Minoru didn't waste time with speeches. The moment we saw the flames eating through three different buildings in the distance, he turned to his men and started barking orders about forming search teams, sweeping for hostiles, putting down anyone who wasn't supposed to be there.
His team split into groups of three and vanished into the smoke and shadows before I could even suggest I tag along with someone. Not that I was going to. I just stood there for a moment, watching their backs disappear between buildings, feeling like the kid who got picked last for dodgeball and then everyone forgot he existed.
"Well, shit."
I sighed and followed after them, taking a different route. No point crowding the same streets they were already covering.
The village smelled like burning wood, though not as strong as I'd expected, and smoke drifted through the streets, so someone had clearly put out most of the fires. The orange haze was fading to gray in some areas. I caught a glimpse of two of my clones in the distance, hauling ass across rooftops as they chased what looked like enemy shinobi deeper into the village, the ones I'd sent ahead earlier. They were doing their job.
I could hear people shouting, but it wasn't all panic. Some of it sounded like relief, like whatever crisis had been happening was already getting handled. Bucket lines forming. Families evacuating in something resembling order instead of chaos. Made sense if my clones had gotten here before the fires spread too far.
The crackle of flames eating through old timber created this constant background noise that made it hard to focus. I moved across rooftops anyway, staying out of sight.
A few streets in, I caught another sound. The sharp ring of blades clashing, weapons meeting in a fight nearby.
I landed on a tree branch a decent distance away, pressing myself against the trunk to stay out of sight. From here I had a clear view of what was happening, and honestly, finding Miyabi and Yua wasn't the surprise. Finding them alone was.
Miyabi stood in front, her stance wide and defensive, blonde hair plastered to her forehead with sweat. Her left arm hung a bit too stiffly at her side, blood soaking through a tear in her sleeve. Yua was positioned behind her and to the right, crouched low with a kunai gripped in both hands like it was the only thing keeping her anchored to reality. The girl's face was pale, eyes too wide, breathing too fast.
Across from them stood the same two chunin from before. Adult men in flak jackets. Neither of them looked injured. Not even winded. They circled slowly, moving like hunters who'd already cornered their prey.
Not good odds.
"Miyabi," Yua's voice cracked, barely audible over the distant roar of flames. "We're going to die here, aren't we?"
It was the question people ask during wartime when reality catches up with all the Academy lectures about honor and duty. When you realize that dying for your village sounds a lot more noble in theory than it does when you're standing in front of two guys who've probably killed more people than you've had hot meals.
Miyabi's jaw tightened as she tried to look more confident than she probably felt. "No. We're not."
"But they're likely chunin, and we're just—"
"I don't care what rank they are." Miyabi's voice hardened. "We're getting out of this alive. Both of us. I'll make sure of it."
The chunin with a kunai laughed to his friend. "Cute. You think she actually believes that?"
The other one shrugged. "Does it matter? Let's just finish this and get out of here before their backup arrives."
They moved in at the same time. Miyabi met them head-on because she didn't have a choice. Her taijutsu was decent, actually, better than most genin I'd seen. She managed to hold them off for a few exchanges, deflecting and countering where she could.
Yua threw kunai from behind, her aim shaky but good enough to keep the pressure on.
But trying doesn't mean winning.
I watched as Miyabi started losing ground. She missed a block, stumbled recovering from a counter, took a hit to her already injured arm. The chunin were wearing her down, letting her burn through whatever energy she had left until she made a fatal mistake.
They weren't even that good, honestly. Subpar for chunin. Only slightly better than most genin I'd seen. Sloppy footwork, predictable combinations, relying more on stamina and numbers than actual skill. Probably rogue nin. Real village shinobi would've ended this already.
Which made it worse that Miyabi was still losing ground to them. Despite being a Senju, her fighting skills were, well, so-so.
Okay, that was probably unfair. I was comparing her to the absolute monsters this world produces, to Tsunade who was already legendary at her age, to Minato, who'd taken out an entire squad when he rescued Kushina from those Kumo shinobi. Granted, he'd had the element of surprise and a lot of luck, but still. The guy set a pretty high bar for what "genius" looked like.
Maybe my expectations were a bit too high for Miyabi.
Still, compared to the average genin, she was holding her own against two chunin who were actively trying to kill her. That counted for something. Most kids our age would already be dead.
But "not dead yet" wasn't the same as "going to survive."
I went still on my branch, watching as one of the chunin landed a solid kick to Miyabi's ribs that sent her staggering sideways. Yua screamed something I couldn't make out.
This was getting bad. Then again, "bad" was relative. Bad for who? The girls, obviously. The chunin? They hadn't figured it out yet, but their bad was about to start.
I thought about the jutsu scroll Tsunade had given me back when she'd asked me to help close that dam. Two of them were Earth Release: Doryūheki, the earth wall, and Doryū Taiga, the mud river.
The third one though. The third one I'd learned but never actually used in a real fight.
Moguragakure no Jutsu. The Hiding Like a Mole technique. You turn the earth around you into loose soil and basically swim through it like water. Perfect for underground ambushes.
Perfect for what I was thinking right now.
