No Dull Day

Susumu, Ayame, and Jun were called to the Hokage's office. A call this early meant something was probably up.

"I want you three to investigate a recent theft from our archives," Tsunade explained seriously. "Whoever did this was able to bypass the security and infiltrate our records."

"Oof…What was stolen?" Ayame asked first.

"One of our forbidden scrolls, I want it found immediately," Tsunade responded firmly.

"Any ideas who did this?" Susumu asked. "Did the surveillance cameras pick anything up?"

"No, and no," the Hokage sighed, visibly troubled, "They somehow managed to disable the cameras. You have my permission to enter the archives and find any clues you can; the theft happened less than an hour ago, so it's still fresh." Tsunade pursed her lips, emphasizing the gravity of the situation.

"This investigation is confidential. Keep it strictly need-to-know. I already sealed the gates, no one leaves the village until that scroll is found." She leaned back in her chair. A document on the table was motioned to and Jun picked it up. "That file contains a list of the archive rooms contents, it might help you with the search. Go on, I've kept you long enough," Once they were dismissed they headed to the crime scene.

The archive rooms housed an array of forbidden scrolls and equipment, capable of significantly augmenting a ninja's strength; anyone could be a suspect. Except for them...and the Hokage...but anyone else could still be the criminal.

"I'm going to scan the perimeter around the room," Jun informed her teammates and broke away.

That left Susumu and Ayame the task of starting the investigation.

"What do you think was in the scroll?" Susumu inquired as he combed the area for anything suspicious.

"Beats me," Ayame happily explored the various 'forbidden' items. He bent over to examine a spherical crystal atop a pillow. "I don't see anything that's been disturbed," he said, tapping the crystal ball. For a moment an image flickered within the crystal, but when the blonde boy looked back it was opaque again.

"Hey…" Susumu bent down in front of a shelf filled with scrolls and spotted a void in the dust. "Something was taken from this section. "

"Ha?" Ayame's head peeked out from behind a suit of armor now. "Well, there's no sign of forced entry, it looks like they knew exactly what they were looking for."

"Ah?" Susumu leaned closer to get a better view of the back of the shelf and spotted a few specs of what he thought to be dust. The fine substance appeared both on the shelf and the floor. "What's this?" He dropped to his knees and inspected the strange powder. "A-Ayame! I think this is a clue!"

"A clue?" His teammate came over but was halted when Susumu held his hand up to stop him.

"Wait, don't come any closer!" he warned the blonde boy. "This…" Susumu ran his finger through the powdery substance and brought it up for a closer look. "Hmm…" He took a whiff and then, much to Ayame's disgust, put his finger in his mouth to taste it.

"Augh?! Eww! That's so gross!" Ayame grimaced and pulled Susumu's hand back.

"Curry powder," Susumu gave a nod, and Ayame raised a brow, releasing him, "I'd recognize that flavor anywhere," He dipped his finger in the powder to show his teammate.

"Yeah, I'll pass,"

"I figured out how the cameras were disabled," Jun spoke up when she entered the room. She paused, however, when she spotted Susumu on the ground with his finger held out to her brother. "…What are you doing?"

Susumu jumped to his feet, "I found a clue! There's a trail of curry powder from the entrance to the scroll that was taken! I…don't know what it means, but…it's something,"

"Ok…" She glanced awkwardly from her teammate to her brother and attempted to segue. "Anyway...The camera outside was tampered with," she held up a piece of paper with an image of the archive room's interior printed on it, "This picture mimics the camera feed," That answered how their perp was able to bypass the security without alerting the camera operator.

"Genius," Ayame remarked.

Susumu was deep in thought, still trying to find meaning behind his clue, "Maybe the person we're looking for is…someone who likes curry!?" Susumu offered. "I know some great curry places. Who knows? Our perp might've eaten there before coming here," Despite the strangeness, that was their only lead.

