She found the trail, carved in the lines, reinforced them with chakra, and took off before she caught any sight of a partner. Her orders, which she had every intention of following, said not to engage; wait for back up. In her current condition that was an order she needed to follow. She really hoped her crotch-bitten back up got here soon.

The trail was easy to find, easy to track. The ninja had run a straight line, not even worrying about covering their passage beyond the basics. Kiba could have followed this trail. She ran down it, making another mark every hundred feet, keeping chakra and ears open for her partner.

She was almost two miles from Konoha and beginning to worry when a nigglingly familiar energy signature whispered along the edges of her awareness. Tsume paused, hidden in the shadow of a tree, and turned to watch. Someone she knew. Someone she didn't know well. But he was too big to mistake as he drew closer: few men were that tall and that broad, and she'd have recognized Raidou or Ryouma instantly.

A rookie was her back up. He'd better be good.