Third-Person POV

The Edo, Konoha's Number 1 Sushi Restaurant.

Located just down the street from Ichiraku's Ramen, the Edo was founded after the Leaf Village had been fully rebuilt following Pain's Assualt. It had started out as a small restaurant that served mostly seafood delights but had eventually grown into a very new but successful brand, thanks to its positive reviews, overwhelming sales, and amicable staff.

Of these staff members, the most popular was their star waitress Ruri Nohara. Pretty, courteous, and responsible, as soon as she had been hired, the Edo's influx of customers had increased by double the amount of before. It did not take long before she had become the face of the restaurant and people went there (specifically young teenage boys) to be served by her. That is why for the two weeks that she had been absent, the Edo's sales had decreased significantly.

But during the week of her return, the restaurant had seen a rise in customers once again, and with the Chunin Exam's Preliminaries Round being broadcasted, the Edo had found themselves having one of the busiest Saturday's yet.

"Ruri, Order 27's all good to go!" the chef called out to her.

The waitress came zipping by to double-check if everything the customers had ordered was there. "...Veggie Rolls, Chicken and Beef Soup -- perfect! Thanks, Isoo!"

"Woah, Ruri, those are a lot of dishes! You need any help?" a waiter asked when he walked by her as she was balancing them on her arms.

"No, I got it, thanks, Touji!" Then just as swiftly as she had entered into the kitchen she was gone.

I guess it helps to have ninja training, Touji thought.

Back into the explosively busy dining hall, she went, dodging other waiters and waitresses who were in a panic. Many customers' eyes were glued to the television, watching the match between Iroko and Daito come to an end.

"Okay, order up, boys!" she said as she approached a table with four teenage boys. "Here is your Miso Soup; Chicken and Beef Noodles for you; I believe you had ordered Veggie Rolls with Teriyaki Sauce; and Shrimp Noodles for you! Would you like a refill of your beverages or anything else I can help you with?"

The boys looked at each other, smiling mischievously before one of them spoke up.

"No, we're all good, thanks, Ruri. But, uh--" he began to blush furiously, "could we maybe get a selfie with you? We brought a camera."

Third one this week... "Of course!" she smiled. She stood in between the four of them as they held the camera in the air.

When the picture had been taken, Ruri could see them trying to suppress the surge of excitement on their faces. "Thanks a bunch!!" they said.

"Anytime! Enjoy your meals!"

She began walking away, but only until they would think she was out of earshot which was when she slowed down to hear what they had to say.

"Holy crap, she actually said yes!"

"Ushio and the others aren't gonna believe this, I can't wait to see the look on their faces!"

"He better not have been lying about paying us a 100 ryo, too!"

Ruri giggled. She knew she ought not to use her skills in espionage for things like this but sometimes she couldn't help herself.

"MATCH POINT!!! IROKO NAKATA MOVES ON TO THE QUARTERFINALS!!!!" the TV roared.

Ruri turned her eyes to the screen and saw Iroko standing over Daito Odachi's unconscious body triumphantly while the crowd cheered him on.

She beamed happily. Way to go, Iroko!!

"What?! Are you freaking kidding me?!" one of the customers' from the bar suddenly shouted. "What kinda a$$pull was that?! Total bulls**t!! Sword kid totally had that win!!!"

"Leave it to these damn immigrants to come in and steal what's ours," said someone else beside him. "What gives them the right to take our jobs? If that boy doesn't become a chunin it'll be the immigrant's fault."

Ruri frowned immensely at the two men. A memory from three years ago briefly played in her head of a 10-year old Iroko.

You don't know what he had to go through, she thought irritably.

"'Scuse me, I'm ready to order," said a new voice.

"Oh, yes, of course!" she hastened over to the person's table, notepad and pencil at the ready. "What would you like, sir?"

"I'll have the vegetable udon with bottled water, and I'd like a shrimp bento box meal to go, please," he said.

While Ruri wrote down what he said, she glanced at him curiously. He looked short but he had a deep voice and a clean-shaven face which told her he was at least around the same age as her. His raven black hair that parted in the middle of his forehead in a curtain-type style was tied in a top-knot fashion. And he was dressed in mostly black and purple with a hooded cloak to complete the look. He was someone she had never seen before.

"Will that be all?"

"Yes, it will."

"Awesome! I'll take your menu now."

Fifteen minutes later, she had arrived with his order. "Here you are, vegetable udon with a bottle of water, and a shrimp bento box all packed and ready to go!"

"Wow, this looks great," he said, sounding almost surprised, "thank you."

"My pleasure, sir, let me know if you need anything else! Enjoy!!"

On the screen, Asami's match with Baku had just commenced. Time flew by as dishes were carried in and out of the kitchen. Eventually, just as the Asami vs Baku match was approaching its end, Ruri's mysterious customer had finished eating.

