The morning sun shone brightly over Hikarashi Village, casting long shadows as Kenshiro and Team 7 stood at the village gates, ready for departure.
The team was set:
Kenshiro Arataka – The elite Jonin leading the escort.
Ryuji Inazuma – The energetic, determined genin.
Aiko Himura – The kind yet sharp-witted kunoichi.
Kaizen Kurogami – The brooding prodigy, still recovering from his fight with Jasper.
Alongside them:
Serena Blackspire – Ever ready to cause chaos.
Jasper Tyros – The swordsman, still oblivious to many things.
Sienna Frostveil – The woman on a mission, who, strangely, seemed way too happy.
Jasper, standing at the back, crossed his arms, watching Sienna carefully.
"She should hate me by now," he thought.
But there she was—
Walking beside him, smiling, chatting normally like nothing happened.
Her silver hair gleamed in the sunlight, and around her neck, the miniature version of Dragonis sparkled.
Jasper's eye twitched.
"The hell is this?"
Sienna noticed his staring and turned to him with a bright smile.
"Something wrong, Jasper?" she asked sweetly.
Jasper narrowed his eyes.
"Why do you look… happy?"
Sienna tilted her head innocently.
"Why wouldn't I be? We're going on a trip! You, me, and the others—together. It's exciting, isn't it?"
Jasper almost choked.
"Exciting? Are we talking about the same mission? The one where we visit some ancient clan and might get attacked by crazy ninja?"
Sienna just giggled.
"Oh, Jasper. You worry too much."
Jasper's face darkened.
"No. No, no, no. Something's wrong. You're supposed to be mad at me."
Sienna blinked.
"Why would I be mad?"
Jasper stared at her.
"Are you serious? You literally slapped the hell out of me yesterday. Called me an idiot, a coward, a bastard—"
"Oh, that?" Sienna waved it off. "That was yesterday. No point holding onto the past, right?"
Jasper's brain short-circuited.
"This is a trap."
Serena, walking a few steps behind, was already dying of laughter at his confused expression.
"Ohhh, this is gold," she whispered to Aiko, who also giggled.
Aiko nodded.
"Sienna's really got him wrapped around her finger, huh?"
Serena smirked.
"Oh, just wait. It's gonna get better."
As they walked along the dusty forest path, Kenshiro took the lead, his senses sharp.
The Kasai Clan's village wasn't far—a half-day's journey.
But something… felt off.
From the shadows of the towering trees, a pair of unseen eyes watched their every step.
A mysterious figure, cloaked in darkness, trailed behind the group silently, unseen by even the most skilled shinobi.
A whisper carried on the wind.
"They're finally making their move."
The figure vanished, leaving no trace.
Something… was coming.
And they had no idea.
CTS TIME: RE250.05.27 – 11:45 AM (Hikarashi Village Local Time)
Jasper walked along the dirt path, arms behind his head, his irritation growing with each passing second.
He had expected Sienna to ignore him.
He had expected her to be angry.
Hell, he had even prepared for more yelling.
But instead—
She was acting like nothing had ever happened.
Smiling, chatting, acting completely normal.
Even worse—she kept walking close to him, like she hadn't spent the last 24 hours crying, slapping him, and calling him an idiot.
"What the hell is this?" Jasper thought, his eye twitching.
But he refused to react.
No.
If she could act normal, then so could he.
So, with all the calm and chill energy he could muster, Jasper acted like he didn't care.
Like nothing was bothering him.
Like Sienna's presence wasn't getting under his skin.
"Cool guy mode. Stay chill. Be normal," he told himself.
But damn it, Serena was watching him like a hawk, waiting for him to break.
"This is killing him inside, I just know it," she thought, smirking.
She leaned toward Aiko and whispered, "Three minutes. He'll crack in three minutes."
Aiko giggled.
"Two minutes, actually."
Serena grinned.
"You're on."
But before they could escalate the teasing—
Kenshiro suddenly stopped walking.
His hand shot up, signaling everyone to halt.
Jasper blinked, his irritation vanishing instantly.
Sienna's cheerful expression also turned serious.
The air around them shifted.
