Chapter 39 – Dark Motive from Otogakure
After the Hokage had given us the instructions, Team Guy and I headed out the Village gate and dashed into the verdant woods. Mind you, I was still eating my dinner in Shukuba Town about two hours ago; it's pitch dark outside right now. Locating and tracking down enemies will be difficult tasks. On the way, I asked Tenten about the relationship of Lee and Guy Sensei.
"Tenten, do Lee and Guy Sensei share any kinship?" I asked
"Hm, no they do not. Guy Sensei is Lee's idol, so he works hard to emulate him, that's all. When Lee was still in the Academy, everyone made fun of him because he couldn't use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu. Even the teachers had commented that Lee wasn't cut out to be a Shinobi. He felt inferior to everyone else, especially to Neji, who was considered a once in a generation genius. During Lee's darkest days, Guy Sensei came to comfort him and gave him encouragement. Lee's perspective dramatically changed and he was determined to become a respectable Ninja despite all the difficulties." Tenten showed a sympathetic smile on her face as she recounted me the story of her teammate
That's a really interesting student-teacher relationship..! I was greatly impressed with Lee's determination and the respect I held for him had just immensely augmented. Also, by hearing Neji as a rare genius, I harbored the thought to go on a future mission with him too, if there will be any.
"Lee yo, let's not make this trip a waste of time; we should sprint to the border as training!" Guy Sensei turned to Lee, who was running along side him
"Oh! Guy Sensei! I see, sprinting at night can strength our perception skill in the dark! I expect no less from Guy Sensei! Alright!" Lee went on ahead at a much faster speed and we lost sight of him in a matter of seconds...
"Tenten, Hisako-san! Let's do the same!" Guy Sensei seemed overly enthusiastic and dashed after Lee, leaving us behind.. Tenten looked very annoyed, yet hopeless
"Alright! We should chase after them, or else we'd get lost in the woods!" I earnestly said, looking up ahead.
"Oi, Hisako-san, don't tell me, you-
"Hey! Don't leave me behind!" Tenten desperately yelled
"Sigh, I can't believe she's just like them..! Neji, come back!" Her voice echoed in the dark forest
Those guys give good motivation! For some reason, I do not feel annoyed at all, unlike Tenten, whose facial expression always have the implication of "why am I the only normal one here..?"
I caught up with Lee and Guy Sensei and managed to keep up with their pace.
"I expect no less from you, Hisako-san! How about we make this a competition? The first one reaches the border wins!" Lee zealously suggested
"Oi, oi, isn't that a little overboard?" I commented in a pouting face
Tenten finally caught up with us. "Hey! Slow down a little..!"
Guy Sensei suddenly came to a halt on a tree branch. We followed.
"Shh.. I sensed someone's presence." Guy Sensei put a finger over his mouth, signaling us to be quiet
The four of us stayed alert for even the slightest enemy indicator. The night was silent; little cricket chirping sounds could be heard, with occasional wind breezes against the grass.
"They won't show themselves, huh..?" Tenten mumbled with a smirk
"Its useless to hide!" Tenten swiftly unrolled her big scroll hanging behind her back and summoned hundreds of Ninja weapons for a large range attack.
Innumerable thrusting sounds pierced through their trajectories. Sounds like someone's injured.. No, there's more than one enemy.
Someone charged at us from behind; the kunai in hand reflected the moonlight, revealing the enemy's position. I gave the opponent a bone crushing kick, smashing him/her into a tree. We heard a body falling. One down!
Lee engaged in a fight of his own. Punches and kicks were heard in obscurity. A moment later, the fight settled down; Lee defeated his foe.
"These enemies are weak, but don't let your guard down..!" Guy warned us
"Hai, Guy Sensei!" Lee immediately answered
Someone jumped from one tree branch to the next, each step more distant than the previous.
"The last one is fleeting!" Guy shouted. He tracked down the opponent's position and pined him down.
"What's your purpose here? Are you planning to attack Konoha?" Guy demanded
"Tsk! We can't do that anyway.. We are only spies, we lack in physical combat skills. Invasion is the other team's job. Our mission has failed, just kill me! If you don't, Orochimaru-sama will finish the job anyway..!" The enemy's voice was filled with mockery and desperation
"Did you just say Orochimaru?! You guys came from Otogakure?!" Guy's voice sounded surprised
"So what if we are?"
"You are coming back to Konoha with us!" Guy Sensei said
"That.. will never happen.." The enemy bit off a suicide pill and ended his own life
A moment of silence followed. No one spoke a word. Guy Sensei finally stood up: "We should call backups from the Intelligence Division to recuperate these corpses! They shall find out what orders Orochimaru had given them."
"He mentioned another team, does that mean more enemies are trying to infiltrate Konoha?" Tenten asked
"Yeah. That seems to be the case." Guy replied with a concerned look
"I can summon my bird to transmit your message to the Hokage, Guy Sensei." I said
"Ohh! That's just what we need!" He complimented to the idea
I jumped on top of the trees where the moonlight illuminated the forest acme. With the meager light source, I managed to pithily write down the current situation on a small scroll. I summoned Yonakamaru and attached it on his leg.
"I'm counting on you, Yonakamaru!"
He flew off