Sato breathed heavy, the dawn rays glittering the sweat rolling down his face. He leaned his back against a second story wall; peaking around the corner he could see the hospital and the entrance. A medium size crowd still making a ruckus. Charging at the entrance now sealed and barricaded with paper seals and justu. The second story balcony fluttering with white sheets was guarded with sentries weaving between the rolling cloth. 'Must be inside' he noted, seeing the hostage had disappeared.

The dawn continued its path further out of town, seeping past the forest on the outskirts lighting the large grassy plain. Hana and Reiko stood back to back; heaving their every breath. Muddy, bruised and sore they watched the last few remaining ambushers surround them. Mako side-swiping one of the others, throwing him into another. Gasps and groans as he is flung like wet cloth into the unprepared man. Mako took a deep inhale, bags under his eyes and scratches all over; the three of them were wearing down. 'The sun's rising' Hana gritted her teeth and squinted at the orb as it shimmered over the top of the canopy. 'So many' Mako still noted, panting.

Further within the forest the prisoner group marched on, deeper and deeper back in to the trees. Iori stopped and looked over the small glade.

"Here's good" She said, puzzling everyone else. Kenichi glanced at her then at the prisoners.

"Alright" He spoke.

"What are you...?" One of the prisoners started, watching them carefully. Kenichi sucked in some air and clapped his hands together, formed some seal quickly then slammed them on the ground causing a thunderous shaking, startling the prisoners. The earth moved in a ring around them, suddenly a thick wall of earth rose around them. Surrounded, tied and enclosed in a make-shift prison; dread filled them.

"Be back later" Kenichi nonchalantly yelled as the pair walked away.

"W-wait!"

"Come back!"

"You're coming back right?!" They started screaming.

"Let's go" Iori ushered and the pair leapt away. Charging back to the forest edge via tree tops. They sped quickly from the prisoners and to the battle ground. Mako laying a punch to an attacker, smacking to the grass, another attacker came up behind him while he stood vulnerable. He raised his dagger to swing when a flying boot kicked him in the face, throwing him to grass as well. Mako turned to meet his saviour. He smirked at Iori and glanced at the recently face-planted.

"What took you?" He asked semi-sarcastically.

"Had to find a good hiding place" Kenichi answered, landing nearby the both of them, carrying a victim of his own then dropping him with the rest. The ninja watched over to the other two still fighting their way out of the death circle. They could hear the cries of the circle breaking.

"Let's do it" Iori charged with the two boys towards the last standing, knocking them back and pushing the group towards the road again. Hana and Reiko watched freed and exhausted.

"Let's take a break" Hana suggested.

"...Yeah" Reiko agreed and they slumped to their butts, dropping their weapons. They took their breath back and watched the ninja fight. Mako grabbed the back of a shirt of an attacker, lifting him high enough to kick him. He grunted at the impact and was flung straight into the arm of Iori waiting in line. The punch knocked the wind out of him and he coughed out the rest. Iori gave him another right to the face throwing him off his feet again; she spun on a leg and hurdled the other to his face again, sending him off spinning into the sunrise. Kenichi coolly knocked most of the others out in one hit. Two of the remaining shuffled backwards cautiously only for Iori to spring at their backs and throw her hard palm to the pressure points on the back of their necks. Their vocal cords made a sound and they both dropped to the floor. Hana whistled at the sight as the ninja cleaned up the entire ambush team in one sweep. Reiko watched on in silent appreciation. The morning air grew silent once more while the ninja re-grouped near the centre of the passed out bodies Hana and Reiko still at a distance.

"They'll be out for a while" Iori surmised.

"Mako, what's going on?" Kenichi asked sternly catching Mako between breaths.

"There's a group at the hospital!" He gasped.

"I was going to warn you but they already arrived." Hana and Reiko jumped at the revelation.

"The hospital?!" Hana shrieked.

"We'll have to be quick!" She panicked.

"We'll leave now!" They all announced in unison.

"Wait just a moment! You're not in any condition to come! Not after what you pulled!" Iori caught wind of them and scolded the two from afar.

"Stay there!" She demanded. Hana and Reiko watched on in silence as the ninja took off in a flash.

"Hmph" Hana scrunched her face up and Reiko glowered at the disappearing ninja.

The team flecked through the town over the roof tops towards the hospital now bathed in sunlight.

"Iori!" Mako addressed.

"What happened to the prisoners?" He asked prompting a light laugh from the both of them.

"Kenichi took care of it" She answered causing both he and she to start a fit of chuckles. Mako watched in confusion but he chose to ignore them.

"We're getting close" He announced. The three skipped over the last few buildings before stopping on the ones at the edge closest to the hospital. They watched as the unskilled crowd gathered miscellaneous weapons to pound away at the entrance. Mako picked up a familiar sense nearby.

"Sato! He's hiding over there" He whispered to the others. They all skipped over to Sato who was sitting cross legged on a roof nearby. He was pleasantly surprised to see them arrive.

"Sato!" Iori gleefully greeted. Sato watched as them settle on the roof near him.

"You made it. How's things over there?" He asked.

"Cleared for now" "The prisoners are contained" Kenichi started, Iori jutted in half way.

"So what's going on here?" Mako's exhaustion getting to him. Sato watched their feet.

"...Not good" He said disdainfully.

"I'm keeping up a barrier at the front"

"But I can't show up or move because of the hostages." He explained.

"Hostages!?" The three exclaimed in disbelief.

"They seem to have snuck in the back." He continued.

"What the heck are we suppose to do now?!" Kenichi grumbled.

"Keep new recruits from showing up. I'll keep the barrier going" He breathed in slow, also exhausted from fending the entrance all night.

"We can't just keep that up forever?!" Iori growled.

"You're right, we'll also have to look for weak links to infiltrate" Sato pressed on.

"And suppose there isn't one?" Kenichi asked wishing he didn't.

"We'll have to call for some backup" Sato looked on darkly.

"It'll take them a whole day just to get here" Kenichi paled at the dread from the task at hand.

"And that's at the earliest" Iori added. Mako glanced at the ground floor and watched a pair chuckling to each while making their nonchalant way towards the hospital.

"They're starting to arrive" He hoarsely alerted. Sato sweated at the news.

"Enough with the discussions." He commanded.

"Let's move" "Mako – search and destroy" "Kenichi and Iori – double sleuthing!" He snapped.

"Yes!" They responded in unison.

"And I'll remain here for the mean time" He put his hands together.

"Go!" He commanded and they jumped away.

Inside the hospital sat a sentry group at a small round table on the ground floor, smoking and playing cards. Usui laid his hand and sighed.

"Guarding the back's so boring" he stated.

"At least it's easy" Another grumbled. Usui leaned on his palm 'Wonder what Takata's doing...' he thought to himself. With a loud bang the back door was broken open, the lock splintering away from the frame. A silhouette with their leg where the door should be was all they saw at first. The card players exclaimed at the jump and noise. Usui's cigarette dropped from his mouth.

"Oh no" He whispered the blood draining from his skin a sickening nausea gurgled in his stomach as he saw the face of the assailant.

She smirked with a light laugh, tightened her gloved fist.

"Sup' Bitches." Greeted Kirei.

[A/N: Special treatment for my readers who I neglected, you guys are the first to get the ending of chapter 27 than the manga readers.]