"Captain Nakajima Sodai and Aburame Takuto are unconscious. The only option is to take the Puppet Master's head back to the village and see if they can extract any useful information," Okamoto Dousuke said grimly.
"Let's go, Sister Ritsu."
Okamoto Dousuke and Hyuga Ritsu each carried a body on their backs and hurried towards the Land of Fire.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
Hyuga Ritsu and Okamoto Dousuke moved swiftly through the trees.
"Dousuke, hurry! The enemy might send pursuers at any moment," Hyuga Ritsu said, perched on a large tree trunk, wiping sweat from her forehead as she adjusted Aburame Takuto on her back.
The recent intense battle and the long journey had left Hyuga Ritsu and Okamoto Dousuke winded.
Huff…
Okamoto Dousuke carefully lowered Nakajima Sodai against a tree trunk. He then took out a length of steel wire from his tool bag and began setting a trap.
Okamoto Dousuke wasn't expecting the trap to stop any determined Sunagakure pursuers, but he hoped it would at least alert them to the enemy's proximity.
So, every so often as they traveled, Okamoto Dousuke would stop briefly to set another simple trap.
"Okay, got it," Okamoto Dousuke replied after finishing the trap, then hefted Nakajima Sodai back onto his shoulders and continued on their way.
A faint trace of blood was seeping through the bandage on his abdomen.
There was no conversation during their trek. Okamoto Dousuke and Hyuga Ritsu remained silent, focused only on putting distance between themselves and the battle site.
The eastern sky began to lighten, and several figures were constantly moving through the dense forest.
"We've finally arrived in the Land of Fire," Hyuga Ritsu said, stopping, her tone slightly relieved.
Okamoto Dousuke didn't reply immediately. Instead, he carefully scanned their surroundings. "Sister Ritsu, do you sense that it's… too quiet around here?"
Byakugan!
Hearing Okamoto Dousuke's observation, Hyuga Ritsu also sensed that something was amiss.
The weather was growing warmer this month, and early morning was usually when insects and birds were most active. Yet, there was a noticeable absence of any such sounds.
The veins around Hyuga Ritsu's eyes became prominent as her Byakugan activated. Within her 360-degree field of vision, she spotted six ninjas stealthily surrounding her and Okamoto Dousuke.
"Dousuke, we probably can't escape," Hyuga Ritsu said with a bitter smile, gesturing to indicate they were surrounded. She gently placed Aburame Takuto on the ground and adopted a fighting stance.
Observing Hyuga Ritsu's actions, Okamoto Dousuke was initially surprised but quickly understood her intention.
He carefully laid the unconscious Nakajima Sodai flat on the ground. Then, he pressed five detonating tags under his body, secretly creating a simple trigger trap.
These detonating tags had been given to them by Nakajima Sodai before they left the village. Everyone had two, but Nakajima Sodai, as the Captain, had three, which were issued by the village itself.
Okamoto Dousuke also retrieved Nakajima Sodai's remaining detonating tag.
"Dousuke, you…" Seeing Okamoto Dousuke's actions through her Byakugan, Hyuga Ritsu swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue.
A ninja's corpse could reveal valuable information. Konoha was capable of extracting intelligence from a body that had been deceased for no more than twenty-four hours.
"Captain Nakajima Sodai is a high-ranking ninja in our village; he must possess more crucial information than us. His body must not fall into enemy hands," Okamoto Dousuke said in a resolute tone.
He stood up straight, drew a kunai, and positioned himself back-to-back with Hyuga Ritsu, assuming a fighting stance.
"I will do my utmost to find a weakness in their defense and create an opportunity for you to break through. You must survive, Okamoto Dousuke. Unfortunately… I still hoped to use you to locate Lady Tsunade," Hyuga Ritsu said in a low voice.
"Let's discuss that after we manage to get back alive. Do you believe there's still a chance, Sister Ritsu?" Okamoto Dousuke asked, a hint of helplessness in his voice as he felt the warmth emanating from the delicate body behind him.
"I didn't anticipate a Byakugan user. There's no need to hide any longer. Little brats from Konoha, surrender!" Five veiled Sand Village ninjas emerged from the surrounding woods, encircling them from all directions.
Seeing the Sunagakure ninjas appear, Okamoto Dousuke's heart sank. He and Hyuga Ritsu had just endured a fierce battle with Kugutsu Kyōjin and had been traveling for an extended period, leaving them with barely a tenth of their original chakra reserves.
