"Johnson, can you hear me?!""Layla?! Layla?!! Answer me!"
"Cyclops, can you tell me what your situation is? Cyclops? Cyclops, are you still there?!"
"Rafaela, report----*screeching sound*. Rafaela, come on! Rafaela!!"
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"Saber, turn on your GPS, we could not locate you. Saber, what is happening?!"
"What the h.e.l.l is going on out there?!" a man in a tuxedo asks in anger as he stares at the 5 red dots on the radar, disappearing one by one.
"Sir, we lost contact from the SABER Squad. Neither of them are responding."
"Their location is also unknown."
"Send out 5 drones to check out the vicinity. Do not stop until you get to know what really happened there and as much as possible, locate the SABER Squad! We have to retrieve them back!!" he ordered with gritted teeth and clenched fists.
"Yes, sir."
"Whatever is out there, it must be something the SABER Squad could not handle. The Land of Dawn is a total mess."
******
At the western land outside the Land of Dawn lies the town of Iga. It is a place where modernization has not yet been embraced for the people are steadfast in maintaining and preserving their traditions and culture. In Iga, it was once ruled by a powerful faction but due to differences in fighting styles, it was divided into two. Namely, the Scarlet faction and Shadow faction.
"Higanbana!"
Her weapon bloomed into a flower, enwrapping her enemy, paralyzing and poisoning them with demonic energy. More a.s.sa.s.sins came lunging at her, she stepped back and released her petal blades, killing them in groups. Focusing more on her offense, the scarlet ninja failed to notice the enemy that snuck behind her. It was too late for her to go on defensive stance for her back has earned a deep cut from the a.s.sa.s.sin"s katana.
She fell on her knees but she swiftly moved back and shot her attacker with her sealed kunai, containing the deadly demonic energy from her Higanbana. She once again released her petal blades, hitting five a.s.sa.s.sins in one hit. She finally finished them off but she fell on her knees and lost consciousness.
"Hanabi!" she heard Mizure exclaimed before she totally blacked out.
"Her wound is too deep, we"ve got to hurry back," Mizure said as she wraps the bandage around her injured teammate.
Jiro carried the black-haired girl on his back as they ran back to their village. He could feel the crimson blood flowing on his hands. He gritted his teeth, blaming himself for leaving Hanabi"s side. It made him feel less of a man for he had let her fight their enemies alone.
"Mizure, you should go on ahead. You have to call Kiara and bring her with you. It is the fastest way for Hanabi to be treated," Jiro grunted.
"Right away," Mizure responded before she went on a faster pace.
Back in their village, the instructor of the three ninjas is waiting for his students to come back for it is already time for their return. He felt relieved when he saw Mizure rushing in his direction but it made him wonder for she is alone.
"Where are Jiro and Hanabi?" he asked with his hands behind his back.
"Sensei, Hanabi is seriously injured. She is bleeding too much, we need to bring Kiara to her," Mizure panted.
"Where are they?" Kiara asked who happened to pa.s.s by.
"Please follow me," Mizure pleaded as she heads back where she left her two teammates. Both Kiara and her instructor are following behind.
After 20 minutes, they finally met up with Jiro carrying Hanabi.
"Lay her down carefully so I could check her," Kiara immediately requested upon placing a small blanket on the ground.
Jiro did what the healer instructed. Kiara took off the b.l.o.o.d.y bandage and cuts off the scarlet ninja"s clothes that hinders her from accessing the wound. She wiped off the blood with one hand while she starts to heal her with the other.
Mizure volunteered to wipe off the blood so the healer could focus on closing Hanabi"s wound. Jiro was reporting to their instructor what had happened as to why their teammate was injured.
"I told you to help each other!" their instructor scolded. "Hanabi has been chosen to be sent to the Shadow faction first thing in the morning. With her current situation, she could be disqualified."
"I"m sorry, sensei, for being irresponsible," Jiro apologized as he bowed down to show his sincerity.