"Was everything to your liking, sir?" she asked, handing him the payment terminal and taking his dish.

"It looks like that girl won the match," he said.

"Huh? Oh, yes, she did," Ruri became momentarily confused but became grounded again when she looked at the TV.

"Kids these days really have become a lot more powerful..."

"Well, you know the saying: The next generation will always surpass the last."

He placed the terminal on the table and said to her: "I'll probably be back again tomorrow."

"Oh, s-sure thing! Have a good rest of your day!"

She saw him throw his hood over his head as he left.

Gradually, the restaurant began to clear out once the Preliminaries were over. When there were only about ten or so people left, many of the waiters and waitresses proceeded to collapse from exhaustion.

"Oh, man, I hate the Chunin Exams," Touji exasperated, "it's like this twice every year. To think we have to do this again next week."

"Hey, glass-half-full, Touji," said Ruri, taking off her cap. "Just think of the wages for next week."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," he smirked. "As usual, there's not a lick of fatigue anywhere on you. How do you do it? Is it from your ninja training?"

"I guess you could say that."

"Man, now I wish I had enrolled in the Ninja Course. Maybe I could move three times as fast as I do today!"

"It's not always as great as everyone makes it out to be," she mumbled well below audibility.

"Speaking of money, how many boys this week?" Touji continued.

"About three this time," Ruri smiled.

"Three, huh? Same as last week. You heard her, Kaoru, pay up!"

The other waitress with them made a tsk sound. "You're not lying, are you?"

"Cross my heart and hope to die," said Ruri.

"Damn it! Here...," she reached into the pocket of her uniform for her wallet and handed both of them 10 ryo in cash. "Seriously, can you like stop being so pretty?"

The three of them laughed uproariously.

"Alright, then, see you tomorrow!" Kaoru waved at Ruri and Touji as they parted ways to head home.

"You don't have to accompany me home, Touji, I'm able to take care of myself," Ruri said to the boy.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. You're hurting my manhood by refusing my company, you know? Ninja-trained or not, it's my duty to see you get home safely no matter what, otherwise I'll be up all night wondering if you're okay."

"Really?" she smirked. "Wouldn't you be better off accompanying Kaoru, then?"

"Ah! Well, Kaoru lives close by so she doesn't count!"

"Hey, so, did you see that customer that ordered the shrimp bento box to go?"

"Hmmm. Oh, you mean the one with the strange eyes and the weird cloak on? Yeah, what about him?"

"Yeah, I dunno, I just got the sense that he wasn't from around here, you know?"

"Like he felt ... different, is that right?"

Ruri snapped her fingers. "Yeah, exactly. Not that he gives me bad vibes, but they're more ... ominous, I should say. What's more, he told me he might be back again tomorrow."

"So? Lots of customers say that."

"No, but it's the way he said it," Ruri pondered about it. She even recalled him having thrown his hood up the moment he had left the restaurant. "I just don't know. What do you think? Am I reaching?"

Touji made a drone sound with his lips as he thought about the matter. "Uhhh, okay, tell you what. I'll tell everyone at work tomorrow to keep an eye on the guy, and if he does anything suspicious we'll let the jonin know. How's that sound?"

Ruri smiled.

🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃The next day🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃

On her way to the restaurant that morning, Ruri thought about Iroko and the big win he had secured yesterday.

Huh, it seems like only just the other day he was this adorable, little thing with a huge appetite for sushi - now he's really on his way to achieving his dream...

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"What? Surpass Naruto?! As in Naruto Uzumaki?!"

"Yeah, that's right! If I wanna be at the very top then I've gotta surpass who it is that's already up there!"

"You sure about that? That's a pretty lofty goal for a little guy like you."

"Hm! It doesn't matter how long it takes! I will do it! Even if it takes years, until I'm grey and wrinkly I'll never stop trying!! Because if he could reach where he's at from the very bottom, then so can I!!"

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I wonder what it is about idolizing someone so much that you spend hours of your life trying to reach where they're at.

If something that requires so much blood, sweat, and tears can give you that much happiness in life, just how gruesome would the fallout be if you ever gave up on it? If the world just decided to set ablaze all your hopes and dreams?

Would it really have been worth it in the end? Maybe you could give me an answer, Ginro, wherever you are.

I can only pray he never becomes like you.

Putting her thoughts aside, Ruri assumed her happy disposition when she entered the kitchen.

"Morning, guys! How's everyone doing?"

"Hey, morning, Ruri," Isoo the chef greeted her.

"It's a new week, and so I'm betting four boys this time," came Kaoru.

"Oh, daring today, aren't we? Deal!"

"Hey, Ruri," Touji walked into the kitchen from the dining hall.

"Morning, Touji!!"

"Yeah, morning." He was sweating, and Ruri immediately could tell something was wrong. "Could you come with me real quick?"

