Mandatory leave. I'd effectively prevented a war from inflaming, practically stopping it outright, and my reward was mandatory leave. That meant no training, no missions, and I couldn't even volunteer at the hospital this time! That was specified as one of the activities I was banned from. All I had was just sitting on my ass doing nothing. It sucked. Chiaki, Ko, Sogo and Touji were all out drinking with Team Kunai, but I wasn't exactly keen on reliving the experience of following them from bar to bar and cleaning up their messes.

I had nothing to do but twiddle my thumbs and angrily sip soothing tea. Shikaku had somehow heard I was banned from doing ninja stuff and stole all my research supplies before I'd gotten home. His Nara Clan Head privileges let him go anywhere in the compound whenever he wanted, my house included.

He'd left a note that said, 'You'll get it back when your leave is over.'

What was I supposed to do instead of research? I'd already spent more hours in my garden than was healthy and was wracking my brain trying to think of anything to do.

There was a knock at my door.

I scowled, stomping over to the door. Shikaku really wanted to mess with me after breaking into my house and taking my stuff? Fine.

I threw the door open, ready to shout at my Clan Head. I did a double take and straightened my back, nodding respectfully. "Misaki, it's good to see you. How can I help you?"

Misaki was standing on my front porch in a rose-white kimono with flower designs stitched into it. She was looking off to the side shyly, not meeting my eyes. "Hello, Shinto. I…was wondering if you would like to come to my home for dinner? My mother is making fish."

"What kind of fish? Actually, it doesn't matter. I'm there." I said, snagging my coat from the rack near the door and stepping outside. I closed and locked my door – not that the lock would keep Shikaku from sifting through my stuff – smiling wide as I motioned for Misaki to lead the way. "After you."

Misaki blinked, seemingly shocked. She recovered quickly, shuffling down the steps and waiting for me to join her before walking at my side through the Nara grounds.

"That's a pretty kimono." I said, looking her up and down. She had a purple sash around her waist that matched the flower designs. I wasn't really one for fashion, but I could recognize good looking apparel.

Misaki blushed, turning away from me. "Thank you, Shinto. I…made it myself."

I raised an eyebrow. "You made that? That's awesome, Misaki. I guess your lessons with Ema have gone well?" Ema was Sogo's sister. He'd introduced Misaki and Ema a while back so Misaki could improve her tailoring skills. Ema was the woman Misaki was learning with while I was volunteering at the hospital.

Misaki smiled softly, nodding. "They have. I have made several gowns for both my mother and myself. I am thinking of using it as an income source after I eventually retire from ninja work."

"It's always good to think ahead, and you've got the talent, so I don't see why it wouldn't work out for you."

"Thank you for saying so, Shinto."

We fell into silence as we exited the Nara compound. The two Nara guards on duty were smirking and waving enthusiastically at me, a stark contrast to their usual…alertness, but I didn't really think anything of it. They were likely putting on a show for Misaki so others in the village thought they actually did their jobs.

"Mother asked me to stop on the way home to buy a dessert. Do you have a preference?" Misaki asked as we entered Konoha proper.

"I'm not really a culinary expert, so I don't know what goes with fish, but I'll eat whatever. Did she say to grab something specific?"

Misaki shook her head. "No, she said to ask you what you wanted to eat."

"Then let's stop and grab a cake. If that's okay with you, I mean." Cake or ice cream were the go to desserts when you didn't know what someone wanted, and I remembered from going out with her a number of times that Mio had a soft spot for cake. At least, she ate a lot of cakes, typically eating half of her husband's portion as well.

"That sounds wonderful." Misaki agreed.

We ducked into a bakery and picked up a simple chocolate cake. I carried it as Misaki led me to the Hyuga Compound. When we reached the gate, the two guards on duty bowed shallowly to us, not saying anything as we walked past.

"What was that about?" I asked Misaki quietly, slightly put off by the strange amount of respect they were showing me.

She looked sidelong at me, a small smirk on her face as she cast telepathy. 'They were present when Kumo's ninja attempted to kidnap our heiress and her sister. ANBU masks do little to hide identity from the Hyuga.'

