Chapter 1 - Late Mission
The night is silence, with every animal hide in it nest as it sleep. The moon reach it highest, it light shine through the forest, show an owl wait patiently for its food. As the prey just get in sight, a figure land on the branch, scare the bird then disappear before the bird can fly away. Three more figure follow behind, each breath heavily due to the tired from travelling for couple of day. A person from the group spoke:
"Why the hell are we doing another mission at this late, Sotaro-sensei?", a girl in the group ask, jumping from on branch to another, look tired from the previous mission. The two other figure nodded, look at their teacher worriedly about this sudden assignment. One of the boy increase his speed to catch up his teacher then ask:
"You say that you will explain the mission on the way to the destination, sensei?". There no answer from the taller man next to him, so he continued his speak, "So will you tell us now?". Suddenly, Sotaro held his hand up, signal them to stop. When all them are position themselves on a branch, Sotaro face them and speak:
"First, I going to tell you about the danger of this mission, so listen carefully.". All three students watch the teacher, preparing to heard the worst. "This is an A-rank mission, come from the Hokage himself.". Hearing that, all three students's face turn little pale, all are shaking at hearing that.
"A-rank? For two new Chuunin and a Genin?", the other boy said, still gasping the fact that Lord Third send a group of inexperience shinobi to do A-rank mission of all thing, especially a team that just finish their mission. "What the hell does the Hokage thinking, giving a mission for us -".
"SEITARO!", Sotaro yell at him, cause the boy to cease any talk.
"The Third know our team strength, that why he give us this mission. So don't you dare disrespect him!", he look at his student with threatening eyes.
"Hai...", said Seitaro.
"Our mission is to scout the surrounding area of ,presumably, Orochimaru hideout.", before he can continued, whisper has start in the group, with fear and anxious. "We scout the surrounding area, kids. So don't worry.", Sotaro try his best to reassure his kids about the situation, with somewhat of a success as all of them calm down a bit. Then one of the student ask his teacher:
"So why does we take this mission, sensei?", he ask, still question about the decision.
"This is a scouting mission,", Sotaro repeat the mission detail, "and because our team is the closet team that have great skill to do this kind of job. And our job isn't spied on Orochimaru himself, but tracking an escape guinea pig from his old lab.".
"A what, sensei?", the boy ask.
"An escape guinea pig,", Sotaro repeat this detail for him, "Hibari's team was the first one to look after this mission, but most of her team found dead, except for one who say that they saw a kid run out of Orochimaru old lab. We will capture this one to see if it have any important info about him."
The girl of the team ask her teammates:" Wonder what Orochimaru test did he experiment on?"
"Beat me.", respond Seitaro.
"We will go now", Sotaro say to his students before jump to another branch.
"Come on.", said the boy.
"Kay", the other agreed, all three follow suit the teacher. The four continued their journey before Sotaro land on the ground, follow by three young shinobi. The teacher then look around before something catch his eyes and signal his student to follow.
"This is the place where Hibari-sensei team last seen the subject, right?", the girl ask.
"That right, Ogi.", Sotaro agreed to his student statement, then gather them and said:
"We will split into two pair. Ogi and Motoyuki will check the ground, while I and Seitaro will go up and check the on the branches.".
'The branches?', Motoyuki thought, 'Our target is a shinobi?'. Catching the questioning look on her teammate, Ogi said:
"This is Orochimaru subject so the person must have some level of chakra, and seeing how that kid escape Orochimaru's lab, the kid must train by missing-nin."
"Oh.", Motoyuki answer back, no emotion show on his face. A sigh later, Ogi said :"Activate your Byakugan, please.". Motoyuki activate his eyes, then he look around. In the grey of the trees and animals - except for blue energy of his comrade -, a faint chakra appear before absence, follow by three more chakra.
''Enemies shinobi!?'. When he focus more, he see about three other chakra, with bigger storage, come near the weaker one. As that sight , he tell Ogi:
"I've found 4 people around here."
Ogi then report back to her sensei via mic then ask him:
"Who are they?".
"3 presume shinobi, and one children. Must be our target."
"Report that back to him, and said that we will hel-", an explosion cut off Motoyuki sentence, as he focus his eye to find a chakra energy in a form a ball follow the weak chakra that run closer to them.
At the explosion, Ogi gritted her teeth than say, " We will go in now sensei, the kid is in dangerous.". She run straight to the sound of the explosion, now follow with a cry and several scream of the adult. Follow behind her is Motoyuki, as he warn her.
