Seeing the giant centipede descend toward Reiji, Kushina's expression changed instantly.
"Reiji! It's coming for you!" she shouted, panic breaking through her earlier anger.
"I know," Reiji answered sharply without taking his eyes off the creature.
The centipede continued crawling downward along the trunk with horrifying speed now, its hooked legs scraping violently against the bark as its massive body coiled around the tree above him. The clacking of its mandibles echoed through the forest while strands of saliva stretched and snapped between jagged teeth. Its attention had locked entirely onto him.
Reiji focused inward immediately.
The cold chakra lingered faintly inside his stomach. He released it outward in a controlled surge, forcing the chakra through his coils and into the ropes binding his torso and legs.
Frost spread almost instantly.
Thin white ice crept rapidly across the rough fibers, crackling softly as the moisture trapped within the ropes froze solid. The bindings stiffened around him.
The centipede accelerated.
Its body lurched downward with sudden violence, branches snapping apart overhead as the creature abandoned caution entirely once it sensed its prey trying to escape. The scraping sound grew deafening now, hundreds of legs tearing into bark while its maw opened wider and wider as it closed the remaining distance.
Reiji waited.
The ropes whitened completely beneath the frost.
He could smell it now.
A thick, wet stench pouring from the creature's mouth, heavy enough to make his stomach tighten.
Now.
Reiji flexed sharply against the frozen bindings.
The ropes shattered apart with a brittle crack.
The centipede struck the trunk a fraction of a second later.
Boom.
The impact exploded through the forest like a collapsing wall. Bark and splintered wood burst outward while leaves and dirt erupted into the air beneath the force of the collision. Smoke and debris swallowed the entire area immediately.
"Reiji!"
Kushina's voice echoed faintly through the haze.
Reiji hit the ground in a crouch, one hand pressing briefly against the damp earth to stabilize himself before he launched sideways again without hesitation.
A violent rush of air tore past where he had just been.
The centipede's mandibles slammed shut with a loud metallic clack inside the smoke cloud, powerful enough that he felt the vibration through the ground beneath his feet.
The drifting smoke parted just enough for him to see the massive jaws snap together exactly where his torso would have been moments earlier.
Reiji's eyes narrowed.
The centipede lunged forward through the smoke again, its enormous body crushing bushes and smaller roots beneath its weight as it drove toward him.
Reiji moved first.
Chakra surged to the soles of his feet as he kicked off the ground, his body twisting sharply through the air before landing directly atop the creature's head. The shell beneath him felt uneven and slick, vibrating violently as the centipede thrashed beneath his weight.
The creature immediately reacted.
Its body rolled sideways, massive segments crashing through nearby trees hard enough to splinter trunks apart. Wood cracked loudly throughout the forest while branches rained downward around them.
Reiji anchored himself with chakra instantly, his sandals locking against the creature's shell as he lowered his center of gravity to absorb the violent movement.
Then his hands came together.
Cold chakra gathered rapidly between his palms, dense white mist escaping through his fingers as the surrounding air temperature dropped sharply around him.
The centipede sensed the danger.
Too late.
Reiji slammed both palms against its head.
Ice erupted outward immediately.
Frost exploded across the creature's shell in jagged spreading patterns, racing over its head and upper segments with violent speed. The centipede released an ear-piercing screech that echoed through the entire forest as its body convulsed beneath him.
The sound physically hurt.
Reiji felt the vibrations travel through his legs and chest while the creature thrashed wildly, smashing through trees in blind panic. One massive segment nearly crushed him as the centipede rolled violently across the ground.
Reiji pushed off immediately.
His body twisted through the air before landing several meters away atop a thick root, knees bending deeply to absorb the impact as dirt and shattered bark sprayed around him.
The centipede continued convulsing across the forest floor.
Its partially frozen head cracked loudly as layers of ice spread unevenly across the shell, but the creature didn't stop moving. Instead it suddenly turned and fled, tearing through the undergrowth with frantic speed while dragging its half-frozen body deeper into the darkness of the forest.
Within seconds only the sound remained.
Scratch.
Scratch.
Scratch.
Then even that disappeared into the distance.
Reiji exhaled slowly, faint mist escaping his mouth as the last traces of cold chakra faded from his hands.
He briefly considered pursuing it.
A wounded predator was dangerous.
But—
Kushina and Hizashi were still restrained.
Reiji clicked his tongue softly before turning back toward the others.
Halfway there, movement appeared between the trees ahead.
Kushina and Hizashi burst through the foliage at nearly the same time, both breathing harder than before, traces of rope still hanging from their wrists and clothes. Kushina's eyes widened immediately the moment she saw him standing there unharmed, while even Hizashi's normally controlled expression loosened slightly with visible relief.
So they freed themselves too.
"Reiji! Are you okay?!"
Kushina reached him first, her voice sharper than usual as she pushed through the undergrowth. Leaves and broken branches caught against her clothes while she scanned him quickly from head to toe as if expecting to find half his body missing.
"I'm fine," Reiji answered. He brushed splinters of bark from his sleeve before adding dryly, "You should've seen the other guy."
Kushina stared at him flatly for a second.
Then she exhaled loudly through her nose, somewhere between relief and irritation.
