After four days' marching, Tsukinoko and her escort of Shikaru and two Colony agents found themselves caught in a storm in the middle of the snow-capped mountains of the Mountain Country.

  Moving slowly through the thick fog, they finally reached the foot of the climb hidden in the rock, which led up to the hidden village of Somitto.

  Tsukinoko stood back.

  A foreign presence drew her attention, before she counted four more. She paused, then her aura emanated discreetly around her. Shikaru nodded and exclaimed aloud, on guard as the two masked agents waited with weapons in hand.

  - I'm Shikaru Betto, representing Hanamaru, accompanied by Tsukinoko Sato. We have been invited by the Head of Somitto. Please state your identity.

  A man appeared in the fog and approached. Dressed in a simple burlap cape, he bore no distinctive sign of Somitto membership, such as an armband or a sign. Shikaru frowned at the sight of a katana on his belt, concealed behind a piece of cloth.

  - Hanamaru?" he exclaimed abruptly with a smirk. It's perfect!

  The other four figures emerge from the shadows to circle them dangerously.

  - They look like highwaymen," exclaims one of the agents. We'll take care of them. Head for Somitto and we'll cover you.

  The man snaps his fingers and the four men pounce on them. Shikaru flees with Tsukinoko down the stairs. Hot on their heels, the man eludes the agents and his henchmen.

  The fog slowed them down, making out only the steps two by two in front of them. After a few meters, Tsukinoko stumbled on a dubious step. Shikaru caught her, before they both noticed that the step was no longer there, leaving behind a furtive chakra imprint.

  - Fuck!" she snarls. What kind of trick is this!

  - They must be taking advantage of the storm to attack the travellers, so let's not delay.

  - Yes, but-

  Without letting her finish, the man suddenly swung his katana at her, but Shikaru parried it in time and ordered her to step forward. She complied, apprehensively. Shikaru couldn't use his techniques right away, as the sun couldn't penetrate the fog to cast a shadow.

  Embarrassed by the situation, Tsukinoko turned back to help her master, but he pushed her backwards. Her swollen ankle was slowing her down, and the pain made her limp with every step. With a gesture, Yukihyō is called to the rescue.

  Straddling her back, Tsukinoko clutched her fur. Two simultaneous explosions at the foot of the climb startle them, and Tsukinoko is horrified when she no longer feels the presence of the two agents. Forced to admit defeat, the agents had committed suicide so as not to let Somitto get the better of them. The bad feeling became more and more oppressive. Colony agents couldn't be fooled by makeshift brigands.

  Yukihyō leaps off the cliff, over the stairs, before the brigands can reach them.

  - Go and check on Shikaru, or take him back to the village," she ordered in a low voice.

  - What about you?

  - Something's wrong, I have to check. Run!

  Like a shadow, Yukihyō descended the cliff without making a sound and slipped just ahead of the gunman, before rejoining Shikaru. Tsukinoko, as silent as the fog, remained clinging to the cliff.

  Just below, the man seemed to be looking for her, sensing her presence nearby. She slid down the steps and sat down. The fog made it impossible to see anything, not even her own outstretched hands. Thanks to her third eye, Tsukinoko could clearly make out the brigand's movements, as he seemed to be getting impatient. Suddenly, he shouted across the mountain.

  - Ahoy Jōki, take it easy, I can't see a thing! Jōki? What the hell are they doing now, he grumbles, I'm never going to find that savage with her fog....

  Something was wrong and Tsukinoko could feel the situation slipping away from her. Hanamaru's fate was at stake. Reluctantly, she got to her feet and approached him at a snail's pace. A breath swept across the back of his neck, and he turned abruptly. Faced with two ruddy, hate-filled eyes, his blood ran cold. The pupils gleamed in the fog. He couldn't take his eyes off them, couldn't see anything else. No sound left his mouth, paralyzed from head to toe by that piercing gaze. Tsukinoko penetrated his mind with her power and took the form of a dragon with grayish scales, sporting amethysts with a superior gaze. Lost between the stars, the man didn't realize he was the victim of a spell and lost his nerve.

  - What are you doing here?

  - These are the-the orders of-the Chief of Somitto..." he mumbles, trying to resist.

  - What orders?

  - Capture Tsukinoko, Hanamaru's disciple.

  - Why?

  - I don't know.