"An enemy on the left of you.", while block an attack from the right before dodge a kunai. As the girl see the opponent, she roll over to escape an incoming fireball. A sound of two kunai clash together, as Ogi and her opponent - a well build man, with short dark hair and wearing an unknown village headband - staring at each other. The man then kick her legs off, cause her to fall. The moment her back hit the ground, the man thrust his kunai into ground, a moment late as she roll over the right side and get up and charge direct at the man, kunai held in front of her. When the man just got sight of Ogi, a body hit him with a pain in his hip as he fell and pin down, a kunai held to his throat. The young girl lean close to the man and ask:" Who are you? Why do you hunt down the kid?". Her question seem to hit something important as the man suddenly tense. "How do you know we hunt a kid?", he seem scare at the fact that she know his doing.
"I don't know about that," she answer back with anger, "but one of our friend does. Now I will ask the first question again. .You?".
"I don't need to tell you!", the man scream quickly, like a child. Ogi look at him with a glare , before said to the man behind her:
"What do we do to him now, sensei?", the man look at the girl teacher, fear show on his face as one of his comrade had been knock unconscious, while other is nowhere to be seen. He start to shake, fear for the consequences . Then Sotaro speak:
"You are one of Orochimaru servants, right.".
The man talk back with mockery:" His fodder, to say the least.", the man chuckle wildly then look at Ogi said:"I don't know.". The girl look confuse but still keep the guy down. Her sensei then ask:" Do you know why does he want you to hunt the kid?".
"No. I only know that he want us to destroy everything in that lab, people included.", he smile wryly. Sotaro look stoically but with a heavy atmosphere cause the smile to halt the man and he look down. Sotaro continued to ask:"So the kid is the only survivor?".
"I don't know.".
"What do you mean?", Seitaro said, tense a little bit.
"We have our own assignment to who dealt what. I just destroying the facilities and equipment after the missing guy obtain all essential infomation.".
"So,", Motoyuki said calmly, but fury can be seen in his face, holding up the sleeping man, "this must be the one who eliminated the 'subjects'.".
"...Yeah.".
"So where is the child?", Sotaro ask. The man laugh before answer:"You have a Hyuga there, so why don't you ask him to look for him?". All of Sotaro students, except for Motoyuki, look at him with a deadpan look. He silent for a minute before said:" I thought it would be easier for him to tell us, as Motoyuki have use his eyes in his battle.".
"Those two aren't that hard, sensei.", he replied, "And I and Ogi did fought those man while they're searching the kid so he may lost sight of him.". Sotaro laugh nervously before Motoyuki to use Byakugan. About half an hour later, he flinch, cause the three to look cautiously, weapon ready at Motoyuki direction.
"Another enemy?,", Seitaro ask which receive a shake from the Hyuga. "Or Orochimaru!?".
"Neither.", he state while the shock had been tuned down a bit. "It from the kid, but the chakra just suddenly explode -", his eyes widen, shock and frighten can be seen before he roar:"INCOMING ATTACK!". At that, all dodge out as a giant root charge and smash through the tree. When Motoyuki sit up, a body of a man, what left of him, crush under the root.
"That from the kid?", Seitaro said, still shock from that attack. When he just stand up, Motoyuki ran past him at a high speed, rush toward the screaming boy.
"Motoyuki, it dangerous.", Seitaro warn his friend, which is ignore as he continues to speed up.
"Sensei," he say to Sotaro as he follow the Hyuga boy, "Help Ogi on the other side while I chase White Eyes.". Before Sotaro can said anything, Seitaro is out of his sight already. With a sigh, Seitaro jump over the root and land, only to find the unconscious man. "Those kid", he mutter before tied the man to a tree and start to follow his students.
As Motoyuki continued to dodge from incoming branches, he see the chakra from the kid had return to normal level, but still stronger when he first seen him.
"Motoyuki", Seitaro said behind, " the kid is moving to the left.".
"So a clone?". Motoyuki commented, which surprise Seitaro.
"He can do that, at this age?", Seitaro said, amusing with this kid. Motoyuki lift his head up a bit, as he said, "Ogi is approaching the boy.".
"What? I though she is with sensei!". Seitaro said worriedly. Motoyuki shake his head and speak, "She probably go before I rush to the boy.". The two boy decide to sped up as quick as they can, as sound of tree crash to the ground and the scream of the boy now louder than before.
As both now near to the boy, a hoarse voice can be heard, sound scare :"gO awAY, lEAve me aLonE.".
"I won't hurt you, 'kay kid.", Ogi softer voice also speak, try to calm down the frightening boy. The boy shaking violently, tear flow down the boy hollow and full of bruises cheek, with deform left side on his face and unnatural white skin on that side. Sensing the two boy coming, the boy frightened more, his left arm move to the boys and two branches shot out of the boy arms and fly straight at the two.
"DODGE!", Seitaro yell as he move to a nearby tree, while Motoyuki break a branch come to him. Ogi appear behind the boy and knock him out.