"You managed to free yourselves too?" Reiji asked, his gaze shifting briefly toward the loose rope still hanging from Hizashi's wrists.
Hizashi nodded once.
"Watching you freeze the bindings gave me an idea." He lifted one hand slightly while examining the abrasions left behind by the ropes. "I released chakra outward across my body to loosen the pressure enough to liberate myself."
Reiji blinked faintly.
"You can do that?" he asked before narrowing his eyes thoughtfully. "That's not an easy technique."
"Not for a Hyūga," Hizashi replied calmly. "Though I'm equally surprised you managed something similar."
Kushina rolled her eyes so hard Reiji thought they might actually fall out.
"Will you two stop complimenting each other and just kiss already? Kami…"
Reiji slowly turned toward her.
Then toward Hizashi.
Do you hear this nonsense too?
Hizashi merely shrugged with the faintest trace of resignation.
Completely unbothered by their reactions, Kushina crossed her arms tightly before her expression hardened again.
"Seriously though…" Her earlier relief faded into lingering anger as she glanced toward the damaged section of forest where the centipede had disappeared. "That man is insane. You could've died back there." Her voice lowered slightly afterward. "We all could have died."
Even Hizashi looked quieter now.
The reality of where they were had finally settled into all of them.
Reiji glanced briefly toward the dark canopy overhead, listening to the distant sounds moving somewhere deeper inside the forest.
"That just proves he's serious," he answered simply.
The Forest of Death no longer felt like a test made to scare them.
It felt real.
Reiji looked around carefully afterward, scanning the terrain between the enormous roots surrounding them. Darkness had deepened noticeably already beneath the canopy, and visibility would only worsen once night fully settled in.
"We should move," he said. "The longer we stand around doing nothing, the higher the chance we fail."
Then his gaze shifted toward Hizashi.
"I'll rely on your eyes to scout ahead. Warn us immediately if you spot hostile chakra or creatures."
Hizashi nodded once before activating his Byakugan.
Veins bulged outward subtly around his eyes as chakra surged upward. His pale gaze sharpened instantly, focusing past the dense layers of foliage and towering trunks surrounding them.
"What happens if we get separated?" he asked while scanning the area.
Reiji shrugged slightly.
"That'll depend on the situation."
"…I might have something for that."
Reiji turned toward Kushina.
She crouched near one of the roots and began rummaging through her pouch before pulling out several folded slips of paper alongside a small ink brush and container.
Reiji blinked in visible surprise.
"You know fuinjutsu?"
Kushina rolled her eyes immediately.
"I'm an Uzumaki," she replied as though the question itself offended her. "Of course I know a little."
She settled onto one knee afterward and quickly began painting symbols across the paper slips with practiced movements. The brush moved surprisingly steadily despite the dim lighting, dark ink spreading into patterns Reiji didn't fully recognize. The formulas curved and connected in ways that looked both structured and strangely alien to him.
Within a few minutes Kushina handed one slip to each of them.
Reiji turned the paper carefully between his fingers while Hizashi examined his own with visible curiosity.
"What exactly do they do?" Hizashi asked.
"Nothing amazing," Kushina admitted with a shrug. "They'll just point toward the other tagged papers." She tapped the seal lightly. "So if one of us gets lost—or if we need to split up temporarily—we'll still be able to track each other."
Reiji raised an eyebrow faintly.
"Huh," he muttered. "That's actually useful."
He slid the seal carefully into his pouch beside his kunai before Hizashi did the same.
"I'll climb higher and figure out where we are," Hizashi said after a moment. He glanced upward toward the massive canopy stretching overhead. "If we can locate the edge of the forest, we'll have a direction at least."
Without waiting for an answer he leapt upward onto a nearby branch, chakra anchoring instantly beneath his sandals. The wood bent slightly beneath the impact before he launched himself higher again, moving smoothly from trunk to trunk as he ascended through the darkness overhead.
"Be careful," Reiji called after him. "There's no telling what's living above us."
Hizashi glanced downward briefly while continuing upward.
"I know. I don't sense anything nearby for now." His voice echoed faintly between the branches. "I'll return shortly."
Then he disappeared into the canopy.
Silence settled afterward.
Reiji only realized several seconds later that he was now standing alone with Kushina.
Apparently she noticed it too.
Almost immediately she shifted a little farther away from him, pretending to scan the surrounding forest while very obviously avoiding looking directly at him. Her posture stiffened slightly as she kept watch between the trees, fingers resting near her kunai pouch with forced seriousness.
Reiji stared at her for a moment before rolling his eyes faintly.
Ridiculous.
Still, he didn't comment on it.
Hizashi returned several minutes later, descending soundlessly from the canopy above before landing beside them in a crouch.
"So?" Reiji asked immediately.
Hizashi exhaled quietly through his nose.
"It's exactly what I expected," he replied. "That bastard dropped us near the center of the forest." His gaze drifted briefly toward the endless sea of trees surrounding them. "I couldn't see anything except forest in every direction." After a short pause he added, "I did spot a tower not far from here. I've heard there's one somewhere in the middle of the training ground."
Reiji frowned thoughtfully.
So direction barely matters for now.
If they were truly near the center, then escaping the forest would simply become a matter of choosing a direction and surviving long enough to keep moving through it.
