"Mmm—! H-help—!"
"Shh… Quiet now. You want to be a good boy, don't you? Bad children…"
The Hidden Cloud infiltration captain's gentle voice was a lie veiling cruelty. As the Konoha squad leader instinctively opened his mouth to cry for help, the captain calmly drew a second kunai. Without hesitation, he shoved his hand into the man's mouth, seized his tongue, and—
Snip.
He cut it clean off.
"You get punished."
"MM—! MMMmm—!!"
The young Konoha ninja never imagined his day would end in such a nightmare. For a heartbeat, his body froze, stunned by the violation. Then the pain hit—deep, overwhelming, unbearable. Blood gushed like a burst dam from his ruined mouth, pooling at his chin, soaking into the dirt. His face turned ashen, and sobs of terror gurgled out between wet gasps. He shook violently. And then, shame followed pain.
A foul stench spread between his legs.
Still, despite the agony, he forced his mouth shut—not to stop the bleeding, but because he saw the captain's eyes. Cold. Disgusted. And filled with the threat of worse to come. Another bloodstained kunai hovered in hand, still twitching with eagerness.
"Mm. That's better."
The captain exhaled in relief. With a casual glance to confirm no reinforcements were on the way, he scanned the foliage and gave a nod.
"All done. You can come out."
"Phew… finally! I thought I'd suffocate in there with the bugs. Heh, you really are amazing, Captain! Took him down in one strike!"
Relieved, the scion burst from cover before No. 3 or No. 2 even moved. His eyes sparkled as he stared at the captain—now his idol.
"Heh, so much for the Leaf's fearsome ninja. If it's like this, we could charge in through the front gate and they wouldn't stop us, right?! Right, Captain?"
"Charge the front gate? You think I'm Killer Bee or something?"
The captain rolled his eyes at the scion's brainless enthusiasm, but the grin tugging at his lips betrayed how pleased he was with the praise.
But the moment was shattered by a flat, dry voice.
"Yes. Our all-powerful, invincible Captain. So admirable."
Unlike the wide-eyed scion, No. 3 had worked with the captain many times before. He strode over, glanced down at the Konoha ninja still bleeding like a stuck pig, and gave the captain a long, exasperated look.
"You didn't just knock him out like a sane person. You cut off the tongue of our tongue. Tell me, dear Captain, were you planning to have him write the intelligence down with blood and fingers?"
"Ahem… Right. That might've been… a bit excessive. Sorry."
The captain chuckled weakly, scratching the back of his head as he turned to face No. 3, who approached with a distinct lack of sympathy.
"Oh, now you remember me? Hm?"
No. 3 loomed closer, arms crossed, eyes narrowed.
"Wasn't it you who said, before the mission, that chakra reserves are limited and we must avoid unnecessary waste? Hm?"
"Er… well…"
Whatever ruthlessness the captain had shown earlier vanished. He raised his hands, his tone shrinking to a sheepish murmur.
"Okay, okay, I was wrong, I admit it—"
"Hmph. That's more like it."
"Ahem. Hate to interrupt," No. 2 finally spoke, pinching the bridge of his nose. "But I don't know squat about medical ninjutsu."
He crouched beside the wounded Konoha ninja, glanced at the mess, and deliberately raised his voice to shift the group's attention.
"So No. 3, you might want to stop scolding the captain and start saving our asset. Unless you want your 'tongue' turning into a corpse."
"Ugh… fine, fine."
No. 3 grumbled, half-kneeling beside the gasping man. His fingers glowed green as he pressed them to the bleeding mouth, stabilizing the wound. As he worked, he shot a sidelong glance at the captain and scion and muttered loud enough for both to hear:
"Men. Always trying to show off, never thinking. Idiots, the lot of you."
"Hey! How is this my fault?!"
The scion flinched. Even he could tell the jab was directed at both him and the captain. But his anger evaporated as he watched No. 3 stabilize the Leaf ninja in seconds.
"Wait… that's healing ninjutsu?! But I thought you were a sensory ninja?!"
"Tch. I am a sensory ninja. So what? That mean I can't learn medical techniques, too? Idiot."
With the bleeding under control and the patient no longer at risk of immediate death, No. 3 broke the jutsu and sat back with a sigh. He glanced over his shoulder.
"Every team has its roles. The captain handles infiltration and assassination. No. 2 holds the line. If I only did recon and had no grasp of healing, then why do you think they'd send you instead of someone competent in medical ninjutsu to ensure mission success?"
"I… I…"
The scion's mouth opened and closed like a fish.
He may have been pampered and privileged, but even he knew the truth. Sensory and medical ninjutsu were both notoriously difficult—more so than most combat arts. Precision chakra control was everything. To be good at even one was rare. To master both?
That meant No. 3… was a genuine prodigy.
And in the Hidden Cloud, power spoke louder than blood. The captain's silent ruthlessness. No. 3's obvious skill. Even No. 2, who hadn't moved yet, was marked as dangerous.
For the first time, the scion stood silent—truly humbled.
'Hah… the brat's finally calmed down.'
The captain exhaled in relief, his lips curling in a small, satisfied smile.
'Good. One less variable to worry about in the mission ahead. Not bad for a little self-inflicted blunder.'
"Hah! So that's why you pulled that dumb stunt in front of No. 3 earlier!" No. 2 clapped him on the back, laughing. "You sly bastard, you wanted to get chewed out!"
"Can't help it," the captain said with a shrug. "Trying to reason with a spoiled brat never works. You have to let strength do the talking."
"And talk it did. So… now that we've got your puppet settled down, what's next? You did cut off the guy's tongue, remember."
No. 2's smile faded. He leaned in, voice lowering.
"You're not seriously gonna make him fingerpaint with blood, right?"
"Of course not. What do you take me for?"
The captain rolled his eyes.
"Even if he could write, who knows if the intel would be reliable? Hell, he might bleed out before he even finishes a sentence."
He turned to No. 3, who was busy preparing something behind them.
"We don't have time to waste. This mission needs to move fast—before things spiral."