Evening had fallen.
Like the twilight of a human life, the setting sun was sinking toward the horizon. The defeated Kiri-nin pressed on, step after weary step. No one complained, no one voiced their pain—every pair of eyes strained forward, desperate for the salty tang of sea air, for the sight of ships flying Kirigakure's banners.
As long as they reached the shore—
As long as they boarded the ships—
They could live to return to their village, to see their parents, their families again.
That longing drove them forward, as though exhaustion had been forgotten, stumbling one step after another down the overgrown paths of the Land of Fire's countryside.
But—
Among the hundred-odd Kiri-nin yearning to go home, one man at the rear kept turning back, gazing down the road they had already traveled.
That man was Kirigumo Ryūsei.
As the temporary commander of this Kiri -nin force, he bore the responsibilities of leadership. Which meant he could only assign the life-threatening rearguard duty to his closest friend. Fortunately, not long after parting from him, reinforcements had arrived.
When they learned their pursuer was Orochimaru, and that Hōzuki Mangetsu had gone alone to face him—
The reinforcements, led by Jūzō Biwa, quickly decided after brief discussion to go and aid Mangetsu.
Not merely because of Mangetsu's standing, but to preserve as much fighting strength as possible. The more strong fighters survived, the greater their chances of resisting Konoha's pursuit. Only then could they safeguard the retreat of the hundred Kiri-nin under their charge.
Of course—
The most critical factor was Mangetsu's identity. He was the most outstanding of the younger generation of the Hōzuki clan. If he were to fall here, the consequences for those left behind would be dire.
Thus Jūzō Biwa and the others set out to find him.
And once again,
Ryūsei was left behind.
It did not please him. In truth, he felt stifled. He feared death, yes—but that did not mean he took joy in sitting safely in the rear. Humanity was contradictory like that: precisely because we fear death, we long to fight, to overcome that fear!
But this time,
duty bound his hands and feet. He could not charge into the battlefield to conquer his dread.
All he could do was wait,
hoping to see his comrades return.
As Ryūsei turned back yet again in disappointment, his gaze shifting toward the road ahead—
"Ryūsei-sama!"
Beside him,
a sensory-nin suddenly cried out.
"Mangetsu-sama is back! I can feel his chakra! And not just Mangetsu—Jūzō-sama and the others are all approaching too!"
"Are you certain?"
Ryūsei seized the sensory-nin's shoulder, his voice taut, hardly daring to breathe.
"Of course."
The sensor thumped his chest in assurance.
"Good."
Ryūsei immediately released him, halting in his tracks to stare down the road.
As their commander paused, so too did the others, their discipline outweighing even their burning desire to hurry home. Seeing Ryūsei stop, they stopped as well.
Fortunately,
Ryūsei caught the silence and quickly barked—
"Don't stop—keep moving!"
A superior's command was absolute.
The Kiri-nin resumed their march, leaving Ryūsei alone in place to wait.
He didn't wait long. Before long, the figures of Jūzō Biwa, Hōzuki Mangetsu, and the others came into view, racing swiftly toward him. They clearly saw him waiting, for they began to slow their pace.
"Mangetsu! You're unharmed?"
Ryūsei's voice shook with excitement at such an obvious question.
Given Mangetsu's strong stride,
anyone with eyes could see he was perfectly fine.
"I'm fine,"
Mangetsu answered, smiling at his friend's concern. He added with pride,
"Didn't I tell you before? The Hōzuki clan's ability to survive isn't just talk. Killing me isn't so easy!"
"You bastard."
Ryūsei grinned and punched him on the shoulder, sending water droplets splashing from Mangetsu's body.
"Enough, Ryūsei. This isn't the time for jokes."
Jūzō Biwa cut them off sternly.
"We escaped, but not because we drove Orochimaru back. It's because Kyoichi stayed behind to hold him off!"
Among them was Koeda Yūsuke. His cousin Kyoichi's fate was now uncertain. Seeing Ryūsei and Mangetsu laughing together in such a moment—Jūzō had to intervene before resentment could take root.
And beyond that,
even without Yūsuke present, none of them could ignore the debt they now owed Kyoichi.
If not for Kyoichi's choice to stay behind, Orochimaru would likely have caught them already. Who knew how many of them would have survived? Jūzō couldn't dictate the thoughts of others, but as for himself—he would never forget this debt.
If Kyoichi did not return,
then one day, he would repay the Koeda clan in kind.
"Kyoichi…"
Ryūsei's smile quickly faded. He looked over the group again, finally realizing only four of the five reinforcements had come back: Jūzō Biwa, Terumī Mei, Suiren, and Koeda Yūsuke. The young Koeda Kyoichi was not among them.
Now,
their faces all looked grim—especially Yūsuke, whose expression was dark enough to drip water.
And his cousin—Terumī Mei—glared directly at Ryūsei, snapping in fury:
"Cousin Ryūsei, has your brain rotted?"
"Forgive me, Mei, I…"
Ryūsei wanted to excuse himself by saying he wasn't familiar with Kyoichi, that it hadn't struck him immediately. But he realized such words would sound cold and only invite more trouble. So he swallowed them, instead rubbing his forehead with a bitter smile.
"Perhaps my head really has gone dull. I just can't think straight right now."
"Enough. No more talk—we keep moving."
Jūzō Biwa's tone brooked no argument.
"Aren't we going to wait… for Kyoichi?"
Ryūsei asked softly.
"Wait on the ship."
Jūzō ground his teeth.
"If Kyoichi survived, he'll make his way to the coast and find us. If not—then lingering here would only waste the sacrifice he made."