He turned toward Kushina.
"Left or right?"
Kushina blinked at him.
"…Are you serious?"
"Left or right?" Reiji repeated calmly.
She stared at him for another second before answering uncertainly.
"…Left?"
"Alright," Reiji said immediately. "We'll go right then."
Beside him, Hizashi nodded once as if this exchange made complete sense.
Kushina's eye twitched visibly.
"You are such a child."
"Thank you."
Reiji paused suddenly mid-step before turning back toward Hizashi.
"You picked up the scroll, right?"
Hizashi stared at him silently for a second.
Then, without comment, he reached into his pouch and pulled the scroll halfway out before sliding it back inside.
Reiji nodded once.
"Good. Let's move."
Kushina frowned.
"Wait, just like that?" She gestured vaguely toward the darkening forest around them. "Shouldn't we actually make a plan first?"
"A plan?" Reiji glanced at her flatly. "What exactly are we supposed to plan?" He pointed toward the endless trees stretching around them. "We don't know the terrain, we don't know what lives here, we don't know what Sakumo prepared, and we don't even know where the edge of the forest is."
The only thing they had right now was time.
And even that was running out.
"The plan," Reiji continued, "is to keep moving and deal with problems as they appear."
Then he looked toward Hizashi.
"You're in front. Your Byakugan makes you our eyes." His gaze shifted briefly toward Kushina afterward. "Kushina stays in the middle."
Finally he pointed at himself.
"I'll cover the rear."
Neither of them argued.
The earlier tension and bickering had faded considerably after the centipede attack. Right now survival mattered more than pride, and all three of them seemed to understand that instinctively.
Without wasting more time, they moved.
Chakra gathered beneath Reiji's feet as he launched upward onto the nearest branch, bark cracking softly beneath the sudden pressure before he propelled himself forward again. The massive trees of the Forest of Death blurred around them as the team began advancing through the canopy, leaping from branch to branch high above the forest floor.
The air rushing against Reiji's face had grown noticeably colder now that the sun was disappearing. The last traces of orange light filtered weakly through the enormous canopy overhead while shadows thickened rapidly between the trunks below.
Ahead of him, Hizashi moved smoothly through the trees despite constantly scanning their surroundings with the Byakugan active. Kushina followed close behind him, slightly rougher in her movements but fast enough to maintain pace without difficulty.
Reiji stayed behind them both, his eyes constantly shifting between the darkness below and the branches above.
We need to cover as much distance as possible before night fully settles in.
Once darkness consumed the forest completely, their visibility would become nearly useless.
At that point, they would be relying almost entirely on Hizashi's eyes to survive.
They traveled through the Forest of Death in near complete silence afterward.
The forest beneath them had grown almost completely black as night settled fully over the training ground, the enormous trees swallowing most of the moonlight before it could ever reach the ground below.
The darkness changed everything.
Distances became harder to judge. Shapes blurred together between the branches, while every movement in the corners of Reiji's vision threatened to become another hidden predator waiting in the foliage. Even their pace had slowed slightly despite themselves.
Kushina was the first to finally speak.
"The trees are blocking the moonlight too much," she said while leaping onto another thick branch beside them. "We should climb higher. At least we'll be able to see better."
Reiji considered it briefly before nodding once.
Visibility mattered more than speed if they ended up running blindly into another creature.
Without wasting time, the three of them adjusted course and began ascending through the massive trees instead of traveling horizontally. Chakra gathered beneath Reiji's feet as he kicked upward from branch to branch, his hands occasionally catching rough bark to redirect momentum before launching himself higher again.
Soon the forest changed around them.
The canopy thickened at first, layers of enormous leaves brushing against their bodies as they forced their way upward through dense foliage. But eventually they broke past the worst of it, reaching the upper sections of the trees where silver moonlight filtered more freely through the branches.
Visibility improved immediately.
Cold night air brushed across Reiji's face while he landed atop another branch slick with moss, the moonlight illuminating parts of the endless forest stretching around them like a dark ocean of leaves.
Still…
Their pace slowed.
The higher branches were thinner, less stable, forcing more careful footwork with every jump.
Is this really the best choice?
Reiji frowned slightly while launching himself forward again.
If the forest was as large as it seemed, losing too much time here could become dangerous. They still had no idea how far the nearest exit actually was.
His thoughts were interrupted by Hizashi's voice.
"I sense multiple presences ahead."
The Hyūga had suddenly slowed, pale eyes narrowed intensely while his Byakugan scanned the darkness beyond the trees.
"They noticed us too," he continued quietly. "They're moving toward us."
"What do we do?" Kushina asked immediately.
Reiji answered without hesitation.
"We keep moving." His eyes shifted briefly toward the darkness below the canopy. "You can fight properly in this lighting because of your Byakugan." Then he glanced toward Kushina. "We can't."
Fighting blind in the middle of the forest was suicide.
"Better to engage them here."
Hizashi nodded once and resumed moving.
The atmosphere tightened immediately afterward.
Nobody spoke again.
Every branch creak sounded louder now. Every shadow between the trees seemed deeper as they advanced through the moonlit canopy, waiting for the first attack to come.
Then—
"They're here."
