Genma smiled. “You’re good teammates.” He turned to face Raidou. “I think Hatake’s still arguing for it being his win, even if he didn’t technically capture us all directly. What’s your ruling, Captain?” His stomach growled to punctuate the question. “I wouldn’t mind an early lunch.”

Raidou rubbed at the blood smeared on his cheek, flaking it off. “He caught Tousaki and you fairly — or fair enough, for ninja. But he gave you too much leeway as prisoners.” Did he sound a little proud? It had been a good double cross.

“Happy girl there took me down,” Raidou went on, gesturing at Kin. Her tail fanned enthusiastically back and forth at the attention. “But Tousaki wouldn’t have stopped at tackling. I’d say Hatake is dead. Lunch is on you, zombie.”

Ryouma looked delighted.

Pakkun snickered. “I want steak.”

“I was using teamwork” Kakashi protested. He looked genuinely hurt by the betrayal.

“And your reward is to feed your team.” Raidou grinned cheerfully.

Kakashi looked even more betrayed.

“Cheer up,” Genma told him. “If it’s any consolation, under Taichou’s rules, you killed me, too. Or maybe that’s not very cheering, seeing as you were outfoxed by a dead prisoner of war.”

“Next time,” Kakashi informed him, “it will be a harder wall.” He slouched down the hill with Kin bounding after him.

Pakkun held his mirth for almost a second, before he exploded with loud guffaws. When Kakashi was out of earshot, Pakkun looked up at the rest of them. “I like this team.”

“Should we warn him about Omashi’s trap?” Genma asked, eyeballing Kakashi’s trajectory. “He did just threaten a superior officer.”

“He’s smart,” Raidou said. “He can dodge.”

“What’s Omashi’s trap?” asked Ryouma. He pushed himself to his feet and watched Kakashi, too.

“See that little grove of trees?” Genma pointed at the dangerous thicket. “That’s a poison lacquer bush. And right about—”

Kakashi went down hard, as if the ground had liquified under him.

“There. There’s a mechanical trap than will send you straight into the bush. Unless—”

Kin yelped. Kakashi grabbed her by the collar and vanished from the path, to reappear a dozen meters away from the treacherous ground.

“He dodges.” Genma said. “Watch out,” he called down the slope. “There’s a trap there.”

Kakashi made a distant, rude gesture and kept walking.

“I really like this team,” Pakkun said. His stubby tail thumped against the ground.

“We like him, too,” Genma said. “Most of the time.” He crouched down for the little dog’s benefit. “Are you riding again? Hop on. We probably ought to go catch up to him before he hits any more traps.”