I frowned. 'That was a team effort. There were three separate ANBU teams there.'

'Yes, but only one ANBU kept the perpetrator alive, preventing Kumo from claiming foul play on Konoha's part. Had you not saved his life, misfortune would have befallen our clan.'

I sighed. 'Do me a favor and let them know they don't need to do the whole bowing thing, would you?'

Misaki turned to me, smiling brightly. "No." she giggled and rushed ahead of me.

I scowled at her back and shoved my hands in my pockets, following her up to her house.

"Mother, Father, I've returned. Shinto is with me." Misaki called as she entered the house and took her shoes off.

Mio rounded the corner. "Shinto!" she cheered when she saw me, rushing forward to pull me into a hug. I stuck my hands out to my sides, completely surprised by the sudden contact. "It's good to see you again. How long has it been?"

"Two…three months?" I said uncertainly, tilting my head as I thought. It had been a while since I'd seen Misaki's parents. I'd been so caught up in training and missions against Kumo that I hadn't done much of anything outside my ANBU duties.

Mio pulled back, frowning at me. "Far too long indeed. You need to come by more often."

"Mio-san, I–"

"Ah, ah ah!" Mio tutted, waving a finger at me. "You'll come by whenever you're free, right?"

"It's best to give her what she wants." Misaki said, an amused smile on her face as she enjoyed my discomfort.

I held back a sigh and said, "I would be very grateful to have meals with you from time to time."

Mio patted my head, a pleased smile on her face. "Very good. Now come sit. Dinner is ready."

The 'fish' as it turned out, was rolled sushi. I wasn't familiar with sushi, so I couldn't say exactly what variety of sushi was served, but it was good. The texture was soft and there was a little heat to it.

"How have you been faring?" Kiyoshi, Misaki's father, asked as we ate.

"Well. I've been enjoying my work and getting better at it." I said.

Mio huffed disapprovingly. "There is more to life than work, Shinto. What have you been doing in your free time?"

"Mostly tending to my garden and researching." I said with a shrug.

Mio sighed, setting her chopsticks aside. "Shinto, that still qualifies as work. Making poisons and new jutsu do not qualify as hobbies."

"But I enjoy them. Isn't that what a hobby is? And I make tea too. My tea is good! Misaki told me you enjoy it too!"

Mio was frowning at me. "Misaki, you need to get Shinto out of his house more often. Bring him by when you have time off."

"Yes, mother." Misaki said, shooting me a wide, amused smile.

I narrowed my eyes at her. 'You're supposed to be my teammate.'

'I am. That is why I will make sure you find healthy ways to spend your free time.'

'Are you going to teach me to make jackets? I might actually be interested in that.' I sent, already thinking of ways to alter my ANBU gear to still be in regulations but to allow me to make use of more shadows.

Misaki narrowed her eyes at me. 'You're thinking about how to use what I teach you to fight, aren't you?'

'You don't know that for sure.'

'Shinto, I know you better than anyone. You are not fooling me.'

"Time for cake!" Mio announced, setting the cake Misaki and I had bought down on the table, interrupting our silent conversation.

The cake was good. It wasn't anything special, but I had no complaints. I still missed having easy access to sugar and spices like I did in my past life to give everything more flavor. The food in Konoha wasn't bad, it just wasn't up to the same standards.

The only cooking I'd had in this life that was comparable was Kenji's. I still missed my old teammate.

When we'd finished our dessert, I thanked Mio and Kiyoshi for having me over and politely excused myself. I wanted to get home in time to sleep. Not that I needed to be up early tomorrow with my forcefully open schedule – I wasn't bitter about that – but I didn't want to fall into a habit of not sleeping.

"Come by again soon, Shinto!" Mio called, waving at me from the front door as Misaki and I walked away. "Don't make me send Misaki to hunt you down again!"

"Your mother is a nice lady." I said once Mio went back inside.

"She is, though she can be a little forceful. I apologize if she is off-putting to you."

