"Captain Soda and Takuto are in a coma," Dosuke said. "We can only take the head back to the village. Maybe they can extract information."
"Let's go, Sister Tatee!" he said. Dosuke slung Soda over his back.
Dosuke and Tatee each carried a person on their shoulders and rushed toward the Land of Fire.
Their steps echoed through the woods.
"Dosuke, hurry," Tatee said, standing on a tree branch. She wiped sweat from her forehead and adjusted Takuto on her back.
The battle and long journey left Tatee and Dosuke panting.
Dosuke leaned Soda against a tree. He pulled steel wire from his pouch and set a trap.
Dosuke did not expect the trap to stop Sunagakure's forces. He just wanted to gauge their distance.
He set traps at every stop along the way.
"Got it," Dosuke said. He finished the trap, picked up Soda, and moved on.
Blood seeped through his bandaged abdomen.
Neither Dosuke nor Tatee spoke. They kept moving silently.
Dawn broke in the east. Figures darted through the dense forest.
"We made it to the Land of Fire," Tatee said, stopping. Her voice held a spark of relief.
Dosuke stayed quiet. He scanned the area. "Sister Tatee, is it too quiet?"
Tatee's Byakugan activated. Blue veins bulged at her eyes. Her 360-degree vision spotted six ninjas surrounding them.
"Dosuke, we might not escape," Tatee said, smiling bitterly. She signaled they were surrounded. She set Takuto down and took a fighting stance.
Dosuke saw her move and understood. He placed Soda on the ground, hiding five explosive tags beneath him with a trigger trap.
The tags came from Soda when they left Konoha. Each had two. Soda, as captain, had three from the village.
Dosuke also took Soda's tags.
"Dosuke," Tatee said, watching through her Byakugan. She swallowed her words.
A ninja's corpse held too much information. Konoha could extract secrets from a body dead less than a day.
"Soda is a Jonin," Dosuke said flatly. "He knows more than us. His body cannot stay."
Dosuke stood, gripping a kunai, back-to-back with Tatee, ready to fight.
"I will find their weak spot and make an opening," Tatee whispered. "You must survive. I wanted to meet Tsunade-sama with you."
"We will talk if we live," Dosuke said, feeling Tatee's warmth behind him. "Any chance, Sister Tatee?"
"You have Byakugan," a voice said. "No need to hide. Surrender, Konoha kids."
Five masked Sunagakure ninjas stepped from the trees.
Dosuke's heart sank. He and Tatee were drained from fighting Yang and traveling. No chakra remained.
They thought reaching the Land of Fire meant safety, but the enemy had circled ahead. Winning was impossible.
Sunagakure's Torture Unit, part of their Anbu, extracted information from enemy ninjas. With most Anbu watching the One-Tail Jinchuriki, the Torture Unit handled tracking and intelligence.
"They killed Yang's team and won't surrender," a Sunagakure Jonin said, eyeing Dosuke and Tatee's stances.
"Take them."
The five ninjas attacked.
A wind blade flew at Dosuke and Tatee. Dosuke gripped his kunai.
A strange kunai flashed before his eyes.
"Earth Style, Earth Wall!" A circular wall rose, shielding Dosuke and Tatee from the attacks.
A blond young man in a Konoha Jonin vest, forehead protector tied high, crouched before Dosuke.
"Reinforcements," Dosuke thought, his heart lifting.
"Got you!" The man turned and grinned at Dosuke and Tatee.
"I am here," Minato said, facing the Sunagakure ninjas. "Leave. Konoha does not want war with Sunagakure."
"Who are you, brat?" the Sunagakure Jonin sneered.
Before he finished, Minato vanished and reappeared. A Rasengan glowed in his hand. It slammed into the Jonin.
The Jonin's arm broke. He spun and crashed away.
The other Sunagakure ninjas saw their leader fall. One grabbed him. They fled in flashes.
"I am Minato Namikaze, Konoha Jonin," Minato said, not chasing. He turned to Dosuke and Tatee.
Dosuke relaxed. With the future Fourth Hokage here, only the Third Kazekage could threaten them now.
"Minato Jonin, I am Dosuke, Tsunade-sensei's student," Dosuke said. Pain surged through his body.
"Oh, you are Dosuke," Minato said, smiling. "Jiraiya-sensei said Tsunade-sama took a genius student."
"Minato Jonin, why are you here?" Tatee asked. "I did not sense you."
"I was on an escort mission nearby," Minato said. "I noticed Sunagakure ninjas in the Land of Fire and tracked them. I did not expect their ambush."
"Let's get back to the village," Minato said, eyeing Soda and Takuto on the ground, and the wounded Dosuke and Tatee.
Dosuke stepped forward. He disarmed the trigger trap and pocketed the explosive tags.
Minato watched Dosuke dismantle the trap. He knew Dosuke might have died fighting if he had not arrived.
"Let's move," Minato said. He checked Takuto and lifted him from the ground.
The three headed toward Konoha.