Something exploded out of the darkness directly toward Hizashi.
Fast.
Roughly human-sized.
The branch beneath Hizashi's feet cracked sharply as he twisted sideways at the last possible second, narrowly avoiding a clawed shape that tore through the space his head had occupied moments earlier.
No hesitation followed.
His counterattack came instantly.
Hizashi stepped inward smoothly, hips twisting sharply as chakra surged through his arm. His open palm struck the attacker directly in the torso with a precise burst of force from the Gentle Fist.
The impact echoed through the branches.
The creature released a high-pitched screech of pain before losing balance entirely, its body tumbling backward through the canopy while snapping branches apart during the fall.
For a brief moment moonlight illuminated it clearly.
Reiji's eyes narrowed.
A monkey.
The creature was nearly the size of an adult man, its limbs unnaturally long and lean while patches of mangy dark fur covered a body layered with old scars. Its mouth hung open as it screeched, exposing yellow jagged teeth far too sharp for any normal animal.
And worse—
More shapes were already moving through the trees around them.
Another shape suddenly dropped from the branches directly above Kushina.
Reiji's body reacted instantly.
Chakra surged to his legs as he prepared to launch himself toward her position—
Then stopped.
Kushina moved first.
The monkey crashed downward with claws extended, but she twisted sharply sideways at the last second, her sandals skidding slightly against the bark beneath the sudden shift in momentum. The creature's claws tore through empty air where her throat had been moments earlier.
Before it could recover, Kushina drove her fist directly into its face.
The impact cracked loudly through the canopy.
The monkey's head snapped sideways as its entire body staggered from the force of the blow, screeching wildly in pain and confusion. Kushina didn't give it time to recover. She immediately grabbed one of its elongated legs with both hands, planted her feet firmly against the branch beneath her, and spun violently with the creature still in her grip.
Its body whipped through the air like a flail.
Then she released it.
The monkey flew sideways through the branches before slamming directly into another creature that had been preparing to pounce toward them. Both bodies crashed together and disappeared into the foliage below amidst furious screeching and snapping branches.
Reiji felt himself smirk faintly.
Movement flashed behind him.
Reiji ducked immediately.
A clawed arm tore through the space above his head with enough force to rip leaves and bark apart in its path. Before the creature could pull back, Reiji's hand shot upward and caught the offending limb at the wrist.
The monkey shrieked instantly.
Cold chakra surged through Reiji's arm.
Ice exploded outward across the creature's limb in jagged patterns, freezing fur, flesh, and muscle solid almost instantly. Frost spread rapidly upward while the monkey writhed violently in panic, its claws scraping desperately against the branch beneath them.
Reiji ignored the screams completely.
His other hand snapped upward and grabbed the creature by the face.
Then he released another pulse of chakra directly into its skull.
The freezing process accelerated violently.
Ice consumed the monkey's head almost immediately, crystallizing over its snarling maw and wide terrified eyes before the rest of its body abruptly lost strength.
Reiji let go.
The frozen corpse tumbled soundlessly through the leaves beneath them before disappearing into the darkness below.
Silence didn't return.
The other monkeys had stopped advancing instead.
Reiji slowly turned his head.
Several pairs of glowing eyes stared at him from the surrounding branches now. Dark shapes crouched among the leaves, long limbs wrapped around the trunks while they watched him carefully.
Hesitating.
Reiji smiled slightly.
Then crooked his fingers toward them in invitation.
"Come on."
It only took them a few minutes to deal with the monkeys.
Reiji ducked beneath another swipe before driving his elbow into the creature's ribs hard enough to throw it off balance. The monkey screeched wildly as frost spread across its side from the point of impact, its body losing coordination before Hizashi appeared beside it almost instantly and struck twice with the Gentle Fist.
The monkey dropped from the branches without another sound.
The fight continued around them in scattered bursts of movement and screeching.
Branches cracked beneath sudden impacts while dark shapes lunged through the canopy from every direction only to be intercepted moments later. Hizashi moved with precision through the chaos, his Byakugan allowing him to react before most attacks fully developed. Every strike of the Gentle Fist landed exactly where it needed to, shutting down movement immediately with minimal wasted effort.
Exactly what Reiji expected from him.
Kushina was the opposite.
Where Hizashi flowed smoothly through the fight, Kushina fought like a battering ram thrown into the canopy. She smashed through attacks head-on, overwhelming the creatures with raw physical force each time they got too close. One monkey attempted to leap onto her back only for Kushina to catch it midair and slam it face-first into the trunk hard enough that the entire branch shook violently beneath the impact.
Subtlety clearly wasn't her strength.
Still…
For someone her size, the amount of strength she produced was honestly impressive.
The monkey looked nearly twice her weight, yet she swung it around like dead baggage.
Is that because of her chakra?
His father had mentioned before that the Uzumaki clan possessed monstrous chakra reserves compared to normal shinobi. Maybe that naturally reinforced their bodies too. Kushina's movements weren't refined enough to come purely from technique.
She handled herself far better than Reiji had expected.
She could actually fight.
Reiji landed lightly atop another branch, cold mist curling faintly from his fingertips while he watched Kushina drive a knee into another monkey's stomach before kicking it clean off the canopy.
Yeah.
