Sena was walking ahead, carefully studying the small, hand-drawn map we'd gotten from Seiji-sensei. Beside her, the courier kept pace, eyes shifting nervously from one side of the path to the other. He was supposed to be a non-combatant civilian, but honestly, he was barely keeping himself together. A training instructor in disguise, probably, but right now, he was acting the part of a scared target perfectly.
Behind them, one of my shadow clones, carrying a good chunk of my chakra, walked in sync with the others. To anyone watching, it was me. Same chakra, same movements, same presence. With a Hyuga and an Uchiha possibly tracking us, there was no room for mistakes.
I moved separately through the thicker brush, keeping a short distance from the others. Two shadow clones followed close behind, each transformed to look exactly like Sena and the courier. My heartbeat stayed steady as I moved, my chakra held in check. Sena's plan depended on our opponents making the wrong assumptions, based on how well she had read their personalities. I made sure not to give them any reason to second-guess what they were seeing.
The terrain was exactly what we needed, uneven, filled with dense clusters of trees, moss-covered stones, tangled roots, and patches of thick bushes. The canopy overhead was thick enough to block most of the sunlight, leaving scattered beams of light on the ground like tiny spotlights. It wasn't easy ground for someone relying purely on visual techniques.
Perfect for fooling a Hyuga, as Sena said.
We were heading toward the extraction point marked on the southern edge of the map, but Sena's route wasn't straightforward. She chose winding paths, cutting through thick underbrush, circling back briefly, and occasionally halting as if unsure of the direction. To someone tracking us, it would look like hesitation and caution, exactly the behavior expected from a nervous team escorting a vital target.
I glanced at Sena again. Her expression was calm as ever, a composed smile fixed gently on her lips. Only her eyes, sharp and calculating, betrayed that she was thinking several moves ahead. I had learned to trust her instincts. Even if there came a day when I didn't understand her plan, I would still follow it, because it would most likely pay off. Sena's mind worked differently, always finding a way to turn her opponent's strengths against them.
Suddenly, Sena slowed down. She lifted her hand slightly, signaling for the courier and my clone to stop. They obeyed, looking confused. Sena scanned the terrain slowly, as if sensing something. I mirrored her movement, quietly halting my two clones beside me.
She raised her voice just enough to be overheard. "We'll rest here for a moment. Don't move too far."
The courier slumped onto a moss-covered rock with a shaky sigh. The clone behind them stood guard, looking alert. Anyone watching would see a group taking a short break, unaware of danger approaching.
Exactly as planned.
Sena didn't speak, but she was extremely focused. I knew she was a sensor like me, though it seemed her range was slightly better. I could tell the moment she sensed them, just before I did. We had entered Misaki's range. The Hyuga girl would be scanning the area by now, and that was our window.
At Sena's signal, I let my chakra swell. Subtle, but a bit louder than usual. Just enough to be noticed. The clone near her matched the rhythm and frequency, but its signature stayed slightly dimmer.
Two similar chakra patterns spread through the forest. Close enough to confuse anyone watching from a distance. But one of them stood out, just a little. The one that felt slightly more powerful.
That was intentional. Kaen didn't think I'd trust Sena to handle something important alone. He'd assume I was with the real courier. He'd expect me to lead from the front, not disappear into the shadows. So, I gave him exactly what he needed to feel sure of himself.
Let him follow the stronger chakra signature. Let him believe he'd figured it out.
Sena smiled back at me and said, "Good luck," just before we split off in different directions. Clean, fast, decisive. They'd have to make a choice.
Kaen wouldn't hesitate. He was impatient and proud. Misaki would watch longer, measure her steps, but even she wouldn't ignore two groups moving with equal chakra pressure. There was no time for second-guessing. They'd split.
That was the genius of it. We didn't just bait them. We gave them confidence. A neat, packaged decision that felt safe. One that felt earned. And that's what made it dangerous.
I slid through the ridge path with careful steps. The terrain wasn't easy, but it broke sight lines nicely. My two clones trailed behind, moving in rhythm. Both still transformed as Sena and the courier. It was a formation anyone would believe. Just convincing enough from a distance to hold up under pressure. Especially with chakra signatures to match.
I stayed crouched, weaving through vine-draped trunks, ducking under low branches. A Sharingan could track movement, but it couldn't punch through solid wood. All I needed to do was stay out of the open and feed him a story that made sense.
No chakra behind me yet. Nothing brushing against my senses. That could mean Kaen was still waiting, or that he was too focused on the bait to tail me directly.
Good. That bought us time.
I reached a low rise and ducked behind a thick log. My clones mirrored me, stopping a few meters back. Their postures stayed sharp. Guard-like. Not perfect, but good enough for someone watching from the trees. From Kaen's angle, I'd look like I was protecting a valuable target while trying to navigate tricky terrain.
I stretched my awareness outward, just enough to graze the surroundings. Still no strong pressure. No hint of Kaen's chakra, which meant he was circling. He was cautious.
I gave a quick signal to the first clone, the one transformed into Sena. It stayed close to the courier, moving carefully and never drifting too far. The courier clone didn't wander or take initiative. It remained centered and passive, just like a real civilian should. No risky movement. No shinobi behavior. That was the entire point. Keep the target safe, stable, and easy to protect.
I took the lead, weaving through the underbrush as I moved toward a shallow ravine. The ground sloped downward slightly, with enough uneven terrain to break momentum if someone tried to rush in. I climbed the ridge overlooking the path, stepping only on moss and packed dirt to reduce sound. Every movement was deliberate, quiet, and steady.
It was a clean formation. Escort logic. But the courier they were guarding didn't exist.
Just noise. Just bait.
I crouched behind a slope and waited. The forest went still for a moment. Then came the faintest rustle. Not wind. Not an animal. A breath. Controlled and slow, but not silent enough.
A blur of movement slid between two trees. Low, fast, deliberate. I watched it pass and counted seconds until the next one followed. Heavier this time. Intentional steps. A shimmer of chakra blinked at the edge of my range.
Kaen.
He was approaching from the lower path, staying close to the tree trunks. His chakra signature growing stronger in the last few seconds, like he was ready to strike.
I dropped low and summoned a handful of kunai from the storage seal on my wrist. The moment they appeared, I jammed chakra through them, overloading the metal on purpose. They buzzed faintly, glowing at the edges as the excess chakra started breaking them down from the inside.
Didn't matter. I didn't need them to last.
I grabbed two and dragged the tips across the earth, carving out rough fuinjutsu lines as fast as I could. They weren't pretty, but speed mattered more than precision right now. I only needed one to trigger cleanly. Just one.
Kaen was getting closer. I could hear it in his footsteps, measured, fast, and growing sharper. He wasn't rushing. He was calculating. Each step sounded like it was placed with purpose.
Twenty meters.
Fifteen.
I grit my teeth and kept going, forcing more chakra into the kunai to finish the second seal before the metal fully deteriorated. The kunai edge crumbled just as I lifted it off the soil. Burnt chakra leaked from the lines, unstable but active. It would have to do.
I pushed chakra into the seal to prime it, then slowly rose from the crouch, brushing dirt from my fingers. Kaen's pace hadn't changed. He was planning a strike, and soon. I could feel it.
He didn't know that he would be facing shadows.
Let him leap in with full power. Let him waste a perfectly good burst of chakra and time on a fake target.
Let him commit to the wrong choice and learn the price.
He moved again, circling toward the front of the formation where he assumed I would be. A sensor would lead, not hang back. He wasn't here for the courier. He wanted to eliminate the threat first. Me.