The market had turned into a swirling pool of suspicion. The grey clouds above seemed to press down on the shouting crowd, making the air feel thick and heavy.
Naruto didn't care about his own pain anymore. His eyes were wide and frantic as he changed course, now pulling Sakura behind him as they shoved through the snowy streets.
He wasn't looking for Sasuke or Neji anymore. He was looking for a flash of dark hair and a shy smile.
They finally reached the center of the loudest ruckus. A thick circle of commoners, shopkeepers, and whispering women had formed a wall of bodies.
In the middle of that circle, Hinata was huddled on the frozen ground. Her eyes were squeezed shut, her hands trembling in her lap. But it was too late—the crowd had already seen.
"So the news wasn't a lie," a man said, his eyes fixed on Hinata's pale features. "That mark... those eyes. The Byakugan of the prestigious Hyuga Clan really is here in our land."
"The rumors said there were two pairs," another woman whispered, her voice sharp with greed and fear. "But she is alone. Where is the other one? Is it boy or a girl?"
"Forget the Byakugan for a second," a tall shopkeeper growled, stepping closer to the terrified girl. "The rumors also mentioned an Uchiha was with them. A member of the cursed bloodline..."
"Not one," a voice from the back of the crowd corrected, "but two Uchiha br—"
The voice was cut short as Naruto and Sakura burst through the human wall like a pair of battering rams. They didn't use jutsu; they used their low shoulders and pure desperation, throwing people aside.
"Hey! Who pushed me?!" the man shouted, stumbling back, but Naruto and Sakura were already inside the circle.
Sakura didn't hesitate. she dropped to her knees beside the trembling girl and leaned into her ear. "Hinata, relax," she whispered, her voice a calm anchor in the storm. "It's Sakura. Just grab my hand. We've got you."
Hinata's eyes snapped open. Tears were streaming down her face, catching the dim morning light like small diamonds.
When she saw Sakura and Naruto standing over her, her breath hitched. She reached out and gripped Sakura's hand so hard her knuckles turned white.
The crowd realized what was happening. They saw the three of them standing together—the blonde boy, the pink-haired girl, and the girl with the ghost-white eyes.
"Don't tell me..." a woman gasped. "Does the pink one have the eyes too?"
"You idiot!" a man barked. "The Byakugan are white! Look at her eyes!"
The tension was about to snap. The crowd was closing in, their faces ugly with the desire to capture a 'demon' or a 'intruders.'
Suddenly, Sakura stood tall. She gripped Naruto's shoulder with one hand and pointed a shaking finger toward the very back of the crowd, over the heads of the shouting men.
"Look!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, her voice full of fake shock. "Look! There is Saya-chan!"
The name was a complete invention, but the sheer force of her shout worked like a charm. The entire crowd, driven by panic and curiosity, spun around as one.
They scrambled over each other, looking for some mysterious figure or a new threat.
What they saw was a small, confused black cat sitting on a fence, licking its paw.
"A cat?" someone yelled. "Where is she?! Who is Saya?!"
While the crowd was busy staring at the cat, Sakura didn't waste a heartbeat. She grabbed Hinata's hand. Hinata grabbed Naruto's hand.
"RUN!" Sakura shouted.
The three of them bolted in the opposite direction, their boots kicking up clouds of white powder. Behind them, the realization finally hit the mob.
"The cat?! We fell for a trick about a cat?!" the shopkeeper roared, his face turning purple again. "Those brats fooled us! After them! Don't let those worthless kids get away!"
But the trio was already disappearing into the grey mist of the snowy alleyways, their hands locked together in a chain that wouldn't break again.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the dark, frozen district, Neji and Tenten finally skidded to a stop. They had reached a narrow, dimly lit alleyway, tucked far away from the noise of the market.
The only light came from a few distant, flickering lamps that cast long, cold shadows against the brick walls.
Neji's hand, which had been gripping Tenten's so tightly, finally let go. He stumbled toward a large, rectangular stone box-like structure against the wall, which was an old storage unit—and collapsed onto it.
"Hah... hah... hah..."
Neji was huffing violently. His chest was heaving under his yukata, and his breath came out in jagged, desperate clouds of frost.
He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and hanging his head, his long hair falling over his face as he struggled to get oxygen back into his lungs.
Tenten stood a few feet away, also leaning against the cold wall. She was huffing too, her shoulders rising and falling, but she wasn't as exhausted as Neji. She wiped a layer of cold sweat from her forehead and looked at him, her expression a mix of confusion and hurt.
"Neji..." she panted, her voice shaky. "Hah... why? Why did we... just leave them? Why did we... make a run for it... and leave everyone behind?"
Neji didn't answer. He just continued to breathe heavily, the sound of his ragged gasps echoing in the silent alley.