Upon entering the Land of Fire, they had hoped that no pursuers would be on their trail, but they hadn't expected the enemy to anticipate their route and lie in wait. Their chances of victory were slim to none.
The Sand Village Interrogation Team was a subordinate unit of the Sand Village Anbu, specializing in interrogating and analyzing intelligence gathered from enemy village ninjas.
The primary combat force of the Sand Village Anbu was dedicated to monitoring the One-Tailed Shukaku Jinchuriki, leaving the task of tracking rogue ninjas and analyzing intelligence primarily to the interrogation team.
"It seems the two puppet masters were eliminated by the opposing team, and they have no intention of surrendering," one of the Sunagakure Jonin remarked, observing Hyuga Ritsu and Okamoto Dousuke in their battle-ready postures.
"Take them down!"
The five Sunagakure ninjas launched their attack simultaneously.
A wind blade hurtled towards Okamoto Dousuke and Hyuga Ritsu, and Okamoto Dousuke tightened his grip on his kunai.
At that precise moment, a distinctive kunai flashed before Okamoto Dousuke's eyes.
"Wind Release: Air Barrier Jutsu!" A circular wall of air erupted, encasing Hyuga Ritsu and Okamoto Dousuke, blocking all the incoming attacks.
A young man with spiky golden hair, wearing a standard Konoha Jonin vest and a Konoha forehead protector, crouched in front of Okamoto Dousuke.
"Looks like reinforcements have arrived." Okamoto Dousuke's heart leaped with relief as he saw the ninja who had suddenly appeared.
"We made it just in time!" The golden-haired young man turned and smiled reassuringly at Hyuga Ritsu and Okamoto Dousuke.
"I'm here now; you two can leave. Konoha has no intention of engaging in hostilities with Sunagakure at this time." Minato Namikaze said, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding Sunagakure ninjas.
"Who do you think you are, you little brat, Huh?!" The Sunagakure Jonin leading the team scoffed disdainfully.
Before he could finish his sentence, Minato Namikaze instantly appeared in front of him and, with a swift movement, unleashed an unsealed Ninjutsu, imprinting the Rasengan directly into the Jonin's body.
The Sunagakure captain's arm was broken, and he was sent flying backwards.
The remaining Sunagakure ninjas, witnessing their captain's instantaneous defeat, completely lost their will to fight. One of them quickly picked up their fallen leader and vanished in a burst of speed.
"Hello, I'm Konoha Jonin, Minato Namikaze." Watching the remaining enemies flee, Minato showed no signs of pursuing them. He turned around, a gentle smile on his face, and greeted Okamoto Dousuke and Hyuga Ritsu.
Looking at Minato Namikaze, Okamoto Dousuke felt a wave of relief wash over him. With the future Fourth Hokage here, he and his companions were essentially safe, unless the Third Kazekage himself appearing before them.
"Hello, Namikaze-sensie. I'm Okamoto Dousuke, a disciple of Lady Tsunade," Okamoto Dousuke replied, a sense of ease settling over him despite the throbbing pain throughout his body.
"Oh, so you're Okamoto Dousuke. I heard from Jiraiya-sensei that Tsunade-sensei had taken on a talented new student," Minato Namikaze said with a warm smile.
"Namikaze-sensei, why are you here? And how did we not sense your approach earlier?" Hyuga Ritsu asked, her gentle face showing a hint of surprise.
"Oh, it's like this. I was leading a team on an escort mission nearby and discovered signs that some individuals from Sunagakure had crossed into the Land of Fire's territory. I had been observing them from a distance and realized they were lying in wait to ambush you."
"Let's go; I'll escort you back to the village," Minato Namikaze said, glancing at the two unconscious figures on the ground, as well as the injured Okamoto Dousuke and Hyuga Ritsu.
Okamoto Dousuke stepped forward, disarmed the simple trigger trap he had set earlier, retrieved the detonating tags, and placed them back into his ninja tool bag.
Minato Namikaze watched Okamoto Dousuke dismantle the trap, realizing that had he not arrived when he did, Okamoto Dousuke might have chosen to take his own life along with their enemies without hesitation.
"Let's go," Minato Namikaze said, walking over to Hyuga Ritsu and gently lifting Aburame Takuto from the ground.
The three of them then began their journey back towards Konoha.