He lead her out of the kitchen, and into a secluded area in the dining hall where the staff got their drinks and could take momentary breaks without being seen by the customers. There, Touji directed her gaze to someone at the bar.

"Well, you were certainly right about him returning. We're technically not even open yet and he's already let himself in."

The man from yesterday sat in the bar, sipping on a glass of sake.

"What do we do? Should we tell the boss?" she asked.

"No, not yet. He hasn't really done anything yet, so I say we just continue to watch him for now."

"Okay then."

So they went on with their work as usual. As the day went on, more customers filed in, but since it was a Sunday it would not be that busy.

However, at no point did the man bother to leave the restaurant. At some point, he had ordered the same thing from yesterday but even after having finished his meal he still refused to leave. Ruri grew increasingly worried of him, but she did not let it show and continued to do her best as a waitress with the few customers there.

Lunch break eventually came around, and it was then Ruri met with Touji on the rooftop of the restaurant.

"I can't take it anymore, let's report him!" she urged.

"Now hold on a second, Ruri, he's still done nothing wrong! Customers are allowed to stay for as long as they want, and since it's a non-busy day today we can't exactly ask him to leave the table he's on either--"

"No, Touji, listen," Ruri closed the distance between them as she lowered her voice, "something's not right. I've got a bad feeling about him!"

He was silent for a moment before his gaze shifted past her. "Hey, isn't that him?"

Ruri spun around and looked over the edge of the roof. She saw the man leaving the restaurant, once again slipping on his hood and vanishing into the crowd.

"You think he'll come back?" Touji asked.

After the lunch break, the rest of the day went by faster. Without the presence of the man, Ruri was able to work at her prime. The energy she carried once again made the restaurant lively and each customer she served to had left feeling satisfied.

"So what's going on with you and Ruri?" Kaoru asked during their momentary break. "Is there something going between you two that I'm not supposed to know about?"

"Of course, that's the first thing your mind gravitates to," he deadpanned. "It's nothing, really. Everything's fine."

"Okay, but I've got my eye on you.

"Thank you, sir! Come again!" Ruri waved at her final customer.

Another successful day! She made her way to the cash register to deposit the bill. Granted it had started off weird, but now I can finally kick back and enjoy my Sunday!!

Then she heard the sound of the entrance door open.

Ugh... "Welcome to the Edo!!" she greeted the customer as she approached them. "We're currently in the middle of closing but if you wanted a quick meal I could talk to our chef to see if he could whip up something..." She unintentionally trailed off when she saw that it was the same man.

"Oh. Yeah, a quick meal sounds great, thank you," he said, taking off his hood.

Ruri's lips trembled, but she steeled herself and kept on. "R-right this way!"

"You must be a big fan of us to come twice in one day," she continued.

"Yeah, I guess I am. Something about your food just ... struck a chord with me."

Ruri gulped inaudibly. After placing him at the bar she decided now was the time to ask.

"Are you new to the Leaf? I don't think I've seen you around before yesterday."

"Uh-huh," he seemed not to be paying attention. In fact, he seemed almost agitated about something, Ruri noticed. "Hey, how soon can you bring my order?"

"Oh, well, it depends on what your order is, sir..."

"How long would a side of Yam Tempura take to make?"

He hasn't even opened the menu yet. Did he ... memorize it? "Less than ten minutes I believe."

"I'll have that then."

"Coming right up."

She walked at a faster pace than she would've liked into the kitchen. There Touji had come up to her with a bothered expression.

"Touji...!!"

"Yeah, I know, I know."

"What do we do? We should definitely tell the boss, right?"

The boy pursed his lips. "Actually, I don't think that'll really matter."

"Wha-- Why not?"

"I just talked to Kaoru and Isoo about him. Since neither of us had a shift last week we couldn't have known this but apparently, that guy's been coming around even back then."

"What?"

"Yeah, five times out of that week and even twice on the days a week earlier when I myself didn't have a shift. And they said he would always order the exact same thing: Vegetable udon with bottled water, and a shrimp bento box."

Ruri looked down at her notepad. "He just ordered a side of Yam Tempura."

Before Touji could respond they heard the sound of the front entrance door open again.

"Well, that's rare," he remarked. "What are the chances of getting two customers right around closing time? I'll go see who it is."

While he headed to the entrance, Ruri's eyes remained fixed on the man, watching him through the window attached to the kitchen doors.

Who are you?

A moment later, she then saw Touji walking behind the shortest man she had ever seen in her entire life. He barely stood above three feet and looked to be quite elderly. Touji was chasing after him with a worried expression as he assumed a seat two stools away from the other man, who, Ruri noticed, had thrown his hood up.

"What the...?" She quietly slipped through the kitchen doors and went and hid behind the register. The conversation was then audible.