I chuckled. "My Clan Head regularly breaks into my house and takes my stuff. Your mother's jovialness is welcome by comparison."

Misaki smirked at me. "Then I will be sure to tell her to give you her best."

"Bring it on."

We arrived at the gate to the Hyuga Compound and said our goodbyes. I was about to turn to leave when Misaki stopped me, placing a hand on my shoulder and turning me around.

"What's up?" I said, searching her face. She seemed nervous and uncertain.

"I… I really appreciate everything you've done for me, Shinto. I am thankful we have been able to spend so much time together over the years." she said hesitantly.

I nodded slowly. "I'm grateful to know you too. I don't think I would have been able to do half of what I've done without you."

Misaki smiled, wide and bright. "The same is true for me." Quickly, she leaned forward and pressed her lips against my cheek. She pulled back just as quickly, a bright red blush coloring her cheeks. "Have a good night." She spun around and darted back through the Hyuga gate before I could say anything.

I turned around slowly, seeing the two Hyuga guards smirking at me as I did. I ignored them, numbly walking back home, my mind abuzz.

That's right. I still hadn't talked to Misaki about…this. I'd meant to deal with this years ago, but then my parents died…then training…then the Chunin Exams. It had slipped my mind due to the never-ending onslaught of Naruto's death-worldness.

It wasn't that I didn't enjoy Misaki's company. She was my closest friend, but she was also fifteen. I wasn't sure I felt comfortable entering a relationship with her being the old man I was by comparison, even if she and I had seen war together. It felt weird to consider pursuing that kind of relationship with her.

I was frowning as I walked through the Nara gate.

"Trouble in paradise, troublesome?" one of the gate guards jibed as I passed him. Both of them were lazing on lawn chairs, fruity drinks with umbrellas in their hands. I ignored them both. I had a lot to think about.

I locked the door to my house and washed up before lying in bed.

Misaki and I had both matured a lot in a short time. ANBU did that to you. Still… Did I feel that way about her?

I needed to figure this out and let her know one way or the other soon. It wouldn't be fair to her otherwise. The problem was I didn't know how I felt. I needed to sort that out before I spoke to her about anything.

XXX

"We have a mission." Chiaki announced as we all sat down around the table.

"Kumo?" Touji asked, eyes narrowed.

"No. Hot Water. Civilians have been disappearing near their southern coast."

"Are we sure it's not Kumo? There might be some stragglers left or some nin seeking revenge for killings during the war." Touji said.

"They'd have to be monumentally stupid to try something after the treaty was just signed." I said. Kumo had wound down their war efforts. Restarting the war wouldn't serve them in the slightest.

"Whether it's Kumo or not, why are they sending us?" Sogo asked, confused. "We're Konoha nin."

"Yes, and Hot Water has signed an alliance with us that requires us to help." Chiaki said.

Ko raised an eyebrow. "Civilians disappearing sounds like bandits. Why don't they send a team of chunin?"

"They did. The chunin missed their check in two weeks ago. The team that was sent to investigate haven't reported back either." Chiaki said seriously.

Ko huffed. "That would explain why they need us."

"Do we know anything else about the disappearances?" I asked. After forced leave, I was itching to get back in the field, but that didn't mean I wasn't going to take this seriously. It was an ANBU mission. Treating it like a walk in the park was a good way to get your team killed.

Chiaki shook her head. "Our job is to investigate the area where both teams disappeared then report back. The priority is retrieving information, but if we have a chance to rescue our chunin we take it."

"Will we have support?" Misaki asked.

"Kunai and Ro will be searching the area as well. Our three teams will split once we reach the coast to cover more ground and reconvene to share our findings with one-another."

"When do we leave?" Touji asked, arms crossed over his chest.

"When the sun sets. Shinto will be on point, moving through the shadows. The rest of us will follow behind. Moving at our standard pace, we'll get there in four hours. Get your gear and be ready to move out in two hours." Chiaki ordered, stepping away from the table to open her locker.

