Chapter Nine:

~Tsuki's POV

I ran alongside Nanako-sensei, speeding through the forest just outside of the village. We kept to the shadows, using the dim light that was provided to guide our path.

Nanako-sensei reached up to press the radio on her neck. "It's near dawn," she said quietly. "Keep a sharp eye out for anything out of the ordinary, and stay together."

From my own radio, I heard a soft fuzz on the feed before Ryoma responded.

"Copy."

Nanako-sensei glanced at me. "Your senses are better than mine thanks to your clan's bloodline. Let me know if you discover anything."

I nodded.

It was mid morning when Nanako-sensei decided it was time for a quick rest. We had been searching the forest since dawn, and so far we've found nothing of importance. Nanako-sensei made it a point to keep in touch with Ryoma and Yoshiko, her way of making sure they weren't attacked or the sort.

I was sitting on the ground with my back against a tree, taking advantage of the break. Nanako-sensei was drinking some water, looking around from her spot in front of me.

She turned her gaze to me and grinned. "You've really come a long way from when you first joined our team, Tsuki," she told me. "You should be proud of yourself."

I gave a sheepish smile and nodded. "Ryoma and Yoshiko are much stronger."

She chuckled. "Strength comes in various forms. Remember that."

Our small conversation was cut short when we heard fuzz on our radios.

"Sensei, we've found something."

Nanako-sensei reached up a second later and pressed her radio. "I read you, Ryoma."

"…You two need to have a look at this."

Nanako-sensei and I shared a look. Ryoma sounded hesitant, and that was out of the ordinary for sure. Whatever they found, it was important.

Ryoma gave us the coordinates and we swiftly made our way to their location. When we arrived, we found Ryoma and Yoshiko on a small cliff looking over a portion of the forest. Ryoma was kneeling, looking over the edge, while Yoshiko stood behind him.

"Ryoma, Yoshiko, report," Nanako-sensei said.

Ryoma didn't respond; his focus was on whatever was below them.

Yoshiko turned around with a worried look on her face. "I think it's better if you saw it yourself, sensei." She pointed past Ryoma to the forest floor.

We walked up to stand beside them and looked down. I now understood what had them worried. Villagers much like the ones we saw yesterday were stumbling slowly through the trees. They shared the same look of emptiness on their faces, and they took no notice to us at all.

"What in the hell is going on?" Nanako-sensei muttered.

"They've been coming through here for a while," Ryoma told us. "And it looks like they're all headed in the same direction."

"What does this mean, sensei?" Yoshiko asked.

Nanako-sensei smirked. "It means they made a mistake." She motioned for us to pay attention to her. "Alright, Ryoma, do your thing."

It was Ryoma's turn to smirk. In the next second, he vanished. I was in awe, having no idea he could disappear so quickly.

Yoshiko punched the air happily. "Alright! Time for some action!"

Nanako-sensei chuckled and turned to me. "Tsuki, you're about to walk into the most dangerous part of a ninja mission. Keep your wits about you and trust your teammates. That goes for you too, Yoshi. When Ryoma gives us the coordinates, we'll have to be quick so the enemy doesn't catch on."

I shared a brief nod with Yoshiko. I continued to watch as the villagers got further away.

'This is my chance,' I thought. 'Whatever happens next, I have to give it all I've got to make up for what happened yesterday.'

It only took a short time for Ryoma to contact us.

"Got it."

We found Ryoma near a clearing. Nothing around gave any immediate impression, but there was a different air about this place that told me something was out of the ordinary.

"You weren't discovered?" Nanako-sensei asked.

Ryoma huffed lightly. "Don't insult me, sensei."

Nanako-sensei and Yoshiko both chuckled, and I remembered how they told me that Ryoma excelled in stealth tactics. He was a mastermind when it came to keeping undercover, and he controlled his chakra to a point where he's practically undetectable.

"I followed the villagers to this location," he told us, motioning toward the clearing.

"But nothing's here," Yoshiko observed.

"That's what I thought too." Ryoma turned and moved some bushes out of the way for us. "Then I saw that."

Looking past the bushes, I saw a small cave. From the outside it looked like it was hardly big enough to fit a few people, let alone an entire village.

"Hmm…" Nanako-sensei scoured the area with a sharp eye. Then she fixated her gaze on me. Without her asking, I understood what she wanted me to do.

I closed my eyes and focused my hearing. I heard everything around us; the birds chirping, bugs buzzing, even the trees being shaken from the wind. Leveling my breathing, I drowned those noises out and searched for other sounds.