"Sir, if you don't mind, I'm the one that's supposed to find a seat for you," said Touji.

"Ah, then the problem is solved, for I have already found a seat for myself," the old man replied.

"Oh. Well, okay then... Um, take a chance to look over our menu. I'll be back shortly."

"Oh, there's no need for that, lad," said the old man. "I don't plan on being here long."

Touji looked on in mild confusion, but then the old man had made some sort of a gesture that Ruri could not see and a moment later, Touji was walking off with the most scared expression she had ever seen on him.

What is this? What's going on? She looked back at the old man and the man in the hood. Neither one said anything to each other nor was there any change of expression beyond their solemn looks.

This looks bad. I have to find out what's going on. As quietly as was possible, she tried to crawl out of the register, but then had caught the hooded man's gaze.

He was staring directly at her with a single blue eye that shot past her own gaze and into every single nervous system of her body so only a single message could be relayed.

Fear.

Ruri threw herself back behind the register and clasped a hand over her mouth to try to settle her now raspy breathing.

He saw me!! Just now he saw me!! But that's not just it...

...the look in his eye. It's like he was telling me-- No, I can't move. Because if I do, he'll do something!!

"It took longer than I had hoped, but I've finally found you," the old man spoke.

The hooded man's lips were the only part of him that had moved. "Can I help you with something, old man?"

"Indeed you can. Perhaps you can tell me what business you have in the Leaf Village."

"I'm just a tourist who's wanted to see the Chunin Exams in person ever since he was a kid."

"A tourist, you say? If that is what you claim to be then why do you hide your face?"

Ruri was listening very intently.

"I... don't exactly have the prettiest face around..."

He lied. Why would he lie about that? Ruri wondered.

"...........You don't think I saw you put it on the moment I walked in? Or that you had it off before I even stepped foot in here?"

He was silent. Ruri felt her heartbeat accelerate.

"You were aware that we've been onto you for some time now, and you thought perhaps we would not follow you into a public space filled with innocent people."

Innocent people...?

"Come now, this game of cat and mouse has gone on long enough. If you come along quietly to answer for your crimes you may not suffer a punishment too severe, since you have yet to kill someone."

Crimes?! Yet to kill someone?! Ruri could no longer control her breathing. Oh my God. Don't tell me... this guy's a criminal?!

Suddenly, Ruri and the old man heard a snicker escape from him.

"I had wondered why at first you of all people were suddenly so hellbent on finding me," he said. "Then it clicked. You must have been his teacher, right? This is personal for you."

The old man's eyes slowly opened. "Last chance. Either you come voluntarily or by force. And don't think I will allow you to take her as a hostage."

Ruri's eyes widened in terror. S#%t, they're talking about me!!!

Seconds past.

Then came the sound of a stool being shifted, making Ruri jerk. The hooded man had stood up, raising his arms into the air

"Alright, contrary to what you may believe I actually like this place. So before we get started, I'd like to vacate its premises first."

The old man paused to think about it. He then eventually nodded in agreement. The two of them left the bar and made their way to the exit doors. Slowly, Ruri peeked her head over the counter and watched them as they left, one by one.

As soon as the doors closed she exhaled sharply like she had been underwater for an hour.

"Ruri!!" Touji burst through the kitchen doors and ran towards her. "Thank God!!"

"Touji!!" The boy engulfed her in a hug which she returned.

"You were right," he said, "but listen, that super short guy's a jonin, so he's gonna take care of it, okay?"

"A ... jonin?" she reiterated. But what did he mean by 'before we get started'?!

Momotaro slowly walked out of the Edo with all five of his senses poised, Issun-boshi right behind him.

"So how does this usually go?" Momo asked. "Do you surprise attack from above, below...?"

Boshi did not answer.

"Worth a shot..."

They continued to further walk down the street until six logs of wood had jutted out from the ground all around Momo with the intent to cage him. He smiled with alacrity and flash-stepped out of their grasp before they could contain him.

Issun-boshi dashed at him. "HISAO!!!"

The android-nin emerged from the shadow of an alleyway with a ferocious kick to Momo's head. As he dodged it he swept aside his cloak and drew out a tessen to block Issun-boshi's incoming attack.

"One-Inch Punch." The impact of the blow was so precise that it had created an implosion between the two of them, pelting Momo across the street.

"NOW, ASAMI!!" Hisao cried.

Just before Momo made contact with the ground, he formed a strange hand sign and shouted: "Come out, Hainu!!!"

Then came Asami as she swerved around to Momotaro's front with the Atom Style jutsu already manifested. Without a word she thrust it at him, surrounding them in an explosive burst of light.

Asami pushed forward with the jutsu still in hand, but then she felt something actively push back against the force of the Atom Style.

What?

In fact, the force resisted it so strongly that it canceled out the jutsu and launched Asami back.