I gathered my storage seals and started plastering them against the inner lining of my jacket. This was just another mission in a long list of successes. The mysterious nature of it was concerning, but nothing we hadn't dealt with before.

X

It took us a little over a day to reach the guard post in Hot Water where we met with our liaison. The three ANBU captains met with the liaison then reported back to us. We split into our teams and began patrolling different areas, searching for the cause of the disappearances.

Team Fist had been traveling for hours. I'd taken the lead as Eagle ordered, using Transport Via Shadows to glide across the ground, made possible by the rise of night. Tiger and Owl were both fifty meters behind me with Bear, Ox and Eagle ten meters behind them.

We'd reached the mission area, but so far Owl and I hadn't been able to see anything out of the ordinary.

'I feel nothing with shadows.' I reported from where I was pooled in my shadow at the head of the group.

'I see nothing around us.' Owl reported.

'Badger, Tiger, rejoin us. Owl, move–' Whatever else Eagle had sent was lost as Owl sent another message that canceled our team captain's.

'My vision is shrinking. There is a fog I cannot see through surrounding us. Five-hundred meters and closing!'

'Regroup on me!' Eagle ordered.

Tiger flickered back to the group while I sped across the ground through shadows. I rose out of the ground behind Owl, her back to me and mine to hers as my Shadow Armor settled around me.

'Badger, targets?' Eagle asked.

'I can't feel anyone.' I responded. My shadow sensing was far from perfect. I had to be in the same shadow as someone else in order to sense them, and even then I had a set range – roughly two-hundred meters. Owl could see further than I could.

'Fog is still closing. My range is shrinking with it. Three-hundred meters.' Owl warned.

'Retreat.' Eagle ordered. 'Tiger, Ox, take point. We move to Konoha.'

The rest of us fell in behind Tiger and Bear as we started speeding back the way we'd come. Whatever was coming, if Owl couldn't see through it, we'd be fighting blind. It was better to report our meager findings so Konoha could send an ANBU team with sensing abilities not reliant on the byakugan.

I felt a seventh humanoid shape appear within two-hundred meters of us, an eighth and ninth following an instant later.

'Enemies ahead!' I sent through Telepathy. 'Three targets two-hundre–' I wasn't able to get the rest of my warning out.

All three targets had vanished, flickering away. No sound was made as three nin suddenly appeared right around us.

Tiger fell, his head falling away from the rest of his body as the blade of a giant hand axe tore through his neck.

Ox fell, a masked shinobi falling on top of him, the thin sword he wielded driven through Ox's chest to the hilt.

The third figure struck towards me. The massive blade of the bearded nin cleaved into my Shadow Armor, but was stopped before it made contact with my flesh. If my Shadow Armor hadn't been active, I would have died.

On instinct, my shadows flowed down the sword blades jammed in my armor to trap the enemy nin. His cold, dead eyes grew furious as he realized he was trapped in my shadow. A sound like a thousand birds chirping banished the silence as Owl used the opening I provided to drive a chidori into the unmoving enemy's back.

The man cried out in pain then fell limp, collapsing to the ground as I released him from my shadow.

"Owl, move!" Eagle screamed. The fact that she didn't use Telepathy meant she was desperate to get the message out as soon as possible.

The shinobi with the hand axe had closed the distance to Owl, a large hammer held in his other hand that was descending towards Owl.

I wrapped Owl in my shadow, dispelling my shadow armor in order to capture her in Shadow Imitation, and leapt backwards, Owl forced to move with me.

The great hammer came down on the ground behind Owl, letting out a great boom as it cratered the dirt.

'Fourth enemy closing on Eagle and Bear!' Owl sent through Telepathy as I released her from my Shadow Imitation.

'Regroup!' Eagle screamed in our heads.

Owl and I moved to rejoin Bear and Eagle, but were forced back as the nin with the axe and hammer struck towards us again. The massive weapons he was using were sundering everything in their path from the rocks in the ground to the trees around us, we couldn't afford to get hit by them.

"Move, Badger!" Owl shouted.