  Back on solid ground, the man regained his senses, but an excruciating pain brought him to his knees. In an uncontrolled movement, he was stabbing himself with both hands and his own weapon. Unable to resist, he screamed for help, alone in the middle of the road, before his voice was choked by the pain

  Higher up, Tsukinoko had resumed her ascent, slowly, her face hidden behind the hood of her borrowed cloak. Yukihyō had wandered off with Shikaru, and the other four were at her heels. The fog had cleared and the storm interrupted. The four soldiers caught up with her, but before they could call out to her, her body stretched into dragon form right before their eyes.

  Already in the grip of his illusion, they fell backwards in front of the imposing monster roaring at them. Their lonely cries echoed through the white mountain, crying out to the monster. As if empathy had left her body, Tsukinoko smiled bitterly, her eyes filled with adrenalin. The dragon charges at the men, burning through their bodies from within. The spell ceases, and the men fall like dead leaves at Tsukinoko's feet.

  The after-effects of her mental attack filled their mouths with foam and their muscles with spasms. Tsukinoko's eyes had regained their usual gleam and she sat down for a moment, exhausted

  Finally arriving in Somitto, she rents a room in the village's most dilapidated inn, away from the curious. Determined to make the Chief of Somitto, whom she deems responsible, pay for his affront today. After a shower to soothe her nerves, she splinted her ankle and tore off one of the bars of the headboard to make a cane

  Arriving after two days on the run, Yukihyō rested on the camphor tree while waiting for Shikaru to regain consciousness at the hospital. Haruo Sato was called as soon as he awoke, and questioned him about the reason for his condition.

  - Chief," he bellows. I take full responsibility for this masquerade.

  - And the others? Where are they now? Tsukinoko?

  - I don't know if the agents made it, but Tsukinoko managed to escape. I hope she did.

  - Are you sure she's all right?" he asks worriedly. I'll have a new team sent out there right away-

  - Master Haruo.

  Yukihyō was at the window, startling them with his presence even though he hadn't made a sound, despite his claws digging into the sill.

  - Your men did die, but the other four were still alive when I left. And Tsukinoko too. She's wounded, but I think she managed to escape.

  They both marvel and think for a moment, but Yukihyō continues.

  - I don't think two special agents and an adjutant can be defeated by mere brigands. And that storm had a peculiar smell...

  - A scent?

  - Yes, it didn't smell damp and heavy in the atmosphere, as usual, if you prefer.

  - Mercy," breathes Shikaru in front of the snow leopard. They're lightning specialists. Haruo, did you tell her I was coming with her?

  - Of course," he wonders. But why?

  - That's why they created the fog, because I couldn't use my shadow manipulation. It was-

  - A trap," growls Yukihyō. Tsukinoko gets it.

  - You think so?" Shikaru wondered.

  - She must have known that your agents had perished, because she didn't ask me to go and get them. Tsukinoko wanted you out of the way because they were only after her.

  - We've got to get her out of there-

  - Wait a minute," interrupted Shikaru. In the register it was stipulated that they wanted her alive, so she's safe in case they catch her. And Tsukinoko knows what's at stake when we come here, so I'm sure she'll act accordingly to keep tempers cool.

  - She's a Colony agent, Shikaru! he panics. An agent can't be captured.

  - I know," he sighs. But if she does, she's leaving herself open to the risk of the situation getting out of hand. She wasn't there undercover, so they mustn't know she's an agent. And that she herself is Shinigami no Hikari, the formidable weapon, if the information had already leaked out. I'm convinced she knows what she's doing, Chief, so let's give her a chance.

  - If she's not back tomorrow or we don't hear from her, I'll go myself-

  - Haruo, no precipitation.

  Shikaru stared at his hands, thinking and trying to calm him at the same time, understanding his concern despite everything.

  - The man spared me; he could have finished me off while I was defenseless," Shikaru reflected. They wanted a witness to report a crime and make it look like Tsukinoko had run away. To Somitto, supposedly in safety. If she's okay, she'll let us know soon.

  - And if not?

  - They'll be forced to do whatever it takes to carry out their plan. Otherwise we could break the peace treaty for deception, kidnapping and theft of secret techniques. And right now, this is the only option we have if we don't want to be double-crossed. A second time. Conversely, if we try anything, they could claim that these men have nothing to do with Somitto and that Hanamaru is falsely accusing them for declaring the treaty violation. The situation is too complicated to try anything at the moment.

  - You're right..." he sighs, his face closed.

  - Sir, it goes further than that. It's in their hands. The stakes are now-

  - To avoid having to declare war to get it back. I'm going to call a crisis meeting tonight, so get here as soon as you can.

