The hallway felt longer as they neared the lobby. The air was getting thicker with the smell of woodsmoke and tension.
Sasuke kept his grip firm on Neji's hand, guiding the 'blind boy' forward with a calm, steady pace.
Suddenly, a massive CRASH echoed from the far corner of the ground floor where they were.
It wasn't just a dropped tray; it was the sound of wood splintering and a heavy body hitting a wall. Immediately, the low murmur of the hotel guests turned into a roar of excitement and fear. A crowd of people began rushing toward the noise, blocking the hallway.
"What was that?" Neji whispered, his head snapping toward the sound. Even through his dark glasses, he was focused on the vibrations of the floor.
Sasuke's eyes darkened. "Fighting," he muttered.
Sasuke and Neji shared a quick, panicked glance. The same terrifying thought hit both of them at the same time.
'Don't tell me...' "The Samurai," Neji hissed, his voice trembling. "And the clerk. Sasuke, he must have pointed someone out!"
They didn't run—that would look too suspicious. Instead, Sasuke used his shoulder to push through the crowd, dragging the 'blind' Neji along with him. They moved like shadows through the sea of worried guests.
The crowd was thick and sweaty, pushing toward the corner of the hotel. Sasuke kept a tight grip on Neji's arm, leading him through the sea of people.
"Don't tell me..." Neji whispered, his head tilted as if listening to the chaos. "The Samurai? And the clerk? Did they really catch our guy?"
Sasuke's jaw tightened. "It's a possibility."
Neji let out a short, sharp huff of air. "Wait a minute. Just a second ago, you were so proud of your Genjutsu! You said, 'Relax, Neji, his brain is mush! He's in a hospital dreaming of clouds!' You were so sure!"
Sasuke didn't look back. He just pushed a large man out of the way. "Shut up, Neji. The situation changed."
"Oh, so now the situation changed?" Neji whispered back, his voice full of sarcasm behind his blind man glasses.
"What happened to your perfect plan? You were so cool. Now you're walking toward the trouble like everyone else!"
"It's a gut feeling, okay?" Sasuke shouted, leaning close so only Neji could hear. "My gut is telling me that something went wrong. Now keep your glasses on and look helpless."
"My gut is telling me you're a big liar who got overconfident," Neji muttered, but he followed anyway.
"If we get caught because your 'mush-brain' clerk woke up early, I am going to tell the Samurai I don't even know you."
"I'd like to see you try," Sasuke growled.
And he screamed among the crowd one more time, "Make way! Blind man coming through!" Sasuke shouted in a fake, annoyed voice to get people to move.
They finally pushed through the last line of people. They were now at the very front of the circle. Sasuke held his breath, his eyes searching the center of the room to see exactly who was causing the riot.
Sasuke and Neji pushed to the front of the crowd, their hearts racing. They expected to see a bloody battle or the terrified clerk.
Instead, they found a circle of people pointing and laughing at a very familiar figure.
Lee was standing in the middle, looking completely confused.
"Look at his hair!" a girl in the crowd giggled, pointing at Lee's perfect bowl-cut.
"And those clothes... nobody in Tetsu no Kuni wears a green jumpsuit. He looks like a giant vegetable!"
"He's an intruder!" a man shouted. "He doesn't have the manners of a local. Look at how he stands! He's too... energetic!"
Sasuke and Neji stared at each other. Their faces went pale.
'This idiot,' Sasuke thought, his eye twitching.
Lee, feeling the pressure, puffed out his chest and raised a finger. "You are mistaken!..."
"I am a proud citizen of Tetsu no Kuni! I love the snow! I love the cold! It builds the muscles of youth!"
Sasuke realized they had to move fast before the Samurai arrived. He stepped forward, still holding Neji's hand. "Wait!" Sasuke called out, trying to sound calm.
At the exact same moment, both Lee and Sasuke spoke at the top of their lungs.
"I AM A CITIZEN OF TETSU NO KUNI!"
"WE ARE ALL FELLOW TRAVELLERS!"
The crowd went silent. Everyone looked back and forth between them.
"Wait a minute," a man said, narrowing his eyes. "The green boy says he lives here, but the black one says they are all traveling together. Which is it? Are you liars?"
Neji's face turned bright red. Without missing a beat, he reached out and WHACKED Lee across the back of the head.
"OW!" Lee yelled, rubbing his skull. "What was that for?!"
"Tell them the truth, you fool!" Neji shouted through his teeth.
Lee quickly realized his mistake. He turned back to the crowd with a nervous sweat.
"What? I am a traveler! Are you people deaf? Did you not hear me? I said I love traveling in Tetsu no Kuni! Yes! Traveling! My favorite hobby!"