Trusting my teammate, I fell into my shadow, flowing across the ground and narrowly avoiding the point of the thin sword of the second nin as it passed over my head. When I rose out of the ground, my Shadow Armor was around me once more. I drew my sword and fell into a stance, squaring off with the nin across from me.

'Bear and I have engaged the fourth nin. Stall while we deal with her!' Eagle screamed in my head.

'Badger and I are separated.' Owl's voice followed.

'Stall!' Eagle repeated.

Pointed, shadowy tendrils rose up around my armor as I faced off against the nin across from me. He didn't seem intimidated. If anything, the masked man seemed excited.

He had a mane of bushy orange fur around his mask and was tall and lanky. He wore a black tank top and purple gauntlets over his hand.

Now that I had a moment to look at it, the sword was strange. Its width was that of a coin and narrowed down to a sharpened point. It was more reminiscent of a fishing rod than a sword. There was even a spool of wire at the hilt of the sword. If I didn't know any better, I'd think the man was fighting me with a sewing needle.

…Why did that rouse long-slumbering memories?

Any more thought I would have put into that was lost as explosions sounded off in the direction Bear and Eagle were. That seemed to be the cue for my opponent and I to begin trying to kill each other.

He whipped the wire attached to his sword out, aiming for my legs, likely to try and bind them up to trip me.

Shadowy tendrils snapped forward from behind me to deflect the wire away as I closed in on my opponent, striking out with my sword. I'd hoped he would block my strike, but it seemed he saw what happened to his ally.

He leapt back away from my strike, flipping and rolling backward as I kept advancing, striking with my sword.

I stopped as I realized he was leading me further away from Eagle, Bear and Owl. I spun and went to flicker away when a wire rose up out of the ground, whipping right for my face. The nin had been laying that wire in the ground as he'd been evading, leaving it behind so I would walk over it as I advanced on him.

The wire was moving too fast to dodge, so I tilted my head down, letting it scrape across the helmet of my shadow armor and snap over me. There was a risk it was thin enough to get in the slit in the helmet that I used to see, so I'd momentarily sacrificed my vision to avoid the strike.

'I need aid.' Owl sent into my head with Telepathy.

I grit my teeth. I needed to end my fight quickly and get back to her. She was fighting the hammer and axe-wielder alone.

My shadow tendrils whipped around in front of me, stabbing towards my enemy and forcing him back as I wove hand signs.

"Suiton: Water Clone!" I called, spitting water under my mask to create the clone.

The enemy nin leapt up, spinning to swing the wire of his sword back down towards me. My tendrils rose up to catch the wire before it could connect. The moment my shadows made contact with the wire, it lit up with electricity like a powerline, illuminating the area and preventing me from sending my shadows along the wire back to my enemy.

He landed right in front of me and stabbed upwards with his blade. I leapt back, tilting my head down again to let his sword point deflect off my shadow helmet.

Either he had been expecting that or had reflexes far superior to my own, because the angle of his strike rapidly changed, angling up to slide perfectly through the slit in my shadow armor, threading the needle through a miniscule opening with the precision of a lifelong seamstress.

I was already moving backwards, so his strike wasn't able to spear through my head as I was sure he intended to. But his strike landed. When the tip of his sword left my helmet, my field of vision cut in half. It was as if I was staring at a computer monitor and suddenly the left half of the screen turned black. Half of my vision was gone. There was a small white orb with spongy, stringy pink flesh dangling from the tip of my enemy's sword.

I screamed in agony as my momentum carried me away from the nin. The moment my feet touched the ground I fell into my shadow, haphazardly shifting across the ground to dodge my enemy's attacks and buy myself some time to recover.

I'd just lost an eye. My vision was wonky. I felt blood seeping from the hole in my head down my cheek, pooling in my fractured mask, a hole cracking apart where the sword had struck it. I wanted to keep screaming, but if I didn't recover quickly I'd lose more than an eye.

In the distance, a sound like a thousand chirping birds rose up, then was quickly snuffed out.

I was out of time, I needed to kill this guy.

