Chapter Three: Threads of Fate

Bambietta POV

The overcast sky and muted light reflected her mood perfectly. Bambietta adjusted her headband, glancing briefly at her reflection in a nearby puddle as the group gathered at the village gates. There was something unnerving about this mission—something that even Gin's typically carefree attitude couldn't dispel. Despite reincarnating she was still a Quincy by nature, trained for the worst. But now, that old sensation of control was slipping.

Kakashi stood apart from the group, quiet as usual, staring into the distance. His posture however, was tense as if he had steeled his nerves. Obito, ever the ball of excitement, was pacing in front of him, clearly nervous.

It felt like a bad omen.

"You're nervous," Bambietta remarked, joining him at his side.

Obito turned to her, flashing a grin that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Me? Nah. I just… don't want to screw this up. That's all."

Bambietta arched an eyebrow. Obito's bravado was paper-thin, and even he knew it. Before she could respond, Gin strolled up from behind, hands in his pockets, wearing his usual infuriating smile.

"Obito's always worrying," Gin drawled, his tone lazy as usual. "You should relax. We're just going for a stroll through the woods."

Obito groaned, running his hands through his hair. "I swear, Gin, if you don't start taking this seriously—"

"Who said I wasn't?" Gin tilted his head slightly, his smile widening just enough to make it clear that, despite the light tone, he was watching the situation carefully. "I'm always serious. You should know that by now."

Obito grumbled something under his breath and turned away, muttering about how impossible Gin was. Bambietta, for her part, simply sighed. This back-and-forth between the two was as old as their team itself, and while Gin's attitude was often frustrating, there was a strange comfort in its familiarity. He always had that strange way of easing tension, whether or not anyone asked for it.

As they headed deeper into the forest, Kakashi led them with quiet precision, his face a mask of calm focus. Obito's pacing had slowed, though he still glanced nervously around every few minutes. Bambietta stayed in the rear with Gin, who occasionally shot her a sidelong glance.

"You're too quiet today, Bambi-chan," Gin whispered, his voice low enough that only she could hear. "Missin' my charming banter?"

She rolled her eyes, suppressing the warmth rising in her cheeks. "I could use a break from it, honestly."

Gin chuckled, but the sound was soft, almost thoughtful. He didn't press the matter, but the glint in his eye told her he had noticed the faint blush she tried to hide. Subtle as ever, Gin knew exactly when to push and when to leave things unsaid.

They traveled in tense silence after that, the only sounds being the occasional rustling of leaves and the distant calls of birds. The deeper they ventured into enemy territory, the more Bambietta's nerves frayed. It wasn't fear exactly, but an instinctive sense that something was wrong. As an Uzumaki, she'd learned to trust those instincts.

"Kakashi," she whispered, catching his attention as they paused at a small clearing. "Are we sure there's nothing nearby? It feels too quiet."

Kakashi's visible eye narrowed slightly, and he made a hand sign for silence, his body immediately tensing. After a moment, he nodded. "You're right. Something's off."

Gin's smile faded slightly as he casually leaned against a tree. "It's about time they showed up, don't you think?"

Before anyone could react, kunai shot out from the surrounding trees, and several enemy shinobi dropped from the branches above. Bambietta cursed under her breath, already moving into action. Kakashi and Obito were quick to respond, deflecting the incoming attack with the precision she had come to expect from them.

Obito, for all his nervousness, moved with surprising speed, his kunai clashing against one of the attackers as sparks flew from the collision. Bambietta wasn't far behind, her chakra already flaring as she engaged the enemy with deadly focus.

But out of the corner of her eye, she saw something that made her heart skip. Gin hadn't moved. He stood there, seemingly unconcerned, as one of the attackers charged straight for him.

Of course, she thought, he's waiting.

Sure enough, just as the enemy shinobi's blade was about to strike, Gin sidestepped, his movements fluid and almost lazy. His hand flicked forward, and the attacker crumpled to the ground, cut in half before he even realized he was dead.

Bambietta gritted her teeth. Typical. Even in the middle of a fight, Gin managed to make it all look effortless. But as much as his carefree attitude irked her, she couldn't deny the faint warmth in her chest, a feeling she quickly pushed down as she focused on the battle.

She caught sight of an enemy shinobi slipping behind Obito, kunai raised. Her heart lurched.

"Obito, behind you!" she shouted, her voice cutting through the chaos.

Obito whirled around just in time, blocking the attack, but not without taking a glancing blow to his shoulder. He winced, but before the enemy could press the advantage, Kakashi was there, taking out the shinobi with a quick, decisive strike.

"Obito, stay focused!" Kakashi barked, but his tone was more concerned than angry.

"I'm fine!" Obito protested, though his hand clutched his injured shoulder tightly. "I can keep going."

Bambietta darted toward Obito, her eyes narrowing as she saw blood seeping through his uniform. "You're hurt."

Obito gave her a sheepish smile. "It's nothing. I'm still standing, aren't I?"

Gin appeared beside them, his smile replaced with a rare seriousness as he observed Obito's wound. "I'd say you've got a few more minutes before that 'nothing' becomes a problem."

"You're not helping, Gin," Bambietta snapped, though there was no real venom in her words. She was too distracted by the blood. "We need to bandage this, now."

Gin's eyes flickered toward her, and for a split second, something unreadable passed between them. "As you wish, Bambi-chan," he said, his tone back to its usual teasing cadence. But this time, there was a softness to it that made her cheeks warm, despite herself.

She busied herself with bandaging Obito's shoulder, trying not to focus on the way Gin's gaze lingered on her. What is wrong with me? she thought. Since when did Foxface distract me so much?

Gin POV

As the group regrouped after the skirmish, Gin kept his distance, leaning casually against a tree while Bambietta tended to Obito. His eyes flickered between the two of them, but his mind was elsewhere. The ambush had been sloppy, far too easy to predict. Either their enemy was severely underestimating them, or something worse was yet to come.

"Kakashi," Gin called out lazily, his voice cutting through the tense silence. "What's our next move?"

Kakashi, ever the strategist, glanced back at him, his expression unreadable. "We keep moving. The enemy might have more reinforcements on the way."

Gin smirked. "Of course. Can't have them getting bored, can we?"

As they prepared to move out again, Gin found his eyes drifting back to Bambietta. The way she had jumped to protect Obito—so fierce, so instinctive—spoke volumes of battle experience which she should have not had. He was certain now that something about her was off. There was something lingering beneath that prideful exterior that she was hiding.

And it would be a matter of time before he found out.

His gaze lingered a moment too long, and when Bambietta caught him staring, she flushed, turning away quickly. Gin's smirk widened slightly. Cute.

But as much as he enjoyed teasing her, there was a growing tension in the air that even he couldn't ignore. Something big was coming, and despite his usual aloofness, Gin couldn't shake the feeling that this mission was about to take a far more dangerous turn.

For now, though, he'd keep watching, keep smiling. After all, things were only just starting to get interesting.