A long minute passed. The silence between them grew heavy and uncomfortable. Tenten noticed that Neji hadn't even looked up yet. Her anger softened into worry. She took a step closer to the stone box and peered at him.
"Neji?" she asked softly. "Are you... are you okay?"
Neji took one last deep, shuddering breath and finally sat up straight, though his face was still pale. "I'm... I'm fine," he replied, his voice low and gravelly.
He looked toward the entrance of the alley, his pale eyes dark with thought. "To answer your question... it is better that some of us are still free. If the whole group had stayed, we would have all been caught together..."
"This way, at least some of us can still move... and save the others if we have to."
It sounded logical. It sounded like a plan. But then, Neji's expression suddenly froze.
His eyes widened, and the color drained from his face even more. He looked down at his empty hands, and then back toward the direction of the market they had just fled.
A cold, sinking feeling hit his stomach—the realization of the gravest mistake of his life.
In the blind panic of the fall, in the chaos of the shouting crowd and the Samurai, he forgot to give focus on the person closest to him.
"Hinata-sama..." he whispered, his voice trembling with a sudden, sharp fear. "I... I forgot... Hinata-sama."
He had left the heiress of the Hyuga clan all alone in the middle of a mob that might do anything to her.
While Neji was having a crisis of conscience in the alley, Rock Lee was dealing with a crisis of a completely different kind.
The inside of the small restaurant was warm and smelled of steam and soy sauce, a sharp contrast to the biting morning air outside.
Lee was tucked away in a corner booth, wearing his bright green jumpsuit, but he had managed to throw a thick, brown traveler's cloak over his shoulders to hide his identity.
On the table in front of him sat a steaming bowl of Tetsu-Nabe—a famous, hearty iron-pot stew of the Land of Iron, filled with thick noodles and winter vegetables.
Lee was slurping the noodles at a lightning-fast pace. 'I know, I know!,' he thought to himself, his thick eyebrows furrowing as he chewed.
'I should be out there! I told Sasuke-kun that I would clear the path and scout the way for everyone else! My youth should be spent running through the snow to protect my comrades!'
He took another massive gulp of the hot broth, his eyes watering slightly from the heat. 'But... '
'....my stomach was performing a fierce battle against my willpower. And this time, my hunger has won the victory! I cannot protect anyone if my energy levels are at zero percent! A ninja must be fueled by the spirit—and by a good breakfast!'
To anyone watching, he looked like a very intense, very hungry traveler. To Lee, this was a matter of survival and 'youthful recovery.' He convinced himself that eating this quickly was just another form of training.
Suddenly, the bell above the restaurant door jingled. Lee froze, a long noodle still hanging from his mouth. He kept his head down, pulling the hood of his cloak a little lower.
He knew he was a wanted man—after all, he was the one who had accidentally fell on a pile of cabbages in front of the Frozen Crane hotel.
Just as he was about to take another bite, he felt it.
A heavy, firm hand landed directly on his shoulder.
Lee's heart skipped a beat. Cold sweat began to roll down his neck, and he didn't dare move an inch. He sat perfectly still, his chopsticks trembling in his hand.
'Oh no!' he thought frantically. 'Have the
Samurais caught up to me? Is this a local citizen? Or worse... is it the shopkeeper coming to demand payment for his ruined vegetables?!'
He stared straight into his soup, his eyes wide with terror, waiting for the voice behind him to speak.
The tension in the small restaurant was thick enough to cut with a kunai. Lee sat as rigid as a stone statue, his heart hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird. The heavy hand remained on his shoulder, a silent weight that felt like a death sentence.
'This is it,' Lee thought, his eyes darting frantically toward his reflection in the dark broth of his soup. 'The authorities of Tetsu no Kuni have found me! I have brought dishonor to my mission by falling for the siren call of Iron-pot stew'
He slowly, agonizingly, began to shift his weight. His muscles coiled like high-tension springs. Under the table, his feet gripped the floor. If this was a Samurai, he would have to strike first—a swift, decisive blow to ensure his escape. He couldn't afford to be captured. He was ready to do whatever it took to protect the secret of his comrades.
His hand tightened around his wooden chopsticks until they creaked. With a sharp, sudden breath, he risked a glance upward, his eyes wide and fierce, ready to spring into a deadly Taijutsu battle.
But the face looking down at him wasn't covered by a metal mask. It was an old man with deep wrinkles and a warm, peaceful expression. His eyes were closed in a gentle smile.
"Do you need anything else, young traveler?" the man asked, his voice soft and welcoming. "More tea, perhaps?"
The silence that followed was deafening. Lee stayed frozen, his mouth slightly open, the fighting energy he had just gathered disappearing into a cloud of pure confusion.
"N-n-no!" Lee finally stammered, his voice jumping a wave. "I am... quite alright! Thank you! Very much!"
