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A tide of icy despair swallowed Sayo. He knelt beside Lucado's cooling body, the faint green glow of his Healing Jutsu washing uselessly over that twisted neck and lifeless face. Captain Iryō struggled to press two fingers to Lucado's carotid with his uninjured left hand, then let his arm fall, eyes closing, every line of his face etched with pain and helplessness. Xu was already sobbing, clapping both hands over her mouth to keep her cries from drawing more enemies.
Death—the most ordinary word in a Ninja's world—now stood before them in sudden, brutal flesh.
Sayo had fought before; he had seen death. He had survived an ambush by a Stone Hidden Elite Jōnin, fought Sasori in a life-or-death struggle, and only days ago escaped a four-man Sharingan-elite Uchiha encirclement. He was long used to wounds, to killing, to dancing on the edge of a blade.
But this time was different.
Lucado's end came not at the climax of fierce combat, but from a chance encounter, from a moment's distraction while a teammate bled, from an enemy's merciless finishing blow. It was so swift, so "easy," almost casual in the way battlefield deaths often are. No blaze of glory—only endless choking cold, showing how fragile and random life could be.
For the first time, death felt close—real. It wasn't merely a comrade fallen; it was an icy warning: no matter your gifts or power, in this meat-grinder of a war death can come from any direction, at any moment, in any form. Today it was Lucado; tomorrow it might be Xu, Captain Iryō… or himself. A chill rising from the depths of his soul made him shudder.
"No time…" Captain Iryō's hoarse voice broke the stillness. Fighting the agony of his severed wrist and the grief of losing a subordinate, he pushed himself upright with his left arm. "The noise may bring Konoha Shinobi. We leave—now!"
His words ripped Sayo and Xu from their sorrow. This was enemy territory; grief was a luxury they couldn't afford. Sayo drew a sharp breath, forcing the surge of emotion down, his eyes hardening again. He pulled a blank storage scroll from his pouch and spread it on the ground.
"Sorry, Lucado…" he whispered, forming hand seals and carefully sealing the body into the scroll—a silent, solemn farewell. They would not leave their comrade to the wilds; they would bring him home.
When the scroll was stowed, its weight seemed to move from the earth into their hearts. From that moment, the mood changed. Their retreat had been frantic with desperation; now it was wrapped in watchful silence and smothered grief.
The three moved in a tight defensive formation. Though gravely hurt, Captain Iryō's experience remained; he gripped a Kunai in his left hand, straining to sense what lay ahead. Xu dried her tears and poured all her sorrow into vigilance, scouting flank and rear, her perception stretched to its limit. Sayo bore the heaviest burden of protection: no longer relying on the wrecked and stowed Mirage, he advanced on foot, sweeping the jungle with wide-band senses.
They avoided every shortcut, choosing the roughest, most hidden paths. Progress slowed, but safety rose. Each halt was in the most defensible spot, never longer than five minutes. They spoke only with glances and gestures, the air thick with suffocating hush.
Without Lucado's Earth Style shield the team had a gaping hole, yet the survivors fought with a focus and will to live they had never shown before. Sayo's Magnet Release stayed ready for sudden strikes; Xu's reconnaissance was flawless; Captain Iryō's experience repeatedly let them sidestep danger before it materialized.
Like three lone wolves made warier by injury, they limped through the perilous forests of the Land of Fire on willpower and fragile accord. When the outline of Sunagakure's Border Outpost finally appeared and the Sandstorm Banner came into view, all three exhaled as one, their nerves easing a fraction.
They crossed into the forward Base in the Land of Rivers. No cheers, no celebration; the camp's bustle felt separated from them by an invisible wall. Sayo silently handed the scroll bearing Lucado to the head of the medical logistics squad. Captain Iryō was rushed to the critical-care tent. Xu was sent to rest and receive psychological support.
Alone amid the throng, Sayo watched the weary, wounded Sunagakure Ninja come and go, and for the first time clearly saw the beast of war devouring everything. In that torrent, what could he change? What could he protect? Lucado's cold body and empty eyes were branded into his heart.
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