  - Would you allow me to join in?" exclaims Yukihyō. When Tsukinoko chose to protect Hanamaru five years ago, Janguru did the same, by alliance with her. And the situation is becoming critical. We'll do anything to protect her and Hanamaru.

  The Chief takes a long look into his eyes and sees his determination, then nods in agreement.

  The Chief, even if he didn't let on, was worried sick about his disciple and the safety of the village. In the meeting room of the Residence, he nervously chained tobacco pipes together while waiting for everyone to arrive

  Yukihyō had reclined behind him to act as a backrest and reassure him, sharing his concern. Sitting cross-legged on the esplanade with Yukihyō matted behind him, he welcomed the High Council and the Colony Commander, accompanied by the two assassination squads, including Ro and his new recruit. Shikaru was seated in front of the esplanade next to the Chief, a bandage covering his chest.

  The closed-door meeting began in silence and incomprehension. He takes a long drag on his pipe, then exclaims.

  - The reason for this cell is complex," he finally says. Hanamaru has the responsibility of freeing a hostage, while avoiding a war against Somitto and therefore the mountain country. We're here to plan our response and recover the hostage.

  As the whole room exchanges glances and exclamations, Sagi exclaims in turn.

  - What's going on? What does Somitto have to do with this? Shikaru, weren't you supposed to-

  Just as Sagi is getting carried away, Yukihyō starts growling behind the Chief. He slowly raises his head and everyone is surprised to see him there, having mistaken him for a common sofa. K? and Y?ji exchange a glance, then Kimaru in turn discreetly nudges Kakashi as he recognizes the panther. The latter remained stoic, understanding now why Tsukinoko hadn't answered tonight's call.

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  - What's that animal doing here? Who is it?" asks Sagi.

  - This is Yukihyō, Commander General of Janguru. The dimension with which Tsukinoko is linked, replies the Haruo. And the Commander is here today as an ally, to officially sign an alliance with Hanamaru. This is the first order of business for this meeting.

  - And why should we sign?" exclaimed Harue Kato. What does Janguru have to offer Hanamaru?

  - His support in the event of war. It's a return of favor for what Tsukinoko did for them a while ago. Somitto risks either putting pressure on Hanamaru thanks to this hostage, if he decides to reveal his scheming to his advantage, or reacting immediately by pleading innocence if we accuse them of kidnapping. We don't know exactly where they stand, but we can expect anything.

  Astonishment fills the room again. Shoji Fujita exclaims gravely as he draws on his pipe, his eyes hidden by his hat.

  - Haruo, who's the hostage?

  - I don't think I need to say his name a third time.

  The High Council sighed gravely, then Yukihyō walked over to them with a parchment and a paintbrush. The parchment contained the alliance contract, already signed by the Chief and Commander.

  - We need the signature of the Hanamaru High Council, to be equivalent to Janguru's governance.

  Shoji Fujita consults the document before passing it to Harue Kato and then Sagi, who exclaims.

  - I'd like the situation to be explained to us before any signing or panic over a supposed war.

  Yukihyō snarled at them, his lips curled. Like his protege, he couldn't stand this man, whose behavior annoyed him given the gravity of the situation.

  - Commander, allow me," exclaimed Shikaru.

  Yukihyō returns to sit behind, not forgetting to growl at them. Shikaru then explains the whole situation, with the scenarios envisaged as a result.

  - Why didn't she flee back to Hanamaru? asks Harue Kato.

  - Because she's stubborn-

  Yukihyō brings out the fangs again but Shoji Fujita carries on regardless.

  - In the right way," he adds. Tsukinoko knew that by fleeing, Somitto would have found a way to falsely accuse us. Saying that Hanamaru lied and sent only his Commander, spotted in time, or that Hanamaru refused to explain himself and was therefore officially accused of deception, for lack of evidence. I have to admit that we've been fooled by Somitto's Chief, whose situation is to his advantage. Somitto would then have requested extradition for Tsukinoko, which would have been a ticking time bomb. We're not immune to deception on their part, knowing their past. Tsukinoko is a powerful weapon of war, and holds a great deal of sensitive information on Hanamaru as the Chief's personal assistant. And Somitto must know all this to have kidnapped her.

  - And how can we be sure she's being held there? Has she tried to contact us since? asks Sagi.

  The Chief blows his smoke heavily, and Harue Kato understands that this would have been done by now. She grabs the brush, questioning the nodding advisors with her eyes, and finally signs the alliance treaty with Janguru. Yukihyō summons a cub who retrieves the copy of the contract and disappears with it.