I made a subtle hand signal. Two of my clones, already hidden behind trees some distance away from the fight, caught the gesture and moved. Their hands formed the seals for Moguragakure, sinking into the earth like they were diving into a pond.
I turned my attention back to the clearing.
Something happened to Miyabi's face. An expression I recognized but didn't want to recognize. That look people get when they've run out of options and found a new one at the bottom of the barrel. When they stop hoping to survive and start planning how to make their death count.
She reached for her storage scroll and pulled out stacks of explosive tags. Ten of them. Ten full stacks. Enough to blow everyone around her to pieces.
My lips twitched.
Really? We were doing the suicide bomb route? That was her plan?
I had no words. Actually, I had several words, but none of them were going to help the situation from up here in my tree.
The two chunin froze, staring at the stacks of explosive tags in Miyabi's hands. One of them took a step back. The other opened his mouth to say something.
"Yua, you need to run," Miyabi said, keeping her eyes on the chunin. "Just go, okay? Don't look back."
"What? No, I'm not going to just—"
"I said run!"
Yua's eyes went wide. Her hands started shaking. Tears spilled down her cheeks, but her feet wouldn't move. She just stood there, frozen, watching Miyabi reach for the ignition tag.
Before either of them could do anything, the ground beneath the chunin exploded.
The blast shredded earth and flesh. Their legs disappeared in a spray of blood and bone fragments, severed at the knees. The chunin dropped like their strings had been cut, hitting the ground hard. Then the screaming started. High-pitched, animalistic. The sound someone makes after watching their own legs explode.
Blood pooled fast beneath them, soaking into the soil.
Miyabi just stood there with her mouth open, the stacks dangling from her trembling fingers.
Yua made a sound somewhere between a gasp and a squeak. Her eyes went from the screaming chunin to Miyabi, then back to the chunin, like her brain was still trying to catch up with what just happened.
"Did... did their legs just explode?"
"I-I think... yes, I think their legs just exploded." Yua whispered, tears still streaming down her face.
"By themselves?"
"Stop being modest, Miyabi! You're amazing! You did it without even—"
"What? No! I didn't do anything!" Miyabi waved the stacks of explosive tags still in her hands like evidence. "Look! They're still here! All of them! I didn't blow anything up!"
"Then why are their legs gone?"
"I don't know! Do I look like I know why legs just randomly explode?"
"So you didn't..."
"No!"
"Then who..."
They both stared at the screaming chunin, then at each other, then back at the chunin.
I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing out loud. The confusion on Miyabi's face was priceless. She looked like someone who'd been preparing for a tragic heroine sacrifice and instead got handed a balloon animal.
From my perch in the tree, I nodded to myself. Good. The basic exploding clones had been enough to take them down without overkill. If I'd added actual explosive seals to the clones, there wouldn't be anything left of the chunin. Or Miyabi and Yua, for that matter. They were standing close enough that the blast radius would've turned all four of them into a fine red mist.
Proportional response. Use exactly as much force as necessary and not a drop more.
I almost snickered at that thought. Tsunade would probably approve of the idea, even if she'd demonstrated the exact opposite every time she punched something. Or someone.
The chunin's screaming pulled me back to reality. They were still alive down there. Still conscious. Still very much in agony, but not dead.
Miyabi finally seemed to shake off her shock. She moved forward cautiously with her kunai raised, like she expected the chunin to suddenly grow new legs and attack again. When she got close enough to confirm they weren't getting back up, she slit their throats without hesitation.
The screaming stopped.
Silence filled the space where the noise had been. Miyabi stood there for a moment, blood dripping from her kunai, chest heaving.
"We're alive," she said finally, more to herself than to Yua.
"We're alive!" Yua repeated, louder, tears mixing with something that might've been laughter.
I dropped down from the tree and walked over. "That was some good work back there. Though I have to say, the whole exploding legs thing was kind of creative."
Both of them whipped around fast enough that I thought they might hurt themselves.
"Shinji?" Miyabi just stared at me for a second, like I'd just fallen from the sky wearing a party hat.
"Yeah, figured I'd help out before things got worse." I gestured at the two bodies on the ground. "You're welcome, by the way."
Yua blinked at me. Once. Twice. Then her eyes got even wider. "Wait, so you did that? The explosion with their legs?"
"Yeah, the jutsu works pretty well for ambush tactics." I shrugged. "I figured you two could use a hand before Miyabi decided to turn herself into confetti with all those tags."
"I had it under control," Miyabi said immediately, crossing her arms. She was still holding the stacks of explosive tags, and she held them up with a slightly proud look. "I had these ready, remember? Ten full stacks. That's a pretty solid backup plan."
"A backup plan that would've turned you into a crater along with them. Real reassuring."
"It's called making sure the job actually gets done."
I noticed the way she was holding her arm, with blood still seeping through the fabric. I let the sarcasm drop out of my voice. "But you know, you had allies in the area. Fighting defensively and making enough noise to get our attention probably should've been the plan instead of going straight for the suicide option." I paused. "That said, you actually handled that pretty well. Two chunin while you're injured, and you got Yua out safely? Most genin wouldn't have lasted nearly as long."