A little brutish.
But she could pull her weight just fine.
Reiji scanned the two of them carefully once the last screeching finally faded into the distance.
Kushina had picked up several scratches across her arms and clothes during the fight, thin lines of blood visible beneath torn fabric, but none of the wounds looked serious. Hizashi, meanwhile, appeared almost completely untouched despite the number of attacks directed at him.
"Are you both alright?" Reiji asked.
Kushina immediately puffed herself up.
"They were nothing," she declared proudly while brushing leaves from her sleeve. "Honestly, those things were just annoying."
Beside her, Hizashi subtly rolled his eyes before adding in a calmer tone, "Apart from their numbers, they weren't particularly dangerous."
Reiji nodded once.
"Good. Then we keep moving."
None of them argued.
They resumed their advance through the canopy shortly afterward, leaping from branch to branch beneath the pale moonlight while the endless forest stretched around them like a living maze. The night air had grown colder now, damp wind brushing across Reiji's face each time they crossed open gaps between the trees.
The monkeys attacked them again several times afterward.
Each encounter ended similarly.
The creatures tried to overwhelm them through numbers and ambushes, but now that the team understood their behavior the fights became increasingly one-sided. Hizashi's Byakugan detected attacks before they fully developed, Kushina crushed anything reckless enough to approach directly, and Reiji froze or crippled whatever slipped through the others' defenses.
Eventually the monkeys stopped appearing altogether.
For a long while, nothing happened.
Only the endless sound of branches creaking beneath the wind and the distant chorus of insects somewhere far below the canopy.
Honestly…
Traveling near the top of the trees had probably been the correct decision.
Most creatures seemed less comfortable hunting this high.
After several hours of uninterrupted movement, they finally slowed to a stop atop a cluster of massive intertwined branches thick enough to stand on comfortably.
Reiji exhaled slowly once his feet settled against solid bark again.
While the others recovered briefly, Reiji climbed slightly higher through the surrounding leaves to get a better view of the forest.
It changed nothing.
From above, all he could see was darkness stretching endlessly beneath the moonlight. Countless treetops spread toward the horizon in every direction without any visible indication of where the forest actually ended.
Damn.
He still couldn't tell whether they had made meaningful progress or not.
Reiji dropped back down through the branches afterward and landed beside the others just in time to notice Kushina pressing small paper seals against several nearby trunks and branches.
"What are those?" he asked.
Kushina didn't stop working while answering.
"Detection seals." She pressed another formula carefully into place before channeling a small pulse of chakra through it. "If something crosses nearby, they'll light up and warn us."
Reiji raised an eyebrow faintly while watching the seal settle against the bark.
"Fuinjutsu is really convenient," he muttered.
Kushina immediately puffed out her chest again.
"Of course it is," she said proudly. "The Uzumaki clan is famous for fuinjutsu everywhere in the world, you know?"
"Then teach me."
Kushina blinked.
"…Huh?"
Reiji looked at her flatly.
"Teach me fuinjutsu."
She stared at him suspiciously for a second before crossing her arms.
"No way. That stuff takes forever to learn." She gestured vaguely toward the papers. "And I already have enough training to deal with myself."
"Sad," Reiji replied with a shrug.
Still, the idea lingered in the back of his mind.
Seals really were absurdly versatile.
"It's not like you need it anyway," she muttered. "You're already strong."
Reiji glanced briefly toward the dark forest stretching around them before answering.
"You never know when you'll need another tool."
Kushina huffed softly through her nose before finally giving up on the conversation altogether.
"Well right now," she grumbled tiredly, "I need food and a bath."
Then she simply dropped backward onto one of the thick roots behind her with a groan, stretching her sore legs slightly while glaring up at the canopy overhead as though personally offended by the existence of forests.
Reiji couldn't help the faint smile that tugged briefly at the corner of his mouth.
His attention shifted toward Hizashi afterward.
The Hyūga sat with his back resting lightly against the trunk behind them, breathing slower than before while faint veins still lingered around the edges of his eyes from prolonged Byakugan usage.
"How are you holding up?" Reiji asked.
Hizashi opened one eye slightly.
"Give me a few minutes," he answered quietly. "Keeping the Byakugan active this long is mentally exhausting." He rubbed lightly at one of his temples afterward. "And it consumes more chakra than people think."
Reiji nodded once in understanding.
For a few seconds none of them spoke.
Then Reiji glanced toward Hizashi.
"So it's fine for you to use the Byakugan now?" he asked. "I thought it was forbidden outside the compound."
Hizashi kept his eyes closed while answering, his breathing slow and controlled as he recovered chakra.
"It was forbidden before becoming genin," he explained calmly. "Now that I'm officially a shinobi of Konoha and deemed worthy to represent the Hyūga clan, I'm permitted to use it outside clan territory."
Reiji hummed quietly at that.
Makes sense.
The Byakugan was too valuable for the village to keep locked behind walls forever.
Still…
Another thought crossed his mind.
"And me being on your team isn't a problem for your clan?"
Hizashi's eyes opened immediately after that.
The Hyūga stared at him silently for several seconds beneath the pale moonlight filtering through the branches. Reiji met his gaze without looking away.
Eventually Hizashi sighed softly through his nose.
