"Enough already, Second Brother. Stop acting so paranoid—it's fine."
The man with sharp, triangular eyes cut in, voice dripping with impatience."Big Brother already said it—no traces were left behind. Even if the Daimyō of Fire Country wants to investigate, he's got nothing to grab onto. There's no way he can pin this on us."
"Exactly." A brawny man built like a bear rumbled in agreement. "We've survived this long under Big Brother's lead without a scratch. And it's just the Daimyō's second son—what's the panic about?"
The "Second Brother" in question, a pale, heavyset man who looked like he'd faint if he skipped a meal, wiped sweat off his forehead with a handkerchief.
"Relax, it's fine," said a scarred man with his right eye missing, waving dismissively.
"Yeah, he's right," chimed his left-eyed twin across from him.
"…Alright. Got it." The fat man finally nodded, his tense expression easing just a bit.
BOOM!
Before his words could even settle, the night outside lit up. Fire burst into the sky, and an earth-shaking explosion rolled through the camp. The whole building trembled on its foundation.
"Something's wrong!"
The bandit chief shot to his feet, eyes narrowing with shock and fury."Second Brother, with me! Third, Fourth—guard the hostage! The rest of you, wait for my signal. The moment it comes, move the hostage immediately! Got it?!"
"Yes, Boss!"
With that barked order, he and the pale Second Brother charged outside.
In the shadows beyond the camp, ANBU masks gleamed faintly.
"Remember—stick to the plan. Unless something critical happens, do not act on your own." Sakurada's whisper was sharp as a blade. His gaze lingered on Natsume Yō.
"Got it." Yō nodded once, sinking back into the dark.
Meanwhile, Tankei crouched silently above the eaves, eyes narrowed at the hostage's quarters."Man… they're cautious bastards. Snatching the hostage won't be easy. But I'm not some rookie fresh out of the Academy."
A feral grin crossed his face."And this? This isn't enough to stop me."
He slipped a smoke bomb from his pouch. In the next heartbeat, his body blurred like a panther in the night—silent, lethal.
Only when he was practically on top of them did the two guards—"Third" and "Fourth"—realize something was wrong.
"Enemy attack!" Third roared, lunging forward.
But Tankei was faster. The smoke bomb hit the floor with a sharp crack—
Bang!
Thick, acrid smoke swallowed the entire room.
"Damn it—Fourth, protect the hostage!" Third shouted, but his voice was lost in the choking haze. Vision was gone, and in the suffocating dark, he couldn't even pin down where the Daimyō's son was.
"Gotcha."
Tankei moved through the smoke as if it weren't even there. His hands clamped around the bound Daimyō's second son, hoisting him with brutal efficiency. Then he bolted through the smoke, vanishing into the night.
Once outside, Tankei yanked a flare from his vest and snapped it into the sky.
BOOM!
The signal lit the camp crimson, blazing like a second sun.
"Shit!"
The one-eyed brothers saw the flare from nearby and both cursed, bolting toward Tankei's direction.
The hunt had begun.