"I want you both to check out those restaurants; ask the owners about their curry powder," Jun instructed, feeling the urgency to create a suspect pool, "Bring them a sample of what was found, they may recognize the blend,"

"Yeah, sure," Susumu nodded, carefully gathering as much of the powder as he could onto a slip of paper. He folded it up to prevent any spills and tucked it into his vest. "What're you going to do?"

"I'm going to check the gates."

"Sounds good," Ayame gave a nod. The trio split to perform their respective duties.

Once outside, a grin slowly emerged on Ayame's face and he gave a cough to get Susumu's attention. "So…you like curry, huh?"

"Wha—You make it sound weird! I-It's not like that," Susumu protested, suddenly feeling self-conscious, "I just…Well, some people like ramen, and some people like barbecue…I'm more of a curry person."

Jun reached the first gate and approached the two nin guarding it. "Report,"

"Ah?" They were a bit flustered by her bluntness. "No sign of anyone," a nin answered. "None of the gate guards and none of the nin patrolling the gates have seen anything. Whoever took the scroll must still be in the village."

"…Show me your log books,"

"Er..." Another went to retrieve them and placed the pile of books on the desk. "What're we looking for?"

"Anything suspicious within the last day or two." She split the logs between them. Hopefully, the task would not take that long.

"Huh? Well…I only open for lunch, so it couldn't have come from my shop." The restaurant owner told Susumu and Ayame. "In fact, I don't know anyone that serves curry that early in the morning."

"Dang it…" Susumu frowned. "This was our best lead too,"

"What time do you start your prep work?" Ayame began a new line of questioning.

"Ah, well I try to come in early, about three hours before I open shop—"

"Aha!" Susumu raised his voice excitedly, "That means the one responsible could've been exposed to this curry powder during your food prep—"

"I'm sorry, but I don't think my prep cook and I are the ones you're looking for. We've been in the kitchen since 8 am; there's no time to leave and steal—what was it that's been stolen?"

"Ah…" Ayame cut in, not wanting to divulge that a forbidden scroll had been taken. "Hey, we brought a sample of the curry powder, do you think it's the same as yours?" the blonde boy motioned to his teammate and Susumu quickly pulled the folded-up paper out of his vest pocket.

"Oh yeah! Maybe you can help us figure out who made it," he said, handing the unfolded paper to the chef.

"Hmm…just judging from the color I can tell this isn't my recipe. Too much cinnamon." He handed it back to Susumu. "You could try asking around the other shops, we all have our own special blend," The duo thanked the man and headed to the next nearest restaurant.

"How many restaurants are left?" Ayame deferred to Susumu, expecting the other boy to know.

"…A lot, there's gotta be at least seven—Ah?!" Susumu gasped loudly and bolted off.

"H-Hey?! Where are you going?!" Ayame chased after him. Susumu had followed two people down the busy street and past the corner before Ayame caught up to him.

"I've got an emergency, I need your help figuring out which place uses this curry," Susumu urgently explained to Chouji and Shikamaru.

"Huh—"

"Here, you're my only hope!"

"Q-Quit it!" Chouji had to put his hands up to get Susumu to stop. "Ok! Ok! I'll see what I can do!"

"…Why is he doing that?" Shikamaru asked Ayame both observing the scene as Susumu shoved a piece of paper into Chouji's face.

"We're solving a mystery." The blonde boy nonchalantly said as he watched the encounter.

"Tsk…" Shikamaru sighed in response; that sounded troublesome. "So, what's the connection between your mystery and…this?" he motioned to the interaction between their teammates.

"Oh, no," The blonde boy shook his head, "I have no idea what this is,"

"I'd recognize this anywhere! This is the unmistakable blend of the Curry House special!"

"Great!" Susumu stashed away the powder. "You just saved us from having to interview the other restaurant owners!"