"If you had been assigned to my brother's team," he admitted, "some people probably would've caused problems over it."
His tone remained even, but Reiji still caught the slight hesitation underneath.
"But because you were assigned to mine," Hizashi continued, "they won't say much. It was a decision made by the higher-ups after all." He leaned his head lightly back against the trunk behind him. "Not worth creating trouble over."
Reiji let out a quiet snort of amusement.
"So they really don't like me."
Hizashi hesitated again before shaking his head faintly.
"It's not really hatred," he corrected. "Most of them simply don't care enough about you to involve themselves."
"The Hyūga prefer minding their own affairs and avoiding unnecessary complications," Hizashi continued. "And whether you like it or not, you're a public figure in the village now." His pale eyes shifted briefly toward Reiji. "Being associated with you tends to attract attention."
"How inspiring," Reiji drawled dryly.
Still…
A grin slowly spread across his face afterward.
"So that means you can fight me now, right?"
Hizashi visibly stiffened.
"Absolutely not."
Reiji moved immediately.
One second he sat several feet away—then suddenly dropped beside Hizashi and wrapped an arm casually around his shoulders before the Hyūga could react.
"Come on," Reiji said lightly. "Don't be like that."
Hizashi's expression flattened instantly.
"I know my relationship with your brother isn't exactly great," Reiji continued, "but we're teammates now." His grin widened slightly. "Don't you want revenge a little?"
"No."
"I know you think I only beat him by luck."
"No."
"You definitely do."
"I don't."
Reiji clicked his tongue dramatically.
"You're terrible at holding grudges."
"I know exactly what you're trying to do," Hizashi replied without emotion.
Then, with the patience of someone dealing with a particularly annoying animal, he simply closed his eyes again and resumed focusing on recovering chakra while completely ignoring the arm still hanging across his shoulders.
Reiji pouted slightly.
"You're no fun."
This time Hizashi answered immediately.
"You're the crazy one."
Beside them, Kushina snorted before quickly looking away the moment Reiji glanced in her direction, pretending she hadn't been paying attention to their conversation at all. The three of them remained there for a few more seconds afterward, resting atop the massive branches while the sounds of the forest carried around them.
The constant rustling of leaves overhead beneath the night wind.
For the first time since entering the forest, the atmosphere almost felt calm.
Suddenly the entire area lit up.
The paper seals Kushina had placed around their resting spot flared violently to life at the same instant, bright warning symbols illuminating the surrounding branches in sharp flashes of blue light.
Reiji moved immediately.
Not because of the seals.
Because of what followed them.
Fire.
Dozens of fireballs burst through the darkness from every direction, tearing across the canopy like blazing comets. The night exploded into orange light as flames illuminated the surrounding trees, shadows twisting wildly between the branches while heat washed violently over them.
Too many.
There was no time to warn the others.
Reiji's hands came together instantly as chakra surged through his coils. Cold gathered rapidly between his palms without a single hand sign, dense white mist erupting outward while the surrounding temperature dropped sharply around them.
Then he slammed both hands downward against the branches beneath their feet.
Hyōton: Hyōkekkai
Ice erupted outward immediately.
Massive frozen walls burst upward around them in jagged layers, thick sheets of ice climbing over one another before sealing together into a rough dome surrounding the entire team. Frost spread violently across the bark beneath them as the structure finished forming—
And the fireballs hit.
Boom.
The impact shook the entire canopy.
Explosions erupted around the ice dome in rapid succession, flames crashing violently against the frozen surface while steam exploded outward from the points of contact. The force of the bombardment traveled directly through the structure into the branches below them.
Crack.
Several branches beneath their position splintered loudly under the pressure.
Reiji lowered his center of gravity instinctively as the entire platform shook beneath them, cold chakra still pouring through the ice to reinforce it while heat and steam rolled violently across the outer surface.
The dome held.
Barely.
Reiji turned sharply toward Hizashi and Kushina.
Both of them looked stunned by the sudden attack, eyes darting rapidly toward the explosions continuing outside the barrier.
That was ninjutsu, which meant—
"We need to move—"
"Huh."
The voice cut directly through the chaos.
All three of them froze instantly.
Sakumo stood in the middle of the dome.
None of them had even sensed him appear.
The man crouched casually beside one of the frozen walls, tapping the ice lightly with his knuckles while inspecting it with visible interest as explosions continued detonating outside.
"So your ice is resistant to fire too?" he mused thoughtfully. "That's actually pretty convenient."
For a second, nobody spoke.
Reiji felt every muscle in his body tighten instinctively.
How long had he been there?
Kushina reacted first.
Her hand blurred toward her pouch before a storm of kunai and shuriken directly toward Sakumo. Metal flashed beneath the firelight while several explosive tags attached to the weapons fluttered violently through the air.
Sakumo moved casually.
He slipped between the incoming weapons with almost lazy footwork, his body weaving through the barrage without wasting movement while the explosive tags landed around the branches beneath them.
Then—
Boom.
The explosions detonated simultaneously.
Fire and splintered wood erupted outward as the already weakened branches beneath the ice dome finally gave out completely. Loud cracks echoed through the canopy before the entire platform collapsed beneath them.
The world tilted violently.
