"THERE'S A GIANT IN THE FOREST!"

Itadori's exclamation is met with confused expressions from the others. Sumire, Touwata, Tsubaki, and Mizubashou don't know how to respond to what she just said. The scared Tigers continue to try and explain themselves, while Tsubaki tries to calm them down.

After settling down a bit, Itadori and Ume explain. The two of them were east of the village, walking through the forest and playing around. While having a little race to see who's faster (it was Itadori), the duo stumbled across an area with damaged terrain. There were trees broken in half, large rocks reduced to pebbles, burn marks on the ground, and even giant FOOTPRINTS left in the ground. The damage to the landscape was weird, but once Ume and Itadori realized that there were footprints too, they got scared and ran back to Akane. Now the Tigers want Tsubaki and Sumire to check out what they saw. None of the other girls know what to do. Claims of a giant, or at least traces left by one. Claims made by Itadori and Ume, who are known for pranks. However, they do seem genuinely upset by whatever they found. They're a type of scared that neither would be able to fake just for a joke.

Tsubaki decides to go with them and see what they're talking about. Touwata also volunteers to go with them. They will confirm the sightings. The Tigers begin to run off, being followed the Touwata and Tsubaki, leaving Sumire and Mizubashou behind.

Mizubashou: "What an odd thing to say, huh? A giant in the forest?"

Sumire: "Yes... oh, and don't think I've forgotten about how you're supposed to be out hunting right now."

Mizubashou: "Hmm, you remembered huh..? Ah! I need to go get some bait! Let's head back to the village!"

She points back to the direction of the village, but not the exact way that they originally came from. Knowing Mizubashou, it's definitely rigged to tie Sumire up...


The Tigers lead Tsubaki and Touwata through the forest. The four ninjas jump through the trees. Itadori and Ume are nervous about going back but both feel that they should show the others. Tsubaki and Touwata are still feeling a bit unsure about the situation. If they arrive at the location and it turns out to be a prank, then they'll have to scold the Tiger duo for lying and wasting their time. If it's not a prank, then what are they even supposed to do?

After a few more minutes of traveling, they reach the sight of the supposed giant's rampage. Tsubaki and Touwata see it all. The trees that are snapped in two, the debris of boulders that were once even bigger than the Strength Stone, and the footprints. Footprints large enough that you can sit in them. This is way beyond any prank an Akane girl has ever pulled, or could ever pull. The Tigers were telling the truth.

Tsubaki's mind races. A giant is in the forest somewhere? A giant what? A giant animal, a giant human? Could it be.. a man? Tsubaki once again starts thinking about men. She has heard from sensei that men are just regular people, not the savage beasts that the rest of the village believes them to be. She also knows that there are supposed to be some differences between men and women. But she has no idea what men actually look like, since it's forbidden to see one. How much taller are they, and how much stronger? Could this be a training sight for a male ninja? Where did he go? Will he come back?

Touwata meanwhile begins to thoroughly examine the scene, taking mental notes of everything she sees. The trees were not cut by a tool but seem to be smashed apart, and one even appears to be pulled out of the ground. The black stains originally described as "burn marks" aren't burns, but instead seem to be a dried liquid. The stains are on the ground and some broken rocks. It's like someone spilled ink everywhere. Or maybe the giant has black blood? Oh, and then there's the giant footprints. Much larger than Touwata's own foot, the human-like prints litter the area, and connect a lot of the damage together. However, the odd thing is that the tracks simply begin at one point and then eventually end. It makes it look like the giant appeared out of thin air, then disappeared in the same way. Examining what appear to be the first footprints reveal that they're deeper than the rest, like the giant landed there after a fall from a great height. It probably also jumped away after it was done here.

Touwata finishes up her investigation, and calls out to Tsubaki, snapping her out of her daydreams about men. She suggests that the four of them head back to Akane for now. So the four girls begin to run back to the village, extra aware of their surroundings, on the lookout for a giant.


The girls make it back to the village not long after. Touwata explains in detail what they saw to Sumire, and the Tigers are eager to hear what Sumire and Tsubaki plan to do. There's something powerful lurking around Akane that might be a threat to everyone. With Hana and Konoha gone, it's up to them to figure things out. Sumire, as always, is coming up with a plan. But there's already one complication that she's worrying about.