"I did?" Chouji blinked proudly, but soon it changed to irritation, "H-Hey wait a second, why'd you think I'd know!? You're not thinking I'm—"

"C'mon, we better leave them to their work. Good luck with your...mystery," Shikamaru cut in and tugged on his friend's jacket.

"Let's head over to Curry House," Susumu did the same, grabbing onto Ayame's collar and yanking him away.

"…" Going through the logs was taking far longer than Jun expected, but it finally seemed like she'd found something. "This name…is it familiar to you?"

The nin leaned over the desk as she flipped the log around for him to see. "Seiji…Michiba…" he narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, that guy is a trader from outside the village,"

"He was listed as entering with a banned substance," she raised a brow, "Cassia buds…"

"Yeah, I think the Hokage banned them because in high enough doses, they can become toxic. Once we removed the contraband he was allowed entry."

"Hmm," The plant sounded familiar. But why? Jun racked her brain, fully engrossed in finding an answer, not knowing she was staring intently at the nin during her contemplation. "CINNAMON!" She said suddenly, causing the nin to flinch.

"W-Wha-"

Jun knew that the bark when dried was used as a spice and that meant this was the only connection to the evidence found at the crime scene. She checked the log for a departure. There were no signs of Michiba leaving the village in the logs so she calmed a bit. If she were in the perpetrator's position, with this much heat the only option would be to lay low.

"Open this gate," She instructed, hoping to draw the thief out of hiding, "I'm going to check with my team to see what they've found,"

The owner and staff at Curry House were clueless, leaving Susumu and Ayame feeling dejected. With slouched shoulders, they walked away from the restaurant, feeling like they had failed in their investigation. They came to the end of the sidewalk and chose there to sit and lament.

"…What are we supposed to do now?" Susumu pouted in defeat.

"...I can get some papier-mâché. If you don't say anything, I won't either," Ayame suggested half-jokingly.

"We can't lie to the Hokage!" Susumu gaped at Ayame's suggestion, but he warmed up as time passed. "...How much papier-mâché do you think we'd need to recreate a forbidden scroll?"

As more people passed by, a man wheeling a cart of food gave Ayame inspiration. "…Susumu…maybe we need to approach this differently." Ayame sat straighter, "We know the curry powder came from this place, and that everyone here has an alibi,"

"Yeah?" Susumu squinted back, curious about Ayame's train of thought.

"So, who else does that leave?"

"A…customer?" Susumu mumbled back hopefully.

"No, we know that none of the curry restaurants were open that early. But you know who might be around that early? Their supplier," he answered with confidence. "We better go back and ask who delivers their spices!" They circled back to the restaurant and were met with confused looks by the staff.

"Back again?" The waitress asked, puzzled.

"We need to know when your last spice delivery was!" They demanded.

"Oh? W-Well…that's…uh…" she stammered out, "I'm not allowed to answer, I signed an NDA." Her lips were sealed.

"What?" The two nin balked, "Then bring the owner out here!"

"A-Alright," she ducked back behind the counter into the kitchen and came back with the restaurant's owner.

"You two again? I thought I already answered your questions!"

"Who delivers your spices, and when!?" Susumu asked the man, determined to get to the truth.

"W-Who? That's…" The owner grew tense, attempting to deflect the question. "I-I can't just tell you that, it's a trade secret!"

"If you refuse to answer our questions during this investigation you'll be charged with obstruction," Another voice spoke from the entrance.

"Seiji Michiba." Jun shut the door behind her and came up to where her teammates were questioning the owner.

"Sei…ji?" The owner raised a brow, "Michiba?"

"Who is that?" Susumu wrinkled his nose at the unfamiliar name,

"Is it our suspect?" Ayame glanced over to his sister for her response. The three turned their stares to the owner and he gave a nervous gulp.

"Ok! I'll come clean, just…please don't tell my competition!" The owner said quickly and clasped his hands in a pleading gesture. "S-Seiji supplies my spices, but that's all."