Reiji's stomach lurched as gravity seized him.
Branches and shattered ice rushed past while smoke and burning debris spiraled through the darkness around them. Wind tore against his clothes as he fell through the canopy, his eyes scanning through the chaos while trying to locate Sakumo's position.
He couldn't see him.
Then—
Something shifted behind him.
Reiji reacted instantly.
He twisted sharply midair, cold chakra surging violently through his lungs before he exhaled.
"Hyōton: Hyōsoku!"
A torrent of freezing breath exploded outward into the darkness behind him, white mist tearing through the falling debris while frost spread rapidly across nearby branches.
"Whoah," Sakumo's amused voice suddenly came from directly behind him. "You're really ruthless, huh?"
What—
Reiji's eyes widened.
How did he—
No time.
Instinct screamed at him a fraction before impact.
Reiji crossed both arms in front of himself just as Sakumo's kick slammed into his guard.
The force hit like a hammer.
Pain shot through Reiji's forearms immediately while the impact launched him violently sideways through the air. Breath escaped his lungs sharply as his body spun uncontrollably between the branches.
Too strong.
Reiji forced chakra to his feet and twisted hard mid-spin, one hand catching a passing branch while his sandals slammed against the bark. The sudden stop jarred painfully through his shoulders but halted his momentum before he could crash deeper into the canopy.
He immediately looked around.
Kushina had caught herself several trees away. She looked unharmed, but her expression had completely changed now.
Angry.
Shocked.
And staring upward.
Reiji followed her gaze.
Sakumo stood atop a thick branch high above them, looking entirely too pleased with himself.
Hizashi hung unconscious over his shoulder.
Reiji's eyes narrowed instantly.
Sakumo smiled down at them beneath the moonlight, one hand casually shoved into his pocket as if they were discussing the weather instead of fighting in the middle of the Forest of Death.
"You were all honestly pretty impressive," he admitted lightly. "I didn't expect you to get this far already." His grin widened slightly afterward. "So sorry, but I had to crash the party."
Kushina immediately reached for another kunai.
Sakumo ignored it completely.
"If you want your teammate back," he continued, "you can find him at the tower later."
Then he winked.
And vanished.
"That bastard…"
Kushina's voice shook with anger as she stared toward the direction Sakumo had disappeared. Without hesitation she shifted her footing against the branch, preparing to launch herself after him immediately.
"Wait."
She stopped mid-motion and turned sharply toward Reiji, red hair whipping through the wind between the trees.
"What?" she snapped. "We need to hurry!"
"Hurry and do what?" Reiji asked flatly. "Run directly back toward the center of the forest where Sakumo is waiting for us?" He narrowed his eyes slightly. "Even ignoring the fact we'd have to fight him, going backward now would destroy our chances of escaping before sunrise."
Kushina stared at him in disbelief.
"…Are you seriously saying we should abandon Hizashi?"
"Yes."
"I refuse."
"In trying to save him, we'll all fail." Reiji's tone remained calm despite the tension tightening around them. "That's exactly what Sakumo wants."
"If we don't save him we fail anyway!" she shot back angrily. "Did you forget he has the scroll?"
"No," Reiji answered. "He doesn't."
He reached calmly into his pouch afterward and pulled the scroll free.
Kushina froze.
Her eyes widened visibly before snapping back toward him.
"Since when—?" She cut herself off. "Does Hizashi know about this?" Her voice rose slightly afterward. "Why didn't you tell us?"
"He doesn't know," Reiji admitted. "I took it from him earlier."
"…You what?"
"When I was annoying him and trying to get him to spar with me." Reiji shrugged lightly.
"So you just stole it without telling anyone?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because I knew Sakumo was watching us."
That made her pause.
Reiji glanced briefly toward the dark canopy surrounding them before continuing.
"He said himself he'd be pulling an all-nighter," he said calmly. "Did you really think he was just sitting somewhere doing nothing while we ran around the forest?" Reiji shook his head slightly. "He was observing us the entire time."
"And because Hizashi openly showed he carried the scroll," Reiji continued, "I figured Sakumo would target him first if he decided to interfere directly." He lifted the scroll slightly afterward. "So I switched it while I was bothering Hizashi earlier. Just in case something like this happened."
Kushina stared at him silently after that.
Moonlight filtered faintly through the canopy above them, illuminating the strange expression on her face. Reiji couldn't quite tell whether she looked angry, confused, or simply tired.
Finally she spoke.
"It's always like that with you."
Reiji frowned faintly.
"Like what?"
"Doing things by yourself without telling anyone."
"If I hadn't done that," Reiji replied immediately, "we would've failed already."
Kushina looked away sharply at that.
"You shouldn't worry so much about Hizashi anyway," Reiji continued. "I know Sakumo. He won't hurt him." His eyes narrowed thoughtfully afterward. "And honestly… I think I finally understand what the real test is."
Kushina blinked.
"What are you talking about?" she asked. "The test is escaping the forest."
Reiji shook his head slowly.
"No. That's too simple." He glanced briefly toward the direction Sakumo had disappeared. "They taught us this in the academy, didn't they? Look underneath the underneath."
The phrase felt bitter in his mouth.
