All four of Seiji's clones were dispatched now. Ayame met up with Kankuro and Jun to take on the real Seiji.

"Where's Susumu?" Jun questioned, noticing her brother's solo arrival.

"Last I saw he was still wrapped in soba. I figured he wouldn't get into any trouble if I left him like that," Ayame turned to her as he answered.

Kankuro overheard their conversation and wrinkled his nose. "Hmph..." Better not ask.

"The real Seiji will have more chakra than those clones, I suggest a strategy of attrition," Jun proposed, curious about their thoughts on the matter.

"Fine, as long as we catch him," Kankuro agreed. Jun signed a series of hand seals and motioned for the others to slow.

"Now...we wait,"

"Tch…" Seiji clicked his tongue in frustration. He was chased relentlessly by that girl again.

His speed had bought him some time, but if he wanted to escape then he'd have to step up his game. Reaching into his belt bag, he retrieved something and popped it into his mouth. After chewing quickly, he gave a swallow; the effects were instantaneous as he felt a surge of energy coursing through his body. Now he was able to outrun her with ease.

Jun was aware that Seiji had taken some sort of enhancer which made him much faster. Despite her efforts to trap him with vines, he remained elusive and impossible to capture. Frustrated by this turn of events, she utilized her wood release to construct a barrier around them; the tree's roots and branches intertwined, creating an impenetrable blockade and caging him.

"Hmph," Seiji drew his weapon and attempted to hack at the thick wood, but it regrew each time he struck.

"…" Jun drew closer, causing him to lift his blade in anticipation.

"Hand over the scroll," she ordered.

"No way…not until you've experienced my haute cuisine," Seiji retorted defiantly.

Having created this compact environment, she inadvertently trapped herself with him. Seizing the opportunity, Seiji grinned and flung his large weapon toward her. She leaped to avoid the massive cleaver, and at that moment, Seiji unleashed his adapted fireball technique, filling the enclosed space with a red mist.

However, to his annoyance, she remained unaffected, and she made a move to force him toward one end of the barrier. His gas attack was useless. Without hesitation, he turned around and launched another attack at her. To his surprise, the moment his strike connected, her body started transforming into wood.

"A clone?!" Even though the clone was dispatched, the real one was still somewhere. He went and grabbed his weapon, then glanced around as the red mist started to dissipate. There was no sign of her and that kept him on edge.

"Show yourself!"

"I'll grab the scroll," Ayame whispered from their vantage point.

"Then I'll keep him occupied," Jun nodded.

"If you can hold him in place, I'll take care of the rest," Kankuro added. They agreed on their roles and Jun created a void in the tree line for them to go through.

"I said show yourself!" Seiji repeated, glancing from side to side for movement.

Jun was the distraction and took a more straightforward approach. She withdrew 3 kunai from her bag, tossing them at the chef. Seiji blocked two with his cleaver while the other kunai knocked off his hat. Jun tried to disarm him, aiming at the man's wrist. Seiji was still too fast, evading the attack.

But he was focused on Jun's kunai and failed to notice Ayame sneak up behind him. Meanwhile, Kankuro remained concealed, patiently waiting for Ayame to execute his move before capturing Seiji. When Ayame was close enough he made a grab for the scroll.

Finally, the two nin rushed him, "Tch, a dinner rush," Seiji grumbled as the Ayame's fingers brushed over the scroll. "Looks like I'll have to stagger the orders,"

"I got it!" Ayame grinned as he hugged the scroll, suddenly there was a giant puff of smoke. "Eh? EH?!"

"S-Shit!" Kankuro closed Crow after Seiji's substitution.

"UWAAH! DON'T KILL ME!" The blonde nin banged angrily from inside the puppet's torso.

"Tch," Jun sighed at their failure. Seiji was now getting away.

Susumu had finally broken free of his binds and heard the commotion. He was eager to help, but with his eyesight still poor he put his hands out, touching the trees as he felt his way forward. "Guys?!" He listened carefully, "Is that you?!"

"Perfect," Seiji grabbed the boy and held his cleaver up to his neck as he faced Jun.

"Wha—" Susumu gasped.

"Your comrade's life for my freedom."

"Am I a hostage?!" Susumu struggled to free himself. "Jun don't listen to him!" He shouted to where he thought she might be standing.

"Let him go," she demanded.

"I don't listen to the orders of unruly customers—"

"And I won't ask again," She could hear her brother and Kankuro approach, with their support Seiji would be surrounded. It was only a matter of biding time.

"Ugh, Susumu I told you to stay where you were!" Ayame groaned when he arrived.

"I'm sorry!" Susumu called out apologetically.

"That's right, your teammate dies—"

"We know what a hostage is," Ayame interrupted, shouting at the chef.

"If anyone so much as moves, I'll slit his throat," Seiji threatened, stepping back and pulling Susumu with him.