  The meeting continued and the cell strategized various scenarios all evening, using Tsukinoko as a bargaining chip. Yukihyō finally allowed Haruo to summon her to have a direct link to the village in case of emergency. But as the latter unrolled the scroll to inscribe his name, Yukihyō violently took it from him. The last identity inscribed was Tsukinoko's, his real identity. With a glance, he made Yukihyō understand that he had nothing to worry about, before smiling a familiar smile at the paper stained with glitter paint. As the night drew to a close, he invited her to stay in his study, not that he minded a little company, even if she was less noisy than his disciple.

  In Somitto, Tsukinoko had left to do as much scouting as she could, then returned to the inn. Normally, she would have spent the night spying on the village to spot her Chief and surprise him when he was alone, but in her condition she would have to do otherwise. But as she passed through the door, two Somitto soldiers were chatting with the receptionist.

  Rather young, one was pale with a blond bob and the other had tousled white hair and dark skin, with tattoos all over his arms. The two men showed the receptionist a photo of Tsukinoko.

  As she pulls the hood over her head and prepares to go upstairs, the receptionist points innocently at her. On guard, the two order her not to move, but she detonates land-based smoke bombs and flees upstairs.

  She locked herself in her room to collect her belongings and strapped her sabers to her back. She abandons the cape and puts on a short beige coat she had snatched from one of the hosts in her escape. She hears the two youngsters in the corridor, looking for her room.

  - The receptionist said she was limping, so she's probably hurt. She won't get far," exclaims the blond.

  - If it is her, because the others haven't finished searching the mountain to make sure she wasn't hiding there, Ken... sighs the other one.

  - It's got to be her Sora! This woman shows up a few hours after the capture and then runs off when she sees us?! To others!" he laughs confidently.

  Balancing on the ledges of the inn, Tsukinoko had climbed through the window to reach the street outside. But she was much too high to jump, unsure of landing properly with her injured ankle.

  As she continued to move in search of an open window, Ken and Sora broke down her bedroom door. They rushed to the window to catch a glimpse of her a few yards away.

  Without issue, Tsukinoko awakens her pupils to the action before slowly rounding the corner of the inn and leaping into the alley behind. She refrains from crying out in pain as she lands on her two feet and disappears into the crowd

  The two colleagues, still leaning on the railing, come to their senses, wondering what they were doing there. Without further ado, they resume their search of the village.

  Tsukinoko immediately puts her eyes back to sleep, but is annoyed at having used them without thinking, trying to calm herself before awakening unhealthy habits. Just as she was getting angry alone in the middle of the crowd, overwhelmed, she stumbles into a sidewalk café to hide and calm down. Sitting in a dark corner with a cup of tea, she meditated quietly, thinking of a solution all night.

  She had no way of warning Haruo. But she wouldn't return until her mission was complete. She had to find the head of Somitto, whatever the cost. She negotiated with the owner of the establishment, for a handsome sum, to be hidden in the sculleries for the rest of the day.

  As night falls, Tsukinoko resumes her search. Wandering at random through the streets, she finds herself in a thirsty street, particularly frequented by military personnel. Before venturing out, she pauses on a secluded bench to eavesdrop on their conversations. A group of young servicemen were chatting, seated in front of a restaurant. They were debating the rumors that Hanamaru had sent a spy to infiltrate their village, or that this person had stolen the powers of Somitto's third Chief. As they were arguing vigorously, one of them abruptly interrupted them

  - He panics. It's coming!

  - And? grumbles the other. We're resting.

  - He looks upset...

  They get up immediately, pretending to leave for work, as an imposing, dark-skinned man with a pronounced face and a goatee and moustache as white as his short hair arrives in their direction. They greeted him as he passed, accompanied by his young assistant.

  - Head of Somitto," they exclaim in unison, "Mei.

  Here he is at last. He ignored them and Mei nodded in greeting. Tsukinoko watched him discreetly, her back to the restaurants. There won't be a second chance

  As they advanced to his level, his imposing chakra made her hesitate, but she finally called out to him in a straightforward voice. He ignores her in turn. Mei turns and looks her up and down, doubtful.

  Tsukinoko removes her hood and looks her straight in the eye. The assistant recognizes her and struggles to hold back a small cry of surprise. The head of Somitto immediately turns and stares at Tsukinoko. His features harden and Mei stands back as he strides towards Tsukinoko.