"Why do you think Sakumo specifically took Hizashi?" Reiji continued. "Why drag him all the way back toward the tower instead of just knocking him out here?"
"To make us save him?" Kushina answered uncertainly.
"No." Reiji's voice hardened slightly. "To make us abandon him."
Silence.
Kushina's body visibly stiffened.
"The mission comes first," Reiji said quietly. "That's the rule shinobi live by." His eyes remained fixed on the darkness between the trees while he spoke. "Trying to save someone when you know it'll risk the mission… that's considered the wrong decision."
Sakumo wasn't testing strength.
He was testing priorities.
"He wants to see if we're willing to complete the mission no matter the cost."
"But if we leave him behind," Kushina replied immediately, "Hizashi fails."
"Maybe."
Reiji shrugged lightly.
"Or maybe Sakumo's bluffing." He glanced sideways toward her. "And even if he isn't, Hizashi's from one of the strongest clans in the village. He'll survive one failed test."
Kushina gritted her teeth hard enough that Reiji could hear it.
"…I still refuse to abandon him."
Reiji frowned slightly.
"Why?"
"Because he's our teammate!"
"So?" Reiji answered bluntly. "You barely knew him before today."
Kushina's expression twisted immediately.
"Then why didn't you abandon me?"
Reiji stilled.
The words hit harder than he expected.
For a second the sounds of the forest seemed to fade entirely.
"That was different," he said after a pause.
"How?"
Reiji looked away briefly.
"Because nothing would've changed."
Kushina stared at him.
Her hand tightened slowly around her own arm.
The anger drained out of her expression after that, replaced instead by something quieter.
Something heavier.
"You know…" she began softly, "after that day… I couldn't even look you in the eyes properly anymore."
Reiji frowned faintly but remained silent.
"When you told me to run," Kushina continued, her voice tightening slightly, "I never felt more useless in my life." She lowered her head afterward. "I wanted to prove I could help." A bitter laugh escaped her throat. "But what did I actually do?"
She clenched her arm harder.
"I ran away."
Reiji didn't answer.
He honestly didn't know what he was supposed to say to that.
"And the worst part," Kushina whispered, "is that part of me felt relieved while I was running."
The words sounded almost painful for her to admit.
"How pathetic is that?"
The wind shifted softly through the branches around them.
Reiji remained still, simply listening.
"I promised myself after that," Kushina said quietly, "that I'd never run away again." She slowly lifted her head afterward. "If I leave Hizashi behind now…" Her voice wavered slightly for the first time. "I don't think I'll be able to face myself anymore."
Then Reiji noticed her eyes.
His own widened slightly in surprise.
Her irises had turned completely crimson.
The pupils were no longer human either, split sharply like a predator's.
For a moment Reiji simply stared.
Kushina immediately froze after noticing his gaze. She turned away from him almost instantly, shoulders tightening as she showed him only her back afterward.
Reiji frowned deeply.
"That's all very touching," he said after a moment, "but I still don't care, you're making the wrong decision." His tone hardened slightly. "You'll fail too if you go after him."
Kushina nodded slowly without turning back toward him.
"Maybe." Her voice sounded calmer now. "And maybe abandoning him really is the smarter choice."
The admission surprised him slightly.
"But I still can't do it."
She finally glanced back at him over her shoulder.
"I'm not going to force you to come with me," she said quietly. "If you want to finish the mission alone, then do it." A faint bitter smile crossed her face afterward. "You'll probably succeed too."
Then she looked away again.
"But I can't leave him behind."
Before Reiji could answer, Kushina bent her knees and launched herself into the darkness between the trees.
Reiji remained still for several seconds after Kushina disappeared into the darkness.
The branches around him swayed softly beneath the wind while the sounds of the forest slowly returned now that the fighting had stopped. Somewhere far below the canopy, insects buzzed endlessly through the night while distant cries echoed between the trees.
His eyes stayed fixed on the direction Kushina had gone.
Then he groaned quietly in annoyance and rubbed a hand through his hair.
"…This is exactly why I don't like teammates," he muttered. "They're such a pain."
Seriously, why were people always so illogical?
That was the lesson she had taken from nearly getting herself killed? To rush headfirst into danger the moment something challenged her pride?
Reiji glanced down at the scroll in his hand, then back toward the forest stretching behind him. The path ahead was still there. The objective was still simple.
"I wanted to finish this quickly," he muttered. "But it seems I have no choice now…"
He clicked his tongue.
"I prepared myself for her to be stupid, but not to this extent."
For another moment, he stood there, silent beneath the dark canopy.
Then he turned toward the direction Kushina had taken.
Well, who care ?
It was just a stupid test anyway.
And if he could use her as an excuse to try punching that white-haired buffoon's smile off his face, then he supposed he could live with the inconvenience.
A faint smirk slowly tugged at the corner of his mouth.
Besides…
If he ended up rescuing Kushina again after all her dramatic speeches about never running away anymore, the look on her face afterward would probably be priceless.
Maybe she would get even more embarrassed around him.
The thought was honestly far too tempting to ignore.
Reiji sighed softly through his nose.
"Whatever."
He tucked the scroll away and bent his knees slightly.
"I have an excuse to fool around a bit now, so why not?"
Then he launched himself into the darkness after her.