Then I heard it. Voices. Faint and mumbled, but they were there. There was only a few, but I could tell there were several people. I could hear their breathing. It sounded like it was coming from below us.

I opened my eyes and looked at my team. "Voices below."

"That cave must be an entry way for a secret base," Nanako-sensei said.

"So we actually found one of Orochimaru's hideouts?" Yoshiko asked.

Nanako-sensei nodded and looked like she was thinking. Hard. "I need to report this to Lord Hokage right away."

"By the time you go back to the village and do that, those villagers may be done for," Ryoma reminded her.

"My thoughts exactly," she agreed. "Which is why I'm about to assign something very difficult to you three." She gave a very serious look, something almost out of character for her. "I'm going to signal for a messenger," she said. "I'll make haste and return as quickly as possible. While I'm gone, you three are going to take over the mission here. Find a way inside, rescue the villagers, and get out. If you have to, fight the enemy. You know how."

"But, sensei," Yoshiko started, looking nervous, "this is a way more dangerous mission than any of us have taken before. Are you sure we can do this?"

Nanako-sensei gave us a confidant grin. "Sure you can! You're my students. And the synergy between you three is impressive, even for only being together for a short time. You three stick together, help each other, and you'll do just fine. Remember, your main objective is to rescue the villagers. Only fight if you can't avoid confrontation. Got it?"

"Yes, sensei!" my team said. I nodded confidently.

I was ready. I had to be.

We were searching the cave, looking for the way into the base. A sort of switch to open a door perhaps, or an opening leading to it.

"Why do you think Nanako-sensei left this to us?" Yoshiko asked.

I looked back at her, then glanced at Ryoma, knowing he had the answer.

"We found a secret base created by Orochimaru," he said, not taking his attention away from his search. "She knew that if we all came down here, no one would be able to alert the village what we found until after we were done here. By the time we alerted the village and had a team of ANBU out here, whoever's here could be long gone and taken every shred of evidence with them."

"So we wouldn't be able to figure out what they're doing to the villagers here," Yoshiko concluded.

Ryoma only nodded, and Yoshiko seemed solemn. Then she looked around.

"They're underneath us," I heard her murmur. Then her gaze honed in on a single spot on the ground near my feet. She walked over and knelt down. "Hmm…" She made some hand signs and placed her hands on the ground. "Release!"

The ground shimmered and then faded, revealing a trap door. I stared in awe, amazed that Yoshiko found it.

Ryoma had turned and saw the trap door. He walked up to us and nodded in approval, patting Yoshiko's head. "Nice job, Yoshi."

She giggled and clasped her hands behind her back. Ryoma knelt down and slowly opened the trap door. Peering down, we couldn't see much except for darkness. Closing my eyes to focus my hearing, I couldn't detect anyone near the opening. I nodded to Ryoma, letting him know we were in the clear.

"Okay, I go down first, check for any enemies nearby," Ryoma began. "Tsuki, once I give the okay, you and Yoshi hop down. We'll be relying on you for enemy detection when we get to the villagers. Yoshi, you're gonna take the rear. Warn us if we're about to be discovered from behind. I'll take point. Just do exactly as I do, and we'll get through without being spotted."

Yoshiko saluted him, half joking half serious. I nodded. Ryoma was the stealthy one in our group. We were on a stealth mission now, so we knew that we had to listen to Ryoma.

Ryoma jumped down the hatch quietly. I listened for his signal, and heard a very faint knock against the rock wall. Nodding to Yoshiko, I hopped down and landed next to Ryoma. Yoshiko held onto the ladder above us, closed the door, and then let go to land beside us.

Looking around, I noticed that the area was dimly lit with torches lining the walls. It would be difficult to see, but that only gives us the advantage.

Ryoma turned to us and started signing. "Follow me. Stay close."

Swiftly and quietly, we made our way through the various hallways. I tried to keep close to Ryoma as I listened out for the way to go. I was still learning how to accurately control my bloodline, so I could only hope I wasn't messing this up.

I motioned for Ryoma to turn left at the next corner. When he did, he slowed to a stop and held his hand out. He gave Yoshiko a look and she began making hand signs. Holding the sign of the ram, she kneeled close to the wall. Ryoma gently pushed me down with him and reached out to place a hand on Yoshiko's shoulder.

Seconds later, two people came walking down the hall we sat in. They didn't seem to notice us, and I could only assume it was because Yoshiko used genjutsu to hide us. Her specialty. Nonetheless, this was a good opportunity for us.

"How many in the final count?" one of them asked the other.

"Twenty-seven."

"Think that'll be enough?"