"No! Don't let him escape!" Susumu tried to counter.

"You already have the scroll," Seiji reasoned, "Let me leave,"

"What are you guys waiting for, we've got him," Kankuro asked impatiently and stepped forward. Seichi narrowed his eyes at the motion and tightened his grip on the boy. Jun grew wary of how things might escalate and put her hand out to stop her brother from following Kankuro.

"Wait—"

"Nnnhh?!" Seiji's cleaver pressed harder, nicking Susumu's skin and causing him to grit his teeth in pain.

"Tch…" Jun glared. This was not how she wanted to proceed.

"He's losing a lot of blood; we have to do something—" Ayame turned to Jun anxiously.

"Guys…I-I'm starting to feel dizzy," Susumu added.

"You can leave, just release him," Jun caved, she was irritated it even came to this.

Kankuro glanced back at her in confusion. "Jun, my orders are—"

"Excellent choice," Seiji used his altered fireball technique, and the area was surrounded with red mist.

"Ghhh, what the hell is this?!" Kankuro jumped out of the misted area and rubbed his eyes.

"Ugghh, not this stuff again!" Ayame's eyes shut, knowing what to expect. He couldn't see how things unfolded and tried to sense for chakra as he fell back beside Kankuro.

"Wait!" Jun squinted, trying to chase after the two. Seiji had taken to the treetops, leaping across the branches as he made for the border.

"…Unnhh," Susumu had some strength to fight back and tried to break free.

"Hmph, your services are no longer required," Seiji tossed the boy back and fled, moving faster to reach the border.

"Susumu—Nnh?!" Jun managed to catch him, grabbing hold of his body as they fell to the ground.

"Augh!"

"…Are you…alright?" She landed on her back, breaking Susumu's fall with her body.

"…" He clutched his throat and patted the area to find Jun. "Hhhkk…n-not really,"

"Hold still," she sat up and ripped some cloth from his shirt to stop the bleeding.

"M-My shirt?!"

"Yes," she had the cloth fixed tightly before she helped him up.

"You let him get away," he mumbled weakly. "Hokage's gonna be mad," He put his arm across her shoulder, letting her bear some of his weight as she led him through the trees, back to the others.

"…" That was the last thing she was worried about.

The mist had cleared by the time they regrouped and Ayame ran over to check on his teammates. "Phew, you're alright,"

"I'm…kinda in a lot of pain," Susumu mumbled tiredly. Despite that, the bleeding was controlled, and his vision was returning.

"I'll bet," Ayame took over helping the other boy, glad none of the injuries were serious.

Kankuro watched the interaction as he put away his puppet in preparation to leave. Jun walked over to the sand nin as Ayame helped Susumu back toward their village. "Yeah?" He raised a brow.

"…Thank you," she said, and her appreciation caught him off guard.

"For what?" Kankuro shrugged it off. "Besides, he got away," he said that part with a frown.

"The scroll was retrieved," Jun held it up. "Does that not count for something?"

"Yeah, well I'll be going back empty-handed," his frown deepened at the thought of coming up with an excuse for the council. "And I have to explain to my superiors that he escaped custody,"

"…Even if you don't think it means much, you still have our thanks," she reminded him as she secured the scroll on her back.

"Tch...great," he muttered sarcastically.

Jun took a step closer, anxiously casting her eyes to the ground. "…Hey…"

"Yeah?"

"It's been a while since I last saw you, and…" She looked up as she asked.

"Y-Yeah?" he gulped. He felt himself tense in anticipation.

"How are your students?" She attempted polite conversation, bringing up something they could talk about.

"Tch…those brats?" His shoulders sunk when he realized she was asking about them. "They're fine," he replied, crossing his arms. "Anything else? I gotta go,"

"No. Actually, I was hoping there'd be more to discuss," she gave a small exhale in disappointment.

"You like talking to me that much?" He playfully joked, but Jun blinked back earnestly.

"Yes?" Her response caught him off guard.

"Huh?" She'd wanted to talk more…with him? "Y-You do?" his arms were slowly uncrossing as they dropped to his side.

"Why is that surprising?" She questioned him.

When confronted with the thought, remembering this was Jun…he wasn't surprised at all. Still, he hadn't thought of her like that and felt his face grow hot. "It's not…you've got great taste," he grinned back, eager for what she might bring up next. "You should've just said so,"

"I see," she gave a small nod. "I'll remember that, safe journey," Just like that she turned to leave.

"…Wha—" he squinted back in confusion. "What the hell?!" This wasn't how it worked!

"You…have more to say?" she glanced back, equally confused. "You said you were leaving,"

"Tch…I should've expected as much," he scoffed. "Nah," he shook his head and resumed his departure, leaving with a roll of his eyes.

Jun smiled to herself and turned to back to the Land of Fire, eager to return the scroll. The mystery solved.