A sudden cold presence settled over the group.
Kenshiro's sharp gaze darted around the trees.
"We're being watched."
Then—
A rustling sound.
Leaves fluttered violently.
And in an instant—three figures emerged from the shadows, landing directly in their path.
Jasper's instincts flared.
Shinobi.
Their dark navy outfits bore a distinct headband marking—a flowing black river symbol.
Kenshiro's eyes narrowed.
"Yamigawa Clan."
Jasper had no idea who they were, but the pressure in the air suddenly felt different.
Serena cracked her knuckles.
"Tch. And here I was, hoping for a peaceful trip."
One of the shinobi stepped forward.
His face was partially covered by a black mask, but his golden eyes gleamed with malice.
"We are only here for one person," he said coolly.
His gaze landed on Sienna.
"The woman."
Sienna's eyes sharpened.
"Me?"
"Correct. Our sources say you are… intelligent. Too intelligent."
The second shinobi smirked.
"A woman like you? Dangerous. Clever. A threat to those in power."
The third shinobi let out a low chuckle.
"We've been sent to eliminate you."
Jasper sighed.
"Of course."
Kenshiro stepped forward.
"Over my dead body."
The golden-eyed shinobi simply tilted his head.
"If that's what it takes."
Then—
They attacked.
Kenshiro was fast.
Before the enemy could even get close to Sienna, he vanished in a blur, intercepting their leader with a sharp clash of kunai.
"You won't lay a hand on her."
The force of their impact sent a shockwave through the forest, rustling the trees.
Kaizen's eyes glowed red, his Yamigan activating instantly.
Without hesitation, he charged forward, facing off against the other two shinobi.
Jasper took a step back, watching the fight unfold.
"Tch. No one even told me who these guys are."
Ryuji, however—
Froze.
His hands trembled, his entire body locked in place.
He wanted to move.
He wanted to help.
But his legs wouldn't listen.
"Damn it… Why can't I move?!"
Aiko, however, was already moving.
She stood in front of Sienna, kunai in hand, eyes fierce.
"I won't let you touch her!"
Kaizen, meanwhile, was a one-man storm.
His sword flashed, deflecting kunai with deadly precision.
One of the Yamigawa shinobi lunged at him—
But Kaizen was too fast.
With one precise counterstrike, he sliced the enemy's kunai clean in half, before delivering a devastating roundhouse kick to his ribs.
CRACK.
The shinobi crashed into a tree, coughing up blood.
Kaizen didn't stop.
The second enemy threw a barrage of shuriken—
Kaizen dodged effortlessly, weaving through them like a shadow.
Then—he moved.
A single step.
A sharp swing of his blade.
And the second shinobi was down.
Jasper whistled.
"Damn. Kid's good."
Serena smirked.
"He's basically a mini-Sasuke."
Jasper frowned.
"A mini-what now?"
"Never mind."
Meanwhile, Kenshiro was still clashing with the leader.
The golden-eyed shinobi grinned.
"Not bad, Arataka. But you're wasting time."
Kenshiro's eyes narrowed.
"What are you talking about?"
The shinobi smirked.
"The girl. She's unguarded."
Kenshiro's stomach dropped.
He turned—just in time to see a shadow moving toward Sienna.
A kunai flashed.
"Damn it!"
And then—
A sudden blue streak intercepted the attack.
Jasper.
With Dragonis unsheathed, its blue energy flaring, Jasper blocked the kunai mid-air, the force of his counterattack sending the attacker flying backward.
Jasper sighed, rolling his neck.
"Man. I was hoping I wouldn't have to do anything."
Sienna, standing behind him, smiled knowingly.
"Jasper, are you protecting me?" she asked, her voice teasing.
Jasper didn't even look at her.
"I'm just getting some morning exercise, don't get the wrong idea."
Sienna giggled.
"Sure, sure."
Serena, watching from a distance, snorted.
"This dumbass is so deep in denial, it's embarrassing."
Jasper, pretending not to hear her, gripped Dragonis tighter.
"Alright, then," he muttered, eyes locking onto the remaining enemy.
"Let's get this over with"