Author's Note: So, thankfully I get internet at school. And thankfully I remembered to bring my laptop to school today! :D
So yeah, I just got out of my first class, now I'm trying desperately to warm up because it's freezing outside. My fingers don't want to type hahaha.
I hope you all enjoy this installment of Until the End!
Special thanks to BlackRose723, Ninja Trio's Best, and Angel42497 for reviewing! You all made me super happy! :D
Reviews for this chapter would also be swell. Whenever I read your reviews, it just makes me want to write even more! Woo! Haha.

Five: Trouble

I led the group out of the Hokage building and meandered through the streets until we had exited the village gates. It was apparent by their expressions that my Genin were excited for their first real mission. Before we could enter the forest, I turned to the group and gave them each a serious look. "Listen up," I said to them, gaining their attention immediately, "this is your first real mission. You may encounter bandits, like Lady Tsunade said, or you may not. Either way, I want you all to remain focused. This goes beyond anything you've ever done before, for you are now in charge of another man's safety."

Nikko's excited grin never left his face. Hana and Toshiro, on the other hand, seemed to truly grasp what I was explaining to them, and they continued to listen with a solemn expression.

"The group will travel in the following formation: Toshiro, up front. Behind him, Hana and Nikko will stand guard on either side of Mr. Akiyama. I will watch over from the back, that way, if anything comes up from behind us, I will be able to counter it without anyone else getting hurt. Does everyone understand?"

The Genin and the merchant nodded their heads and proceeded to situate themselves in the manner I had described. "Alright," I sighed, "Is everyone properly equipped? You all have your kunai and shuriken, correct?"

"Yes, Sensei!" the three Genin responded in unison.

"Then it looks like we're ready to go."

Toshiro led the group down a dirt path that wound through the millions of trees in the forest. It would take nearly an hour of walking to reach Tanzaku town. Examining the group, I watched as Toshiro and Hana searched the surroundings for any enemies, and I smiled at their dedication to the mission. When I turned to look at Nikko, I was actually surprised to see that he, too, was scouting the area. Raising my eyebrows, I silently praised myself for finally getting through to him.

Ah, who am I kidding, I thought to myself, he wasn't listening to me. He's just excited about finally leaving the village.

I shrugged the thought away. At this point, I was just glad that I wouldn't have to worry about Nikko falling behind or slacking off. Shoving my hands in my pockets, I lifted my gaze the treetops, squinting my eyes as rays of sunlight peeked through the leaves and shone in my face. Other than the sounds of twigs and leaves crunching beneath our feet as we walked, the forest was quiet and peaceful.

"So, Mr. Akiyama," Hana said in a soft voice as she fidgeted nervously with the hem of her shirt, "what kinds of things do you sell?"

The old man reached back into his pack, searching its contents, before pulling out something that was wrapped in a thick towel. He unwrapped the cover to reveal a beautiful ceramic bowl. "My wife hand-crafts bowls, plates, and cups out of clay and porcelain, and I paint and glaze them." I raised my eyebrows as I studied the work of art. It was perfectly crafted, and the swirls of various greens, oranges, and browns rendered me completely speechless as I tried to imagine how on earth he could have painted something so incredible.

"Wow," Hana gasped as she gazed with wide eyes, "it's beautiful."

"Thank you!" The man chuckled as he returned the bowl back to his bag.

"It really is amazing," Toshiro agreed with a smile.

"Eh, it's not that great," Nikko huffed, crossing his arms stubbornly over his chest.

Shocked by such a rude comment, I quickly grabbed my bratty student by the ear and yanked him backwards, earning a loud "Ow!" from Nikko. Both Hana and Toshiro glanced at Nikko with disbelief in their eyes.

Anger seethed from between my clenched teeth. "How dare you act so disrespectfully to a client? Apologize to this man at once!" My dark, glaring eyes shot daggers at the boy.

Nikko immediately did as he was told, his body shivering in fear as I shoved him back into his position. "I'm s-sorry, Mr. Akiyama!"

"Mr. Akiyama," I said apologetically, "I hope you can forgive Nikko for his impertinence."

To my great relief, Mr. Akiyama chuckled heartily and replied, "Oh, don't worry about the boy. I used to be quite the troublemaker as well, in my day."

As we neared closer to Tanzaku Town, a strange feeling filled my body. Peering to the left, right, back, and front, I quickly examined our surroundings. As I looked more closely, my eyes widened when I noticed a slight gleam of thread extending from one tree to another. When my eyes traveled to the other end of the string, I noticed a paper bomb just barely noticeable from beneath a small bush. Nikko was about to step right into the trap, so I quickly sprinted toward him and pushed him out of the way. He landed with a loud 'thud.'

"Hey!" Nikko shouted, dusting off his khaki shorts, "Sensei, what was that for?"

"You almost walked right into a tripwire," I explained, pointing to the paper bomb.

Nikko's eyes widened as they fell upon the explosive, and for a moment I thought I saw his lip quivering in fear. He quickly blinked the terror from his eyes and narrowed them angrily. "I knew it was there! I was just going to dodge it, but you interrupted me!"

Before Nikko could lift himself from the ground, a series of about ten kunai descended from the sky and lodged their blades into the dirt surrounding us. Attached on the end of each kunai was a paper bomb. Knowing that we wouldn't have been able to escape in time, I glanced back at the frightened group and shouted, "Everyone stand by me! Hurry!"

