"Alright, you can summon them now," Itachi confirmed, his expression serious. Arashi nodded and swiftly formed the hand seals, slamming his palm onto the bloodstained floor. "Summoning Jutsu!"
In a swirl of smoke, the remaining members of Team 2 materialized beside them.
"What kind of mess have you gotten us into this time?" Kazuya demanded, his eyes scanning the scene with annoyance and curiosity.
Miyu gasped, her hand flying to her mouth in shock as she took in the gruesome sight of the unconscious girl. Kazuya, though less expressive, also frowned in disgust.
"Wha- what happened here?" Miyu stammered, her voice trembling.
"The girl is possibly Lady Hanako's niece," Arashi explained, pointing towards the unconscious child. "Lady Hanako reported a missing item, a family heirloom, so I came to investigate. I found this little girl terrified and unwilling to let me help, so I had to put her under a genjutsu. Then I discovered a hidden entrance, but I called Sensei before proceeding."
"So... does that mean..." Miyu hesitated, her eyes filled with apprehension. "Is Lady Hanako...?"
"There's a chance she's still alive," Arashi interjected, offering hope.
"Then we better hurry," Kazuya declared, his impatience evident.
"Hn," Itachi agreed. "Shiromaru, track Lady Hanako's scent and lead the way." Miyu gently placed the small dog on the ground.
"Woof! Woof!" Shiromaru barked, his keen nose picking up the trail. He began sniffing excitedly, leading them toward the hidden entrance.
"Arashi, you lead the search alongside Shiromaru," Itachi instructed.
"Got it," Arashi replied, taking his place beside the eager canine.
"Are you kidding me?" Kazuya scoffed. "Why does this stupid brat get to lead?"
"We don't have time to waste," Itachi stated firmly. "With Arashi's dōjutsu, we'll reach them much faster."
"Yeah, whatever," Kazuya grumbled, reluctantly following behind.
'I could have caught them by now,' Arashi thought, frustrated by the delay. 'This is such a waste of time.' He focused his chakra and activated his body flicker technique with a subtle hand seal.
The team followed closely behind as Arashi, guided by Shiromaru, navigated the hidden passage with impressive speed. They encountered a series of traps and obstacles, but Arashi's Rinnegan allowed him to perceive the dangers and safely guide them.
Finally, they arrived at the thieves' hideout. Staying hidden on the roof, they peered to observe the situation below. Lady Hanako lay on the floor, badly wounded and bearing the marks of torture. Several figures milled about, armed with various weapons. One man, clearly the leader, stood over a map spread across a table, seemingly plotting their next move.
"The girl in Hanako's shop won't say a word no more," one of the thieves sneered, his voice dripping with cruelty. "I still think we went overboard with her, but who cares? By the time people find her, she'll lose her mind."
"Listen," another chimed in, "the next shop we hit has to be that old man's tea joint, and then that's it. With everything we've gathered, we can finally enjoy the spoils."
Unseen above them, Arashi observed the scene with his Rinnegan. 'So... they're using barrier techniques, huh?' he noted, his gaze piercing through the invisible barrier that cloaked the hideout.
'Over the years, I've grown accustomed to the enhanced vision my Rinnegan provides,' he thought. 'I can process the overwhelming amount of information it brings. To me, their methods are clear, and their danger is obvious. But to the rest of the team, they're just petty thieves...'
Arashi channeled lightning chakra into his arm, and his chain began to uncoil, crackling with energy and ready to strike. He subtly signaled to Miyu, confirming with his Rinnegan that there were no traps near Lady Hanako.
Miyu nodded, understanding the silent command, and swiftly moved to assist the injured woman.
"Kazuya, follow me," Arashi whispered, turning to his teammate.
"Sharingan!" Kazuya nodded, activating his crimson eyes.
Arashi and Kazuya flickered into existence right in front of the startled thieves.
"Tch! Shinobi!" one cursed, recognizing the threat.
"Not just any shinobi," another exclaimed, his eyes widening in fear. "Look at that one! He has the Uchiha's Sharingan! And I don't even know what kind of nonsense that other kid has!"
Arashi grinned, a predatory glint in his eyes. "Let me show you." He raised his hand, focusing his chakra to a powerful technique. "Universal Pull!"
The thieves' eyes shot upwards as an invisible force seized them, yanking them off their feet with overwhelming power.
