Capítulo 44: 44. Hanabi is Sus
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He made a quick hand sign, and a small puff of smoke appeared in his palm. When it cleared, he was holding what looked like a perfume bottle.
"This is a little concoction of my own design," Sora explained cheerfully. "Don't worry, it won't hurt you. It'll just make you take a nice, long nap. Sweet dreams!"
Before the girl could protest, Sora sprayed the contents of the bottle in her face. Her eyes immediately began to droop, and within seconds, she was unconscious.
"Well, that went smoothly," Sora said, dusting off his hands. "Now, let's get these three secured and-"
His words were cut off by a sudden barrage of senbon needles raining down on them from above. Sora's clone dived to the ground, taking the unconscious Taki kunoichi with it. Hanabi deflected the needles with her Gentle Fist, her palms glowing with chakra to protect against the poison coating the senbon.
Sora himself reacted instantly, throwing up an Earth Wall jutsu. The wall rose high into the air, far taller than seemed necessary for mere defence.
As the senbon clattered harmlessly against the wall, a new figure appeared, gliding through the air with an open umbrella. She wore a seductive outfit that seemed wildly impractical for forest combat, but Sora had to admire her commitment to style.
The newcomer formed a hand seal and blew a cloud of purple mist from her mouth. The gas seemed to help her stay aloft while also continuing her assault.
Sora's clone, showing a surprising amount of initiative for a being that was supposed to be mostly silent and mysterious, grabbed the unconscious Taki kunoichi and burrowed underground, taking her to safety.
Hanabi, still holding her breath, released chakra from all over her skin, creating a protective barrier against the poisonous gas.
Sora, however, had other plans. He had created such a tall earth wall for precisely this moment. With a running start, he leapt from the top of the wall, soaring through the air above the poisonous cloud.
The umbrella-wielding kunoichi's eyes widened in shock as Sora descended upon her, landing neatly on top of her umbrella. The added weight caused them both to plummet towards the ground.
"Well, hello there!" Sora said cheerfully as if they were meeting at a tea party rather than falling through a poison cloud. "Lovely day for a flight, isn't it?"
The kunoichi tried to retaliate, but she couldn't cancel her jutsu without dropping them both into the poison. She was caught in a literal balancing act between attacking Sora and keeping them both alive.
Sora, taking advantage of her predicament, began patting her down, searching for the antidote he knew she must be carrying.
"I do apologize for the impropriety," he said, managing to sound genuinely contrite even as he rummaged through her pockets. "But you know how it is. Poison clouds, falling to our doom... standard ninja stuff, really."
The kunoichi's face was a mask of outrage and disbelief. "What kind of Genin are you?!" she sputtered.
"Oh, you know," Sora replied vaguely, finally locating a small vial in her weapons pouch. "The fun kind!"
With that, he increased his weight dramatically, causing them both to plummet towards the ground at an alarming rate. The kunoichi, realizing the danger, finally cancelled her jutsu. As they fell, she tried to gain the upper hand, but Sora pressed a kunai to her throat, freezing her in place.
They hit the ground hard, Sora using his weight manipulation to ensure he took the brunt of the impact. As they lay there, winded but largely unharmed, the kunoichi began to panic.
"The antidote!" she gasped. "Please, I only have five minutes!"
Sora dangled the vial in front of her face. "Oh, you mean this? Don't worry, I'm not completely heartless. Tell me about your team and who has the scroll, and it's all yours."
The kunoichi, realizing she had no choice, quickly spilt everything she knew. Sora nodded, satisfied, then popped the cork on the vial.
"Open wide!" he said cheerfully, pouring the antidote into her mouth. As soon as she swallowed, he tapped a pressure point on her neck, knocking her unconscious.
With the immediate threat neutralized, Sora surveyed the scene. His clone had brought the Taki team safely underground, away from the poisonous cloud. Hanabi was already working on dissipating the gas with a wind jutsu she had apparently picked up from somewhere.
"Well," Sora said, brushing himself off, "that was exciting! Who's up for round two?"
Hanabi shot him a look that could have curdled milk. "You're enjoying this way too much."
Sora grinned unrepentantly. "Oh, come on! When else do we get to go all out like this without worrying about, you know, actually killing anyone?"
Before Hanabi could retort, Sora's clone emerged from the ground, giving a thumbs up to indicate that the Taki team was secure.
"Right then," Sora said, clapping his hands together. "According to our umbrella-wielding friend, her teammates should be nearby. One's got an umbrella full of senbon, the other's got some kind of flash technique. Shall we go introduce ourselves?"
Hanabi sighed heavily but nodded. The clone simply returned to its book, apparently having decided that one bout of helpfulness was enough for the day.
As they set off in search of the remaining team members, Sora couldn't help but feel a thrill of excitement. The Forest of Death was living up to its reputation, and they were only a few hours in!
As Sora, Hanabi, and the silent clone made their way through the dense foliage, the forest seemed to come alive around them. Strange bird calls echoed through the trees, and more than once, they caught glimpses of oversized insects scuttling across their path.
"You know," Sora mused as they leapt from branch to branch, "I'm starting to think they should rename this place. 'Forest of Death' sounds so negative. How about 'Woodland of Mild Peril' or 'Grove of Exciting Near-Death Experiences'?"
Hanabi rolled her eyes. "Focus, Sora. We still need to find the other two team members."
"Right, right," Sora nodded, then paused mid-leap, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Hey, want to see something cool?"
Before Hanabi could protest, Sora bit his thumb and formed a rapid series of hand signs. "Summoning Jutsu: Reconnaissance Squad!"
With a puff of smoke, three small creatures appeared on the branch in front of them. Hanabi blinked in surprise. Standing before them was a squirrel wearing a tiny ninja headband, a brightly coloured parrot with what looked like a miniature scout scope strapped to its head, and a raccoon holding a comically oversized magnifying glass.
"Reporting for duty, boss!" the squirrel squeaked, saluting with its tiny paw. "Nut Force One, ready for action!"
The parrot adjusted its scout scope with one wing. "Polly wants a recon mission! Squawk!"
The raccoon peered through its magnifying glass at Hanabi, then turned to Sora. "Boss, there's a very confused-looking human girl next to you. Should we neutralize the threat?"
Hanabi's eye twitched dangerously. "Sora," she said through gritted teeth, "please tell me you didn't waste your time creating a summoning contract with woodland creatures."
Sora gasped in mock offence. "Waste my time? I'll have you know that the Forest Friends Intelligence Network is a highly sophisticated operation! Isn't that right, team?"
The squirrel nodded vigorously. "Oh yes! We've got eyes and ears all over this forest. Nothing escapes Nut Force One!"
The parrot flapped its wings excitedly. "Polly sees all! Polly knows all! Polly wants a cracker!"
The raccoon lowered its magnifying glass and fixed Hanabi with a suspicious glare. "I've got my eye on you, missy. Don't try any funny business."
Hanabi looked like she was seriously considering using her Gentle Fist on herself just to end this madness. Sora's clone, meanwhile, had actually lowered its book slightly, apparently finding this development interesting enough to warrant attention.
Sora clapped his hands together. "Alright, team! We're looking for two ninjas. One's got an umbrella full of pointy things, the other's got some flashy techniques. Think you can find them for us?"
The squirrel saluted again. "Leave it to us, boss! Nut Force One, deploy!"
With that, the squirrel scampered off into the trees at an impressive speed. The parrot took to the air, its scout scope whirring as it surveyed the area from above. The raccoon, after giving Hanabi one last suspicious look, waddled off into the underbrush, magnifying glass at the ready.
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Desire96
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