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Mizuki and Kaoru quickly realized that all eyes were on them, well, except for Scorpio's. She was still lying on the ground, groaning weakly as the last of her strength faded. Kaoru didn't feel even a flicker of sympathy. She had tried to kill him after all.
"The hands and legs… that was me," Ao said, still watching Mizuki, whose face remained buried in Kaoru's shoulder. Ao was shocked by what Mizuki had done, not because of the horrible state Scorpio was in, but because of how her appearance differed from her personality. "She refused to answer any questions. Just kept cursing, said the Mizukage would destroy us."
Added Ao in a flat voice. He wasn't offering an opinion, just stating facts. Now that Kaoru was safe, Ao wanted to see how he'd handle what came next.
"Since she doesn't want to speak…" Kaoru's eyes began to glow, cyan light flaring to life as a thin, dark blue needle formed in front of Scorpio's face.
It hovered for only a moment. Then pierced her remaining eye and drove straight into her skull.
The groaning stopped. Her body convulsed once, then went still.
Ao watched the scene unfold, satisfied. He had not seen Kaoru on the battlefield and was glad to see how resolved he could be. Even without noticing it, Ao was starting to groom Kaoru as a leader.
Mizuki was still shaken as she pulled back, her grip on Kaoru lingering just a second too long. She didn't say anything. She didn't need to. Her relief was written across her face.
Kaoru barely noticed. His mind was somewhere else entirely.
'I need to get my hands on that Yamanaka jutsu,' he thought, his gaze narrowing as he watched the way life faded from Scorpio's body. 'Being able to dive into memories… that'd be ridiculously useful here.'
Unfortunately, Takimura had no specialists in that field. Their skill in interrogation was about as poor as their talent in genjutsu.
"Lord Ao," Kaoru said with a faint smirk as he looked at the lifeless body, disgusted, "let's send her corpse back to the group… what was their name again? Right. Mumeitai."
"They need to understand what it means to try assassinating someone from Takimura. It'll serve as a warning for those still thinking about signing the contract with us."
Kaoru had considered suggesting they capture the rest of the group and interrogate them but quickly changed his mind. Publicly killing them would complicate things. If he handled it alone, under a disguise, he could eliminate the group quietly and gather intel at the same time.
'If I move in the shadows, no one will question it.'
'So he's letting the group go?' Ao's jaw tightened in disapproval. He had expected Kaoru to be more ruthless. But he pushed the feeling aside.
'We've already had our share of brutal leaders. Maybe what we need now is someone with a different approach.' He exhaled slowly. 'I'll wait for Lady Maki's return. She'll make the final call… and knowing her, she will kill them all anyway.'
"Alright," Ao said with a nod, managing a faint smile. "Let's do that."
"Can I ask that we return her body before my sister gets back?" Kaoru added, scratching the back of his head with a sheepish grin.
'She'll ruin the whole plan the moment she sees this.' Thought Kaoru and he wasn't wrong. Maki didn't believe in subtlety. If she had walked in on this, she would've immediately charged and killed every mercenary in the group without a second thought and Kaoru's strategy needed more cunning. Maki was someone who preferred a straightforward approach. And for once, Kaoru wanted to take full control of how things played out.
"Hm. Alright," Ao said after a pause. "Since Lady Maki technically left you in charge, I won't argue."
He didn't agree with the decision. That much was clear.
But he wasn't stepping back to avoid responsibility. He simply understood that no matter what Kaoru chose, those mercenaries wouldn't escape the eyes of Takimura's S-rank shinobi for long. And letting Kaoru learn from his mistakes was much better than simply shutting down his very first important decision.
Ao gave the order to release those who had arrived with Scorpio, allowing them to return to their camp and take her body with them. But the other mercenary groups would remain detained as Ao planned to interrogate them himself.
"Kaoru, will you come with me?" he asked, glancing back at the boy. "I think it'll be good for you to see how interrogations work. It's a useful skill, even during missions."
But Kaoru shook his head.
"I'm exhausted after everything that happened, Lord Ao," he replied with an apologetic smile, faking a yawn and dropping his shoulders. "I'd rather get some rest."
'The sun's already setting. Those bastards will move fast, I can't afford to waste time,' Kaoru thought as he glanced toward the Takimura shinobi walking slowly toward the captured mercenaries.
"You're right," Ao said, nodding. He had almost forgotten that Kaoru had nearly died just an hour ago. Tsunade's scroll had healed the physical damage, but not the mental strain.
Kaoru gave him a polite nod, missing a faint smile on Ao's face, and turned to Akane and Mizuki, who were still standing nearby. Both of them looked pale, worry still written across their faces.
"Let's go. We should leave the rest to Lord Ao," Kaoru said, already walking toward his tent near the camp's outer edge.
"I'll go check on Lady Orihime," Akane said, offering a small smile before walking off. She figured Kaoru and Mizuki could use some time alone, especially after a day like this.
'Ah… Elder Orihime,' Kaoru winced inwardly. She had been more worried about him than he'd expected, and he felt guilty for not checking on her first. But time was running out. If he waited too long, Maki might get involved, and if that happened, well, Kaoru's plan would be ruined.
'I'll visit her when I return,' he decided. 'I also need to ask how she knew I could manipulate water inside the human body…'
"Kaoru… where are you going?" Mizuki asked softly, following slightly behind but keeping her gaze averted.
