Red Butterfly

Chapter 89, Final Leap

"I-I love you too...", Shisui croaks out, knowing better than to argue with her. Instead he simply gave her a genuine smile, and blinked back glistening tears.

Hana scoffed at her boyfriend, before halting to go in the opposite direction, towards the enemy. Despite the dark woods, the crescent moon still illuminated the scene that occurred before Hana and the three hounds were out of sight.

She quickly gave Shisui a quick peck on the cheek and whispered something inaudible.

Once Shisui caught up again, he was smiling to himself. My stomach sank for a moment, before Shisui caught onto my dissatisfaction and assured.

"She's strong you know"

"Yeah", I smiled back.

"Be on alert you two", Tenzo ordered and we simply remained silent at his request.

The crows were still scattered throughout the area as we keep heading into the unknown. Just what kind of hideout is this anyways?

I did feel guilty for the fact that Shisui and Hana had to be separated.

"Itachi chin up, we're getting Sasuke and Naruto back", Shisui soothed as I looked at him in a side-eye where I saw his calm and fixated expression.

That's when it hit me hard.

That's right...it's all about trust...how did I forget that?

A relationship is built upon trust, and that's what keeps the bond strong.

And right now, Shisui and Hana are simply trusting each other...

It must be nice, having such bonds...

"Shisui! Itachi! Up ahead!", Tenzo snapped me out of my trance and made my eyes widen. The crows started making noise, signifying our arrival at the desired location.

Simultaneously, the three of us come to an abrupt halt, where we hide within the shadows of the thick woods. Tenzo's eyes are sternly on ours as he suddenly hands out something.

"Eat these", he says as Shisui and I exchange a glance.

"What are these?", I inquire, creasing my furrowed brows.

"I'll be able to track you from a distance if the situation comes down to separating from one another", he explains, earning an exasperated sigh from me.

"Do you think that the situation will come down to separating?", Shisui inquires, to which Tenzo looks at him, suggesting that the answer to that question is rhetorical.

"Yes", Tenzo emphasized as I took a drag of air to fill my uneasy insides.

We took the seeds that Tenzo gave us and gulped them down quickly.

The damned hideout. Since we're near the borders that separate the Hidden Grass from the Hidden Rain, its safe to say that the architecture of the Hidden Rain can be spotted here before our wide unblinking eyes.

This hideout is very different from the ones we've heard of. It is built in the signature way of a Hidden Rain's building. The terrain of the land was notable for its somewhat uneven bumps and thick bushes that surrounded the place.

From a far distance, a storm of rain could be sighted. This just goes on to show how close we are to the Country of Rain. The building of the hideout was embedded into a small mountain wall. There were lights and lanterns turned on, but overall, the place looked like a gloomy prison.

"So what's the infiltration plan?",  I curiously ask, darting my eyes between them carefully.

Tenzo stares blankly at somewhere, brooding hard as Shisui and I try to come up with something on our own.