"If it isn't, there's an entire village waiting with more guinea pigs."

"Come to think of it, what is he doing with them anyway?"

"Who knows? All we need to be concerned about is that we're getting paid for this crap."

"Right." As they turned the corner, their voices faded.

Yoshiko waited a few moments, then released her jutsu. She panted lightly, trying to catch her breath. Ryoma moved closer to her, checking her over.

I gave her a worried look. "You okay?" I signed.

She grinned warily and gave a thumbs up. Ryoma patted her shoulder encouragingly and motioned for us to keep going.

We kept going down the hall, searching for the villagers. I nearly passed a door when I halted. I sensed people behind it. A lot of people.

Yoshiko snapped her fingers twice to get Ryoma's attention. He turned and came back to us.

"Here?" he whispered.

I nodded and listened, placing my ear against the door. I gave the go ahead to Ryoma and he opened the door. We slipped inside the room quickly and closed the door behind us. What we saw inside shocked us.

There were four cells in the room. In each cell were five to six villagers, all with the same vacant expression on their faces. On the right side of the room, two chairs sat next to each other. A villager was strapped down in one of them, their eyes blank. To the left of the room were three glass cylinders. One was empty, but the other two were filled with clear liquid, and each had a villager suspended inside them. Wires were attached to their bodies, but the most disturbing fact was that they looked almost skeletal. Judging by the flat lines on the computer screens in front of the cylinders, it was safe to assume they were dead.

Yoshiko walked up to the cylinders. "What is this?" she asked lightly, sounding scared.

Ryoma moved to the villager in the chair. He felt her neck for a pulse, but I guessed he found none when he sighed and closed her eyes. "A harsh reality," he answered. "This is what some people in the world do, there's no denying that."

I examined the cylinders more closely. They had tubes running from them to the back of the chairs across the room. Then I looked at the bodies. So this is what he's doing.

I looked at Ryoma, and I could feel myself starting to panic. "Transfer."

He nodded and looked to the cells. "We have to get the rest of them out. Once Nanako-sensei comes back with the ANBU team, they can do the clean up and get the other three. They'll be returned to their village for a proper funeral."

Yoshiko backed away from the cylinders and hugged her arms. "This is way too creepy. If this is the transfer thing Orochimaru was doing, what exactly is he transferring?"

"My guess? Life," Ryoma answered. "He's using the villagers as test subjects. He wants to complete the process before he moves to the real thing."

"So if this is the test, what is he truly after?"

"We don't have time to find out. Eventually someone will come back in here to continue their tests. The ANBU team will handle the investigation. For now, we have a job to do. First we need to get these villagers back to their senses." Turning to Yoshiko, he asked, "Is it genjutsu?"

"Only one way to find out for sure." Yoshiko walked up to one of the cells and peered inside. She gasped, "There are children in here."

"Yoshi, focus," Ryoma said. "The sooner we get them out, the sooner they'll be out of harm's way."

Yoshiko shook her head and looked around. I turned and noticed the cell key hanging near the door we came through. I went to grab it, then tossed it to her. I stayed by the door, keeping an ear out for the enemy.

Yoshiko opened the door to the cell she was in front of and walked in, kneeling next to the first villager. It was a middle-aged woman with dark hair, and even from where I stood I could see her eyes were as blank as the others.

Yoshiko performed her hand signs and pressed two fingers to the woman's forehead. "Release!"

The vacant look in the woman's eyes began to fade until they looked normal. The woman blinked a few times before she suddenly became aware.

"What? What is this? What's happening?" she asked.

Ryoma rushed in and knelt next to her. "You need to calm down. We're here to get you and the others out of here. We need your help keeping them calm when they wake up. Can you do that?"

"I don't understand," she said, scared.

"You and your friends have been kidnapped," Yoshiko briefly explained. "We were assigned this mission to help you escape. But we need your cooperation if we're to get out of here safely."

The woman took a moment to comprehend what my teammates said, but nodded.

So Yoshiko and Ryoma set to work, releasing the genjutsu on each villager. In turn the woman and some of the others worked to keep each other calm. The few children amongst the villagers were terrified. Some held back their tears, some cried openly but quietly. The older villagers took care of them. Everything was running smoothly so far.

After the last villagers was released, Ryoma and Yoshiko took a head count.

