Somewhere in the Land of Rain, Kurenai Yuhi and her father, Shinku Yuhi, moved swiftly through the trees, leaping from one branch to another. It was clear from their pace and formation that they were on a mission.
The surroundings were damp, as expected of the Land of Rain, where rainfall was almost constant. For now, however, fortune favoured them. No rain fell from the sky—a rare occurrence in this land—though thick clouds still loomed overhead. As they travelled through the dense cluster of trees, something that could easily be called a small forest, the light dimmed considerably, giving the area an atmosphere akin to dusk.
But they were shinobi—veterans of missions in the Land of Rain. Such conditions were familiar to them, and they moved with practiced ease.
Shinku led from the front, with Kurenai following closely behind. Though she could not see her father's face clearly from her position, she could sense it. His movements were tense, his presence heavy, and his posture unusually rigid. Something about this mission unsettled him.
That unease did not escape Kurenai's notice.
"Father," she called out as they moved, "what is this mission about? And why do you seem so tense?"
Shinku did not slow his pace. Without looking back, he replied, "It's nothing. Just a difficult mission. You don't need to worry."
Yet the tension in his voice told a different story.
Although he said that aloud, the scene of accepting this mission kept replaying in Shinku's mind. Everything about it felt wrong.
Normally, he was deployed with the team he led—Asuma, Kurenai, and Raido. That was his unit, a formation they had honed over countless missions. But this time, he had been sent out with only his daughter. Asuma and Raido had been reassigned to different teams.
Such substitutions weren't unheard of. Occasionally, shinobi were temporarily attached to other squads. But even then, those teams usually operated as complete units. They didn't travel in pairs without reason. For a Jonin like him, it was either a full team deployment or a solo mission.
This was neither.
Finally, Shinku shook his head, trying to dismiss the unease. I'm overthinking, he told himself. Two-man teams have existed before. There's nothing impossible about this.
But the moment he settled on that thought, a sharp sense of danger stabbed at his instincts.
"Alert! Incoming!" Shinku shouted.
Kurenai reacted instantly, a kunai flashing into her hand as she dropped into a guarded stance. At the same time, Shinku unsheathed the sword strapped to his back. In one smooth motion, he swung it forward.
Clang. Clang.
Two sharp metallic sounds rang out as he deflected a pair of shuriken aimed straight at him.
Shinku, an experienced Jonin, immediately pinpointed the direction from which the shuriken had been thrown. His eyes snapped toward the shadows as he raised his voice.
"Come out! Who are you? Show yourself!"
The forest fell silent for a brief moment.
Then, from the very direction the attack had come, a figure stepped forward. A ninja emerged from the darkness of the trees.
The instant Shinku took in the man's attire, his eyes widened in shock.
"…A ninja from Root?"
Shinku was shocked at the sight of the Root ninja. But the moment he snapped out of his surprise, realization struck him—Root operatives never worked alone. They always moved in coordinated teams, each member assigned a precise role.
That realization came too late.
From behind him, thin wires shot forward in an instant, wrapping tightly around both of Shinku's legs. He was yanked off balance as the wires went taut—each one held firmly by a different Root ninja hidden among the trees.
Kurenai's eyes widened in alarm.
"Father!" she shouted, lunging toward him to cut the bindings.
But before she could reach him, the Root ninja who had thrown the shuriken earlier moved. He appeared behind Kurenai in a blur, executing a swift assassination strike, his blade thrusting toward her back with lethal precision.
At the last moment, Kurenai twisted her body desperately. The blade missed her heart by inches—but still plunged deep into her right shoulder.
Blood splattered as pain tore through her, and her cry echoed through the dark forest.
At that very moment, Shinku—an experienced Jonin who would not fall so easily—forced his chakra to surge as he tried to break free and rush to his daughter's side.
But before he could act, pain exploded through his body.
Lightning chakra coursed through the wires binding his legs. The two Root shinobi holding them had synchronized their chakra perfectly, channelling a powerful electric current straight into him. Shinku's body convulsed violently as the shock tore through his nervous system.
Unable to maintain his footing atop the branch, Shinku lost balance and crashed to the ground below.
Kurenai was already there, blood soaking through her clothes from the deep wound in her shoulder. She struggled to rise, her vision blurring from pain and shock.
As Shinku lay there, his muscles refusing to respond, clarity struck him with brutal certainty. If Root had set its sights on him, survival was never part of the equation. From the very beginning, he had been calculated—baited. The Root ninja had deliberately revealed himself, exploiting the brief moment of shock and hesitation. That single lapse was all they needed.
While his attention had been drawn forward, the others had moved into position. The lightning-infused wires were not merely restraints—they were tools of execution. The paralysis coursing through his body would last nearly a full minute.
A minute more than enough for Root to finish their work.
Even if he was going to die, Shinku wanted to know one thing—why.
He forced his head to turn and looked toward the Root ninja. Through clenched teeth, he asked, "Why?"
Root operatives rarely explained themselves. Yet this one paused, then answered coldly, "Because you and your daughter are traitors."
The words struck harder than any blade.
Shinku's eyes widened, and despite the paralysis gripping his body, his voice rose in fury. "That's absurd! Never—not once in my life—has my loyalty to Konoha wavered. I have carried out every mission with absolute devotion. I have never even thought of betraying Konoha. If you intend to kill me, then do it. But do not stain my name with the label of a traitor. That—I will never accept."
The Root ninja holding the sword stepped closer, the blade still stained with Kurenai's blood. His gaze was empty as he spoke.
"Your daughter has been meeting the Fire Oni King of the Uzumaki. And you expect us to believe you are not a traitor?"
Shinku's breath hitched.
"We of Root eliminate threats to Konoha from the shadows," the ninja continued. "Your daughter associating with the Fire Oni King is more than enough proof. It shows that you and your daughter are conspiring with the Uzumaki clan—an enemy of Konoha."
The accusation hung in the air, heavy and merciless, making Shinku's face ashen.
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