  - I make the trip as quickly as possible following your invitation and this is how you receive me? she asks curtly. Let's talk," she insists, seeing the look on his face.

  - Leave us alone," he said to Mei.

  Mei hesitates to leave and takes a few steps backwards before waiting at the end of the street, worried. The head of Somitto sits down on the bench, which leans under his weight. Tsukinoko speaks in a low voice, not letting her emotions show when he could crush her neck with one hand.

  - What was the reason for this welcoming committee? We came in good faith, it wasn't necessary," she says seriously.

  - Committee?" he suddenly exclaims. If you mean the bandits who-

  - Let's cut the comedy, shall we? I came without a disguise, so take yours off. Your cinema has cost the lives of two of my men, and the third has hopefully returned to Hanamaru alive.

  He said nothing, but she could have sworn she heard him grunt as he clenched his fingers on his crossed arms.

  - Sir, I'm here to clarify the situation. It wouldn't have taken much for me to turn Hanamaru around and declare a breach of the peace treaty. My homeland hasn't stolen anything from you, her or me," she exclaims calmly. And if you were wondering about my techniques, my aura doesn't work in the same way as your shield, which you call "electric mode", by the way.

  He looked at her blankly, waiting for the next step.

  - I excel at chakra handling, and I'm a Lightning type. And that's where it ends. There aren't just two people in the world with these faculties, even if we both possess the rarest chakra nature. Four days' travel and two days' flight for simple explanations, do you think all that fuss was necessary?

  She stands up to reinforce her position, but he immediately disappears as his sentence echoes in her empty seat.

  - I'll check it out for myself.

  As quick as a flash of lightning, he propels her with one punch to the other end of the street. Tsukinoko swerves with bar stools as she passes and rolls to the ground in her momentum, as the stools crash against the building in her place. With her jaw numb and her lip hanging open after a blow so swift she never saw it coming, she struggles to her feet amidst the surprised soldiers.

  The whole street stared at her curiously, and some exclaimed when they recognized her. To prove her good faith, despite the Chief's stubbornness, she remained on her knees and raised her hands in the air, a sign that she was surrendering. He joins her and, instead of approving her gesture as she had hoped, lifts her into the air. Caught like a rag doll in his gigantic hands, Tsukinoko is flattened to the ground with all her might.

  Unconscious, the prisoner was taken to Somitto prison by the bodyguards. The cells were scattered in cellars nestled in the mountain peaks.

  Tsukinoko is tortured for several days to obtain confidential information about Hanamaru and the secrets of her own techniques, under the eyes of the Head of Somitto. She is repeatedly punched, choked and suffocated.

  Tsukinoko woke up one afternoon, terribly numb and ankylosed, having lost count of the days that had passed. Her mouth was bloody and one eye so swollen that no light could penetrate it. Chained to her feet, left on the floor.

  A rusty bowl held water with a soaked piece of bread floating in the center. Stinking of dirt and perspiration, dried blood and tears, she relieved herself in a corner of her cell where a hole had been dug, not deep enough to retain the nauseating odor that also escaped from the prison's many cells. Her survival instinct overrode the indecency of the place.

  Two guards were watching her cell. She tries to emanate her chakra to detect other presences, she retries, again and again, even tries to invoke Yukihyō but nothing was happening.

  In Hanamaru, an Anbu had been assigned to monitor the arrival of news from Somitto from the falconry. At the end of the day, he suddenly burst into the Chief's office. A message was signed by Tsukinoko. Kakashi, head of the Ro squad, was on duty with him, but he wondered after seeing his reaction.

  Without explanation, the latter got up from his chair to rummage through the archives at the back of the desk, before comparing the documents in a filing cabinet with the message he'd received. Kakashi approaches, curious, and makes him read the two documents. Without needing to elaborate, Kakashi immediately called a meeting of the crisis team. A few minutes later, all concerned were gathered in the office.

  - I've just received this message from Tsukinoko," he announces before reading,

  << Chief Sato,

  I arrived safely in Somitto. We were attacked by bandits on the way. No news of Shikaru Betto or the escort following the incident. I'm waiting to speak to the Chief of Somitto, so I'll let you know as soon as possible.

  Tsukinoko .>>

  - We now know that Tsukinoko is being forcibly held in Somitto. We will proceed with her extraction as agreed, alive or not.

  - What are you talking about?" exclaimed Harue Kato. It's obvious that she has the situation under control, given this information. Why are you talking about extraction?

  - She's not the author of this message, Shikaru guesses. They're just trying to buy time.

