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"If you guys go missing, how long would it take for someone to come looking for you?" Akio asked the chunin.
"The current situation... is kinda complicated. If the two of us, as rogue ninja, go missing while out on a mission, the village would send someone after us within a day."
"One day, huh... That's faster than expected." Akio nodded, lowering his head in thought. If they weren't rogue ninja, the village probably wouldn't send anyone for at least three days. But since they are rogue ninja, this mission might be a test of their loyalty.
If they bailed the moment they left the village, they'd definitely be hunted down.
"We'll take turns keeping watch tonight," Shikaku said, nodding. "There's a good chance someone's tailing them."
"I'll take the first watch!" Lee volunteered enthusiastically.
"Alright." Akio nodded, then walked over to the captured chunin and tied him up tight before tossing him aside. Just for good measure, he slapped an explosive tag on the guy's back.
"Don't even think about moving. One wrong twitch, and boom—you're done." Akio patted the chunin's shoulder after saying that.
"D-Don't, come on… what if it really goes off…" The chunin was practically scared out of his mind.
"There is no 'what if.' Just stay still and you'll be fine." Akio grinned, then walked back to his spot, leaving the terrified chunin curled up on the ground, shivering.
Everyone else went back to sleep. Only Yamashin couldn't fall asleep, still troubled by thoughts of his father.
Lee was later replaced by Neji, who was then relieved by Guy, and finally it was Akio's turn. By the time Akio was on watch, it was almost dawn.
He stretched lazily at the cave entrance, loosened up his legs, and let out a sigh. "Ugh... can't get a full night's sleep out here on missions."
It wasn't safe to stay outside for long, so he quickly headed back and leaned against a corner near the entrance, silently watching. Just before the next shift change, something stirred outside.
"Man, why is it always me on duty when they show up?" Akio muttered, peeking out.
A ninja in a dull yellow vest was standing at the cave entrance, about to step inside. He looked pretty young, around twenty.
"Jōnin?" Akio thought at first, then shook his head. According to Yamashin, his dad had also defected. Most jōnin were in their 40s. But still, he couldn't completely rule it out.
If there were two of them and he attacked now, someone might spot him. That would ruin the whole plan.
After thinking it through, Akio quietly drew a kunai and pressed himself against the wall, waiting for the ninja to step inside. He had to get close enough to kill him silently, then wait and see if anyone else followed.
He took a slow breath, closed his eyes, and focused on the sound of footsteps getting closer. Just as the ninja rounded the corner, Akio grabbed his head and drove the kunai into his throat before he could make a sound.
One clean kill. The ninja never even got a chance to scream.
Akio dragged the body into the shadows. "Huff... huff..." He was panting hard—not from fear, like before, just catching his breath.
Once he calmed down, he leaned back into position at the corner, quietly observing the outside again. After a long wait, another figure jumped down from the trees.
"Knew it… another one. These two must be chunin from that minor Hidden Nation." Akio smirked and stepped out of the cave. He wanted a real fight for once—not just sneak attacks.
The other ninja spotted the Konoha headband on Akio's waist. "A Leaf ninja…"
"Yup." Akio nodded. "So it's just the two of you?"
"Tch. Big words for a little brat," the chunin sneered, pulling out his kunai and preparing to fight.
"Shadow Secret Art." Akio formed a hand seal. His shadow crept along the ground and lunged at the chunin. The ninja's eyes widened. He didn't recognize the jutsu, but instinctively raised his kunai to block.
The shadow threw a punch—
Clang!
In that instant, Akio and his shadow switched places. Akio slammed his own kunai down, while the shadow circled behind and punched toward the ninja's waist.
The ninja reacted quickly, using Akio's kunai as leverage to push himself back, dodging the shadow attack.
"Lightning Style: Ground Surge!" Akio weaved hand signs. A lightning current shot through the ground just as the ninja landed.
"Earth Style: Earth Wall!" the ninja shouted, raising a mud wall just in time to block the attack.
"Rasengan!" Akio's voice came from behind.
The ninja turned just in time to see the spinning orb slam into his back. He flew forward and crashed into his own mud wall.
Akio's shadow had already snuck behind him during the lightning jutsu. They switched places again, catching the enemy completely off guard.
The ninja hit the wall and blacked out.
"Yep… ninja from minor nations just don't measure up. No wonder they stay 'minor.'" Akio muttered, retracted his shadow, and dragged the guy back into the cave.
He pulled out a rope from his bag and tied him up, throwing him next to the other captive. Then he slapped another explosive tag on him, just in case.
"Someone came?" Shikaku had woken up and looked over.
"Yeah, two chunin again. One dead, one captured." Akio nodded.
"It's almost morning. You should get some rest," Shikaku said, standing up.
"Nah, I'm good. Since they just lost two more chunin, next time they'll probably send a jōnin. I wanna be ready for that. Might even be able to take him down too," Akio replied, shaking his head. The sun was rising—no point in going back to sleep now.
"Taking on a jōnin's not gonna be easy."
"I've already tested their level. These 'chunin' were basically genin. They could follow my movements with their eyes, but they were way too slow to react. I doubt their jōnin are much better."
"Don't get cocky," Shikaku warned. "If that jōnin turns out to be stronger than you expected, you might not even survive the first hit."
"…Got it," Akio nodded seriously.
"....."