As the Iwa-nin went down, I flicked a kunai at him for good measure, the sharp blade sinking into his eye, buried to the hilt in his brain. Knowing some of what Orochimaru could survive, and would survive in the future, I figured it wouldn't hurt to make sure he didn't suddenly jump back up.
After all, with one example like Kakuzu, who could survive getting his heart destroyed, who knew anymore, with all those unkillable shinobi around, better safe than sorry.
With my target down, I turned my attention back to the last two enemies, though thanks to Byakugan, I had never fully let them out of my sight, but given the way Mari handled them, I didn't have to worry much.
Despite those two Iwa shinobi being decently skilled, the dual assault of Inuzuka and Aburame proved too much for them to handle.
The combination of factors, like them being surprised, having their guard down, and many more, they never had a chance to show off their skills before Mari and Riku tore into them.
The cursed bugs had done their job, they bought that one moment, that tiny opening the Inuzuka duo needed.
It was fast, brutal, and bloody.
The Inuzuka clan's Fang over Fang was one of their favourite moves for a reason, because it was effective.
A rotating storm of teeth and claws reinforced by chakra was both a deadly weapon and a potent shield.
Here, it was mostly the weapon part on display, as the two Iwa shinobi didn't have a chance to even react before they were reduced to chunks of blood and gore.
Once that was done, they came to a stop near me, cocky grin on her face, not a drop of blood on either of them.
"Impressive," I said, before Kento appeared next to us.
"Good Job, Aburame-San, this wouldn't have been this smooth without you." I might not like their bugs, but I wasn't unwilling to acknowledge their usefulness.
Kento simply inclined his head. "They didn't adapt fast enough. And they weren't prepared for a team like ours."
He stepped over the nearest corpse—what remained of the stew-stirring shinobi—and extended a hand. His kikaichū crawled from his sleeve like a silent tide, swarming over the fallen enemy. Not just feeding—they were checking for chakra signatures, traps, hidden seals, tags, or messages. The Aburame didn't leave anything to chance.
Mari snorted. "Tch. They came to our forest and thought they could lounge around like it was a hot spring. Arrogant bastards."
Riku gave a low, satisfied growl, his fur puffed out and tail swishing slowly. He looked ready to go again.
"You seem disappointed," I said, glancing at her.
She grinned wide. "Just warmed up, is all. I thought they'd put up more of a fight."
"Be glad they didn't," Kento said as he crouched beside the leader's body, recovering some of the bugs he had placed on him.
"Indeed, nothing wrong with an easy mission, and this one thankfully turned out to be that. Now let's seal the bodies and head back to Konoha," I said, casting a questioning glance at Kento, asking if he had found any traps or any reason we couldn't bring the bodies.
He clearly understood the meaning and just nodded. "Alright, seal 'em and let's move."
"Damn, I had hoped for more action; this isn't enough, and we never found out how they managed to hide the signs of battles." Mari complained.
"Our mission was to find and eliminate the enemy, not figure out what they were doing in here or how, if they want to know that, they can learn it from the bodies." I didn't want to do more than we were asked to do.
Investigating or, God forbid, capturing them alive and interrogating them, that was a job for the Uchiha clan, not us tracker clans.
The sealing process didn't take long. We worked quickly and cleanly. The only thing slowing us down a little was the state of two of the bodies. They were in a poor state, with Mari having ripped them into countless pieces.
So Mari did the honors with the gore, and I handled the leader's remains. We didn't talk much as we worked—just got it done. Shinobi work.
By the time the scrolls were sealed and secured, the sun had started its slow descent toward the treeline. Long shadows fell across the clearing, and with the last trace of the enemy scrubbed from the forest, we set off.
The return to Konoha was a blur of trees and wind. We didn't move at full speed—we weren't being pursued—but the rhythm of it, the constant motion, let my mind settle. No one spoke for a while.
Then, of course, Mari broke the silence.
"So…" she said, dropping down onto a branch beside me as we soared over the canopy. "Did Koji ever tell you about the time he tried to hump a tree?"
I missed a step and almost misjudged the next branch, catching it with the tip of my sandal. "I'm sorry, what?"
She grinned wide, enjoying every second. "He was like, I dunno, twelve? Fourteen? Just starting to get all hormonal and weird. Apparently, he was training with Kuro and had this brilliant idea that if Kuro could mark territory with piss, he should do it too. Thought maybe girls would respect him more."
I groaned. "Please tell me you're joking."
"Wish I was," she laughed, leaping ahead with Riku bounding just below. "He actually dropped trou, full moon and all, and started marking a tree near the clan bathhouse. Right in front of Aunt Tsume."
I buried my face in one hand mid-flight. "God, and I fell for that same guy?"
Mari cackled. "You should've seen her face. Koji didn't sit right for a week. Still, he learned to pick better spots after that. Like, I dunno… your face, for example?"
"Say that again and I will shove you into a summoning scroll and throw it into a volcano."
"I dunno, sounds kinky."
"Don't make me kill you, Inuzuka-san."
Mari winked. "Yuki, please. After all, we're practically family now."
I groaned louder.