"And you met with him this morning?" Jun began her line of questioning.

"Yes!" The owner admitted, sucking in a breath, "P-Please don't arrest me! I didn't know he was a criminal! You have to believe—"

"When he met with you, what exactly occurred?" Jun continued the interrogation.

"Ah, well he was supposed to deliver more of his special blend, but he said something about missing a secret ingredient,"

"Cinnamon..." Jun narrowed her eyes at the realization. It all made sense now.

"Wait…I-I don't get it," Susumu grimaced as he struggled to piece things together. "So…we really are looking for this Seiji guy? Who is he?"

"Let's go," Jun ignored his question and headed out the door, already focused on her next task. Her teammates followed suit.

"S-So am I still in trouble?" The owner asked aloud in the empty room.

"If you hadn't found the curry powder, we might not have learned the identity of the thief, good work Susumu," Jun praised her teammate.

"Yeah?" Positive feedback!? Susumu's face lit up with a wide grin.

"My sister's right, if you hadn't licked the floor we wouldn't even know where to start."

"…You...licked the floor?" Jun raised a brow, finding that readily believable.

"No! Hey, come on man!" Susumu said in defense of his investigative methods.

"So, why are we headed to the gate?" Ayame asked aloud, playfully grinning back at Susumu's glare. "Is our guy planning on running?"

"One gate was reopened." Jun filled them in, "He'll definitely try to flee through there," They reached the gate quickly and to their surprise, found it unguarded.

"Uhm…where are the gate guards?" Susumu looked around at the empty scene.

"…" Jun came around the desk and found a logbook and a half-eaten dish of curry. "Hmm..." she leaned closer to inspect, but the intense smell of chili made her step back. "He's been here," She told her teammates, referring to the tainted food.

"Did he kill the guard?!" Susumu gasped.

"If he's dead, wouldn't there be blood or a body?" Ayame scoffed. "Besides, I thought we were on lockdown,"

"…There's the guard," Jun noticed an approaching figure. The man clutched his stomach uncomfortably as he wobbled over to them.

"Are you nin leaving the village? We're only allowing those on active missions to—"

"Why weren't you at your post?" Jun asked the guard.

"Well," there was a loud gurgle coming from the man's stomach, "Oh no…not again! I-I have to go—" his hands moved back to his belly as he dashed behind some bushes.

"…Eww,"

"Nnh…" Jun frowned. "If we leave now, we may be able to catch up to him," She looked past the gate, calculating how much of a headstart their target had.

"Think you can track him down Ayame?" Susumu turned to him.

"Me? I can give it a try, assuming he's not too far—"

"Then both of you leave, I'll pass on this information to the Hokage,"

Inside the Hokage's office, Jun reported the current situation to Tsunade.

"He's posing as a food supplier, not a ninja." Jun explained.

"...Seiji Michiba..." Tsunade glanced up in thought, "Where have I heard that?"

"Ah? The communique we received from the Sand Village a few days ago mentioned that name," Shizune quickly informed her. "Let me get it," She rummaged through some papers, "Hold on, it's here somewhere,"

"Any day now," Tsunade tried to hurry her.

"Found it!" The message was handed over and Tsunade reread the contents.

"He was arrested on smuggling charges, but he escaped..." That's not good. The Hokage furrowed her brows.

"The restaurant owner said Seiji was missing an ingredient, and if my hunch is correct, he'll have to reobtain it," Jun brought up her theory. "Cassia buds are frequently exported from the Land of Wind,"

"I'll inform them immediately," Tsunade nodded to Shizune to get on it, "Jun, you continue your search for him."

"Understood."

"I think we're close enough for me to sense him," Ayame said, his pace slowing as he focused on tracking their target. He was getting better at tracking and sensing for other nin, but he still required concentration to get accurate readings.