"I cannot fully heal her now," Kiara admitted. "It will take three days for me to fully heal her."
The instructor turned his attention to the healer and said, "Do what you can do now. Fully recovered or not, she"ll be going to the Shadow faction tomorrow."
Mizure stared at her friend with teary eyes for she knew that it will take time for her wound to heal and will surely leave a scar if not taken care of.
"Hanabi, I"m so sorry for being weak," she mumbled as she held her hand tightly.
Hanabi woke up and found herself at the infirmary. Beside her bed is Kiara sleeping who must have been tired of healing her. She was about to move but her back ached. She grunted in pain as she forced herself to sit. In front of her, she saw her mother sleeping on the couch with a big baggage beside her.
Kiara noticed her patient had woken up so she rubbed her eyes and drinks some water to fully wake up.
"Your instructor said you"d be leaving our village and be sent to the Shadow faction today. So your mother packed your things in your stead," she told her as she handed a cup of water for her.
Hanabi accepted it and wraps her hands on the cup, "I see."
She stares at the bandage wrapped around her chest and let out a sigh. The healer noticed it and pats her shoulder lightly.
"I"m sorry I could not fully close your wound," she apologized. "I still lack the ability to heal faster."
Hanabi smiled at her and replied, "No, what you did is enough. Thank you."
She stood up on her feet and went to her mother. She ran her fingers through her hair, waking her up.
"Oh, my dearest scarlet flower," her mother mused as she caressed her daughter"s face. "You"re now 18 and is leaving home so early. Your younger brother, Shiiro, could not even see you before you leave."
"I"ll be back before you know it. Please tell Shiiro to always behave and should not give you anymore headaches" Hanabi said as she held her mother"s hand. "I"ll go get ready."
While Hanabi is washing up, her mother asked the healer, "How long is she going to stay at the Shadow faction?"
Hanabi could hear their conversation while she tries her best to not scream in pain as she wipes off the dry blood near her wound.
"It actually depends on her performance. The better she becomes at a faster rate, the earlier she comes home. But it would almost take 3-5 years for a ninja to come back here in our village after their training at the Shadow faction," Kiara replied which made the mother grew gloomy.
"Mom, I"ll be fine. Three or five years will pa.s.s faster than you think," Hanabi a.s.sured her mother as she takes her exit from the wash room, with her chest newly bandaged.
"I am already old, Hanabi," her mother retorted. "Before I go to the other side, I"d like to see you grow and be married."
"Mom, I still want to become the Scarlet Shadow Grandmaster before thinking of marriage," the scarlet ninja chuckled. "Plus, I still need to look after Shiiro."
"If you keep on saying that, you"ll grow old alone," her mother replied. "Do not worry about your younger brother, I could take care of him."
"That is not possible, though," Kiara added. "If she flaunts her beauty, any man would want to marry her."
"It would be great if she flaunts her beauty," her mother agreed but then, "But she flaunts her kunais and Higanbana, not the beauty."
"Well, that"s the problem," Kiara chuckled.
A carriage stopped at the infirmary which signifies the leave of the scarlet ninja. Hanabi got her baggage and placed it at the back of her ride. She faced her mother and Kiara with a smile plastered on her face.
"Please, take care," she said. "Tell Shiiro I"d come back for his 8th birthday."
Her mother caressed her cheeks once more ,"I will tell him that. My precious daughter, be careful. Always remember what your father told you."
"Let your intellect save you and let your heart guide you," Hanabi recited just as her father said when she was still young.
"Good girl," her mother said as she hugged her tightly.
Hanabi gave her mother a kiss on the forehead before waving goodbye. She entered in the carriage and smiled at her mother before it goes out of the gigantic gates of their village.
"How far is the Shadow faction"s village?" Hanabi asked her companion.
"It will take us 2 days and 2 nights of travel," the horseman replied.
"That"s quite a long journey," she commented.
"It sure is."