Chapter 17: The Hunter and the Hunted
At Kurenai's command, five figures vanished into the dense foliage of the forest.
The area was lush with vegetation and deep shadows, providing excellent cover. It was for this very reason that Kurenai had chosen it as Team 8's meeting point. She intended to use this environment to teach her students about the hardships of survival and the importance of teamwork in the field.
From within a thicket, Yūhi Kurenai's graceful form was flawlessly concealed. Her eyes, sharp and perceptive, scanned the surrounding area. "As ninja, concealment and stealth are fundamental skills. It seems everyone is doing quite well," she murmured to herself. As a Jōnin, her sensory abilities far surpassed the norm; she had already pinpointed the hiding spots of all four students.
"I wonder what methods you'll try to use to take these bells," she mused, a confident smile gracing her features.
Elsewhere, high in the branches of a massive tree, Aburame Shino used the broad leaves as perfect camouflage. He observed the terrain below with a calm, analytical eye, searching for the ideal moment and position to strike.
"I don't know what the other three are planning. I just hope Inuzuka Kiba doesn't act impulsively and give away his position. That would render all our hiding useless." Shino's gaze, hidden behind his sunglasses, was fixed on a particular patch of forest ahead. He had a strong feeling that was where Kurenai-sensei was hiding.
Among the waist-high grass, another figure lay in wait, poised like a hunting hound. It was Inuzuka Kiba. His sensitive nose twitched as he sniffed the ground, trying to pick up Kurenai's scent and pinpoint her exact location.
"Close. I can sense Kurenai-sensei is in that small grove up ahead." Kiba's eyes burned with determination. He began to crawl forward, moving with a predator's silence. As a member of the Inuzuka clan, his senses of smell, hearing, and sight were all superior to an average ninja's. He was sure of his target.
Sure enough, after a short while of stalking, the figure of Yūhi Kurenai came into view!
Her beautiful eyes swept carelessly across her surroundings, her posture relaxed and seemingly unguarded.
Heh, Sensei really has let her guard down, Kiba thought. He didn't strike immediately but continued to creep closer, waiting for the perfect moment. As Kurenai stepped toward the edge of the grove, Kiba made his move.
He kicked off the ground, launching himself through the air. Simultaneously, his hands flew through the seals for the Clone Technique. In an instant, three identical Kiba's descended upon Kurenai from different angles.
"Hm? So deeply hidden," Kurenai feigned surprise, her expression one of sudden panic.
But as the three figures were about to tackle her, a sly smile touched her lips.
POOF!
The three Kibas crashed into Kurenai. Two of them vanished into puffs of smoke—they were mere illusionary clones. The third, the real Kiba, found his arms wrapping around nothing but air.
"Heheh! I finally got you, Sensei!" Kiba grinned triumphantly. However, his smile froze as the "Kurenai" he was holding also dissolved into smoke.
"What?! A Shadow Clone?!"
Realization dawned on him too late. As he tried to leap back, a slender, powerful leg swept out and connected with his side. The force sent him flying like a cannonball, slamming him hard against a tree trunk where he hung, dazed and defeated.
"Too naive, boy," the real Kurenai said, stepping out from the trees. She looked at Kiba, plastered against the bark, and shook her head slightly in disappointment.
Not far away, Aburame Shino observed the entire exchange. "As expected, he failed. Kiba was far too impulsive. With Kurenai-sensei's level, why would she show such an obvious weakness?" He remained perfectly still, continuing to hide like the insects he commanded. Shino believed that only through patience and waiting for the right opportunity could he secure a bell.
Suddenly, a gust of wind rustled the leaves above him. A voice, soft as heaven yet cold as ice, whispered in his ear. "Are you here to enjoy the scenery?"
Shino's face contorted in shock. He spun around, only to see a jade-white hand flick out, striking his forehead with surprising force. The impact sent him tumbling backward out of the tree, landing in an undignified heap in a bush below.
Kurenai brushed off her hands casually. "Your hiding spot was well-chosen, boy, but your presence was still full of tells."
At the other end of the forest, Hinata and Aizen lay in ambush. Having sensed—through her Byakugan—how easily Kurenai had dispatched both Kiba and Shino, Hinata's heart pounded with anxiety. She could now feel a massive chakra signature moving rapidly in their direction, having clearly locked onto their position long ago.
"Kurenai-sensei is just too strong. How can we possibly get a bell from her?" Hinata's shoulders slumped, her innate lack of confidence surfacing. Her eyes darted nervously toward where Aizen was hiding.
With Kiba and Shino defeated, only the two of them remained undiscovered.
Aizen sat cross-legged at the base of a large tree, his back against the trunk, obscuring his expression from view.
"A Shadow Clone? Only those children would be fooled by such a simple trick," a faint, contemptuous smile played on his lips. While Kurenai was experienced, her level of skill was insignificant in Aizen's eyes. His vision, tinged with a faint blue light from his activated spiritual senses, had seen through all her deceptions from the start.
"But," he thought, the smirk widening, "since they all failed, it's only fitting that I fail as well."
He would continue the charade, perfectly playing his part until he was seamlessly integrated into the "big, happy family" of Konoha.