"There are twenty-four here, not counting the three dead," Ryoma muttered. Then he addressed the villagers. "We'll need all of you to cooperate with us and do as we say. You'll be divided up into three equal groups, which will be eight to each group. The three of us will lead one group at a time out of here, and you'll be free to return to your village. The adults who are able will carry the children so as we're not slowed down. I'll lead the first group out. After five minutes, Yoshiko will lead the second group. I'll come back and help Tsuki lead the last group. If everything runs according to plan, we can get out without alerting the enemy. Any complaints?"

An elderly gentleman stepped forward. "Please, take the children and younglings in the first group. Allow us older folk to stay behind in case something goes wrong."

Some of the older villagers nodded and murmured in agreement. Ryoma agreed and proceeded to gather up the first group. I opened the door and poked my head out, looking around while listening for anyone approaching. I stepped out and held the door opened. Ryoma rushed out, heading back the way we first came from, and the villagers in his group did not hesitate to follow him. Yoshiko and I watched as they disappeared around the corner, then went back inside the room and close the door.

"At least he's being slow enough for them to keep up," Yoshiko joked lightly.

I gave her a light smile. I knew things were getting to her with what we saw here, and I couldn't blame her. This mission has brought back so many memories I want to suppress, to pretend it never happened. But I knew it was wishful thinking. It was dangerous for me to be here in the first place, and Nanako-sensei knew that. There was no telling if Orochimaru is after me or not, but Nanako-sensei was using this as an opportunity to help me come to terms with my past. Easier said than done. I wanted nothing more than to leave this place and go back to the Hyuga Compound. But I can't abandon my team.

I felt a tap on my shoulder and looked up to see Yoshiko pointed at her wrist.

"My turn."

I opened the door and peered out into the hall like before, checking for enemies. Yoshiko gathered her group and headed out with them. I closed the door behind them and breathed deeply. All I had to do was wait for Ryoma, and we could get out of here.

"I must thank you and your friends for helping us." I looked over and saw the elderly man from before. "You are saving several lives here today."

I gave him a smile and bowed respectfully. He only chuckled and left it at that.

"Yeah, sounds like that damned village asked for help from Konoha."

I froze. That voice came from outside the door. And loud footsteps were heading in this direction. I jumped back away from the door and turned to face it. I took my bow off my back and gripped it tightly in my hand as I readied an arrow.

There were two, and I'd be lucky if I could take out one right now. Not only that, but I had the villagers behind me who started to panic. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply for a second, trying to calm myself.

I looked behind me and jerked my head to the side. The elderly man took the remaining villagers and hid behind the cylinders. Now they were out danger of being in any crossfire.

The door opened, and in a moment's panic I lifted my bow and shot.

"What the- argh!" My arrow hit one of the rogue ninja in the shoulder, making him fall back into the hallway as blood ran down his arm.

The second ninja reacted immediately, sending a scythe at me. I barely moved away, the blade grazing my upper left arm. I reached into my pouch and sent three shuriken at the ninja, but he was quick and managed to evade them. He had me pinned on the ground a second later, pointing a kunai at my throat as I struggled to push him off of me.

"You made a big mistake coming here, little girl," he said, pushing the kunai forward.

"So did you!"

The ninja was knocked out from behind. Ryoma kicked him off of me and grabbed my hand, pulling me up. I nodded in thanks, holding my chest as I caught my breath.

"Let's move!" he said. "Tsuki, take the lead."

I rushed passed him without hesitating, leading the villagers out of the room and through the hideout. Ryoma took the rear, guarding for any more enemy ninja. An alarm sounded suddenly, alerting every enemy in the hideout that we were here.

"Keep moving!" Ryoma ordered from behind.

We made it to the hatch within moments. Yoshiko was there, waiting for us.

"Come on! Everyone up!" she said. She started helping the villagers up the ladder.

"Yoshi! Tsuki!"

We turned and saw a small group of enemies running toward us. We hurried up to stand beside Ryoma, shielding the villagers.

"We keep them away from the exit, no matter what," Ryoma said. "Don't hesitate to kill. Because they won't."

I gulped and kept my eyes on the enemy, preparing to fight. There were at least seven of them, all rogues based on the fact they wore no indication of their villages. They stopped a few feet away from us,

"Leaf brats," one said.

"So that pathetic village really did send for help. Tch!"

"Doesn't matter. Kill them and there won't be anyone to stop us."

Ryoma reached into his pouch and took out a kunai, spinning it in his hand. "Try it." He caught the kunai mid spin and held it in front of him protectively.

The enemy lunged for us and we sprang into action. Ryoma quickly dispatched of one of them by throwing his kunai into the ninja's heart, killing him almost instantly. Then we each took two.

