79 79 – The Marksman
“Are you bored, Elise?” Raymund said to the female warrior who was drawing something on the ground. Maybe she meant to draw Mona, but it was so ugly. “Usually, you are the one carrying out the mission, but now you are just sitting around.”
“Is there really nothing I can do, sir?” Elise threw the branch in her hand into the distance. Mona immediately chased after it. She seems well trained, even though she only became Elise’s pet recently.
“I wish you didn’t have to do anything, Elise.” Raymund chuckled. “Because if that happens, it means shit is gonna happen.”
***
Using cloths to cover their mouths, Yua and Taka continued their mission the following night. This was the last chance because tomorrow, the kidnapped guards would wake up.
“Oops, sorry.” Yua stuck out her tongue slightly as she landed on the roof of Tamaki’s neighbor’s house. Her landing made a sound.
“It’s okay. No one can hear it.” Taka whispered while continuing to check the situation. “It’s your words that might be heard.”
Yua made a movement like zipping her mouth, which made Taka frown. Of course, he didn’t know what the kunoichi meant. In that world, there is no such thing as a zipper.
Taka looked at the street again and suddenly gestured for Yua to duck.
“Hey, haven’t there been any news from Tomohiro and Yuusuke?” On a village street, a guard on patrol asked a companion walking next to him.
That companion sighed. “I believe it’s the work of the people here. We should do a thorough search of them. but our top brass forbids it.”
As soon as the two guards parted at a crossroads, Yua and Taka exchanged glances for a moment.
The two of them continued their journey by running and jumping from one roof to another. Yua’s landing made a sound several times, but Taka didn’t really pay attention to it.
A few minutes passed, and they arrived at an empty lot with a large building in the middle. The building was shaped like the houses in the village, but 20 times bigger and without windows.
Inside that building, there is a seal that creates an invisible barrier around the village. So outsiders can’t get in, and villagers can’t get out.
“It is very far from other buildings.” Raymund analyzed the area. “And also, there are no tall trees around. This makes it very difficult for intruders to just get close to that building.”
The building is also heavily guarded. Soldiers in leather armor kept on passing around that central building with the help of huge tall torches that were attached to the ground.
“I thought there would still be something we could use to infiltrate.” Taka, still watching from the roof of a house, clenched his fists. “We have no other choice. We had to use flashy things to get into that place.”
“Well, quite different from the ninja way we know, huh?” Yua couldn’t help but smile bitterly.
“And this is very risky, Yua-san.” Taka rubbed his face. “Maybe we won’t survive.”
“Don’t worry, Yua.” Raymund chimed in. “I promised that you wouldn’t die again. You will be resurrected here.”
Even after hearing his master’s words, Yua still felt a thump in her heart. Soon, she might be forced to fight. Her brain was already filled with ninja movements after Raymund changed her clothes that time. However, this was her first-time fight. She couldn’t imagine the katanas from the guards piercing her skin. It will definitely hurt.
“As we’ve talked about,” Taka spoke in a rapid tone. “Our plan is simple. I will attract their attention while you will rush in. Sorry, we’re in an emergency right now. If by killing your opponent, you can go further, then do it. I feel bad for them, but we have to save those villagers.”
“Well, I wish I could really use this thing. I’ve never used it before.” Yua looked at Taka’s gloves that she was wearing. The glove has curved metal claws on the palm. Yes, the claws are not on the fingers but on the palm. “Well, my clan has never used anything like this.”
So nervous, Yua blurted out some unnecessary sentences.
“It was my invention. No one has it beside me.” Taka took aim with his bow and arrow.
“Wow, you’re so great….” Yua raised an eyebrow as she discovered something wasn’t right. “Hey, isn’t it too far away.”
“You better shut up and pay attention to him, Yua.” Raymund gave a warning. “Maybe he really is the real deal.”
Taka ignored Yua and continued to concentrate on pulling the strings on his bow. As Yua said, the distance from the guards was very far. There were probably around 200 yards from them. Not to mention the lack of light sources.
Even so, Taka still released his arrows.
It took a few seconds for a guard to fall to his knees with arrows on his thighs. Some of his comrades came straight at him, but others took out their katanas while looking around warily.
Yua and Taka split up. The kunoichi jumped into other houses, taking a detour. Meanwhile, Taka dove to the ground. He ran and threw three shurikens at once, knocking three guards straight down.
Yua kept running, occasionally looking at Taka. However, she saw nothing but thick smoke and a few guards swarming around. Maybe Taka just threw some smoke bomb balls or something.
Biting the corners of her lips, Yua finally jumped to the ground and ran towards the main building. However, four guards had already run to her.
Instead of stopping, Yua accelerated even faster.
And when she was only a foot away from the first guard, the woman shifted to dodge. The first guard just slashed through the empty air.
The kunoichi was much faster than them. With lighter clothing, fluid movements, and a flexible body, Yua was able to dodge all the attacks of the remaining three guards.
However, that does not mean it was easy. The katanas were very close to Yua as she dodged. She could even see a few strands of her hair flying into the air after being cut by one of the swords.