Ao's fingers brushed lightly over the Mist Village insignia on his forehead protector. His young face was still stained with blood, and his eyes brimmed with a burning desire to prove himself.
"It's him! He's the one who killed our comrades!" Fuji shouted furiously.
"Why so angry? You killed one of ours too," Ao said coldly from his perch on a tree branch.
'Ao… this could get tricky.'
The others didn't recognize Ao. After all, Kirigakure sat isolated on a massive island far from the mainland, and large-scale conflicts with Konohagakure had been rare.
It was no surprise that the Konoha shinobi were unfamiliar with the young Ao.
The last time the two villages clashed in a major war was over two decades ago, during the First Great Ninja War, far too long ago to remain relevant today.
But Arata recognized him immediately, even though Ao hadn't yet obtained the Byakugan.
"The enemy claims to be a Kirigakure Jonin, though it could just be psychological warfare," Takano murmured.
"They've got three people. We have four, but no Jonin. All we can do now is stall or escape. Hopefully, someone nearby hears the commotion and comes to help."
Takano himself was only a Chunin, and the others were genin, none of them the prodigy type with powerful jutsu. Their odds of victory were slim.
But no matter how low the odds, surrender wasn't an option. And it was impossible the enemy would accept the surrender of multiple medical ninja within the Land of Fire.
A thin mist crept through the forest. Takano spun a kunai between his fingers and suddenly hurled it forward.
"I'm falling back."
Arata barked a sharp command, grabbing two injured comrades who couldn't fight, and flung them backward.
At that moment, a kunai bearing an explosive tag flew toward him. Luckily, the kunai Takano had thrown intercepted it, knocking it off course.
It barely grazed Arata's flapping robes before embedding itself in a tree two meters away.
Boom!
The blast sent up a shower of splinters. Arata staggered back from the shockwave, his movements unsteady.
Ao was already right in front of him, hands forming seals. "You may have the numbers, but not for long."
"Water Style: Water Drizzle!"
Dozens of high-speed droplets rained down in a deadly barrage.
Takano flung open his medical pouch. In the instant it burst, bandages scattered into the air, weaving into a web.
Fuji tried to fend off the droplets with his kunai.
But as a typical genin with poor taijutsu and weak combat fundamentals, he panicked, cutting through two droplets before the third tore through his right shoulder.
Blood welled from the gaping wound, sapping his strength with every second.
Takano and Fuji were lucky, they survived Ao's jutsu. But one Konoha ninja was not so fortunate.
"Now it's three against three."
Two Mist ninja leapt back, blood oozing from grotesque wounds as they pulled their blades from the neck of a medical ninja.
Just one exchange, and Konoha had already lost a comrade.
The two previously injured ninja were now in even worse condition, their wounds reopened. Without immediate treatment, they wouldn't survive much longer.
The situation had rapidly deteriorated. Unless Konoha reinforcements arrived right now, survival was nearly impossible.
Ao might often seem like a clown, shouting "retreat" at the sight of the Yellow Flash, or running from Shisui of the Body Flicker, but he always avoided danger and stayed alive.
That kind of decisiveness was, in its own way, a strength.
Right now, Ao had made a judgment, he could wipe out the Konoha ninja before him and escape the Land of Fire.
"No matter what, we can't make it to the border. The mission's already failed!" Takano growled.
"I'll hold them off! You all run!"
"You could split up and flee," one of the Mist shinobi mocked. "Maybe one of you will survive."
"Never! Konoha shinobi never abandon their comrades!"
Takano charged the two Mist ninja, trying to buy time for the others to escape.
But considering his strength, it was asking too much.
"We're doomed. We won't last minutes. Even if backup arrives, it'll be too late. Damn it! Damn it!! It's my fault! I dragged everyone down!"
Fuji pounded his head in anguish. Always a hothead, now his emotions were completely out of control.
Young genin were still young, after all.
And to be fair, who wouldn't break down?
When hope is suddenly dangled before you, only to be snatched away in the next instant… when that hope turns out to be just another weapon to deepen despair…
Ao clashed with Takano while the other two Mist ninjas charged Fuji and Arata.
