The high-altitude winds howled against the sides of the sleek, obsidian-lined airship as Team A soared toward Sarutobi Academy. Inside, however, the war-bound vessel hummed with warmth and tension alike.
Kaze leaned against the wall near a small window, arms folded, quietly watching the clouds race past. Jin dozed with one eye open, a half-bitten ration bar hanging from his mouth. Xzavier sat cross-legged in the corner, blade resting across his knees, deep in focus.
Hageshi sprawled across a crate of emergency gear, yawning. "This thing's got leg room and snacks. It's almost worth dying for."
Raijin scoffed, his lightning-gauntlets crackling faintly. "Don't get comfortable, sunshine. The minute we land, you're cannon fodder if you're not focused."
Hageshi's eye twitched. "Say that again, spark plug."
"ENOUGH," barked Sensei Gara, stepping into the center of the cabin with Sensei Ryoko trailing behind, arms filled with intel files. Both men bore the scars and intensity of hardened veterans. The airship's mood shifted instantly.
"Gather up. Now," Gara said sharply.
The team formed a semi-circle in the center of the ship. Gara threw a glowing blueprint onto the holographic table. It projected a three-dimensional scan of Sarutobi Academy, complete with the surrounding forest, outer walls, towers, and emergency tunnels.
Gara's tone was cold and commanding. "First thing's first… we extract the hostage. Zadie Tengu is our top priority. Xzavier—" he turned, locking eyes with the young Warden, "—I'm trusting you with this. Break in. Locate her. Get her out."
Xzavier nodded without hesitation. "Understood."
Gara pointed to the main building's west wing. "Zadie was last reported here, in the alchemy sector. Expect traps, mind games, and ambushes."
Sensei Ryoko, arms crossed, stepped forward. His icy voice carried a subtle venom. "Gimori won't be there. Cowards don't stain their own hands when they have zealots to do it for them."
He tapped a section of the map marked with a red aura. "But he'll send his little lapdog instead—Levine. The boy's unstable, fanatical, and obsessed with Xzavier. He's probably orchestrated this whole mess."
Raijin smirked. "Then we cut off the dog's head."
"Focus," Gara snapped. "You three—Hageshi, Yagumi, Raijin—you're tasked with running interference through the east wing and eliminating as many cultists as possible. Make noise. Draw fire. Let Xzavier work in the shadows."
Hageshi grinned. "So basically, we go in loud and messy?"
Ryoko's eyes narrowed. "You go in smart, not suicidal. This isn't a power contest."
Yagumi scoffed. "I don't take orders from frozen statues."
Raijin leaned forward. "You should. He's one of the few guys here who could end you with a thought."
"And I'm not here to babysit failures," Hageshi added, glaring at both of them. "I'm here to avenge my classmates."
The tension spiked.
"I was chosen," Yagumi sneered. "We may have failed to kill Xzavier once, but don't mistake failure for weakness."
"You keep saying that," Kaze muttered from the side. "Yet you still breathe air in our ship. Maybe shut up and prove you've changed."
Raijin's smirk twisted. "I'll prove it when I've burned every cultist alive."
"ENOUGH!" Gara's voice thundered like a war drum. "You're acting like children! We're about to enter a warzone—not a training hall!"
His hand slammed the table, making the hologram flicker. "This isn't about pride. It's about lives. Fail this mission, and Zadie dies. Hostages die. You die. So bury your egos, or I'll bury them for you."
A heavy silence followed.
Ryoko exhaled. "If we're lucky, we catch Levine and shut down this entire operation before it spreads further. But luck is a myth. Precision, discipline, unity—that's what wins wars."
He looked toward Xzavier. "If you run into Levine… don't fight him unless you have no other choice. He's unhinged and obsessed with proving something to Gimori. That makes him unpredictable."
Xzavier nodded, voice quiet but firm. "If I see him, I'll finish it."
Ryoko gave a thin smile. "Just don't die trying."
Gara looked at the team one last time. "Get your gear. Pray if you believe in anything. We land in twenty."
As the leaders left to prepare with the pilots, the tension among the eight simmered but remained contained.
Xzavier stood, approaching Raijin and Yagumi. "I don't like either of you. But I trust our mission more than my emotions. So don't screw this up."
Raijin met his gaze, for once serious. "We don't plan to."
Yagumi simply nodded, face unreadable.
Hageshi muttered, "Guess this is it then. Just like old times. Only… worse."
Kaze cracked his knuckles. "Let's remind these cult freaks who we are."
As the red glow of Sarutobi's ruined skyline came into view through the windows, a heavy silence fell over the team.
Eight souls. One chance.
Team A was about to make their mark.