"Asami!!" Luckily, Hisao was there to catch her. "What happened?"

"He countered back with a force greater than my jutsu," she replied.

"Impossible. What could he have done in that split second before you attacked?" Boshi inquired.

His question was answered immediately. They saw that what had protected Momotaro was a pair of giant wings, belonging to a particularly massive dog.

"A Summoning?" Hisao exclaimed.

"Damn shinobi," Momotaro grinned. " You just couldn't let sleeping dogs lie!!"

Next, the dog's wings had begun to flap and while holding Momotaro, it propelled them both into the air.

Hisao gritted his teeth. "We cannot let him get away!"

It was only just yesterday when Asami had accidentally found herself involved in the plot to track down and capture Momotaro. Hisao was supposed to be training her in preparation for her match with Sayo Atsuhiro a week from now but instead she had ended up helping him and Team 9's sensei hunt down a rogue ninja.

Momotaro now flew across the rooftops of the Leaf Village with the three of them in hot pursuit. But while Hisao and Issun-boshi were gaining on him, Asami was slowly falling behind all three of them.

I didn't think the difference in speed would be this stark, she thought. I can't hope to catch up to them this way ... so I'll try something else.

With a sharp turn of her heel, she darted away from Hisao and Boshi and into the lower street levels of the village.

"Asami!!"Hisao called after her.

"Leave her," said Issun-boshi. "I suspect she had noticed she could not keep pace with us so she will most likely attempt some other way of doing so. For now let us focus our efforts and trying to catch him."

"I've never seen or heard of a Summoning like that," said Hisao. "A dog-type breed with wings? It's incredibly fast!"

Issun-boshi then halted his run. He clapped his hands together and as he fell back down on a rooftop he slammed them into the ground shouting: "Earth Style: Great Stone Wall!"

Just as Momotaro was about to cross a gap between buildings, a massive slab of stone jutted out from the street below with the intent to slam him down.

It's too soon to reveal Hainu's technique, he thought. I'll have to resort to my own abilities. I'm almost there.

Reaching into his cloak once more, he pulled out a wakizashi blade and, infusing it with a dark-coloured chakra, sliced apart the slab.

"Issun-boshi, I have an idea!" Hisao picked up the dwarf sage while his analysis system did the math, his hand mustering great amounts of wind-natured chakra. "Wind Style: Gale Palm!!"

Launching Issun-boshi like a turret, the dwarf sage had crossed the distance between themselves and Momotaro almost immediately, which was made more likely thanks to his small size and the great slab of stone having slowed Momotaro down.

Upon reaching him, Momotaro's Summoning suddenly turned feral. Glaring at Issun-boshi with bloodlust in its eyes, it swung a paw at him. The dwarf sage made a narrow dodge while still airborne and had barely touched the surface of the wood top before he had to jump away to avoid a sweeping blow from its tail. The dog threw one more swift jab at him which Boshi had to block, but at the exact moment, he had also countered with a fierce motion from his arms which made Momo's dog stumble back for a moment.

That blow could easily kill a grown man, yet he not only blocked it but actually managed to throw Hainu off his balance as well. This old man's built quite sturdy.

"It's still not too late," Issun-boshi said to Momo. "Stand down. I do not wish to harm you or your Summoning."

"You don't get it, old man," he replied. "Any other alternative to the completion of my mission will result in my death anyway. It's been like this even before you shinobi decided to start caring." And when did I ever say that Hainu was a Summoning?

The fight was about to resume when Hisao had suddenly Body Flickered above Momotaro.

"Fire and Lightning Style: Chakra Needles!!" he said, summoning the beams of light and aiming them at Momotaro. At the same time, Issun-boshi dashed forth at the dog to attack it while its attention was on Hisao as well.

Momotaro decided not to waste a second.

Five Chakra Needles were raining down on him and his dog. Throwing his wakizashi into his mouth, he leaped off of it and performed the Ram hand seal, then proceeded to slice them all Chakra Needles with his wakizashi, while a second Momotaro came out of the dog's shadow, performing the same Ram hand seal, saying: "Shadow Control Jutsu: Reach."

The shadows that were cast on the surface of the rooftop from the setting sun had vigorously come to life, shooting out 20ft long black spears at the two jonin. The two sensei's, though shocked, had reacted accordingly:

"Fire and Lightning Style--"

"Six-Inch Pun--!!" "Dark World."

Both their techniques were immediately shut down by the sudden swarm of darkness that had appeared from the immense shadow cast in between the two buildings.

"What is this...?!" Hisao's analysis system scanned the darkness that was swamping him for weaknesses but they could not calibrate anything before his body began to feel like it was being crushed. "A-AGGHHHH!!!!"

I cannot see anything, Boshi thought. It feels as though it is trying to suffocate me and overwhelm me with the darkness!!