As long as they avoided the deadly precision of a medical ninja's chakra scalpel, victory was certain.
"Stop blaming yourself! Get out of here! Just like Captain said, split up and run!"
Arata didn't hesitate. Gritting through the pain of the earlier explosion, he turned and dashed away.
For him, the choice between mission and comrades wasn't hard. Whatever helped him survive was most important.
That whole "those who abandon comrades are worse than scum" line? Arata didn't care.
Honestly, most Konoha ninja wouldn't in the heat of the moment.
And yet, in that very moment, Arata scooped up the two gravely wounded comrades he'd thrown aside earlier and leapt into the forest. He wasn't fast.
Wham!
Takano was quickly overpowered by Ao's taijutsu. A sweeping kick broke several of his ribs, launching him through the air as he coughed up blood.
"Arata, you damn fool… even at death's door, you're still protecting your comrades. That's something, I guess… In that case, I won't let you down! I'll buy you time."
"Earth Style: Mud Wall!"
Takano slammed both trembling hands onto the ground. He had to stall them, any time he could steal was worth it, even if Arata was unlikely to escape carrying two injured comrades.
A stone wall surged up, blocking the Mist ninja's view. Takano knew it wouldn't hold long, but even a second's delay might help.
When Ao shattered it with a Water Style jutsu, the dust cleared, no sign of the Konoha ninja.
"They won't get far," Ao sneered.
"Just a weak Chunin and two nearly chakra-drained genin, one of whom's carrying two half-dead bodies. Hmph. Pathetic. Kenzo, take care of that idiot. Kill them all."
Ao scoffed, unsurprised. Konoha ninja were always talking about comrades, bonds, friendship, those worthless ideals. Was that their way of wrapping their talents in lofty morals?
No. Maybe it was just brainwashing, dulling fear, suppressing cowardice, and boosting morale. If so, it wasn't a bad tactic.
Kirigakure, on the other hand, was a different beast. Since the Third Mizukage, a brutal man, had taken power, the village was steeped in blood. Killings were rampant.
Shinobi reported on each other, distrusted one another, and backstabbed to survive.
The village had truly become the "Village Hidden in the Bloody Mist."
Arata coughed violently, blood trailing from the corner of his mouth. Still, he clung to the unconscious bodies of his comrades, refusing to abandon them.
"Are they already on my tail?"
He showed no surprise. The fact he'd gotten even a few minutes was a miracle.
"I heard Mist shinobi were cruel and cold. I figured you'd waste a minute or two toying with me, enjoying the thrill of a small village shinobi beating a big one."
Kenzo, the Mist ninja, stood on a branch ahead of him.
"Small village? Don't underestimate Kirigakure. And you, someone your age, in that physical state, probably a nobody in Konoha. Who would care if you died?"
He looked at Arata's labored breathing and how gently he laid his comrades down.
"Are you stupid? You're in no condition to run, yet you're dragging two people with you. Your speed is pathetic!
The mission, your life, those are what matter! You gave both up to protect your comrades. No wonder Captain Ao called you an idiot."
"I don't know if Takano survived his fight with Ao. But that doesn't change what I have to do. Thanks… you just bought me one more minute. That should be enough."
Arata's blood soaked hands trembled as he set his comrades down. One hand had maintained a sealing sign the whole time, he had been quietly gathering chakra.
"From the moment I saw Fuji and the others injured, I knew something was off.
That's when I started preparing. Facing you head on is suicide, and my jutsu needs time… The stronger the opponent, the more time I need to prepare."
It wasn't just that he had little chakra. The two injured comrades were both fairly powerful. Doing that would take even more time.
But he'd made it.
"Not bad, kid. You know your place in front of a stronger opponent. I'll make it quick and painless. "
The enemy misunderstood, thinking Arata was praising his strength. He hurled three senbon.
"No. I've bought enough time. You're the one who's finished."
Arata cut him off and slammed his palm to the ground.
Summoning Jutsu!
The earth heaved like boiling water, and a pitch-black coffin erupted from the soil.
-------
Bonus chapter for 50 power stones.