Counterattack
Two Hours Later – Border of the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain
"Go! This way!"
Inuzuka Rui's nose twitched as he picked up a scent trail. He dashed forward, followed closely by Uchiha Mingjing and Aburame Nami.
"Hold up a second!" Mingjing said sharply, eyes narrowing as he noticed blood seeping from Nami's flak jacket.
Multiple stab wounds marred her side — remnants of their earlier battle, when an Amegakure ninja had caught her off-guard with a flurry of kunai strikes.
Although Nami excelled in Aburame clan insect techniques, her taijutsu left much to be desired.
"We need to stop the bleeding," Mingjing said, pulling gauze from the pouch strapped to his thigh. "If you keep bleeding like this, not only will it affect your ability to fight, but the enemy could track us by scent."
He handed her the bandages.
They were now less than forty kilometers from the Konoha border outpost. While it was possible the Amegakure squad had given up the chase — wary of Konoha reinforcements — Mingjing wasn't about to take that risk.
If he gambled wrong, the cost would be their lives.
"Fine," Nami muttered, hastily wrapping her side. "But the moment the enemy's scent reappears—"
She didn't finish.
Inuzuka Rui suddenly froze mid-step, nostrils flaring, then grinned. "It's not them. I smell Iron Gate — that uptight Hyūga — and my cousin, Inuzuka Claw! They're close!"
Nami paused mid-wrap, then quickened her pace.
Hyūga Tetsumon, nicknamed "Iron Gate" by his peers, had always matched them in ninja academy rankings. As a Hyūga, his Gentle Fist was formidable — if he had joined up with Claw and Ita, they had a real shot at turning the tables.
"Iron Gate? And Claw too?" Mingjing raised an eyebrow. "If Ita's with them, that makes six of us."
Once Nami finished bandaging her wounds, the three of them followed Rui's lead.
Meanwhile, just under a kilometer away, Inuzuka Claw and the others also picked up Mingjing's scent and were moving fast.
"Yo, Mingjing! Long time no see!"
"Hah! Looks like fate brought us together again!" Ita shouted from afar.
Mingjing returned their greeting with a smile, but Hyūga Tetsumon stepped forward, face composed and voice cool.
"If I'm not mistaken, Nami's wounds were inflicted by the same Amegakure unit that's been tailing you. Save the reunion for later. Let's discuss enemy intel while we still have the initiative."
His Byakugan, activated, scanned the terrain around them, the veins at his temples slightly bulging.
"Tetsumon's right," Mingjing said, nodding. "Originally, we engaged a team of three Chūnin. We managed to eliminate their sensor, but a second unit showed up — one Chūnin and three Genin. The odds weren't in our favor, so we retreated, hoping to regroup near the border."
"You what? Three Chūnin? You guys really took one out?" Ita exclaimed, clearly impressed.
Even Claw raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Hyūga Tetsumon narrowed his eyes, reassessing Mingjing's team.
He considered himself above average among the Genin of his year — capable of going toe-to-toe with most Chūnin in close combat thanks to his clan's Gentle Fist and Byakugan. But defeating one outright, especially as a three-man Genin squad? That was another level.
He glanced at Mingjing. A Uchiha. Of course. If the Hyūga clan was held back by its cursed seal system, the Uchiha were unfettered — true heirs to power.
His expression remained unreadable.
"There are six of us now," Tetsumon said at last. "Do we return to the stronghold as one, or counterattack?"
"If an Uchiha could swallow his pride, he wouldn't be an Uchiha," Mingjing replied flatly.
In truth, even without reinforcements, Mingjing had considered making a stand. But the risks had been too high. Now that they had numbers, it was time to act. Time to show Rain what happened when they chased a Konoha squad too far.
---
Elsewhere – Near the Edge of the Border
"Hey, maybe we should fall back," one of the Rain-nin muttered, rubbing the spot where Mingjing had stabbed him earlier. "Those brats are tougher than they look. Even if we win, we'll take losses."
"Shut it," growled their captain, a grizzled Chūnin with a steel-ribbed umbrella strapped to his back — a typical Amegakure weapon.
"They're just Genin. That Uchiha's decent, but the Aburame girl's injured, and the Inuzuka's nothing special. We'll have our Genin distract the wounded one while we deal with the others. We still have the numbers.
"It's not like they've suddenly doubled in strength."
He grinned, unaware of the approaching six-man squad, now ready to retaliate.