Memories slowly took shape... like bubbles rising from the bottom of a deep, dark well.
Where am I?
Uchiha Tatsumi closed his eyes and struggled to remember.
Suddenly, a vague figure appeared in front of him. He rubbed his eyes, trying to focus, but the figure seemed to stand behind a heavy black iron gate.
Without warning, the figure burst into a blinding white light. The light grew more intense, and the man began to tremble violently. Then, with a deafening roar, he shattered into a thousand glowing fragments. The world around him crumbled into ruins, and the stench of death filled the air.
Uchiha Tatsumi jerked awake with a shout.
The air was thick with the coppery smell of blood. Every shake of the ground worsened the pain coursing through his body.
He turned his head, and the movement sent a searing spike of pain through his skull. Gritting his teeth, he took slow breaths to steady himself. As his senses returned, he realized he was being carried—his head resting against someone's back as they sprinted through the dark.
They were no longer in the ruined base. Trees surrounded them. The thick canopy above and the absence of moonlight made visibility poor.
"Tatsumi, you're awake?" a voice whispered nearby. The tone trembled slightly with emotion.
He recognized it—Mikoto.
Despite her injuries, despite the dried blood staining her clothes, her dark eyes were filled with relief.
As Tatsumi stirred, the group came to a halt. He realized the one carrying him was Yura.
"Put me down," Tatsumi said hoarsely, coughing.
Yura hesitated, then gently lowered him to the ground. Tatsumi leaned against a nearby tree. He tried moving his right arm, but a sharp jolt of pain made him abandon the attempt.
His head throbbed. He raised his good left arm and touched the back of his scalp—there, beneath his matted hair, he found a scabbed-over wound.
The impact must've been from falling debris—he recalled a stone striking him before he blacked out.
Yuluo looked at him with a complicated expression.
In the last moments before the collapse, Tatsumi had stepped forward, his slim frame shielding the others. He'd used ninjutsu to cushion the blast. And when the ceiling gave way, he had shattered a falling boulder with sheer force.
Because of that, their injuries weren't severe. Tatsumi had taken the worst of it.
She owed him her life.
Tatsumi glanced around. "Where are we?"
Rope Tree answered quickly, "West of the town, in the forest. After the explosion, we escaped the ruins and headed toward Konoha's forward camp."
"And the others?" Tatsumi asked.
Silence fell.
They all knew—under that kind of blast and collapse, anyone without advance warning wouldn't have survived.
"Iwa-nin are still pursuing us, aren't they?" Tatsumi asked, his voice low.
Yuluo nodded grimly. "Yes. Right after the explosion, I sensed unfamiliar chakra approaching fast. That's when we ran."
She looked at him seriously. "What the hell happened in there?"
Tatsumi exhaled. "That Iwa-nin… he was a trap. I could see the chakra with my Sharingan."
"There was something wrong with his abdominal chakra flow. Like a hidden explosive tag—probably embedded inside him."
"He pretended to be a captured straggler. Once you brought him back, it was just a matter of time before it detonated. Without a Byakugan or Sharingan, you'd never have noticed."
Yuluo clenched her fists. "So that was it… Even if we survived, the blast exposed our location. They sent the rest to clean up. Damn those Iwa-nin…"
Tatsumi nodded. "In every era, human bombs are terrifying."
He turned to Yura. "What's our situation? Have we shaken them off?"
Yura shook her head. "No… We're surrounded."
"How many?"
"Ten enemy shinobi. Most are Chūnin-level, based on earlier encounters. Their leader is Bakudanshou—the demolition prodigy from Iwa."
"The one rumored to be considered as a student by the Tsuchikage?" Tatsumi murmured.
Yura nodded. "That's the one. But he's reckless and dangerous. The Third Tsuchikage sent him to the Rain Country because he kept causing accidents in Iwa."
"With just four of us, and Tatsumi seriously injured…" Rope Tree didn't finish. He didn't need to.
Tatsumi understood. If he were in full form, he and Yura could've at least ensured a breakout. But not now.
"The enemy hasn't pinned down our exact position yet. We could try an ambush and break through," Mikoto suggested.
Yura shook her head. "It won't work. Someone would have to act as bait to delay them."
"Bait means death," Rope Tree said bitterly.
"Yes," Yura whispered.
There was one other option—split up. Everyone becomes bait. With Yura's sensory abilities, she'd have the best chance to survive.
Tatsumi, though the strongest, was injured and couldn't move freely.
This was the ugly truth of war. Sometimes survival meant sacrifice. Even abandoning children.
But Yura couldn't accept that.
She remembered how Tatsumi had saved them. If she owed him a life, then she'd repay it.
"I'll be the bait," Yura said, rising to her feet.
Everyone turned to her.
"No, Sister Yura!" Rope Tree's eyes welled up.
She ruffled his hair gently. "If we don't do something, we'll all die. Do you want that?"
"But—"
"No buts," she said coldly. "My brothers died in this war. It's my turn now."
"…Please, take care of each other."
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