Itadori: "What are we gonna do you guys?"

Ume: "What if the giant attacks the village?!"

Tsubaki: "Calm down! M-Maybe the giant doesn't know about the village? He might just be passing through the area."

Tsubaki tries to ease the minds of both the Tigers. Sumire chimes in.

Sumire: "Even if the giant doesn't know where we are right now, it might learn our location soon."

Tsubaki: "How?"

Sumire: "We have classmates outside the village, doing their chores. Horse, Rat, and Monkey Units plus Higiri and Mizubashou are out in the forest hunting and gathering. And that's not accounting for any girls that might be spending their free time in the forest, the same way Itadori and Ume were. They're ALL out there with this giant. It could follow them back to the village, or even hurt them out there."

The realization that a good chunk of the village is currently at risk of meeting the giant hits Tsubaki and Touwata. Eleven girls and possibly more are in danger. Sumire quickly gives out orders. Touwata is to go find Horse Unit and bring them back. Tsubaki is to go find Rat Unit and do the same, and then circle around the village looking for Mizubashou and anyone else. Sumire herself will meet with Monkey Unit. The Team asks the Tigers keep this to themselves for now, to prevent panic in the village. They also approach the Ox Unit's two upperclassmen, Shion and Suzuran. The Team asks them to be on guard. Sumire doesn't mention the giant, she simply asks them to watch over the village while the Team goes out for a bit.


The many herbs used for medical purposes can be found in various places around the forest. Luckily, Sumire knows that the girls went west, so that narrows the search. All Sumire has to do is get close to areas where herbs grow and focus a bit to sense the girls presence. Sense is a useful ninja technique all around, and especially for a situation like this. She can even use it to make sure the giant isn't nearby while she searches. With it, Sumire eventually finds Mokuren and Higiri in a field of flowers, collecting petals. Tsuwabuki and Housenka are not there.

Mokuren: "Ah! Sumire!"

Sumire: "Where are your squadmates Mokuren?"

Mokuren: "They ran off again."

Higiri: "They started arguing about something and then it turned into a fight. I stopped them the first time, but they started insulting each other again and Tsuwabuki got angry and chased Housenka off... I stayed with Mokuren and kept collecting herbs.."

Mokuren: "Higiri is a great help!"

Unsurprisingly, Tsuwabuki and Housenka got heated and ran off. They're running around out there at the worst possible time. Sumire quickly explains the situation to them, and tells them that the others must be found and brought back to the village. Higiri volunteers to find them alone, as the trio splitting up and all searching increases the chance of the giant finding one of them. Higiri remembers the direction the girls ran off in, and can track them fairly easily. The chase leaves an obvious trail that a ninja can follow.

Tsuwabuki and Housenka always get into 'fights'. Though, they're usually less like actual fights, and more just Tsuwabuki running after a fleeing Housenka. The younger girl usually starts the chase by angering Tsuwabuki, to the point that she starts trying to shut Housenka up by hitting her. The most common hit she dishes out is spanking, but sometimes she's more rough. The end result is typically Housenka passing out, which allows Tsuwabuki to cool down. Monkey Unit has a very different dynamic compared to Dragon Unit, or any other unit really. Higiri feels some guilt for not stopping those two from running off earlier, not only because at least one of them is going to get hurt, but also because they're now both at risk of meeting this giant that's apparently out there somewhere. She'll make things right by bringing them back.

Just a few minutes of searching later, and Higiri senses the two Monkey Unit members and finds them. Tsuwabuki is walking back towards the direction of the flower field, with Housenka over her shoulder, knocked out. Tsuwabuki doesn't seem angry anymore, and also doesn't show any signs of seeing anything abnormal, like traces of a giant. Higiri senses nothing large nearby, so hopefully they're in the clear. Higiri fibs that she and Mokuren finished gathering herbs and that it's time to go back home. Tsuwabuki suspects nothing odd, and walks with her back to Akane.

Higiri: "Hey Tsuwabuki, you didn't beat up Housenka too bad right?"

Tsuwabuki: "Nope."