"You never should have tried to confront me at this time," said Momotaro, canceling his clone, "so go ahead and die an asphyxiated death, both of you."

The swarm of darkness completely consumed them both while Momotaro's dog took off again.

But he did not get that far, in fact he had only crossed over two more buildings before his dog had tripped over a wire. Right next to them was a giant bundle of explosive tags that then went off at a point-blank range.

"WHAT THE FU--"

Momo's dog ended up taking the blunt force of the attack but the shockwave was enough to throw him off of it. The rooftop was vaporized from the explosion causing both of them to fall into the building. Luckily it was an old uninhabited one, something Asami had taken into account.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!!" Speaking of which, in she came as she blew at the dog a Fire Ball jutsu equal in size to the explosion.

When the hell did she have the chance to set up a trap?! "Shadow Manipulation Jutsu: Imitation!"

Once again, another Momotaro appeared from the dog's shadow and cleaved apart the Fireball Jutsu with ease.

The girl fell into the building, still poised to make another attack. It was then, that the real Momotaro had realized his hood had come off thanks to the shockwave of the explosion. Before Asami could properly see him he threw it back on with a blur of his hand.

That blade, it's coated with his own special chakra, she noticed. She looked through a splintered window at the glob in the distance. She felt a bead of sweat run down her face. Hisao-sensei and Team 9's sensei are immobilized. If he could defeat them that easily, do I really stand a chance?

No. If he was here, he probably wouldn't call it quits just yet.

The dog had made a swiftest recovery. Its burnt wings were now fully regrown and it barked wildly at Asami.

"No, don't bother, Hainu," said the second Momotaro. "I'll just finish her off quickly."

Asami made the first move and dashed for the stairs that would lead to the lower levels of the building. Being in a dark room, the shadows that were cast along the walls, the floor and even on the objects came to life and dived at her. She slid down the railings and ran along the walls, all in an effort to beat the shadows to the front door.

Light can counter them , she thought, slapping an explosive tag on the wall, but if it's not equal to or greater than the ratio of the shadows then it consumes it. That's why Hisao-sensei's Chakra Needles didn't work!

The explosive tag went off, halting the shadows that were closest to her for a moment, but they were still converging everywhere else. There was only one more flight of stairs till she reached the bottom floor but she knew she wasn't going to make it; all she could see before her was a pitch-black mass surrounding her like blindness.

So she doubled back and threw herself out the only window she could still see. But the shadows did not give up and jutted out of the building to seize her. Luckily, the last explosive tag she had placed on the window sill went off just in time. The building began to collapse. Debris fell everywhere. Even as Asami had fallen to the ground she had to dodge the oncoming landslide. Dust and smoke filled the street.

A moment later, she appeared from the smoke and dust, clutching the sprained left arm she had used to break her fall.

Where's the Summoning? She gazed at the now destroyed top floor. I didn't see or hear it fall.

"You really are one of the best genin the Leaf has to offer." Blue orbs gazed at her from the shadow along the line of the buildings.

"Atom Style!!!" The great white pyramid barrier was now all that stood between Asami and the Dark World jutsu.

"You probably figured that your best chance at escaping my ninjutsu was if you came out onto the street where the sun was shining the hardest. But I don't need my Dark World technique to cover the whole street to reach you. You just have to be close enough to any shadow mass greater than your height for it to consume you..."

The Atom Style had already begun to fail. Asami could feel herself getting constricted like a boa snake was snuffing the light out of her prey.

"You're a clever one. I almost feel bad that the Leaf has to lose such potential this way. I hope your friends remember you."

The Atom Style imploded, dispersing the shadow just briefly enough for Asami to lunge away from the grasp of the shadows.

"You brat--"

"COMBUSTION STYLE: GREAT SUN!!!!"

It looked like it was almost daytime again for a massive flaming orb that resembled the sun had manifested in the air, its rays of light touching down on the street below, and any shadow that the rays touched were instantly obliterated in an explosion that doubled the full power of Asami's bundle of explosive tags.

The girl had to cover her eyes with her hand as she looked up at the imposing figure, his flame-wreathed cape blowing in the wind and his pure red eyes whose gaze could cut cheese.

"What the hell do you think you're doing in my village?" Kazuki Katsumi demanded.

"The Jonin Commander," Momotaro smirked. "Well, this just went south."

"ANSWER ME, CRETIN!!!" Kazuki blasted towards him in a manner comparable to a falling meteorite. Momotaro dipped into the darkness of a looming alleyway before Kazuki had a chance to ignite it.

Kazuki ran into the alleyway to search for him.

"Gone," he exhaled smoke from his nostrils. Then he snapped his fingers, and the fires he had made on the street began to die down.

Coming out of the alleyway he walked over to Asami who sat on the ground, too exhausted to move.

"You there. Are you alright?"

"Asami!!" Hisao shouted.

