Two days later, Nagare Lake.
The tension at the border was a taut wire, humming with suppressed violence. On the Amegakure side, Commander Batto's squad stood as a wall of grim resolve.
[Border Commander Batto - Lv. 58 Jonin]
[Vice-Commander Zenitsu Takeda - Lv. 51 Jonin]
[Kirito Shikabane – Lv. 31 Chunin]
[Goto Haribako – Lv. 21 (↑1) Genin]
[Yumi Hakko – Lv. 18 (↑1) Genin]
[Mumei – Lv. 41 Chunin]
Ryugo could identify most of them. Goto's and Yumi's teams were also on standby, alongside a dozen elite genins from the border fort, as well as three chunins who were in decent condition. A small elite force that was enough to intimidate the Tanigakure party, without scaring them from the parlay.
Across the river, the Tanigakure forces mirrored them, a silent, hostile presence.
Tanigakure had never truly recovered from the first shinobi war. The lands of Rivers had been a mere battlefield for the forces of Konoha and Suna. If it were not for the First Tanikage's proficiency in suiton jutsu, there would be no hidden village of the valleys left in those lands.
Four years had passed since the first shinobi war, but elite shinobi that were lost coculd not be replaced in that timespan. And it showed.
[Border Commander Goro - Lv. 55 Jonin]
[Tanigakure Shinobi - Lv. 22 Genin]
[Tanigakure Shinobi - Lv. 14 Genin]
[Tanigakure Shinobi - Lv. 16 Genin]
[Tanigakure Shinobi - Lv. 32 Chunin]
[Dotuki 'Fang' - Lv. 36 Chunin]
...
Most of their forces was made of genins. Only their border commander Goro, a jonin with some reputation, and two chunins including the one who captured Ameruyi stood out. The rest was irrelevant, lower shinobi of genin ranks.
The two commanders stood twenty paces apart on the neutral gravel of the riverbank, the water flowing between them like a silvery, indifferent referee.
"Batto," Commander Goro said, his voice a dry rasp. His demon-like mask gave him an ominous aura. His eyes met Ryugo, before falling onto Batto again: "You bring injured children to a border parley. Has Amegakure's famous strength finally waned?"
Batto didn't smile. "I would not be so arrogant if I were you. You just lost a jonin to them, remember? Stop wasting time. What of our shinobi?"
A flicker of irritation passed over Goro's face. "The Takeda heir is alive, but she is a prisoner of war, taken in a lawful engagement on disputed territory. Your shinobi violated a jointly-administered facility"
"Disputed territory? Lawful engagement?" Batto barked a laugh that held no humor. "Save it for the diplomats you were trying to bankrupt. We have the evidence. We also retrieved the body. You have our kunoichi. This isn't a tribunal. It's a transaction. Let's keep it simple"
Goro's eyes scanned the Amegakure line, lingering on each of the shinobi, then his. It seemed like he did not expect such a setup from the lands of rain. His gaze was calculating, weighing the odds, the political fallout, the sheer audacity of Batto bringing the very perpetrators here. A fight here would not be in his favour. He backed down.
"The terms stand", Goro stated finally, "The body and all evidence for the girl. One escort from each side to the midpoint for the verification and exchange. Any sign of additional movement, the deal is void, and the river runs red"
"You want the body and all evidence?", Batto laughed, "Amegakure requests two additional things: full authority on the Nagare Dam operations, as well as compensation"
Goro frowned: "You did not mention those conditions, I don't have the authority to-"
Botto doubled down: "Two million Ryô. I am not greedy, and this is the lowest I can go. You and I have seen eye to eye for the past decade. Let's not make this more complicated than it looks. This is a setback for Tanigakure, but if we don't settle on a deal, it could spark a war with Sunagakure and Amegakure. It could spark the second shinobi war. You know how bloodthirsty the other villages are"
Goro shrugged. He could try and negotiate, but he also knew that it would not stop at that. He sighed: "Fine..."
Botto gave a sharp nod, then looked at Ryugo, waving in the air.
It was the signal.
Without a word, Ryugo and Tetsu began walking forward onto the broad, flat riverbank that served as the neutral exchange point. Parallel to them, Fang moved forward, guiding Ameruyi.
The silence was absolute, broken only by the sigh of the river and the crunch of gravel underfoot. The tension could be felt through the skin. Heartbeats bumped loudly. Eyes watched, hands hovered near kunai pouches. Mumei's foot was trembling. Zenitsu Takeda's expression was resolute.
Ryugo kept his focus narrow, his Raikōgan active.
He watched Fang, the operative shinobi of the Dotuki's clan. His shoulders, his lack of injury, his mask in the form of wolf. He watched Ameruyi's stumbling steps.
'Alive', Ryugo recognized
[Ameruyi - Lv. 28 (↑2) Chunin. Status: Heavily injured]
They reached the midpoint. Ten meters separated the two pairs.
Fang stopped. "Proof first."
Ryugo nudged the evidence scroll forward with his foot. It slid halfway across the gravel. "The girl. Let me see she's alive."
With a casual flick, Fang pulled the sack from Ameruyi's head.
The sight was a physical blow. The silver hair matted with blood and soot, the horrific burns marring half her face, the swollen eye. Her neck showed no sign of strangulation. She had suffered wounds from a fight, but none from torture.
She gave a minute, almost imperceptible nod.
"Burns are tricky things", Fang said conversationally, as if discussing the weather, "The Kokuen no Mai cooks from the outside in. She's lucky. A Takeda's constitution is admirable."
"The scroll," Ryugo said, his voice colder than the river mist.
Fang used a minor earth-release to pull the scroll to his feet, verifying its contents with a quick, professional scan. His eyes tightened slightly. Satisfied.
"The body," he said.
Tetsu pushed the wrapped form forward. Fang's earth-sense pulsed over it. A short nod.
"The transaction is complete," Fang declared. He made a lazy hand seal. The chakra-suppression ropes around Ameruyi loosened and fell away. He turned, as if to simply leave.
"The transaction is complete", Ryugo declared too
The moment Fang's retreat began, Ryugo and Tetsu moved.
Tetsu was at Ameruyi's side in an instant, his hands reaching for a Hakko-made soldier pill. "Don't try to speak. We've got you"
Ameruyi's one good eye found Ryugo as he limped over. Her cracked lips moved silently.
"Took you long enough", she whispered
Ryugo knelt, ignoring the fire in his side. He met her gaze. "You let yourself get captured. Insubordination. We'll discuss your punishment when you can stand."
A faint, pained laugh escaped her throat. Then her eye fluttered shut. It was as if all the pressure on her shoulders vanished the moment she reunited with her teammates.
It was a success.