Higiri: "Do you have to beat her up every time she acts up?"

Tsuwabuki: "It's fine, we always heal her later."

Higiri: "You knocked her out, that can't be healthy even with healing jitsu."

Tsuwabuki: "I go easy on her Higiri, she's just weak. I DON'T hit her with my full strength."

Higiri: "Okay.."

At least they're safe from the giant...


When they get back to Akane, Higiri sees that Tsubaki and Touwata have managed to get everyone else back as well. But now some girls are asking questions, on why those two ended their chores early. Tsubaki, as instructed by Sumire, tells them that the Team just wanted to give them more time to relax. They aren't as strict as Hana and Konoha, and are giving them the rest of the day off. This explanation sways them, and they don't look into things further. Sumire still doesn't want everyone knowing about this, mainly the underclassmen. Why worry them over a creature that might not even show up?

The hours following are normal. No trouble and no giant. Before Sumire knows it, the sun has gone down and the girls are turning in for the night. She, however, doesn't think that she'll get much sleep. She sits at the window of the room, writing on her clipboard under the moonlight. She's still planning, not just for chores tomorrow, but for a potential invader showing up. She's not confident that they're safe right now, as the giant could find the village while everyone's asleep. Patrolling the village would be the best thing to do now, though Sumire's already tired from spending last night planning as well. It'll make things a lot tougher if she does have an encounter, but somebody should do it. Soon she drops the clipboard and begins to get dressed in more proper attire for a patrol.

The two girls in the room with Sumire can see how sleepy she is, and that she plans to go out. Azami and Tanpopo, her younger teammates, don't want their best friend to be stressed out and without sleep. If anyone knows how to relax and ease stress, it's them. They don't know what she's doing exactly, but they want to help her. So they silently agree to get Sumire to sleep.

Sumire: "I'm going to patrol the village tonight. You two get some sleep."

Azami: "But you need sleep too! You look super tired!"

Tanpopo: "Come on Sumire-chi, sleep with us..."

Azami: "Just relax!"

Tanpopo: "Yeah!"

Azami and Tanpopo grab onto Sumire and get her to lay down. Sumire tries to protest, but the others aren't having it. The two underclassmen each wrap an arm around Sumire's arms, and lay with her. She wants get up, but doesn't want to force them away. They whisper into her ears to fall asleep and have good dreams. The leader wants to stay awake, but when you're tired, your pillow is VERY comfortable... Perhaps they're right, sleep is good for you after all...

BANG! BOOM! BANG! BANG!

The girls jolt up in bed as powerful booms and thuds are heard from outside, from the direction of the village's crop field. The ground shakes as more bangs are heard, before a loud CRASH and the sounds of wood being broken are heard. Sumire tells Azami and Tanpopo to stay put, and she runs outside the room. She spots several other girls coming out of their rooms to also investigate. Among them is Tsubaki, Mokuren, and Higiri, all still in their sleepwear.

Higiri: "It's here?!"

Sumire: "Mokuren! Keep everyone inside! We'll go check!"

Mokuren: "Okay!"

Tsubaki, Sumire, and Higiri exit the dorms and begin to look for the source of the sound. Upon running a bit further out, the two girls discover that the smaller farm shack has been destroyed. The building is completely collapsed. The larger farmhouse next to it also has a big hole in the side of it. More banging can be heard from the farmhouse, whatever did this is still in there. The girls can even hear low pitched groaning as the creature rummages through the building, most likely looking through the stored crops. The three girls slowly approach the building, though they're not really sure on what to do. Do they chase this thing off? Do they fight it? Do they-

CRASH!

Suddenly, something jumps THROUGH the roof of the larger farmhouse, going high into the night sky. It's shape is lit up by the full moon as it reaches the apex of it's jump. It's like a human, with arms and legs, but it also has four extra limbs near where a human's head is. It's too far away to tell many more details, but it's definitely a large creature. It descends in the sky, and the girls lose sight of it with the tree leaves. One last boom signals that it has landed somewhere out there. It's quiet now. Tsubaki, Higiri, and Sumire have no words. They simply stand there stunned for a few seconds. The giant found them, and it's a danger to everyone here.

Why couldn't it have just been a prank?