"He's 180 meters ahead of us," Ayame shut his eyes tightly, "If we increase our pace we can catch up to him before he crosses into the Land of Rivers,"

"Is anyone with him?" Susumu asked, pushing off a tree branch as they continued their chase.

"I don't sense anyone else," Ayame replied.

"Should we wait for Jun?" Susumu looked to him for guidance.

"No time," Ayame picked up his speed, as they raced through the trees, "The two of us should be able to hold him off until then," It sounded like a solid plan; and how dangerous could it really be with a two-against-one scenario? It wasn't long before the distance closed between themselves and their target. Just up ahead they could hear the footsteps cease.

"Get ready, he must've noticed us," Ayame whispered, signaling Susumu to be on guard.

"We could split up, maybe you can go around and outflank him," Susumu suggested.

"Got it," Ayame waved as he broke away and disappeared deeper into the trees. Susumu continued forward to intercept the thief and found a man facing him. He loosely wore a sleeveless kimono, a wok for a hat, and had a giant cleaver strapped to his back. Susumu also spotted the scroll and stepped forward.

"Seiji Michiba? Hand it over," Susumu called out, although he was apprehensive, this guy was ripped.

"Hmph…You've come for the scroll?!" A gravelly voice came from the man.

"It's not too late to turn yourself in!" Susumu tried to bide for time; Ayame should nearly be in position. "I know all about your deal with the restaurant. It doesn't have to be like this!" On some level, he hoped this negotiation attempt might work.

"Don't presume to understand that which is beyond your feeble comprehension." Seiji's voice lowered in disgust.

"Then…what is this about? Why steal the scroll?" Susumu asked genuinely.

"Do you hunger for that knowledge?" Seiji chuckled and tilted his hat up to get a better look at Susumu. "Heh…" his mouth pulled up into a smirk. "I understand your cravings,"

"S-Sure," Susumu gave a swallow, confused by the word choice.

"Very well, I suppose I can leave another satisfied guest—" Ayame signaled that he was in place.

"Now!" Susumu shouted.

"What?!" Seiji checked the surroundings. Ayame leaped forward to grab the scroll while Susumu slid into Seiji's legs to knock him off balance. Their plan would've worked too if a Seiji hadn't substituted himself at the last minute.

"Damn it, can you sense him?" Susumu scanned the area for any signs of the thief.

"He's 14 meters to our left!" They bolted after him, "And next time don't shout!" Ayame added angrily.

They managed to close in on Seiji, however, he turned to face them and performed a sequence of seals.

"Susumu get down!" Ayame grabbed his teammate's arm as he tried to dodge what he thought was an incoming fireball.

"Nnhh…I-I can't see?!" Instead of a flame burst they were surrounded by a red mist that made them cough and burned their eyes.

"You fools thought you could capture me? I'll show you how unruly guests get treated!"

"Ugh, why is he talking like that?!" Ayame kept his arm up to shield his face and reached over to make sure he held a firm grip on his friend and tried to lead them outside of the mist. "Come on, the branches," The mist was still thick, but it was less so the higher they climbed; once they could breathe without issue, they stopped. "How are your eyes? Can you see?" Ayame checked Susumu.

"I don't think I can. Nnhh…" He tried to open them and felt the sting just as strongly as before.

"Here," Ayame ripped cloth from Susumu's sleeve and tied it around his eyes.

"Did you just ruin my shirt?!"

"I wasn't going to ruin mine!"

"There you are!"

"Uwah?!" Susumu could hear someone else on the branch and felt around for a spot he could climb to. He jumped down and then felt the tree trunk, this should be safe to stay on.

Once Susumu stood up, he listened carefully. Ayame must've headed off somewhere else, he had to assume that he'd be fighting Seiji alone. The branches rustled above him, alerting Susumu who threw two shuriken in the direction of the sound. Every rustling leaf could potentially signal enemy movement, he couldn't rely on his hearing alone.

How else could he find this guy without his vision?!