I moved closer, already reaching for her arm. "Now let me see that arm before it gets worse."
She glanced down at her sleeve like she'd forgotten about it. "It's not that bad."
"Uh-huh. And I hate sake." I moved a bit closer. "Come on, let me see it before you try to tell me you've had worse."
She sighed but held out her arm. I carefully pushed back the torn sleeve to get a better look at the damage. Deep cut along her forearm, bled a lot, but nothing critical. Could've been worse.
I placed my hand over the wound, green light flickering across my palm as the bleeding slowed.
"Thanks." Miyabi exhaled, some of the tension leaving her shoulders. Then she tensed again. "Wait, Shinji. We got separated from Minato and Nawaki when everything went crazy back there. They might be in trouble. You should probably go find them right now."
"I'm not wasting time," I said, keeping my focus on the healing. "And they're both fine."
"You don't actually know that though."
"Relax. I've got clones everywhere in the village. They'll step in if either of them needs backup." The wound was closing gradually under my hand. "Trust me, Minato can handle himself. And if Nawaki's with him, he'll be fine too."
She looked like she wanted to argue but didn't. Her shoulders relaxed slightly.
"There. You'll be fine." I released Miyabi's arm just as Yua moved closer.
"Shinji." Her voice was still shaky. "Thank you. I don't know what we would have done if you hadn't been here."
"Probably died," I said helpfully.
Miyabi punched my shoulder. Not hard. Just enough to make her point. "You're the worst."
"And yet, here you are. Alive. Because of me."
She rolled her eyes but didn't argue.
"Hey, come here for a second." I gestured for Yua to step closer.
She moved toward me hesitantly, still shaking a little from what had just happened. When she got within arm's reach, I caught her by the waist and pulled her to my side.
"Shinji!" Her face went bright red immediately. "Wait, what are you—"
"Okay, what do you think you're doing?" Miyabi's voice went sharp as she stepped closer. "I should've known you'd pull something like this. Let go of her right now."
"Relax." I didn't let go of Yua. "Look at her chest. She's bleeding."
Both of them looked down. Sure enough, there was a gash across Yua's upper chest, just below her collarbone. The blood had soaked into her shirt enough that it was kind of hard to see at first, but now that I'd pointed it out, it was pretty obvious.
"Oh." Yua's voice went really small. "I didn't even realize. I didn't feel anything."
"That's the adrenaline," I said, placing my hand over the wound. "You'll probably feel it later when it wears off though. Trust me, you really don't want to leave something like this untreated."
"You don't need to keep holding her waist just to heal her chest though," Miyabi said, though she sounded less angry now.
"She's still kind of weak from the adrenaline crash. She needs something to lean on." I glanced down at Yua. "Right? Are you feeling steady on your feet right now?"
Yua's face flushed even deeper. She didn't say anything, just gave a small nod.
Miyabi's mouth twitched a little. "You really think I'm just going to buy that?"
"I'm not lying to you or anything." I kept my focus on finishing up the healing. "Just making sure your friend doesn't fall over while I'm working."
"Are you hurt anywhere else?" I asked Yua, focusing on closing up the wound. It wasn't all that deep, but it had bled more than it probably should have.
She hesitated for a second. "Um, my left leg. One of them got me when I was trying to get behind cover."
"Okay, I'll take a look at that in a second." The chest wound finished closing up. I pulled my hand back and looked over at Miyabi. "So who else was traveling with you on this convoy mission?"
Miyabi made this annoyed sound. "You're seriously asking me about this right now?"
"Information helps me figure out what's going on. The faster I know who's out there, the faster I can find everyone else and get this situation under control." I kept my tone pretty reasonable. "So who was with you guys?"
She glared at me for another second or two, then her shoulders dropped a bit. "Fine, whatever. There were eight of us total. Me, Yua, Minato, Nawaki, and four chunin. We were just waiting for the villagers to finish loading up the wagons when we started hearing all this screaming from the north side. Everything kind of went to hell after that."
"Okay, that helps." I had most of the picture now. Though something about her explanation didn't quite add up. Eight shinobi just standing around waiting together? If they had, the enemy wouldn't have been able to pick them off like this, scattered and alone. Loading at least five wagons must've taken a while. Long enough that the team would've split up to walk around the village instead of standing there doing nothing.
I created a shadow clone, and it appeared next to me in a puff of smoke.
"You two should stay with this one for now," I told them, nodding at the clone. "He'll finish healing Yua's leg and keep you both safe while I go deal with whoever's still out there causing problems."
The clone gave them a lazy little salute. "Don't worry, I'm pretty good at babysitting."
"We're not babies," Miyabi started to say, but I was already moving, leaping up onto the nearest roof.
Behind me, I could hear Miyabi's voice rising as the realization hit her. "Wait, hold on—you can use your clones to heal people? Then why did you have to personally heal us by touching us yourself, you scoundrel!"
I couldn't help but chuckle as I sprinted across the rooftops. What a misunderstanding. My intentions had been absolutely pure. The fact that I had dozens of clones who could've handled the healing was just a minor detail. Completely unrelated to my decision to do it personally. Anyone who suggested otherwise was jumping to conclusions.