The shuffling of their feet indicated that they had done as I instructed. I proceeded to form a series of hand seals before finally intertwining my fingers together to form the 'Mi' sign. I could feel my chakra coursing through my body, and when everything was set, I cried out, "Earth Style: Earth Barrier Jutsu!"

Earth chakra poured from the soles of my feet, forcing the terrain around me to change. Rock spurted from the ground and completely encased us inside its thick wall. Just as the jutsu had completed, and we were completely surrounded by a shield of rock, the kunai on the outside exploded simultaneously. Hana gasped, and the merchant screamed. Toshiro and Nikko stayed silent. I kept my hands clasped tightly together, holding the wall steady until the explosion had subsided.

I waited a few moments after the thunderous sound of the blast disappeared before I released my jutsu. The rock crumbled to the ground, granting us freedom, and I turned to my group, examining them for any injuries. "Is everyone alright?"

My Genin nodded. The merchant, on the other hand, stood still in shock. "Who," he breathed, his eyes staring off at nothing in particular, "Where did… What just happened?"

"Are you hurt?" I asked him.

Hana placed a hand on the terrified man's shoulder. "It's going to be ok, Mr. Akiyama. We're going to protect you."

"Kaeda Sensei!" I heard Toshiro shout, "Over there!"

I whirled my head into the direction that he pointed. Standing on a branch high above us were two men who grinned back at us. They were bulky, and they were dressed in ragged clothing with bandages covering their arms and legs. Their mouths contorted into the same amused smirks, their eyes narrowed in the same intense glare, and their short black hair spiked in the same direction. In other words, they were a mirror image of one another.

A clone? I asked myself, furrowing my eyebrows. Reaching into my weapons holster, I pulled out a few shuriken and whipped them in the men's direction. They swiftly dodged them by back flipping off of the tree branch and landing on the ground below. A cloud of dust filled the air where they landed. Not a clone…

"My, my, look at the cute little children," the man on the right snarled through his eerie grin. His voice was deep and dark, matching his height and muscular physique perfectly.

"Toshiro! Hana! Nikko!" I shouted, careful not to take my eyes off of our unwelcomed guests, "Surround Mr. Akiyama! I'll take care of these two."

"She's confident, Jiro," the first man said to the second.

The second man nodded in agreement. "She sure is, Ichiro."

Two distinct names. They're not shadow clones, either. They're twins.

Without wasting any more time, I rapidly formed a few hand seals and concentrated my chakra for another jutsu. "Earth Style: Mud Wave Jutsu!"

The terrain shot up from under me, lifting me high into the air. Surfing along the wave of rocky earth, I was able to quickly close the gap between my opponents and I. When I was in range, I leapt off of the swell to perform a double punch. Before I could hit them, however, the brothers jumped to either side, leaving my devastating attack to wreak havoc on the ground instead.

I swiftly recovered from the failed attack and returned to my feet. I blocked a punch to the face from the man called 'Jiro,' and I used the momentum to land a spin kick to my opponent's gut. He doubled over in pain, and I took that opportunity to search for the other brother. He was approaching my team, so I hastily formed a few more seals, focused my chakra, and called out, "Wind Style: Gust of Wind!" I swung my arm as if slapping the air, and a gust of wind shot from my hand, hitting the man and sending him flying into a nearby tree.

"Wow!" I heard Nikko cheer, "Kaeda Sensei, that was awesome!"

I sprinted toward my Genin and the merchant. "Are you guys alright? Did he get to you?"

"We're fine," Toshiro answered.

"I'm so glad you came with me," Mr. Akiyama sighed, trying to catch his breath, "They would have killed me if you hadn't!"

"It's all in a day's work, sir," I explained modestly, flashing him a reassuring smile, "We won't let anything happen to you."

"Hey!" Nikko shouted, pointing somewhere in the distance. I averted my gaze in the direction of his index finger to see that the brother called 'Ichiro' had lifted himself to his feet and was headed our way. "Kaeda Sensei, let me get him!"

Nikko dashed into the man's direction before I could protest. The redheaded boy threw a few kunai at the man, who dodged each one with ease. Nikko threw a punch to the man's gut, but Ichiro was able to capture his wrist and use joint manipulation to hold him in place. He flailed his arms and legs, but he could not free himself from the man's grasp.

I was about to race to Nikko's rescue, but Jiro approached me with a swift kick aimed for my head. Luckily I had sensed the attack, so I was able to duck down and twist my body to sweep the man's ankles. As I did so, I lifted my gaze to see that Ichiro was sifting through his weapons holster in search of something. Fearing the worst, I quickly created a shadow clone to assist Nikko. My opponent fell to the ground, and I quickly placed a kunai to his throat.

I watched as my shadow clone approached the man who had held Nikko captive. He held a kunai above his head, his bloodlust evident in his evil eyes as he started to plunge the weapon into Nikko's heart. He lost focus for a moment to kick my shadow clone, causing it to disappear in a puff of grey smoke. My heart began to race as the knife quickly approached the redhead's body.

Blood spurted into the air, dripping down and forming puddles in the dirt. My eyes widened at the sight.

Toshiro had thrown himself in front of the attack.