The Shopkeeper chuckled, his hand still resting lightly on Lee's cloaked shoulder. "Oh? Did I startle you? You seem a bit today."
Lee didn't dare make eye contact. He stared straight ahead at the steam rising from his bowl, his head moving in a stiff, mechanical nod. "Yes," he muttered.
The old man let out a hearty laugh and gave Lee's back a friendly, solid pat. "My apologies! It's the cold morning air—it makes everyone's nerves stand on end. Tell you what, as an apology for giving you a fright, I'll bring you an extra side of Daifuku. Nothing calms the soul like sweet bean mochi!"
"Arigato," Lee whispered, his voice barely audible.
As the Shopkeeper hummed a tune and walked back toward the kitchen, Lee's strength seemed to leave him all at once. He dropped his chopsticks and grabbed his head with both hands, burying his face in his palms.
Hot sweat poured down his forehead.
'Heaven help me,' Lee thought, let out a long, shaky sigh of absolute relief. 'I almost unleashed a whirlwind of youth on a man offering me free dessert. I almost killed an innocent person just because I was scared!'
The warm steam of the restaurant suddenly felt stifling as a burst of loud laughter cut through the quiet hum of the room.
"Hahaha! I'm telling you, it's the funniest thing I've heard all winter!"
Lee's shoulders tensed. 'Who could be laughing so loudly at a time like this?' he wondered, his heart rate beginning to climb again.
He risked a sideways glance. A group of four men sat at a large circular table nearby. They looked like local laborers or travelers, their heavy coats covered with melting snow. The first man was nearly falling out of his chair, slamming his hand repeatedly against the second man's back in a fit of wheezing laughter.
The third man, looking nervous, leaned forward. "Keep it down, will you? You're going to grab everyone's attention. We aren't the only ones in here."
The first man wiped a stray tear from his eye, gasping for air. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I just... I can't help it! It's just too ridiculous!"
At that moment, the Shopkeeper returned to Lee's table, setting down a small plate of Daifuku. "Here you go, young man. Enjoy."
"Arigato," Lee whispered, nodding stiffly. He picked up his chopsticks, but his eyes remained glued to the group of four.
The laughing man finally caught his breath, leaning in close so his friends could hear him. "I just find it hard to believe. Young shinobis... from Konoha."
Lee's heart stopped. His chopsticks froze halfway to his mouth. 'Konoha?' The word echoed in his mind like a thunderclap. Every muscle in his body turned to ice.
The fourth man grumbled at his friend, "Lower your volume, you fool!"
But the first man just waved him off, a mocking grin on his face. "Oh, come on! It's impossible to believe that the 'great' Konoha would be this messy. Four shinobis from prestigious families—the Uchiha Clan and the Hyuga Clan—walking around calling themselves Kirigakure ninja? It's too funny! Who do they think they're fooling?"
"Something is definitely wrong with this new generation," the second man added, shaking his head.
The third man stirred his drink thoughtfully. "Maybe Konoha isn't as prestigious as we all thought. If they're sending kids to play dress-up and start fights in markets, they must be getting desperate."
A mask of pure horror settled on Lee's face. He stared into his soup, but he didn't see the noodles anymore. All he saw was the crushing weight of reality.
'They know,' Lee thought, his mind racing in a panic. 'They all know! They aren't just rumors... the villagers of Tetsu no Kuni know exactly who we are. They know we are from the Leaf!'
"Wait until you hear the rest," the second man whispered, leaning in further. "Word is that Konoha is sending an elite shinobi here to investigate the whole mess. They want to find out why their kids are causing trouble."
"The shinobi might already be on his way," the third man remarked.
The first man let out one last sound of laughter. "What if the Hokage himself shows up? Since they clearly can't trust Kirigakure to handle it!"
Under the table, Lee's fists clenched until his knuckles turned white. He wanted to stand up. He wanted to defend the honor of his village and strike down their insults with a flurry of kicks. But he knew he couldn't. He was outnumbered, and he was supposed to be hidden.
'The secret is gone,' Lee realized, his breath coming in shallow hitches. 'We aren't undercover anymore. We are being hunted.'
He realized he couldn't stay here another second. This information was a matter of life and death. He quickly put the remaining food into his mouth, pulled a handful of coins from his pouch, and slammed them onto the wooden table.
"I must go!" he muttered to himself, standing up so fast his chair nearly fell over.
He threw his cloak tightly around his shoulders and rushed toward the door, his mind screaming one name.
'Neji! I have to find Neji and the others! They have to know... everyone knows who we are!'
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📊 BATTLE REPORT: 68-IRON 📊
LOSER: Rock Lee 🪨🟢
SNEAK PEEK LINES 💬
'Watch where you're going, old man'
"He was once the student of—"
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—With love, one forehead poke away from collapse,
Sakura Shinomiya 💫
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