  The council exchanges a questioning glance and Haruo beckons Kakashi to approach, who gives another message to the advisors.

  - It's a message Tsukinoko sent three months ago on a mission with two young recruits, to keep me informed of the situation following an unforeseen event. Shoji Fujita, please read it out loud," he murmurs.

  - Good.

  << Jījī, the two midgets got hurt so I go alone and pick them up on the way back, count another day and their pay is on me,

  Your best disciple >>

  The squad smiles behind their masks with Shikaru, after he mumbles a description of a figure with coin-shaped eyes drawn with it. The advisors exchange glances as they understand the deception.

  - I see... wonders Harue Kato. What professionalism.

  - True," sighs Haruo, "but it's her nonchalance that saves her today.

  - You have to admit that read by someone other than yourself, it's almost like a coded message," exclaims Sagi. Even if we tried, no one could have imitated it perfectly. And I'd like to point out that Tsukinoko doesn't use the individual form of address, dear advisors, as I've had to point out to her myself many times. It would therefore be absurd for her to use it with Sato, whom she has never addressed in formalities before.

  The latter nods and continues.

  - We will therefore proceed with its extraction as agreed.

  - Wouldn't it be better to wait and see if they release it on their own? Then we won't have to take any risks.

  - We need to get there as quickly as possible, and if the extraction fails, we'll have to eliminate her if she hasn't already done so herself," exclaims Sagi. She has secret information on Hanamaru, so if she's loyal to this village, it should already be done. Hanamaru's safety is more important than-

  - She'll know how to take the necessary measures," exclaims the phlegmatic Chief. And Somitto's intelligence services aren't as well-developed as ours, so apart from torture they won't be able to get any information.

  - What do we do then?" said an impatient Harue Kato.

  - The two squads and Yukihyō will escort our Chief and myself to Somitto," exclaims Shikaru. On the spot, we'll request a negotiation interview with their Chief, who will be forced to accept under the effect of surprise. While we're talking to him, the agents will be divided between the escort unit and the extraction unit made up of the R? squad, who will find Tsukinoko's trail more easily. Once they've recovered her, whatever her condition, they'll wait for our signal to show up with her. There's no room for failure, and Somitto's Chief won't try anything if Haruo Sato moves himself, at the risk of immediately triggering a conflict at the first provocation.

  - Which he doesn't want, given their maneuvers. It's our way of blackmailing him," he adds.

  - I don't think it's necessary or wise for the Chief to go there himself," exclaims Sagi.

  - I'm not only Chief, I'm also Master and Godfather, Sagi," he replies. I remind you that Tsukinoko is under my guardianship, so I have a double responsibility in this matter.

  - She is a major in the eyes of the Military Code.

  - She remains my disciple, who bears the Sato clan name.

  The advisors think for a moment, while the R? squad expresses surprise, not knowing everything.

  - Agreed," concludes Harue Kato. The aim is to call the mountain country to order and renegotiate the peace treaty through extraction," she insists. If they understand that we've done nothing against them, the ball's back in the center. Go ahead, be careful.

  The convoy set off that evening, having prepared themselves for any situation that might arise. A few minutes after leaving the village, a pack of seven felines - three snow panthers, three cougars and a boreal lynx, all as big as ponies - emerge from the forest and advance to meet them. The agents stand in front of the beasts until they bow to Yukihyō. The Chief then questions him with his eyes.

  - With all due respect for the help, Commander, we're not going to war. For now," he bellows.

  - You're too slow," he growls. The situation is pressing.

  Each feline approaches two agents and nods to them to climb onto its back. The situation almost turns into panic as the felines growl incessantly at the unskilled agents astride. Shikaru joins Haruo, carried by Yukihyō. Before leaving in the lead, he slips them a few words that won't reassure them.

  - Tsukinoko tried to summon me a few days ago," he said softly. Her chakra was too weak and garbled to succeed. I don't want to know why," he growls. We're running out of time. We've signed an alliance, it's true, but Janguru refuses to lose its Ambassador of Peace to pitiful thieves. Even if we don't like meddling in your sordid human affairs, our Queen has ordered us to mobilize all necessary means to get her back.

  Haruo said nothing, but a thousand questions raced through his mind. The small army set off through the snow at full speed. On the way, he pressed Yukihyō to understand what Tsukinoko could have done to be so precious to them. He then told her about his meeting with her, which already heralded the beginnings of his ideals, and then the nostalgic one with his cousins.