! *
Over a dozen shuriken flew toward the carriage from all directions.
* Thud, thud, thud. *
The carriage was instantly covered with shuriken. Several pierced the windows, shooting inside.
"Enemy attack!" Saidaiji, Jieren, and Cang appeared in front of the carriage instantly, standing alongside Tai, who had been inside.
"Mr. Junichiro, are you all right?" Saidaiji asked.
"Miss Miyo!" Jieren shouted, keeping his eyes fixed on the direction the shuriken came from.
* Bang! * The carriage door was kicked open from inside.
"Cough, so it's really happening?" Soma, disguised as the big-bellied Junichiro Shibauchi, climbed out of the carriage.
Tachie and Dosuke followed, climbing out one after another.
"Saidaiji-sama, Makoto was hit in the head by a shuriken and died," Dosuke said as he emerged from the carriage.
"Someone's really trying to kill me. You have to protect me!" Soma, still disguised, staggered and ran behind Saidaiji's group.
"Miss Miyo, don't worry. I'll do my best to protect you," Jieren promised without looking back, staring ahead.
"Shibauchi Junichiro, what did you do to attract this kind of trouble? Why would ninjas attack you here, knowing the Sand Village might hunt them down?" Saidaiji asked.
"I'm just an ordinary businessman. I don't know why someone's trying to kill me," Soma said in a frightened tone, his face panicked.
"Impossible. If you don't explain, we'll have to abandon this mission," Saidaiji said coldly. When lives are at stake and the client's motives are unclear, a privately accepted mission can be dropped.
"I'll talk, I'll talk, it's like this," Soma made a gesture with his right hand.
* Slash! *
Tachie activated her Byakugan.
"Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms!"
Seeing Soma's signal, Tachie tore the edge of her aristocratic skirt and assumed the Eight Trigrams stance.
* Bang, bang, bang! * In an instant, her Thirty-Two Palms struck Jieren's body, leaving him stunned.
"Insect Cocoon!" "Water Bullet!"
After Takuto formed hand seals, a swarm of parasites rushed toward Cang, and he advanced quickly himself.
A water sphere formed in Dosuke's hand, splitting into a dozen water bullets under chakra control, flying toward Cang.
"Shadow Dance!" A sickle appeared in Soma's hand, transforming into a blade that slashed at Saidaiji.
Caught off guard by a Jonin's attack, Saidaiji had no time to react. His limbs were stabbed over a dozen times in an instant, rendering him unable to move.
Saidaiji, crippled, lay helplessly beside Jieren, whose chakra was sealed by the Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms. Blood seeped from his wounds, staining the ground.
"Cough, cough, Miss Miyo, you," Jieren, coughing up blood, looked at Tachie, still shocked.
On the other side, Takuto charged at Cang with a kunai.
Cang, hit by the Insect Cocoon, swung his kunai, cutting down countless parasites.
He leaped back to dodge Dosuke's water bullets.
"Wind Release: Pressure Damage!" Cang spat a powerful gust from his mouth, blowing away the parasites trying to surround him. Taking advantage of the moment, he lunged forward, throwing a kunai at Takuto.
Takuto used a Substitution Jutsu, and the kunai struck a log.
* Swish! * Cang appeared where Takuto's substitution had landed. "Wind Release: Sickle Weasel!" A sharp wind jutsu severed Takuto's legs.
"Ah!" Takuto cried out in pain.
Cang drew another kunai from his ninja pouch and aimed for Takuto's head.