Comrade

(I forgot to mention in the last chapter that they are fighting outside of the tunnel now)

The massive tailed beast bomb continued to grow in front of Matatabi's jaws.

The overwhelming pressure of the Tailed Beast Bomb froze everyone in their tracks. Kazuki stood completely paralyzed, his eyes wide with shock as he stared at the tailed beast bomb.

Akari quickly bit her lip, her hands flying through a desperate sequence of hand signs to prepare her best defensive jutsu.

While everyone else was panicking, Ryuma suddenly stepped forward. Pushing past his own fear, he drew both of his swords and took an aggressive stance. Without a single moment of hesitation, he charged straight at the large cat.

"Wait, Ryuma! What are you doing?!" Akari yelled, her voice filled with panic.

Ryuma ignored the warning, channeling every last drop of his chakra into his dual blades. He leaped high into the air, aiming directly for the beast's massive neck.

"Hatake Style: Lunar Slash!"

Ryuma unleashed a devastating, crescent-shaped strike. The blades slammed into Matatabi's neck. The sheer density of the blue chakra cloak prevented the swords from cutting through, but the force behind his strike was too much.

Matatabi screamed in surprise as the physical impact threw her massive head backward. The sudden jolt completely disrupted her aim. The Tailed Beast Bomb fired, shooting high up into the air instead of at the team. The tailed beast bomb detonated in the air, causing a large explosion and turning the sky orange.

The blast snapped Kazuki out of his shock. He immediately turned to his massive army of forty wind clones and one shadow clone.

"Hit her now!" Kazuki ordered.

Every single clone went through the hand signs.

'Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!'

A massive barrage of fireballs rained down on Matatabi. The fire didn't do any real damage to the Tailed Beast, but the sheer volume of flames and smoke created a massive, blinding distraction.

Ryuma hit the ground hard, his swords slipping from his grasp as he fell to his knees, completely drained of stamina. He slowly got back on his feet, but his legs were shaking violently. He was in no condition to run.

Kazuki rushed forward, grabbed Ryuma by the arm, and quickly pulled him up onto his back.

"Yuki, let's retreat fast!" Akari yelled, taking the lead.

With Kazuki carrying Ryuma, the team turned and sprinted away at top speed, heading in the direction of Konoha. Behind them, Kazuki's clones continued to attack Matatabi. They were nothing more than mere insects in front of a Tailed Beast, but they were annoying enough to act as a perfect distraction and buy the team the precious seconds they needed to escape.

As they ran through the rocky terrain, Kazuki's mind raced.

'Yugito probably hasn't fully mastered Matatabi yet,' Kazuki thought, glancing back over his shoulder. 'If she had, there's no way that distraction would have worked. We wouldn't be alive right now.'

He thought. 'Damn it! I can't believe I froze mid battle like that. Will I ever be strong enough to face a Tailed Beast head-on? I have to master my Sharingan completely for situations like this. It's the only way.'

After putting a safe distance between themselves and the Kumo border, Akari slowed her pace slightly to match Kazuki's.

"Kazuki, mission report," Akari demanded, her voice serious.

"I found the research lab," Kazuki replied between steady breaths. "It was being protected by Yugito and a squad of ANBU. We separated Yugito from the lab because she was a way bigger threat than what we could handle together. I then killed the ANBU squad, killed the scientist, and successfully burned the scroll."

He paused for a second, his expression darkening. "There were many dead bodies pinned to the walls in the lab. They were definitely doing human experiments. After destroying the scroll, I used a large-scale fire jutsu and burned the whole lab down to ashes so they can't research anymore."

Akari nodded, looking straight ahead. "Good work. It's impressive that you defeated a whole ANBU squad all by yourself, but your plan was quite reckless. What if the ANBU were stronger than you? Or what if we couldn't reach Yuki on time while she was distracting Yugito?"

"I sent my shadow clone with Yuki," Kazuki explained. "If she were in danger, I would have known instantly and come to help her."

Akari glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "What if you get a choice between saving Yuki or completing the mission? What would you choose?"

Kazuki replied without hesitation. "I would help Yuki. Her life is more important to me than any mission could ever be."

Running slightly ahead of them, Yuki heard the answer. She quickly looked away, a bright blush spreading across her cheeks.

"Then what about Ryuma?" Akari asked, pressing further.

"Of course I would help him," Kazuki replied firmly. "He's my comrade too."

Akari looked forward again, a small, genuine smile forming on her face. "Good. Now let's move on."

'They've grown so much,' Akari thought to herself proudly. 'They're definitely ready to become chunins.'

Suddenly, a frustrated voice groaned right next to Kazuki's ear.

"Put me down," Ryuma muttered, squirming slightly on Kazuki's back. "I can walk on my own."

"No way," Kazuki teased, hitching Ryuma a little higher. "You're still too tired. Just enjoy the free ride."

Yuki chuckled lightly, the tension of the near-death experience finally starting to fade from the group.

It took them a few days of steady travel to finally reach the gates of Konoha.

As soon as they arrived, Akari led her team straight toward the Hokage's office to deliver the official mission report. They walked through the familiar corridors of the administration building and stopped outside the main office doors.

After waiting for a few minutes, an ANBU guard stepped out and allowed their entry.

Kazuki walked in alongside his team, expecting to see Hiruzen sitting alone at his desk with his usual smoking pipe.

But as Kazuki looked up, his heart skipped a beat, and a cold chill ran down his spine.

Sitting right there in the office, positioned ominously in a chair beside the Third Hokage, was the bandaged, one-eyed figure of Danzo Shimura.

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