After retreating from the battlefield, the four shinobi found refuge in a secluded, damp cave. Danzo, having taken the brunt of the four-man elemental assault, was dangerously weak. Beside him, Aki sat with a grimace as his pierced palm throbbed with a dull, rhythmic heat.
Danzo watched Torifu Akimichi carefully dress Aki's wound. "Why didn't you stay with the merchants?" Danzo rasped, his voice thin. "If they die in the Waterfall, we lose our network. No merchant will risk being a spy for the Leaf if we can't guarantee their survival."
Torifu didn't look up from his work. "They're safer without us. They have their own routes and decided to leave the gold with me—they'll collect it once we're back in the Land of Fire. Without us trailing them, they're just two more civilians in a sea of traders. The Waterfall is hunting for ninjas and gold, not small-time peddlers."
Danzo nodded slowly, then turned his gaze toward Kagami. "And how did we lose our cover, Kagami?"
Kagami lowered his head in shame. "I walked into a genjutsu trap. To break it and counter-attack, I had to manifest the Sharingan. One of their Chunin escaped before I could silence him."
The cave fell silent. After finishing Aki's bandages, Torifu spoke up. "Danzo, Aki needs at least four hours of rest. You need three. We aren't going anywhere for a while."
"Five hours," Danzo commanded. "We recover, then we find a way out of this country. Don't worry, they won't mobilize their entire army for four ghosts."
Aki looked at the jagged scar forming on his hand. "Will the Waterfall seek revenge against the Village because of us?"
Danzo let out a cold, sharp laugh. "You overestimate the Waterfall and underestimate the Leaf. As long as we aren't captured alive, they won't say a word. If the world finds out they attacked Leaf shinobi on a mission, the retaliation would be absolute. They are a small nation; they don't have the stomach for a real war with us."
Kagami added, "Aki, the Land of Waterfall is barely a tenth the size of the Land of Fire. Their 'Takikage' is a newcomer with barely a hundred Jonin to his name. You've seen their quality—you, a seven-year-old, slaughtered a four-man squad led by a Chunin. They are not our peers."
"Exactly," Danzo joined in. "Konoha has nearly four thousand registered Jonin and twice as many Chunin. That doesn't even count the clan elders or the border patrols. We outnumber their entire military several times over. If we die and it's proven they did it, we will crush them. If we escape, they'll have to swallow the loss and stay quiet. They can't afford to make an enemy of a neutral superpower while the Stone is breathing down their necks."
Aki nodded, a realization dawning on him. In this world, Konoha is like the superpower of my previous life. They claim neutrality and peace, but they are the ones who write the rules. If you cross them, you're the villain. If they cross you, it's just 'business'.
The Takikage's Office
"You lost them?" The Takikage's voice was like ice.
The kneeling ninja trembled. "My Lord, only two survived the pursuit. The Leaf ninjas are elite, even if two are wounded. They must be hiding within our borders to recover."
The Takikage narrowed his eyes. "I don't want them reaching the border. More importantly... spread the word. Tell the black market that the Leaf stole twenty million ryo from us."
"My Lord, that's... humiliating. Shouldn't we keep this quiet?"
"Do as I say!" the leader barked. "If we can't have the money, I want every bounty hunter in the world hunting them. Greed is a powerful motivator." He thought of a specific man—a monster with a hunger for hearts and gold. Kakuzu, I hope you like the gift I've prepared for you.
In a grimy black-market tavern, a man wearing a white hood and a mask sat at the bar. His eyes flashed with a sinister green light as he handed a high-value note to the bartender.
"Twenty million?" the man asked, his voice muffled by his mask. "The Leaf robbed the Waterfall of twenty million? How?"
The bartender leaned in, whispering, "They posed as merchants and sold a massive shipment of pills at triple price. The Waterfall tried to rob them back and got slaughtered. They're still in the country, but their faces are on every post. Look."
The masked man, Kakuzu, stood up and tore the four sketches of the Leaf team from the notice board. "Twenty million ryo... It seems I have a new job."
Two days later, Danzo's team reached the final stretch of forest before the border town.
"We've fought off three squads in forty-eight hours," Kagami noted, checking the map. "Our supplies are gone."
Danzo made the call. "Torifu and I will head into the town to secure food and water. Kagami, go to high ground and signal the rescue team. Aki, you stay here. Camouflage yourself and watch the perimeter. If you see anything, use the Ninja Bee to alert us. Understood?"
Aki and Kagami nodded. As the elders departed, Aki leaped into the branches. He used a Transformation Jutsu to turn his body into the likeness of a tree trunk. The exhaustion of a seven-year-old body was finally hitting its limit. He intended to close his eyes for just a moment, but the weight of the past few days dragged him into a deep, unintended sleep.
He didn't see the shadow moving through the underbrush. He didn't hear the silence of the birds. The hunter was already there.