"That guy's picking us off one by one!"
"We need to regroup!"
The Iwa ninja stationed at the edge of the formation started looking around in a panic.
"Yeah! Stick together!"
Just as he was about to follow the main group—
Poof.
The entire Iwa squad in front of him vanished.
"!!"
His heart pounded. He rubbed his eyes and looked again.
Nothing.
"An illusion! It has to be an illusion!"
Even though he was just a lower-ranked ninja, he knew enough about illusions to recognize one.
He quickly formed a hand seal.
"Release!"
Nothing changed.
He tried again.
"Release!"
Still nothing.
"Release! Release! Release!!"
He desperately attempted to break the genjutsu, unaware that Sakiya had already crept up behind him.
By the time he sensed something was wrong and turned around—
BANG!
A massive mallet smashed into his face.
Another Iwa ninja went down.
Sakiya smirked, ready to toss her weapon aside and leave, but just as she was about to move—
She felt herself suddenly lifted off the ground.
"Huh?"
She wasn't floating.
She was being carried.
By Chihiro.
Arms wrapped firmly around Sakiya's waist, Chihiro pulled her into an embrace and held her tight.
Her face was flushed with excitement.
"Sakiya! You're so light! And you smell really nice! So soft, too!"
Sakiya's face turned red.
"N-No! Sensei Chihiro! The Eye of Dea— I mean… just put me down!"
Chihiro shook her head.
"Nope."
She squeezed a little tighter, pressing Sakiya against her chest and rubbing her cheek against hers.
Sakiya flailed helplessly.
"Uh… Ahh! Let me go!"
"Nope. We're running away now."
"R-Running?!"
Before Sakiya could react, Chihiro took off in a sprint, carrying her like a treasured doll.
"Tsuchiya! Sakuragi! Keep up!"
The voices of the two boys came from ahead.
"No worries, Sensei! We're already here!"
Chihiro twitched in irritation.
"These two…!"
She picked up the pace.
After a while, Sakiya finally managed to poke her head out from Chihiro's grasp, her expression dazed.
She blinked in confusion, then—
"Wait! My Eye of Death! I can't just retreat like this! I need to go back!"
She twisted and struggled, but Chihiro's grip was too strong.
"Let me go!"
Her protests faded as they disappeared into the distance.
Meanwhile, back in the village, the Iwa ninja still had no idea what had happened.
They stood tensely, weapons ready, eyes darting around.
"Come out if you dare!"
One of them grew frustrated and shouted into the empty space.
"I'm telling you! I could do this all day!"
Silence.
Not a single response.
---------
While Sakiya's team was fleeing.
Sakiya lay limp in Chihiro's arms, her eyes vacant as she mumbled to herself.
"The prestige of my Eye of Death… tainted… forever tainted..."
Chihiro ignored her, too focused on catching up to Sakuragi and Tsuchiya.
In truth, Tsuchiya hadn't been wrong earlier.
Even while carrying someone—who, to be fair, was small, light, and practically weightless—Chihiro had still managed to outrun them.
That meant they could have kept up just fine.
Slowing down, Chihiro adjusted her pace to match theirs. She glared at the two boys in front of her.
"You two sure know how to play dumb."
Tsuchiya and Sakuragi laughed awkwardly.
"Haha… Sorry, Sensei. Forgive us?"
Chihiro rolled her eyes, then narrowed them in thought.
"By the way, how did you manage to sneak up on me earlier? I didn't even notice."
Sakuragi and Tsuchiya exchanged a look before Tsuchiya finally spoke.
"Sensei… you really haven't figured it out?"
"Figured what out?"
"Sakiya's technique doesn't just hide her presence—it blocks sound, smell, and even other sensory cues. Up close, you might not feel the effects, but from a distance, the interference is much stronger, especially for enemies."
Chihiro blinked.
She hadn't realized that.
The fact that these two had noticed before she did…
Her face reddened slightly.
Embarrassing.
But she wasn't about to admit that.
She coughed, straightening her expression.
"Ahem. Of course I knew that. I was just testing you."
Tsuchiya and Sakuragi's eyes widened.
Wait… was that even allowed?
Neither of them dared to call her out on it.
Tsuchiya forced a smile.
"Right, right. The teacher's always teaching us something new."
"Exactly!" Chihiro nodded, satisfied.
Sakuragi and Tsuchiya exchanged another look.
(We can't really call her out on this, can we?)
--------
After the incident, Chihiro and the others continued their journey cautiously.
After several days on the road, Chihiro finally noticed something was off.
There was tension in the air.
The scent of smoke and battle lingered along the border.
A bad feeling settled in her chest.
As they traveled further, she confirmed it—things were escalating.
Iwa-nin presence had increased significantly.
It reminded her of the last time Konoha signed a treaty with Suna, only for Iwa to launch an attack shortly after.
A terrible realization hit her.
One she didn't want to face.
The road was tough, but they made it back to Konoha safely.
Chihiro didn't waste a second. She grabbed Sakiya and the others and ran straight to the Hokage's office.
Even within the village, the air was heavy.
It reflected the turmoil she felt inside.
Gritting her teeth, she burst into the office.
"Hokage-sama!"
Tsunade sat at her desk, exhaustion clear on her face.
She looked up, unsurprised.
"Oh, Chihiro. You're back."
Chihiro didn't waste time.
"Hokage-sama! Iwa-nin! They've invaded!"
Tsunade nodded.
"I know."
Chihiro froze.
"You… already knew?"
Tsunade sighed, rubbing her temples.
"I've already mobilized our forces. All squads outside the village have been recalled. I'm glad you're safe. If you need to report anything, do it later. Get some rest and prepare."
Chihiro's face darkened.
"We're fine… but what about the others?"
Tsunade hesitated, glancing at her, then at Sakiya.
"Kakashi and Naruto were seriously injured. Team Guy got to them in time and saved them. They're recovering at the hospital now. They'll be fine, so don't worry."
Chihiro's pupils shrank.
Sakiya clenched her fists.
Tsuchiya and Sakuragi exchanged uneasy glances.
"They're that strong… and still got hurt?"
Chihiro didn't wait. She turned and strode out.
Sakiya followed silently.
Tsunade blinked in surprise.
"Wait! You don't even know what room they're in—!"
---
Konoha Hospital
After asking around, Chihiro found Kakashi and Naruto's room.
She pushed the door open.
Inside, Sasuke sat quietly, wrapped in bandages, staring at the floor.
Beside him, Sakura—her short hair grown slightly, a bandage wrapped around her forehead—looked up.
Kakashi lay unconscious, his face pale.
Naruto was still and silent.
Sakiya stood beside Chihiro, watching.
Sasuke glanced up, then lowered his head again.
The room was heavy with unspoken emotions.
Chihiro finally broke the silence.
"What happened?"
For a while, no one answered.
Then Sasuke muttered, voice dull.
"There's nothing to say. We weren't strong enough. We ran into enemies we couldn't handle."
Suddenly, he looked up.
His Sharingan spun—three tomoe gleaming in his eyes.
"If I were stronger… I wouldn't have needed their protection."
Sakura choked back a sob.
"They both protected me… Naruto, Kakashi-sensei… they…"
Tears spilled from her eyes.
Sakiya remained silent.
She hadn't expected this.
Naruto, a Jinchūriki, had even unleashed four tails—yet still, they'd been overwhelmed.
Only a handful of people could do that to them.
Only someone truly dangerous.
Sakiya clenched her fists.
"We need to finish preparing that technique… and fast."
______
Support me on patreon
patreon.com/Silver757