Seizing the opportunity, Kazuya drew Arashi's kunai and sliced through five thieves in a blinding flash, his Sharingan tracking their movements with deadly accuracy. He then dashed forward, pursuing the remaining criminals as they were helplessly dragged towards Arashi.
"Wha—what just happened there?" The thieves were confused and startled as they watched their men fall quickly.
"Shut up, and don't just stand there! Kill him!" their leader, Masaki, roared, shoving his hesitant men towards Kazuya.
"We're sorry, Masaki-sama!" they cried, fear overriding their reluctance. They brandished various weapons – swords, kunai, and even a rusty sickle – and charged toward the lone shinobi.
"Over here!" Kazuya yelled, his voice echoing through the hideout as he vanished quickly, leaving his attackers disoriented.
"Got it!" Arashi responded, his hands flying through a series of rapid seals. "Water Style: Water Wall!"
With a mighty blow, a torrent of water erupted from his mouth, forming a towering wave that surged between Kazuya and the oncoming thieves. The wave crashed with tremendous force, sweeping the assailants off their feet and sending them tumbling into the churning water.
Kazuya reappeared behind Arashi, his Sharingan blazing as he formed his hand seals. "Lightning Style: Lightning Beast Hunting Fang!"
Lightning crackled around his hands, coalescing into the form of a ferocious hound. With a snarl, the lightning wolf lunged toward the drowning thieves, its electrified fur crackling menacingly. The water amplified the lightning's power, sending jolts of agonizing pain through their bodies.
"Aah!" they screamed in agony, unable to escape the electrifying onslaught.
Kazuya controlled the lightning hound using a thin stream of chakra, directing it with practiced precision toward Masaki, their leader.
"Hn. Too easy," Masaki scoffed, unsheathing his katana with a flourish. He swung his blade towards the oncoming hound swiftly and elegantly. A violent gust of wind erupted from the sword, slicing through the lightning beast and hurtling towards Kazuya.
'Chakra?' Kazuya's eyes widened in alarm. 'I won't be fast enough!'
Before the wind chakra could reach him, Arashi swiftly swapped places with Kazuya, using his Rinnegan's abilities. The wind chakra dissipated harmlessly around him and was absorbed into his body.
Kazuya, momentarily dazed, watched in frustration as Arashi shielded him from the attack. "Damn you, Arashi!" he exclaimed, his pride stung. "What the hell was that?!"
"It's one of my abilities," Arashi explained calmly as the water wall subsided. "I absorbed his chakra."
"So, you aren't as weak as you look, huh kid?" Masaki taunted, twirling his katana with an air of arrogance.
"You aren't as strong as you think," Arashi retorted, his voice steady. "You just have that weapon. It's nothing special. Manipulating the five natures to a decent extent isn't much of a big deal to me."
"Nothing special? No big deal?" Masaki snarled, his pride wounded. "You arrogant brat, you have no idea what true strength is! You're just a Genin!" He gripped his katana tighter, channeling chakra into the blade as he swung it towards Arashi, who braced himself for another wind attack.
But this time, something was different. Arashi's Rinnegan detected a surge of chakra beneath their feet. 'Underground!' he realized, his eyes widening in alarm.
The ground beneath them split apart with a deafening explosion, a gaping chasm tearing toward Arashi and Kazuya.
"What kind of jutsu is this?" Kazuya exclaimed, leaping back to avoid the rapidly expanding fissure.
The entire team jumped back, creating distance from the chaotic scene.
"Clear out! I'll handle this," Itachi commanded, swiftly taking down two remaining thieves with practiced ease.
"Don't get involved!" Arashi yelled, his attention focused on the volatile Masaki. "I'll handle this!"
He glanced towards Miyu, who was desperately trying to heal Lady Hanako's wounds. "Make sure Lady Hanako is okay, Miyu!"
"Arashi, I..." she began, her voice filled with concern.
Another tremor shook the hideout as Masaki plunged his katana deep into the earth. "Get her out of here!" Arashi ordered. "Kazuya and I can handle this guy."
"Right," Miyu nodded, scooping up Lady Hanako and retreating to safety.
"You brats need to understand your place in this world!" Masaki raged. "There's no space for stubborn shits like you!" With incredible speed, he flickered towards Arashi, his katana aimed for a lethal blow.
Sparks flew as Arashi caught the blade between his hands, his chain reacting instinctively, wrapping around the katana and protecting his flesh.