I sprung out of my shadow as my water clone fell on the nin, buying me a precious few seconds. A storage seal in my armor popped and I took the senbon it deposited in my hand and jammed it in my arm. The world sharpened once more as the pain faded. Just in time too. The enemy nin had just cut my water clone in half, leaving the water to fall to the ground as he charged towards me.

The nin spun his hand behind him, the wire in his grip began rotating like a propellor as it was coated in lightning once more. He whipped the cord of energy towards me. Shadow tendrils whipped up to deflect the wire as I charged towards the nin.

I felt blood dripping down onto my chest from the bottom of my mask, seeping through cracks in the material. Several more fissures had opened in my mask, snaking away from the hole made when my enemy had taken my eye. I ignored it.

The nin blocked my sword strike with his blade. As I went to run my shadow down his sword, he let go of the hilt and gripped the wire with both hands, using his lightning to coat it once more as he whipped it towards me.

I fell backwards into my shadow, letting the lightning wire pass over my head. I sprung up from my shadow, striking out with my sword.

The nin snapped the wire back, using it to pull his sword back to him, advancing towards me once more.

"Futton: Grease Fire!" I shouted as I leapt backward to give myself enough space to weave hand signs. I spit out my technique and the area in front of me exploded into a blanket of fire.

A point of blue energy at the top of the curtain of fire swiftly dragged down, severing the blanket of fire in two. The enemy nin retracted his wire as the liquid fire from my attack fell in two large blankets, one on either side of him. For the first time since I'd been fighting him, the shinobi wove hand seals.

"Suiton: Hidden Mist Technique." he announced calmly, stepping back as heavy fog rose up all around us. He stepped behind a flame left by my fire and disappeared, making no sound.

I fell into my shadow, extending my shadow as far around me as I could. This guy and his allies were able to kill Ox and Tiger the moment they appeared, so he was likely trying to replicate that on me. I needed to lure him in somehow.

Slowly, I wove through hand signs, carefully channeling chakra. I opened my mouth and let water pour out of my mouth, blood from the hole in my head mixing with the water. I controlled my shadows up around the water clone I created, mimicking how I looked in my shadow armor. The clone looked around, making a show of searching for my enemy,

I heard no sound, felt no approach. One moment the clone was alone in the fog, the next the enemy shinobi had reappeared, his sword driven up to the hilt through the slit in the clone's armor. His aim had been perfect once more.

The clone exploded in a fountain of water, but it was too late for the shinobi to pull away. The moment he struck, the armor that had been around the clone latched onto him, holding him in place.

I rose out of my shadow, opening my hand. The shinobi copied me. He was fighting my control more fiercely than anyone I'd ever held before. I needed to end him.

Chakra strings grew from my fingers and popped two storage seals in my jacket. I snagged the senbon and kunai that appeared with my strings and threw them all at the shinobi. He was straining against my shadows, desperately trying to dodge the projectiles, but he was stuck in place. Dozens of kunai and senbon riddled his body, all coated in the most lethal poisons I had.

I held the shinobi in my shadow three seconds longer, then let him fall. He tipped like a scarecrow, landing on his back with a dull thud. The mist in the area was slowly dissipating.

'Status?' I sent out with Telepathy, sprinting over the shinobi's body back towards where I'd been separated from my team. When I received no response, I ran towards where I'd heard Owl's chidori. She may have been too focused on staying alive to respond.

I plowed through thick fog and emerged at the edge of a crater. The earth had been beaten down over ten meters. There were two bodies at the bottom of the crater.

I flickered down, stabbing into the neck of the giant with my sword and prying him off the other body. I needn't have bothered. The enemy was already dead. When I pulled him off Owl, her hand was pulled with him, still stuck through his heart.

My heart stopped the moment I was able to take in Owl's current state. The axe of the hammer/axe combo the shinobi had been wielding was buried in her stomach. That strike had likely been what caused the crater. Owl had very nearly been bisected. The only thing that prevented that outcome was her other hand pressed up against the blade of the axe, leaking blood freely, but she managed to keep it from cutting her in two.