She looked behind her and saw Hisao and Issun-boshi walking over to them. There were cracks all over Hisao's face, his shades somewhat beaten, and Issun-boshi was limping quite badly with injuries all across his body.

"Hisao-sensei." Without answering Kazuki, she got up and sauntered over to Hisao's side. The android put a hand on her shoulder. "We're alright, thankfully. We owe our gratitude to our Jonin Commander. Had it not been for your timely arrival, I feared for the worse."

Kazuki did not seem impressed.

***

Night fell quickly after that. At some point, a team of jonin had been dispatched to the area to search for any clues that would help in the investigation of Momotaro as well as for any injured citizens. The search had only yielded one citizen that worked at the Edo but she was in good health and was not close to the chase when it had happened.

By order of the Hokage, the Edo would have to be closed down and the entire street closed off to the general public until it was deemed safe enough for people to return. That same night, Hisao, Issun-boshi and Asami had been taken to the Konoha Hospital where they were treated. The Konoha Hospital was no longer as grand or prestigious as it once was following Pain's assault but it was still running efficiently, with doctors able to accept patients on a regular basis once again.

Many of the staff who worked at the Edo would have seen Momotaro's face but the Hokage would not be likely to rely on them for the search because he knew that if the shinobi had recognized him they would be the first ones he would target for revenge, and that was something he would not allow to pass in the slightest, so he forbade them the staff to speak about him to each other or anyone else.

Soon after, Kakashi and Kazuki came into the Hospital where they met up with Sakura Haruno.

"None of them had suffered any serious injury," she explained, "but we'll be keeping back Issun-boshi Kobito just to run a few more tests on him for any underlying diagnostics he might have. Hisao and Asami Senju should be good to get discharged tonight otherwise."

"Thanks a lot, Sakura," said Kakashi. "Is it possible to speak with them?"

"Yeah, follow me."

KNOCK KNOCK

"Hisao, Issun-boshi, Asami, may we come in?" Sakura asked.

"Of course, please do," said Hisao.

The three of them walked into the room where the elderly jonin and young genin lay in their beds while Hisao stood beside his. Asami had on a simple splint wrapped around her left arm but apart from that, she and Hisao were already ready to leave.

"Good to see you standing," Kakashi said to the android, "although, your face..."

"Right, there wasn't really anything we could do about that," Sakura pointed out. "We thought about using nanotechnology--"

"That won't be necessary, Sakura," Hisao interjected. "I have all the necessary tools to fix myself back at my home. This happens more often than not."

"Right, well, I'll be outside," Sakura excused herself, closing the door behind her.

"Alright, explain yourselves," said Kazuki. "How is it you managed to track down the rogue ninja?"

So, Hisao recounted how he had first begun his investigation with the revelation that what had happened to Yohei was not an accident but had been afflicted. Following the conclusion of the Preliminary Rounds the two of them had visited the security room where they had found footage of Momotaro infiltrating the stadium but it was cut almost in its entirety when Yohei had walked in on him, switching to the boy lying unconscious on the stairs with Fumino finding him only a short while later.

From there the duo had visited the scene and located the vantage point from where Momotaro would have snuck in. Using his scanners, Hisao traced the faint residue of his chakra to the area in the village where the Edo was located but the trail ran cold there. Towards the evening, they asked the citizens around for anyone matching Momotaro's hooded description, and it was there they had discovered that one of his most frequented spots in the past two weeks had been the Edo. From that evening till the next day (which was today) they had been watching the restaurant closely and the rest could easily be inferred by the Hokage and Jonin Commander.

"But why bring this child along?" asked Kazuki. "She's only a genin."

"I chose to come along," Asami spoke for herself.

"It's still your sensei's duty to refuse knowing how dangerous the situation was!" Kazuki retorted.

Hisao bowed his head. "He's right, Asami. That was an error on my part. I failed to properly assess the severity of the situation and risked your safety in the process."

We underestimated him, he grimaced. He was far stronger than the average rogue ninja, than Zutsumi Ginchiyo even.

"I'm a shinobi, aren't I?" she replied.

Hisao and Kazuki looked surprised by her response.

She looked directly at Kazuki. "I have a right to fight on behalf of this village as well."

The android-nin smiled at her. Kazuki's expression became neutral.

"What's done is done," said Kakashi. "Let's all be glad a sprained arm was all you got away with. Unfortunately, this means your match will have to be cancelled to give you time to heal. How long did Sakura say it would take?"

Hisao smikred enthusiastically. "Two to three days."

Kakashi and Kazuki's eyes widened. "What?"

"Well, that's good news," said Kakashi. "Maybe you'll be able to participate after all." Normally a sprained body part would take a month at best to heal. How is it possible...? Interesting....

"Regardless, today's episode has yielded some very useful information about our target," Issun-boshi spoke.