"…Wait a minute…" Susumu sniffed the air, "That's…" A distinct fragrance, a special blend of aromatic spices, "There you are!" He threw more shuriken, this time toward the origin of the odor, and heard a grunt of pain.

"Tch…you utilized your other senses to find me…" Seiji sounded close, so Susumu lunged towards the sound with a kunai drawn. "Too bad I have to kill you; you might've made a decent chef!"

Susumu's kunai clanged against the metal of Seiji's own cleaver; it sounded large and heavy, whirring as it swung through the air. Whenever Susumu heard the sound, he leaned away or ducked to avoid getting hit, managing to hold Seiji off with just his kunai.

"You're a chef?! Then why…" Susumu grunted as he pushed back an attack, "Are you doing this?!"

"Fwah!" The man laughed loudly, "A chef?! I'm a master of both ninja and culinary arts!"

"I…I-I don't know what that means!?" Susumu matched his loudness in confusion.

"It means, I'm not just a chef, I'm a ninja chef!" He still couldn't see what the chef guy was doing and listened intently, not knowing Seiji's cleaver was raised high above his head.

Jun paused to rest, she'd been running for hours. This wasn't even the Land of Fire anymore, the border was crossed long ago and still, she hadn't caught up. A while back she'd found the remnants of a skirmish, so her teammates must've engaged with the target at some point.

Eventually, she heard something ahead.

"No more, I-I'm so full!"

"Stop, please! I don't even like fish!"

That sounded like...her teammates. Jun drew nearer and entered a small river crossing in between the trees and found the target with her two teammates.

"Ayame?! Susu...mu..." She halted to take in the scene. Both had been tied with a giant soba noodle as Seiji tossed another fish in the air, slicing it up in the blink of an eye, and flung the finely cut pieces of sashimi into their unwilling mouths.

"Another customer?" He turned his attention to her. Jun grew apprehensive and stepped back. "Do you have any food allergies?"

"Tch," She didn't answer his question and began combat. Her skills in taijutsu normally had no trouble dispatching nin, but Seiji's speed and strength were a formidable combination. He easily blocked her kick with his hand and while still in his grasp he twisted around, throwing her into a nearby tree.

"Augh?!" There was a crunch when her body collided against the heavy trunk and her body crumpled to the ground. "Nnnhhh," She could barely get up.

"Jun?!" Ayame continued gnawing on his bindings so he could help.

"I've spent years developing these recipes, there's no way you can possibly defeat me," Seiji announced as he returned his cleaver to its sheath. He had a large arsenal of techniques, none of which she was familiar with, so when he began performing hand signs, she forced herself to stand.

"Watch out for his pepper spray!" Susumu called out.

"I'll show you some of my best work," Her eyes widened when she recognized part of the sequence, this was a fireball technique! Seiji sucked a breath and once he completed the seals, he exhaled a large red cloud.

Jun covered her mouth and closed her eyes as she fled the area. Even though she had inhaled it briefly that was enough for her to feel the sting in her eyes and a cough make its way from her throat. "Ugh…" Her eyes hurt more as the red mist permeated the forest floor, forcing her higher into the treetops.

"Heh, time for the main course!" He lunged after her, landing on the high-up branch.

"…" Jun made her move. The wood beneath Seiji's feet began changing as the tree limb wrapped itself around his legs to lock him in place.

"W-What?!" Jun expected him to retaliate and moved quickly to grab the scroll. "No!" Seiji glared. He drew his weapon and slashed to force her back, instead, she jumped over his body and landed behind him for an even better angle to take the scroll.

"I said NO!" Seiji shouted. The tree limb locking his feet in was cut through when the cleaver slammed down, and Seiji ran through the treetops toward the border to the Land of Wind.

"Tsk," Jun trailed behind, keeping her eyes on the figure ahead. When she tried to catch up to him, the figure split into five and they all went in different directions. Shadow clones like that would be difficult to tell apart. But only one of them was still moving towards the border; that must be the real one! This time, she'd be prepared to face him.