"Shin…to…"

I was beside Misaki the next moment, my hands glowing green. I pressed them into Misaki's midsection.

"Dying…" Misaki said weakly.

"No," I denied, heaving a great sigh of relief as my jutsu mapped out her injuries. "You're not dying. You're gonna need to rest for a while, and you'll have a real nasty scar, but you'll be alright."

Misaki let out a choked, relieved sob at my words. The sob turned to a hiss of pain as I started pulling the axe out of her midsection, my other hand still firmly pressed down into her. I didn't dare break contact for even a moment. Yes, she would live, but only if I didn't stop healing her.

'Status?'

My head snapped up. I searched around for Eagle as her message rang in my head.

'Owl mortally wounded. Need two minutes before she can be moved. Bear?' I sent back.

'Bear immobilized fourth nin so I could possess and eliminate. Paid with his life.' Eagle reported back. The next moment, she flickered in next to me. She knelt beside me and looked over Owl. "Owl, scan our surroundings." she ordered quietly.

Owl took a shaky breath and said, "No targets I can…see. No blindspots…from mist either." Realizing how much pain she was in, I retrieved another senbon from a storage seal and nicked her shoulder within it. Owl sighed as the pain drastically lessened.

"Keep watch for any changes. Badger, get her ready to move. I'll seal the bodies and weapons." Eagle sealed the body of the axe/hammer nin away and took his weapon a moment later. She flickered off to gather the other bodies.

I focused on my work, mending Owl's injuries as swiftly as I could. I wouldn't be able to fully treat her here, but I could get her well enough to move. Once she was back in Konoha, they'd have the facilities to get her back to one-hundred percent, but we were far away from Konoha right now.

"I was so scared." Owl said weakly, pulling my attention up to her mask. "He cut me, and I thought…" Her hand was trembling as she clasped it tight around my wrist.

"You're going to be okay. Just hang in there." I said.

Eagle flickered right next to me, head on a swivel as she looked around. "How long?"

"Four more minutes." I responded swiftly.

"I'm going to send up flares when we start moving. The enemy likely already knows our location, so we need to make sure our allies know where we are as well."

"Understood."

Eagle looked up at my face. "Your mask is shattered."

I was confused. I tiled my head to the side to nudge my mask with my shoulder – I didn't dare remove my hands from Owl's wounds – and felt moist flesh instead of my solid mask. I growled in frustration. The cracks left when I lost my eye must have spread while I wasn't watching, causing the entire half of the mask to crumble away. It wasn't like I could see out of that side of my face anymore, so I hadn't noticed it. Blood was seeping out of the hole in my head, painting my cheek red.

Eagle pulled out a seal and opened it with a puff of smoke. "For the remainder of this mission, you are Tiger."

I stared down at the mask my friend wore before he fell, and the full weight of everything finally hit me. Three of my teammates were dead. The only reason Owl hadn't joined them was because I'd been able to heal her in time.

Eagle reached up to my head and pulled the broken Badger mask off, shoving the Tiger mask onto my face in the same instant.

The seconds ticked by in tense silence as I finished mending Owl's injuries temporarily.

"Ready." I finally reported as I scooped Owl up into my arms.

"I can–"

"I'm the team medic, so I outrank you right now. If I try to move you any other way it'll undo the work I just did. Keep watch on our surroundings." I cut Owl off as I secured her in my arms.

I felt an enormous chakra flare from right next to me as Eagle saturated the area in her chakra.

"On me." she ordered, and we took off at full speed back towards the guard post we'd split up with Kunai and Ro at.

We ran for just under an hour when Owl warned us of a patrol closing in on us. They were friendly. Eagle clicked out a Konoha code as we closed in so they knew we were allies.

'Status?' The incoming team sent us.

'Three dead. Three injured with one critically injured.' Eagle replied back.