Behind us, Kento's chakra signature didn't change at all. Not even a sigh. Bastard was either ignoring us or genuinely too dead inside to care. I wasn't sure which was worse.
Eventually, the trees began to thin and the familiar gates of Konoha came into view on the horizon. I could already see the ANBU shadow flitting high above the walls, noting our approach. Standard operating procedure.
"We'll report to the mission office first," I said, slipping into a more professional tone. "So you two are free to head off, I can handle the rest."
"The mission isn't done until the report is given." Kento said, clearly indicating that he wouldn't leave until everything was done. very much in line with his clan's no-nonsense attitude.
"While it would be nice to call it an early evening, I can't just leave the two of you alone, gonna keep an eye on you for Koji's sake." Mari said with a teasing tone.
"Please," I said with a sigh, "Weren't you just offering me to fuck your Ninken not too long ago? And now you are suddenly all worried?"
"Heh, that offer is still open, Riku would love a bitch like you." She answered with a snort.
"I swear to the gods, if you ever say something like that again in front of the Hokage, I will kill you," I muttered, brushing past her as we neared the gate.
Mari just laughed. "What, you think he's never heard worse? The man's like a thousand years old, nothing shocks him anymore."
Riku gave a soft whine beside her, ears twitching as if even he had the good sense to be embarrassed on her behalf.
Konoha's gates loomed ahead, the late afternoon glow casting long golden bars through the open arch. A pair of Chūnin guards stepped aside as we approached, taking one look at us and instantly confirming we were indeed Konoha shinobi, and nodding us on.
They really didn't do much; the actual security was the large village-scale chakra sensing barrier and the other hidden means of protection, such as ANBU and even the Hyūga clan's wall patrol.
The walk from the gates to the Hokage tower wasn't short, though it was at least rather direct. It allowed us to suck up a bit of the lively atmosphere on the main shopping street, one that, despite the war, and the late hour, still had plenty of life.
"Say, Yuki-chan, wanna go out for some food after handling this? I could tell you all kinds of stories about Koji." Mari offered, and in a dangerous tone.
I chose to ignore her as we made our way into the Hokage tower, another trip that seemed simple on the surface, but to the senses of sensor nin like us, we knew very well how well protected this place was.
Before long, we were allowed inside the man's office. I hadn't gotten to see the Hokage much, I rarely left the clan compound, and he was a very busy man, despite his best efforts at getting seen.
There was no doubt the man had a problem with delegating power and responsibility, keeping it all to himself, causing him to be incredibly busy.
Just look at this, here he was, still working as the sun came down, and he had worked since it came up.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, the third Hokage was a rather unimpressive man, he even now, appeared like a friendly grandfather or uncle. Hiding his power and scheming behind a kind smile.
But he was strong, his chakra wasn't bad, for sure one of the strongest in the entire village, and his control too was on point, a powerful ninjutsu specialist.
"I guess the fact that you three–"
"Woof!" Riku interrupted the man.
Honestly, I was shocked at the balls on that dog, to dare do that? Clearly it had little respect for the man, and no fear at all.
"Right, my bad, the four of you, means you already managed to complete your mission." he continued as if the interruption didn't bother him.
I really couldn't tell if it had or not; he was a master of hiding his thoughts and feelings.
"Yes, Hokage-sama," I said with a bow. "The Iwa team was located and eliminated. Four shinobi. Two Chūnin, one Tokubetsu Jōnin, one probable Jōnin commander. We've sealed their bodies and collected their belongings."
Kento stepped forward next, handing over two tightly bound scrolls. "All tagged and confirmed clean of traps. One contains remains, the other intelligence—maps, rations, personal logs. No visible missives, but I recommend an ANBU seal-breaker inspect the journal entries."
Mari, naturally, was the only one who didn't bow. She gave a lazy half-wave instead. "All dead, no fuss. You're welcome."
The Hokage just nodded. "Efficient. I'll see to it that your report is added to the war records." He turned his gaze on me. "Good work, Hyūga Yuki. I understand your last mission only just ended, I hope you aren't too tired after that."
I knew he was just putting on a show of caring, after all, if he really cared, he would have given this mission to someone else, but still, I bowed my head." Thank you for your concern, but I have rested enough to be able to handle this level of missions."
His eyes crinkled. Not quite a smile, not quite disapproval. "That's good to hear. I'm sure the village will have to call upon you again soon enough, you are a credit to your clan and village both."
I was sure he hoped to assign me more long-term missions, but he likely couldn't do so easily, not without the clan's approval, though my response might have given him a chance, had it been more affirmative that I was doing well.
Mari stretched, popping her shoulders loudly as we turned to leave. "So, dinner?"
I didn't even glance at her. "No."
"Late-night snack?"
"No."
"Just a quick drink—"
"No."
"You're no fun."
"I'm sure Koji would disagree with you."
"Damn, there it is, why are you so boring when you clearly got the spirit of one of us?" She asked, pouting.
"Because he can fuck me good, and you can't," I said before I body flickered away before she had a chance to respond, though just the thought of it already had me smiling as I reached the clan compound.
(end of chapter)
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