"This is no longer your country, leaf nin," Seiji stopped after he crossed into the other country.

"And?" she asked, slowing to a stop as well.

"Unless I'm a rogue or missing nin, then you have no authority here. You have to let me go—"

"That might apply if nin from this land are present, but it's just you and I…and I won't leave witnesses,"

"Tch…You want the scroll back that badly? Then take it!" he challenged her.

She used her wood release to try and trap him as thick roots burst from the ground and latched onto his arms. They held his arms tightly, giving him no opportunity to use hand seals; finally, she approached him and ripped the scroll off his back.

His body disappeared in a puff of smoke, "A shadow clone?!"

But the scroll in her hands hadn't disappeared, was this real?! In her haste to find out, she looked over the scroll before realizing this was not the one stolen from the archives. "Ah?!" She dropped it and leaped backward, but his trap had already activated. A strange version of a water prison was sealed along with another clone.

"Don't fill up on the soup, you'll ruin your appetite!" A bubble of amber liquid engulfed her body. The liquid was thick, and heavy, and restricted her ability to move, let alone perform a jutsu. The clone grinned, anticipating a quick death.

"…" 3 minutes passed. By then her lungs ached as she reached the limit of her breath hold. She tried to move her hands again, but the thick liquid made that impossible. "Ghhh," With hypoxia kicking in, her vision grew faint. She held back the urge to aspirate, but eventually, she opened her mouth.

"Hah!" When the clone saw the bubbles, he assumed she had expired and grinned. "Huh? N-No?!" Something surprised the clone. The liquid fell to the ground with her body dropping limply in the center of the puddle as the clone was dispatched.

"Hey!" Another nin came upon the scene and ran over. Jun hadn't taken a breath yet, so they reached down to check for a pulse.

"…" Her eyes finally opened, and she spat the soup out and sat up with a groan. "Ughh…" Her ears were still ringing as she clutched her head, and she was dizzy from the long breath hold; despite that, she attempted to stand up. When her body threatened to keel over, the nin held her steady.

"You look terrible," That voice, was familiar.

Jun looked up to the speaker, "You?" When she was able to stand without help, Kankuro dropped his hand.

"We got your hokage's alert; I have orders to arrest him if he sets foot in our country." He explained, "And since you're all the way out here I'm guessing those orders are active." Kankuro eyed her and then the strange yellow puddle cautiously. He gave a swallow, unsure if he should ask, but he was curious, especially given the pungent aroma.

"Uhm…what's…uh…that?"

"…Miso soup," she explained as she wrung the miso from her clothes and hair while a scallion or two fell off her body.

"…" he blinked in response, "Uh—"

"He's a ninja chef," she added for clarification.

"A chef did this to you?" he scoffed in disbelief. If he'd arrived any later then that would've been one of the lamest ways to die. "You're joking—"

"I made the mistake of underestimating him, I won't make that mistake twice," she cautioned him instead. "The real one is somewhere in the woods."

"This guy could be long gone by now—"

"Ayame isn't the only one that can sense for chakra," she took off deeper into the trees, forcing him to follow. These trees had shallower roots that often overlapped together in dense networks; if she could inject her chakra into the roots, it might increase her detection range. She pressed her hand on a tree trunk and waited for movement.

"Well?" Kankuro crossed his arms impatiently.

"There's…two southeast of our position, at 27 meters and at 18 meters; one is directly south at 19 meters; and one is west of us at 23 meters." She let her hand drop to her side. "I don't know which is the real one and which are the shadow clones,"

"Then we'll just have to split up." He tugged on the straps of his puppet. "And try not to get killed."

"…I'll take the one west of here." She wasn't going to waste any more time and turned toward the direction of her target.

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?!" Everything had gone dark.

"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?"

They hadn't seen each other since developing the accelerated program. "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.