I looked over at her as she sent her message. I hadn't realized she was injured, but then I was too focused on Owl to notice anything else…and I was physically incapable of seeing with my full range of vision. Sure enough, Eagle had blood leaking from her right arm. Now that I thought about it, she hadn't been using her right arm since the battle. Why hadn't she told me?

Five Konoha ANBU flickered in around us, creating a rough perimeter around what was left of my team.

"Cheetah, find Ro and tell them our position. Wolf, see to injuries." ANBU Falcon ordered as his team surrounded us.

Wolf rushed over to me as I laid Owl down on the ground. I waved her away as my hands glowed green. "Can't do anything else until we get to Konoha. She's stable. Help Eagle."

Wolf looked Owl over then nodded sharply, moving to Eagle. "What happened?"

"Lightning-coated blade severed something important. Either muscle or tendon, but I don't know which." Eagle reported.

Wolf tore off Eagle's sleeve, revealing a deep gash that was erupting blood. "Lay down now." Wolf ordered, physically hauling Eagle to the ground.

I moved up next to Wolf and did all I could to help, but Eagle's arm had nearly been severed. The blade had almost cut all the way through the bone. All we could do for her right now was stop the bleeding and brace it. Like with Owl, everything else would have to wait until we got back to Konoha.

"Tiger," Eagle said, laying still and letting us work on her. It took me a moment to remember that she was referring to me right now and not my fallen teammate. "Are you still bleeding?"

"Yes, but it isn't as major as your injury. I'll get to it."

Eagle moved her working arm to reach down and retrieve a seal. She held it out to me. "This is a direct order from your ANBU captain: Fix yourself. You witnessed that, right, Falcon?"

Falcon nodded from where he oversaw Wolf and I's work. "I did."

"Good." Eagle shoved the seal into my hands, then laid back to let Wolf keep working on her.

I stared down at the seal in my hand in confusion. 'Fix myself?' What did she…

My eyes narrowed as I carried the seal a short distance away, beginning to get a picture of what Eagle meant. In the Naruto universe, it was commonplace to steal dojoutsu and implant them in your own head. Why couldn't I steal a regular eye the same way?

I popped the seal and a body spilled out of it. I grit my teeth as I glared down at the man that nearly killed me. I heard a single gasp from one of the ANBU holding the perimeter around us when the body appeared, but I didn't let it distract me from the corpse beneath me.

"Eye for an eye, bastard." I growled, a hand coated in green energy descending towards his head to tear away his mask so I could replace what he'd taken from me.

It was a rush job. Even with Wolf's help once she'd done all she could for Eagle, I would still need to spend some time in the hospital connecting everything properly, but I could see again. You never really appreciate your peripheral vision until it suddenly disappears. I resealed the body just as Falcon's head snapped up towards the direction of Konoha like he'd just received a message via Telepathy.

"Our reinforcements are here. Prepare to move." Falcon said. A burly man in a mask reminiscent of a lizard scooped up Owl as Eagle and I rose to our feet. He was new. He must have been Crane's replacement.

Six ANBU flickered in around us. Cheetah led two squads to us then regrouped with his captain.

"I am taking command." Hound said, walking up to Falcon. "Can the injured be moved?"

"Yes." Falcon reported.

"Standard formation. I am on point. Panther will be at the rear." Hound ordered. It wasn't long before we were moving again.

We ran at top speed, not slowing for anything. With our escort, even if an enemy force had seen us, they wouldn't have felt confident attacking. After stopping briefly at the guard post to check over the injured again, Hound ordered us to continue moving when he heard the injured could still be moved. He took Wolf and I's word that the injured would be better off in Konoha and we continued moving. At the border of the Land of Fire, we met another ANBU team that joined us to escort us back.

We entered Konoha through one of the many ANBU entrances and were immediately escorted to the hospital. Each surviving member of Team Fist was shoved down onto a gurney in a hospital room filled with med-nin that fussed over us. Chiaki and I – our masks were removed prior to entering the hospital – were both secondary concerns for the medics who were primarily focused on Misaki, so we weren't treated until Misaki was taken care of, but it didn't bother me one bit.

I was just glad that she was still alive.