I remembered learning as a child that I could use my bow in more ways than one. This time, I used it as a shield. It guarded me as the two ninja swung at me with their weapons. One of them swung down at me with his short sword. I stopped him with my bow and then flipped it so his arm was between it and the string. Gripping the string to the bow, I trapped his arm and twisted it to the side. I heard a cracking sound, then stepped around him to bring his arm back. I used the end of my bow to hit him in the face, rendering him unconscious.

He dropped, and I turned to face the second enemy. I was too slow to react when he pushed me against the wall. I realized he was using my bow against me, pushing it against my throat it an attempt to choke me. I struggled, but I didn't think too much when instinct took over. I raised my leg and kneed him in the stomach, causing him to falter. I gained enough leeway to push him off of me, taking a second to rub my neck. But he was getting back up and I had to act. I pulled an arrow from my quiver and fired quickly. He dodged it, but that gave me to chance to take advantage of his distracted state and hit him with the shuriken I threw. He landed on his back and didn't move. I wasn't sure if I killed him or not, but I couldn't think too long on it.

I looked across the room and saw Yoshiko was having trouble. I started running toward her, but then a sharp pain in my leg caused me to fall forward. I caught myself by using my hands to cushion my fall. But the pain in my right leg became worse.

I looked down and saw thin wire wrapped around my thigh. It was cutting into my skin harshly, and blood was starting to run down my leg. I fought against the urge to cry from the pain and followed the wire with my eyes. The wire led to the furthest hallway from me, and it was darkened to a point I couldn't see who was there. The pain was distracting me too much, so I couldn't focus enough to see who could be there. All I could hear was the person's laughter. It wasn't Orochimaru, but it sounded just as sinister.

The wire tightened around my leg, causing the pain to increase. I clenched my fist, trying to gather the strength to move. But the wire slackened a moment later after a shuriken flew down and cut it.

Nanako-sensei jumped down from the trap door above and snapped the neck of one of the ninja fighting Yoshiko. Then she punched the other in the stomach and elbowed him in the back of the head.

"Nanako-sensei!" Yoshiko sighed in relief.

Nanako-sensei said nothing as she took a kunai and flung it across the room. The enemy who was in a stalemate with Ryoma fell backward as the kunai hit his heart.

Ryoma turned around and panted lightly. "I had it handled," he said.

"I know you did," Nanako-sensei said. "But I'm afraid we don't have time for it." She came over to me with Yoshiko and carefully unwrapped the wire from my leg. "Whoever that was got you pretty good there, Tsuki," she said.

Ryoma came and sat behind me, helping me sit up by holding onto my arms. Yoshiko took out some basic medical supplies.

"I'm not great at it, but I can at least help cover it until we get you to a hospital," she said, giving me a smile.

I nodded and cringed when she started cleaning the blood off my leg.

"Sorry!" she exclaimed.

Nanako-sensei stood up and looked at the fallen ninja. "You guys did good work here. Ryoma, report."

Ryoma kept his hold on me as he explained our findings. "Twenty-four survivors. So far we only found three dead, but there's bound to be more. They were being used for some sort of experimentation. Tsuki thinks it's the transfer thing she heard mentioned before. We have our theories, but we decided to let a team continue the investigation. Getting the villagers out alive was our main priority."

Nanako-sensei nodded. "You did well. Good call on that. You guys stuck to your mission and completed it without fail. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks, sensei," Yoshiko said. "I only wish we could've saved everyone."

Yoshiko wrapped some bandage around my leg after having cleaned all the blood. But my wound was still bleeding so a red stain was already making its way through the bandage. She gently patted the bandage down, making sure it was in place. Ryoma then wrapped my arm around his neck and carefully lifted me up, holding me around my waist. I was thankful for that, knowing I wouldn't be able to walk on my own right away.

"Not every mission will end as happily as you'd want," Nanako-sensei told her. "The important thing is you saved many people today, and came back from it alive. I've sent word to Lord Hokage, so we can expect and ANBU team to be dispatched immediately. They'll be here within a day. Until then, we'll rest and get you three medical attention."

"But what about the rest of the enemies here?" Yoshiko asked.

Ryoma spoke up. "Whoever is left probably bailed out of here the minute Nanako-sensei showed up. There's bound to be more than one exit to this place."

Nanako-sensei nodded. "He's right. Besides, not all of these guys are dead. We'll take them into questioning back at Konoha. I got a buddy of mine who lives for interrogation."

Yoshiko gave a horrified look. "You have scary friends, sensei."

Nanako-sensei laughed and Ryoma chuckled. I laughed silently, enjoying the moment with my team. Our mission was over, and it was time to go home.