Kakashi replied: "And that is?"

"We now know how he has been able to get around the Village without having been caught once," Hisao answered. "His ninjutsu."

"Ninjutsu?"

"It's true," said Kazuki. "When I arrived at the scene I was on him in between an instant and a second and yet he still somehow managed to evade my grasp when he dove into that alleyway. It's some kind of Shadow Manipulation jutsu, right?"

"Quite right," said Issun-boshi. "If he is able to traverse the Village via the shadows then this considerably lessens our chances of finding him, more so now that he knows we will be hunting him. It is unlikely he will be roaming the village again so willingly after today."

"Hm, yeah, that is a problem," Kakashi mumbled.

"Lord Sixth, what's to be done now?" Hisao asked. "Will you still allow the Final Rounds to run as planned?"

Everyone in the room looked expectantly at him. He remained silent for many moments.

Kazuki got impatient. "Well? What's your answer, Hokage?"

"Yes, the Final Rounds will proceed as planned," he said. "I can't fully explain it but something tells me a few of the rookies will be looking forward to their matches with anticipation and to take it away from them now would be a disservice. It's not my desire to have that happen to them, not even if there's a rogue ninja on the loose."

As he said that, Asami had thought of Iroko and Itsuki.

"Besides, there's a strategy to be had from this. We can lure him out. If he went to the stadium before then he'll do it again. His mission, whatever it is, must have something to do with the Chunin Exams. Canceling them now when we're so close to the finish will probably just drive him away. When we host them we'll be waiting for him."

"It sounds like this is your final word," Kazuki mentioned. "Aren't you going to run this by the Opinion Watch?"

"Oh, I could care less what they have to say. When last I checked, I was the Hokage, not them. If they don't like the way I do things then perhaps they shouldn't have elected me. If I should come to rue these decisions of mine in the future then so be it. That's the burden a leader always has to be willing to take anyway.

"The events of today will not be forgotten anytime soon. In fact, it's a guarantee that by tomorrow almost everyone in the Leaf will know about this. But that's no reason to stop now." He opened the door to leave. "Have faith. This will all end soon, I'm sure."

When he was gone. Issun-boshi smiled. "He is far wiser beyond what I had given him credit for, our Hokage."

Hisao looked at Boshi. "Will you be alright? It's a disappointment we could not apprehend him today."

The dwarf sage continued to smile. "Did I ever get around to telling you that Yohei has woken up? I received word from Fumino earlier today that he is well-rested and is back on his feet once more. There was never any need to chase after that man under the pretense of justice in my case. The only satisfaction I needed then was knowing my student was alive and well."

Hisao looked at Asami. "Indeed."

Before Kazuki himself left he spoke to Asami. "I saw your match against the Sixth's relative from yesterday. You have prodigious skill for a genin, so let me bid you good luck on your match against my niece-in-law. You'll need it."

When it was just the three of them, Hisao decided it was time he and Asami finally left.

"Oh, lad, before you go, a favour, if you please," Boshi called out to Hisao. "Can you tell that nice nurse lady that I would like some tea, preferably green leaves? Thank you."

"Of course," said Hisao, "and thank you, Issun-boshi, for all your help."

It was decided that Hisao would escort Asami to her apartment complex that night, and as that happened, the two of them would be accompanied by a team of mostly chunin who would keep watch of them from a distance.

"Regarding what you said back there to the Jonin Commander," he spoke, "that was very brave of you. Not too many people can speak back to him and keep a straight face. It seemed you might have caught his attention because of that."

"He's Kazue Katsumi's father, isn't he?" she asked.

"Indeed, he is. Rest assured he will take a keen interest in your match now, too."

"Are we going to tell them about this?"

Hisao took a breath in and then out. "If it can be helped, no. I want all of Iroko's attention to be geared towards his upcoming match. I sense that even now he's training with all of his might in preparation for it."

And Asami knew exactly why for she was there at the time. The real reason why Asami had not been present during Sayo's match against Genzo was that she had been eavesdropping on Iroko and Itsuki's conversation in the corridor.

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"Well, if it's a declaration of war then so be it. Itsuki Miura, I will beat you."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Having heard those words come out of Iroko's mouth had stirred something within her.

Because now, she was looking forward to seeing that match as well.

⭕⭕⭕⭕⭕⭕⭕During the evening as well⭕⭕⭕⭕⭕⭕⭕

"MATCH POINT!!! IROKO NAKATA MOVES ON TO THE QUARTERFINALS!!!!"

*rewind*

"MATCH POINT!!! IROKO NAKATA MOVES ON TO THE QUARTERFINALS!!!!"

*rewind*

"MATCH POINT!!! IROKO NA--"

The TV paused firmly as Yusuke Honoo leaned forward from his chair to get a good look at Iroko.

"I wonder," he said to the screen, "is it really you?"