Yuri and Mishimoto made it back to their home o ly to find the adults were gone. "I'm surprised no one is around. Is Denji still out searching for Kermit?" Mishimoto asked outloud as he sat the ninja tools he acquired down on a log.

Yuri shrugged unsure of what to say. "Then what about the leader and your mother? They should have returned long before us." Yuri commented.

Yuri and Mishimoto both focused their sights off in the distance. Someone was coming.

A second later both of them eased up as they realized who it was.

Denji appeared before them. "How was it?" He asked.

Yuri showed him the bloody note. "We found some items that we can use and explored a bit more of the east. There is a lake not too far from the road, but there seems to be some mist covering the area so we did not explore. Along the road were bodies, and even in the forest." Yuri said.

"Too many without any emblem to tell which clan they are a part of. Not sure if they are travelers, or were doing stealth missions." Mishimoto added.

"We did find this though. Could be someone trying to deliver it back to their clan, or maybe they stole it. Whatever the case may be, there is a war coming." Yuri finished up as Denji grabbed the note.

Denji read it in silence as he thought it over. He took the clan name on it and memorized it in case he came across anyone with that surname. Other than that, there was very little he could do.

"Rest up, you both have done enough for today. Tomorrow begin sparring against each other." Denji told them as he placed the note into his chest pocket.

Yuri looked at her father slightly confused. "Are we not going to spar anymore?" She asked him.

"No, I'll be away for a while. There are some people I need to try and find, hopefully we can get on good terms with them. Besides, the two of you haven't fought in a while." Denji replied.

Yuri sighed as she glanced at Mishimoto. He had this sly grin on his face and she knew he was looking forward to their spar. The two of them had different styles of fighting, but it always lasted a long time. They were evenly matched and at the end neither would win.

So far she won a total of five out of their hundred of spars. Mishimoto on the other hand won six. However, those wins were only in the past when both of them were still young. Since they've gained experience in real combat, the two of them always drew a tie.

"Did you find Kermit?" Yuri asked her father.

Denji sighed and rubbed his temple. "Yes and no. I found him, but he seems to be trapped inside of a barrier. When I told Ai and Neja about it, the three of us went back to the location the barrier was at. However, it was gone. So currently we have no clue where the kid is." Denji was mostly always honest with Yuri. Their family of two never hid anything and if they did, it was for a good reason.

"Maybe I should go search for him. I might have better luck." Mishimoto commented.

Denji shook his head. "No, stay here and train. The clan I'm going to meet also lost someone to that barrier. So hopefully I can find out if they know anything about it. If not, then showing them respect and friendliness should put us on good terms with them."

Mishimoto said nothing but he was not that trusting of other people. After the betrayal that happened to them with their last alliance members, he refused to believe that any other clan was worth their time. Investing too much in foreign relationships could be your own downfall. It was theirs.