Mai moved through the forest with a rustling sound, skillfully concealing her presence. Dark clouds overhead blotted out the moon, casting the wilderness into deeper darkness.
She had already been successfully on the run for nearly half an hour. Fortunately, Mai often interacted with the patrolling Ninja in her line of work and knew the general layout of their defenses. Coupled with her adept sensory abilities, the journey had been smooth so far, without any mishaps.
But she still felt the nervous guilt of a thief. In the quiet environment, Mai could hear her own heart pounding.
After a while longer, estimating she was far enough, Mai darted to the edge of the dense forest. Peering through the thick bushes with only her bright, shining eyes visible, she checked left and right to confirm no one was around before gently stepping onto the main road.
Looking back, the half-destroyed, precarious gate of Konoha stood in the distance. The heavy darkness of night was her best cover, and the faint lights of the guards were now far away from her.
"Whew, I'm safe now." Mai let out a sigh of relief, vigorously stretching her numb limbs after maintaining the same posture for so long. She warmed up, declaring her escape plan a success! She could now proceed with peace of mind.
The dark clouds in the sky were slowly blown away by the wind, revealing a corner of the pale yellow moon. The cold air felt refreshing. Mai looked up and grinned, thinking that sometimes it made sense to act a bit recklessly, like Arata and Yuta occasionally did.
The faint moonlight cast her shadow, swaying gently on the road. Mai gripped her backpack straps, feeling secretly pleased, when suddenly she noticed another shadow beside her own.
She jolted, barely suppressing a scream, and turned stiffly to see someone who had appeared unnoticed just ten meters away.
The person stood with arms crossed, a frown on their face, staring at her with an imposing aura.
"S-Sakura-nee..." She stammered.
The worst part of this kind of endeavor was running into an acquaintance midway, especially an older one who usually had a serious side. Even through the darkness, Mai could clearly see the anger and accusatory expression on Sakura's face.
"Um, what are you doing here in the middle of the night?" Mai took half a step back, forced to initiate the conversation awkwardly.
"That's exactly what I should be asking you." Sakura narrowed her eyes, her posture unchanged. Her seniority aura was fully unleashed, pressing down on Mai with restrained expression and tone, like a storm brewing. In that moment, Mai saw a shadow of Tsunade in her.
"I just came out... to get some fresh air." The situation was dire. Mai said something even she didn't believe.
"Fresh air?" Sakura took a few steps forward, matching Mai's retreat. She glanced at Mai's backpack and pointed behind her, "How far is this from the village? The gate is almost out of sight. How dangerous is it right now..."
She paused, took a breath, and said sternly, "Tell me the truth."
"Okay..." When Sakura became serious and put on an impartial face, Mai couldn't handle it. She gently bit her lip and whispered, "...I'm going to see Hattori-nii."
Sakura was taken aback, "Hattori-sensei?"
Mai nodded, her words hesitant as she explained about receiving the invitation.
"No wonder you've been so distracted these past few days..." Sakura looked surprised at first, then seemed to understand, "So that's why the patrol leader said they detected a strange flying object. It was Hattori-sensei's doing, after all..."
The lingering questions were answered. Seeing her junior sister looking obedient and admitting her mistake, Sakura felt a weight lift from her chest, 'If it was Hattori-sensei, it should be alright...'
"What about Hattori-sensei? Just because it's him, you let your guard down completely?" Sakura suddenly raised her voice, scolding harshly, "Don't you know he's a Missing-nin wanted by the village? You just sneak out because you got a message from him? And how do you know it's really Hattori-sensei and not some enemy with ulterior motives?"
"That's the Akatsuki, the masterminds behind the village attack. Don't you dare take any chances!"
"But Hattori-nii is different, and besides..." Mai wanted to argue that the crescent-moon necklace signature couldn't possibly be wrong, but it was clearly no match for her senior sister's deep concern and sternness.
"What do you mean, different? They're all part of the same organization, and they're all men." Sakura paused, realizing she had misspoken, wondering why had she brought up the latter?
Perhaps it was because the scene before her sparked associations, a mix of fear and worry. Similarly deep nights, roads outside the village, Sasuke, Naruto, each stubbornly and unrepentantly charging toward their goals.
When she first noticed something amiss, Sakura had anticipated serious consequences. That's why she had acted so urgently, even leveraging her seniority to be uncompromising.
She knew how much Mai trusted Logan and how important he was to her. Even though the Logan they had encountered during missions seemed gentle and rarely hostile, she didn't dare relax. The girl before her would truly follow him away.
Sakura was afraid that another important companion would leave, repeating the same patterns of the past.
"You have no idea how worried I was... Enough." Sakura hid the softness in her eyes and put on a stern face, "Come back with me right now."
"..." Hearing this, Mai clenched her fingers, avoiding eye contact.
Sensing her defiance, Sakura said firmly, "Don't even think about tricks. I already reported to Shizune-sama before I came. Even if you try something, it's useless."
Her approach left no room for opportunity. Under the moonlight, the girl's expression darkened. After a moment, she seemed to deflate, lowering her hands.
"Okay..."
Mai walked back step by step, listless. Sakura couldn't help but sigh, feeling a sense of empathy. She reached out to pull Mai closer, her feigned authority vanishing as she comforted her, "Alright, alright. Actually..."
The moment her hand touched Mai's, Sakura's expression changed.
Aside from the soft, smooth texture of skin, there was also a layer of Chakra that absolutely should not have been there.
Rampant Chakra surged through Mai's hands, catching the off-guard Sakura like an electric shock.
Bang!
A palm strike landed squarely on her shoulder socket, and pain instantly spread through her entire arm.
'Chakra Scapel... Damn it, I can't move.'
Sakura was horrified. She tried to grab with her other hand while retreating, but it was too late. At such close range, having lost the initiative, the outcome was already decided.
A few fierce exchanges followed. Though they had the same master, their ages differed, but their training time was not far apart. Mai had exceptional talent in sensing and control, and her Taijutsu was also not weak.
The air vibrated with explosive force, the fierce wind flattening the wild grass.
Sakura was hit repeatedly on the acupoints of her arms... Losing the use of her hands meant she would be quickly subdued within seconds. She looked at her junior sister, who was calm and efficient, with disbelief.
The roles of attacker and defender switched in an instant. The obedient little lamb had suddenly turned into a big bad wolf.
"Hehe... Sorry, Sakura-nee."
A chop landed on Sakura's neck, and her body went limp, collapsing. Her consciousness remained clear, but she couldn't muster any strength at all.
Mai clasped her hands together and stuck out her tongue, as if returning to her familiar, cute, and soft state, "I should be back soon. So... you just lie here for a while, okay?"
Sakura tried to speak, but no sound came out, 'Chakra Scapel… damn it, she must have practiced extra hard. She's learned it too well.' Sakura fumed indignantly, forced to watch helplessly as Mai walked away.