"Well then, get up into the trees," I said, glancing back as soon as we passed the edge of the village. "It'll get us to the target faster and leave no trail."
Tokara remained on the ground, slightly embarrassed. Scratching the back of his head, he replied,
"We haven't quite gotten the hang of it yet…"
I jumped down from a nearby branch and stepped closer.
"What's the problem?"
"It's hard to gauge the right amount of chakra," he mumbled with an awkward smile. "Either I overshoot or don't make it far enough…"
"Didn't your sensei explain how to control the flow?"
Tokara sighed.
"He's almost always out on missions…"
"We're figuring it out ourselves," Tsubaki cut in sharply, arms crossed. There was a stubborn edge to her voice—and, if I wasn't mistaken, a hint of irritation.
I nodded in understanding. I'd been through it myself—learning through trial and error without a steady mentor.
"Well, in any case," I said, glancing up at the branches above, "better to practice now than trip up in a fight. No more walking on the ground—you're shinobi."
"Alright…" Tokara muttered, gathering chakra in his feet. His jump was shaky, but he managed to catch the lower branch and pull himself up.
Tsubaki followed with mild annoyance but landed more precisely than him.
"See? Better already," I smiled. "Don't be afraid to mess up. Better to fall once and learn than spend a week walking."
We continued moving through the treetops. They were trying hard, and I stayed a little ahead, navigating and listening to the forest sounds. The boar could be anywhere—and it likely wouldn't welcome visitors.
"Don't push off with your heel, Tokara," I called when he nearly slipped again. "Keep your center of gravity near your toes or you'll lose balance."
"Right… Got it," he panted, gripping the next branch with effort.
Tsubaki was jumping more precisely, but too forcefully.
"You're using too much chakra on each step," I said. "That's making your jumps short. You're slowing yourself down. Conserve it—keep the flow even."
"I… I'm trying," she replied with frustration, almost slipping on the next jump. "Just not used to being corrected."
"Better I correct you now than carry you off the battlefield later," I said calmly. "This is a basic technique. You need to do it almost automatically."
"Not everyone had a good sensei," Tokara muttered, nearly hitting a thick branch.
"Neither did I," I shot back without looking. "I learned by banging my head alone. So learn while you've got the chance."
The next few jumps were quieter. They still made mistakes, but now they were listening. The crack of branches was less frequent, and the chakra in their movements felt more stable. Ahead, the fields were already in sight—the area where the boar had been reported.
"We're almost there. Don't let your guard down," I said. "If we're lucky, we'll be back in the village by sundown."
Tokara was breathing heavily, struggling to keep pace, but looked more focused than before. Tsubaki, though frowning, was landing softer, nearly silently. It was clear they were tense—but not from exhaustion. They wanted to prove they could handle it.
I raised my hand sharply, signaling them to stop. We'd reached a high slope overlooking the plain. In the distance lay a farm—several huts scattered along the fields, the ground trampled and torn.
"There it is," I said quietly. "Looks like the boar really is here. See the tracks?"
Tokara squinted.
"Yeah… over there, near the fence. The soil's been churned up."
"And look—tree roots pulled up," Tsubaki added. "Big animal. And angry, probably."
I nodded.
"Be ready. We don't know how it'll react. If it charges—don't stand still. Split up. We fight as a team."
"What if it runs into the forest?" Tokara asked, already checking his kunai.
"Then we drive it toward me. You two herd it my way, I'll try to disable it. Carefully though—this isn't a normal animal. It might have mutations. There have been cases of wild beasts with mutated chakra."
"Got it," they both responded almost in unison.
We exchanged looks. Everything that needed saying—had been said. Now it was time to act. I took a breath and leaned forward.
"Let's go."
"Unexpectedly, Tokara, you've got a decent sense of smell," I remarked.
We froze in the shade of the trees, watching the boar. It was still digging at the edge of the field, unaware of us. Its massive body shuddered with each movement, steam rising from its mouth—it definitely wasn't a normal beast. I could feel the chakra inside it. Weak, unstable—but enough to make it dangerous.
"We're going in quietly," I whispered, turning to them. "No noise. Fast. If it spots even one of us—it'll charge. We don't need that."
They nodded silently. No extra words—and that was a good sign. Meant they understood the gravity.
"Tokara, take the right. Tsubaki—left. I'll drop from above. Wait for my signal, strike together. Aim true—neck, behind the ear, eyes. Don't give it time to react."
We scattered into position. I climbed higher into the tree, hidden in the foliage, and watched. The boar was closer than I'd thought—huge, caked in mud, patches of hide torn and a crimson scar across its side. It wasn't just bothering farmers—it had claimed this place as its own. If given the chance, it would tear someone apart.
I waited until Tokara took position, almost flattened into the tall grass. Tsubaki crouched behind a broken fence post. They were tense, but still.
Everything was in their hands now.
I raised my hand. One… two… three.
Signal.
We struck together.
Tsubaki launched first—two senbon flew into the boar's neck. It flinched but didn't turn in time—Tokara was already on it, plunging his kunai into the side, just under the ribs. The boar roared—not in pain, but in fury.
I didn't hesitate. I dropped from above, pouring chakra into my legs and shoulders, and drove my blade straight into the base of its neck. The beast convulsed, thrashed its head trying to throw us off—but we held firm.
Tokara rolled away, dodging a hoof, and Tsubaki drove the final senbon straight into its eye. The boar stumbled, bellowed—and collapsed.
We jumped back quickly. My breath was ragged, ears ringing—but it didn't move. Just spasms. A few more seconds—silence.
"Done," I exhaled. "Clear. Good work."
Tokara panted heavily, still gripping his kunai tightly. Tsubaki dropped to one knee, eyes on the body.
"That was…" she didn't finish, just nodded. "Lightning fast."
"That's how it should be," I said, flicking blood from my hand. "Fast, coordinated, silent. Next time—faster and sharper."
Tokara, still breathing hard, stared at the corpse.
"So what do we do with it now? Just leave it?"
"No. I'll seal it. We'll give it to the villagers as part of the compensation," I replied, pulling out a scroll and preparing the seal.
"Hey, Kotetsu… there's a weird cut on its head," Tsubaki suddenly said, frowning. She stepped closer and pointed to its forehead.
I froze and looked up.
"Yeah, you're right!" Tokara chimed in, stepping closer. "Looks like someone cut it open… a clean incision, not from a fight."
I stepped to the body, crouched down and inspected the mark closely. The skin had indeed been neatly cut—almost surgically. It didn't look like a normal injury. The scar was old, but well-stitched—especially odd for a wild animal.
"Huh…" I muttered, stepping back. "Then we're not handing this over. Too dangerous. What if someone eats it and dies—they'd blame us."
"So what do we do?" Tsubaki asked.
"We take it to Konoha. Let them investigate who did this and why. Might've been under someone's control. Or experimented on," I said, already picturing how the village would start digging deeper.
I pulled out another scroll—this one with a stronger barrier and sealing system. Safer this way.
"This goes beyond a regular mission," I added, activating the seal. "But this isn't something to mess with."
The boar's body slowly vanished into a puff of smoke as it was drawn into the scroll. Tsubaki and Tokara watched in silence, and their expressions said it all—they felt it too. Something was wrong with that creature.
"We're heading back," I said, standing up. "Fast, through the trees. No stops. We'll file the report and hand the body to the investigation bureau."