The crowd started to grumble, getting more suspicious. In the middle of the confusion, the crowd pushed forward, and Neji's dark glasses were knocked right off his face!
"My glasses!" Neji whispered in panic, quickly shutting his eyes tight so no one would see his white Byakugan.
Sasuke moved like a blur. He snatched the glasses off the floor before anyone could step on them. He didn't have time to put them back on Neji.
He grabbed Neji's hand in a death grip. Neji, with his eyes still squeezed shut, reached out and grabbed the back of Lee's green jumpsuit.
"RUN!" Sasuke commanded.
It was a chain of chaos. Sasuke pulled Neji, and Neji pulled a screaming Lee. They burst through the crowd like a runaway train.
Sasuke dodged left and right, Neji stumbled behind him with his eyes closed tight like he was playing tag, and Lee was being dragged along like a kite in a storm.
They sprinted toward the hallway, leaving the confused crowd behind in a cloud of hallway.
The three of them burst into a narrow hallway and skidded to a stop. They were all breathing hard, their chests heaving as they leaned against the cold wooden walls.
"Lee..." Sasuke gasped, his voice breaking as he tried to catch his breath.
"What... what did you tell them? I couldn't hear... over the shouting. Why were they... looking at us like that?"
Lee was bent over, his hands on his knees. "I told them... huff... I told them I am a traveler! A traveler of youth!"
Neji, who finally opened his eyes now that they were alone, glared at Lee.
"Again! Again you lie!"
"You told them... you were a citizen! You said you lived here!"
Sasuke's eyes went wide. He stepped forward and cornered Lee against the wall, looking like he wanted to hit him hard. "What did you say?"
"I am sorry! I am so sorry!" Lee started to shout, waving his arms in a panic. "I got confused! The pressure was too much! My heart was—"
SMACK!
Neji slammed his hand over Lee's mouth, silencing him instantly.
"Quiet!" Neji whispered.
The air suddenly went cold. From around the corner, they heard a sharp, chilling noise.
Clink. Clank. Shhhhk.
It was the unmistakable sound of metal armor rubbing together. The heavy, slow footsteps of Samurai.
Sasuke pressed his back against the wall. He moved slowly, inching his head toward the corner of the hallway to peep around the edge.
His eyes narrowed. Further down the hall, a large group of Samurai was moving away, their long capes disappearing into another room.
But two of them stayed behind. They were standing close together, their hands resting on the hilts of their swords, talking in low, serious voices.
They looked like they were guarding the very path the boys needed to take.
Sasuke pulled his head back, his face pale. He looked at Neji and Lee, holding a finger to his lips.
The funny mood was gone. The 'local drama' was officially at their doorstep.
Sasuke, Neji, and Lee pressed their bodies against the cold wall, holding their breath.
Around the corner, the two Samurai stood in the shadows. Their voices were deep and heavy, echoing in the narrow hall.
"The orders came from the top," the City Samurai said, his armor clanking as he shifted his weight.
"There is an infiltration in this hotel. Our unit is to search every room and find the traitors. But I have a question... what is a unit from the Tetsu no Kuni Border doing all the way inside the city?"
The Border Samurai sighed, his voice sounding tired. "We caught ten children trying to cross from Mizu no Kuni. But we were careless. They escaped. My unit is searching the city to bring them back before the Lord finds out."
The City Samurai went quiet for a moment. "Kids? Don't tell me the infiltrators in this hotel are just children."
"How can you be so sure?" the Border Samurai asked.
"Because of the evidence," the City Samurai replied.
"This morning, the hotel staff told us that four 'young guest' went to the hot springs. One of them was a small child. He left a shirt behind in the changing area. It carries the crest of an elite clan from the Hidden Leaf."
Behind the wall, Sasuke's heart stopped. His mind started racing like a wildfire.
'An elite clan? Whose clothes? Mine? No, I'm wearing mine. Naruto? No, the Uzumaki crest isn't famous here. Neji is too careful. Lee is wearing that green suit...'
A cold sweat broke out on Sasuke's forehead. A terrible realization hit him. He remembered the small, messy pile of clothes from the night before.
'Don't tell me....?'
"The crest," the City Samurai continued, his voice turning cold as ice. "IT BELONGS TO...."
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📊 BATTLE REPORT: 59-IRON 📊
LOSER: Rock Lee 👁🗨🟩.
SNEAK PEAK LINES💬
"He just handed them the map to our door! "
"We don't have time for your 'gut feelings' anymore.
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—With love, one forehead poke away from collapse,
Sakura Shinomiya 💫
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