'Why won't she look at me?' Kaoru frowned and glanced down, then immediately blushed. His robe was tattered from when Orihime ripped it apart, and he was completely naked above waist.
He picked up his pace, and once they were far enough from Ao, he turned toward her.
"I'm going to follow those guys," he whispered, leaning in instinctively. "Wherever their camp is, I'll find it. I need to know who they are… and why they tried to kill me."
"Are you crazy?" Mizuki almost yelled, but Kaoru quickly clamped a hand over her mouth.
"I know you're worried, but trust me. She caught me off guard. I could take down dozens of shinobi at her level if I had to."
He spoke with confidence, not arrogance, and Mizuki didn't hear it as bragging. She believed him. That was the problem.
She hesitated. She could stop him easily. All she had to do was tell Ao, and Kaoru wouldn't be allowed to go alone. But that would damage their relationship. And she didn't want that.
"I'm coming with you," she said at last, her voice firm. Final.
Kaoru sighed. "Mizuki, if we go together, the risk of being discovered goes up. You know I can suppress my chakra and still see people through my Suijingan."
But she didn't budge. Her cold stare shut down any argument.
"…Fine," he relented. "But change into something better suited for stealth. I'll do the same. Meet me at the camp's edge in five minutes."
Without another word, the two of them split off and disappeared toward their tents.
…
The sun had just dipped below the horizon, its last golden beams still clinging to the sky, fading as the moon began its slow rise, quietly reclaiming dominance.
Three figures moved through the forest path, dragging a broken, charred corpse on a wooden cart. One of them pulled it like a beast of burden, the cart creaking behind him, while the other two flanked the rear, constantly checking their surroundings for signs of pursuit. Every few steps, their eyes darted to the trees and bushes, searching for shadows that might be Takimura shinobi.
"She really died," muttered the man pulling the cart. His clothes clung to his sweat-soaked body, and the way he moved, laboring with each step, made it hard to believe he was a shinobi at all.
"Why the hell did we take this damn commission?" the man on the left hissed under his breath. "That kid's sister… she's a monster. She's going to hunt us down. We're already dead men."
"Oh, shut up," snapped the man on the right. "You know why we're here. None of us had a choice. We're just pawns. If we refused, they'd crush us."
The one pulling the cart snorted, stopping for a moment to catch his breath. He wiped the sweat from his brow with his sleeve, his lips curling into a tired, bitter smile.
"She said this would be her last mission. That if she managed to kill the brat and escape, they'd let her go." He paused, shaking his head. "We all knew that was a lie. We're nothing to them. We'll keep doing this until we drop dead in some ditch."
He spat into the dirt, putting all his resentment into the saliva.
"At least our families are safe," the man on the right said quietly. "As long as we follow orders… as long as we don't step out of line… they'll be taken care of."
He paused, trying to remember something, then continued:
"You know… my son probably won't even remember my face," he muttered. "And my wife… she's probably already with someone else."
"What the hell do you want from us? Sympathy?" the man on the left snapped, his voice rising. "We're all in the same damn situation! Stop talking shit and shut up! I-It just makes it worse…"
He'd forgotten about stealth. The reminder of their miserable lives made him lose focus. They were all thinking the same thing, but hearing it out loud made it real. Too real.
No one spoke after that. They just kept moving in silence, the creaking of the cart the only sound left.
Not far behind the cart, two smaller figures flickered between the treetops, their movements light and silent. Both wore black from head to toe, their faces covered by masks that left only their eyes exposed.
'I can already see the shoreline… They're not heading to a camp?' Kaoru landed on a branch and narrowed his eyes. 'Maybe there isn't a camp at all. Maybe this mercenary group doesn't even exist and there are only these three left.'
He wasn't the least bit worried about being spotted.
'They're not even chunin,' he noted, watching the way they moved - sloppy, unsure, unaware.
The fact that shinobi this weak had been sent to assassinate him was baffling... What stung more was that they had nearly succeeded. If not for Tsunade's gift, he might already be dead.
'I need to learn how to sense the water particles inside my own body,' he thought, his jaw tightening in shame and regret. 'If I can't counter poison without someone like Tsunade around, then I'm still far too weak.'
Ahead of them, the three mercenaries neared the coast, but something didn't add up.
'Why are they heading for the cliffs?' Kaoru scanned the terrain. His Suijingan picked up faint movement - several chakra signatures inside the cliff itself.
'There's a cave…' he realized.
Without a word, he signaled to Mizuki, and both of them dropped down from the trees, moving low and quiet until they reached a better angle.
The cart rolled up to the cliffside, where thick vines and dense overgrowth clung to the stone. Without slowing down, the mercenaries pushed straight through the greenery and vanished behind the curtain of leaves.
'Who would've thought…?' Kaoru smiled behind his mask. 'Now we know exactly where the entrance is.'
"There are a few traps near the entrance," he said softly. "But nothing we can't get past. Let's move."
**
A/N -
You should've noticed that I'm slowly increasing the time dedicated to Kaoru and his growth. His personality will also be maturing slowly.
I was driving the whole day, and I'm exhausted now. The chapter took the little energy I had left lol
Reminder - Break Tomorrow
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