Although they knew that Shinobi life was difficult and at some point they would have to make some sacrifice, how could they possibly agree to leave their master behind?
"Sensei, let's keep running. As long as we reach the outskirts of the city, we can hide in the forest," said the young Hyuga girl as she jumped onto a rooftop and leaped to the next building.
"Yes, sensei, Hinata is right, we're almost out of the city."
Hinata and Kiba quickly refused to follow Kurenai's plan and instead encouraged her to keep running and escape together.
But the woman shook her head.
Kurenai was more realistic. At the speed they're going, they'll catch up to them before they even get through the city walls.
And even if they reach the outside of the City, it doesn't mean they'll be able to hide from their pursuers.
After all, they too had to bring their own sensors to a hunting and/or capture operation.
"Listen to me, that's an order," Kurenai said after shaking her head.
"They will run without looking back and they will reach the village."
"As their sensei, I can't allow anything to happen to them."
"Furthermore, they won't want to fall into the hands of these enemies."
"Especially you, Hinata, your Byakugan is very important, but having it stolen is the least of your worries."
"Your fate could be tragic if you are captured."
Kurenai's voice indicated that she would not accept a negative answer, and her words made her three students' faces turn ashen.
Especially Hinata. The tragic fate of captured kunoichi was no secret, especially those with bloodlines.
She, as a Hyuga, would surely have a miserable life if she were captured.
Shino and Kiba were also in a dilemma.
Stay and support her sensei, and risk a tragedy befalling Hinata if she were captured alive, or leave her sensei and escape, but then she would be the one who could suffer a similar fate if she were captured alive.
Did they really not have any other option?
"Sensei, we're almost out of the city," Hinata suddenly said excitedly.
While they were talking, Team 8 had managed to get closer to the walls surrounding the City.
But while Kurenai's young students smiled—even Shino—the red-eyed woman sensed that something was wrong.
Kurenai quickly looked back to see her pursuers.
But instead of seeing them close as he expected, the pursuing ninjas behind his team stopped chasing them and instead had moved to the sides.
Kurenai felt that they were closing off any path of retreat, but that would mean they were sure to catch her later.
The Genjutsu user's eyes snapped open as she considered the implications and quickly looked ahead.
The absence of enemy figures in front of them confused her a little, but that confusion only lasted 1 second before turning to horror.
The reason?
The blue flash that passed by their group and stopped right at the outer wall of the city, causing Team 8 to come to a sudden halt on the roof of a tall building
"No... you can't be..."
"...was hundreds of meters away from us a second ago..."
Kurenai's horror was shared by Hinata, who had been watching that powerful chakra signature with her Byakugan.
The enemy had traveled hundreds of meters in seconds, passing right by them, who weren't even able to react, and arrived right in front of them as if it were nothing.
"You... Who are you?"
"Why are you attacking us?" Kurenai asked fearfully, after regaining some composure.
The enemies did not have a headband or mark that identified them, so Kurenai did not know who was attacking them and how to deal with them.
But suddenly, he noticed flashes of electricity around the enemy's body, and a name popped into his mind, and his eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly returned to normal.
But although she wanted to appear calm, the trembling of her body exposed the woman's nervousness after guessing the enemy's identity.
Only one person and their signature Jutsu matched the swift blue figure that passed by their side.
The Fourth Raikage.
Only the leader of the cloud village with his lightning armor could be that fast.
And remembering the Hyuga incident many years ago when Hinata was almost kidnapped, made him think that they had returned to complete the job.
In front of team 8, A ignored the red-eyed woman.
A mere Jounin wouldn't catch his attention.
Instead, he stared at the young woman with bulging veins around her white eyes.
And when he looked at the young woman's clean and untouched forehead, a smile appeared on the man's face.
"Hinata Hyuga…"
While the other enemy ninjas had surrounded the area, A's voice was heard throughout the place, making clear his objective in coming here.
The mention of her name also made the young woman with white eyes swallow hard, and her classmates became worried about their companion.
"You will come with me and your companions will be able to keep their lives," A promised, while in his mind he was happy with his luck.
The man trusted his strength to capture the girl. Only his speed prevented her from escaping him. But just in case, in case something improbable happened, his subordinates surrounded the area to prevent any accidental escape.
Even if they were Genin and Chunin, they were enough to hold off the target until he arrived.
What A wanted to avoid was the young woman committing suicide.
Although obtaining a pair of Byakugan was great, his true objective was to acquire the young Hyuga girl to create his own Hyuga clan for his village. This could not be achieved if the girl died.
Therefore, the young woman's companions will be her safety net. As long as they are in their care, the young Hyuga will not take her own life or do anything foolish.
A's statement did nothing to reassure Team 8, as they would not accept letting the enemy take Hinata and make him suffer for the rest of his life.
"If you don't accept soon, I will be forced to act."
"In that case, the lives of your companions will be in your hands," A. said.
"I…" - Hinata's voice trembled, but before she could continue, she was interrupted by her teammates.
"Hinata, don't listen to him!" Kiba shouted.
"He's lying, he won't let us live even if you go with him."
"Woof!" Akamaru shouted.
"I agree with Kiba," Shino said, and continued, "Most likely, the enemy will eliminate us after capturing Hinata."
"I agree with them," Kurenai said.
"Hinata, we will fight together"
"Even if we die, it's better that they take you."
Unfortunately, the words of Kurenai and the rest of Team 8 did not have the desired effect.
Hinata did not want to see her sensei and her classmates die, and his words of encouragement only made the young woman's eyes redden and she was about to cry.
The young woman preferred to take the risk and hope that the enemy would keep his word.
"Hinata…" they said as they saw Hinata take a step forward.
Meanwhile, A smiled from his position standing atop the outer wall of the city.
The man could already see that his goal would be achieved.
They had long desired the Byakugan, which had monumental strategic value in war.
Unfortunately, they could not obtain it because most of the Hyuga had a cursed seal on their foreheads, and those from the main family participated little in the war effort.
And after Kirigakure obtained a Byakugan from a member of the main house in the Third Shinobi World War, the Hyuga of the main family became more cowardly and hid in the Leaf Village, leaving the branch family to fight in the war for them.
The difficulty of capturing a Hyuga within the Hidden Leaf Village was extremely high. And after the previous attempt to obtain the Byakugan failed—an attempt disguised as negotiations for a peace treaty—any further attempts would be impossible.
But good fortune smiled upon them.
A young Hyuga girl who previously had the caged bird seal on her forehead was now free of that cursed seal.
And when A found out about this, he quickly used the Heavenly Transfer Jutsu to reach the interior of the land of fire.
Of course, a pair of Byakugan weren't worth taking such a big risk in the middle of enemy territory and so close to the Leaf Village.
But it was the solution of the caged bird seal that tempted him enough to come here.
As long as they can obtain that method to dissolve the caged bird seal on the forehead of a marked Hyuga, the Cloud Village will have a whole buffet at their disposal to take back to their Cloud Village.