'Almonds?' Kusuri squinted in confusion. 'CYANIDE!'
"DON'T DRINK THE WATER!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.
In an instant, everyone around him took their water from their mouths, but it was already too late. He saw one of the caravaneers stumble and then hit the ground.
He'd be dead in a few minutes
He turned to Takeshi, who was already scanning the surroundings with his Byakugan.
"There's someone approaching. Other side of the lake. Be ready," he announced.
Instantly, the three genin reacted, taking strategic points around the group.
As they did so, they saw a vague outline of a person casually strolling towards them on the surface of the lake.
"For. Fuck's. Sake." they growled, "I go to all the trouble of doing it while the Jonin's asleep, and then one of the goddamn genin figures it out. If I wasn't so aggravated I'd almost be impressed."
The figure grew closer and closer, revealing more of their features. It was a woman, tall and lithe, who was clearly a ninja, and very, very, annoyed.
"I don't suppose you four would kindly fuck off so I could do my job huh?" She stopped for a moment, seeming to have some vague hope she'd be met with a yes.
She wasn't.
"Thought so".
While her statements elicited no answers from her adversaries, they did bring up some questions that ran through Kusuri's mind.
The fact that she was on a mission was unsurprising, he was on one right then for crying out loud. She was, however, a jonin, and they were guarding a small caravan that was carrying tools, salt, and other staple goods, all things that made an attack quite odd. Especially since, to Kusuri's great surprise, her headband, that of the Hidden Grass, seemed perfectly pristine, with no scuff or dent, let alone the slash that would mark her as a rogue ninja.
No one would bother hiring a Jonin to rob such a caravan, and neither would a Jonin be sent to destroy one.
His questions had to wait for now, though, no matter what the answers to them may be.
"Leave or die Mukade," Takeshi said called out coldly.
Well, there was one down. Guess that narrows down her clan name. At least Kusuri assumed that was her clan name. It probably was considering the clan centipede-like sigil emblazoned on her clothing.
"How about no," the so-called Mukade called back.
For a few moments, not a soul moved, then Takeshi gave an instruction to his students.
"Whatever you do, do not get close to her. Long-range support only."
Said students spoke affirmatives in response.
"Guess we're fighting then," the Grass ninja sighed, "Why can't my jobs ever be easy."
She reached behind her back, drawing twin wakizashi.
"Let's do this then."
Without another moment's notice, she bursted forward, poised to attack.
She ran across the waters with blinding speed and a determined yet vaguely lackadaisical expression. It was almost as if she didn't see us as a threat, which considering they had a Hyuga, was off putting to say the least.
Once Takeshi and the woman began their dance of death, however, the reason for her confidence became apparent.
She unleashed swing after swing of her blades. They were swift but imprecise. She didn't seem to be aiming for anything vital, or even aiming at all. They were more area denial than the lethal waltz one associates with cold steel. Which raised another question.
Why Takeshi Hyuga, a member of a clan known for their ability to parry strikes and turn them against their makers, saw fit only to dodge.
No matter where the strike went, he dove or maneuvered out of its way, never once batting it aside or even attempting to strike back or disarm her.
They didn't know why, but the trio of Genin realized they had to help.
"Water Release: Syrup Trap!"
Kusuri had around to the side of the bout and unleashed a stream of viscous and sticky water at the woman's feet.
It only slowed her down for a moment, but that was all Takeshi needed to get a hit in.
"Eight Trigrams: Two Palms!"
Both strikes, quick as vipers, met their target, and as soon as they did, she leaped away for a moment's recovery.
The distance between them formed a short stalemate, one Takeshi immediately used to fill in his proteges of the issue before them.
"Our foe is a Mukade. They possess a kekkei genkai known as Dokutai. Her body is poisonous, from her blood to her spit, to even the oils of her skin. Her blades are likely poisoned as well. As I said before: Do. Not. Enter. Melee."
Upon hearing this, the woman chuckled. "You know your stuff, Hyuga."
With her next statement, she began to speak with a bit of sarcastic sophistication.
"Would you be ever so generous as to give your name to the one who is about to fucking murder you?"
Kusuri wasn't quite sure why she did that. Did the Hyuga have a reputation he wasn't aware of?
"Takeshi Hyuga."
"Well then, I certainly wasn't expecting to see the Phantom of the Leaf. Huh! Quite a bit of cash on your head. Good to put a face to the name though, for however long it stays attached to your body at least."
"Kaoru Mukade," she added, "In case you were curious".
She took a second more to catch her breath, then combat began again.
She went straight for Takeshi once again, undoubtedly seeing him as the largest threat, while the genin danced around, each waiting for an opening to aid their teacher.
Unfortunately, their enemy had learned from her past mistakes, leaving few if any openings for them to exploit.
Few thankfully wasn't zero, so she was still struck or interrupted, giving Takeshi more opportunities to strike at her chakra points.
They did, however, have a major, major, problem.
The little to no progress on both sides was turning this into a battle of attrition, one they were losing fast.
Takeshi was their only capable fighter, and his survival necessitated constant use of his Byakugan which put a major strain on his chakra. In contrast, the Mukade appeared to be burning little. Not to mention that the longer the bout took, the more likely it was that she got in a lucky shot. A lucky shot that, in this context, would mean the death of Takeshi, and thus them as well.
So something needed to happen.
Before they ran out of time.