Team 4 had run for half an hour through trees until they decided it was time to take a break. Hanako stopped in a clearing, Kazuki and Takeshi stopped at either side of her. The sun was starting to set, and after sunset the forest would turn even darker than what it already was.
"It's time for a refuel. We need to rest and we'll continue in a few hours when we're ready," Hanako said, and everyone else nodded. She closed her eyes for an instant, noticing a presence lurking around them. She activated her Sharingan and inspected the place, but the presence wasn't there anymore.
"Hana-chan, is there something wrong?" Takeshi asked.
"No," she said. "I just...thought I sensed someone, but I probably just imagined it." Hanako sighed as she rested her back against a tree. Again, she closed her eyes and felt, this time, a dozen ninja approaching them. She opened her eyes and frowned. There was nothing.
'What's going on?' She observed that her teammates were fast asleep, and soon she started to feel drowsy. Hanako closed her eyes and the strange sensations started to invade her once again. That's when she noticed the abnormal fluctuations in her chakra.
Genjutsu. Hanako made a seal with her hands. "Kai!" When she opened her eyes, she heard a chuckle coming from the tree in front of her. She looked up to one of its branches; there was a ninja looking down maliciously at her.
"Not bad, although you're the only one who managed a way around the illusion on time. I was planning to take the scroll from you while you were still unconscious. However, you're awake, and I doubt you'll courteously hand us the Earth scroll." Hanako's eyes widened.
"How did you-?"
"Know your scroll?" He raised an eyebrow. "We've been watching you for a while." He then smirked. "And we know that you have it, so we're not going to waste precious time in your friends." He looked serious. Hanako frowned. They hadn't been careless enough to pull out their scroll in the middle of the Forest without any reason, and even less mentioned it out loud. They couldn't know... Hanako focused her eyes on his protector. He was from Iwagakure. Did someone from Isao's team leaked their information?
She sighed, she had been too naïve to think they would remain silent.
Two more ninja appeared, one at each side of the boy, holding kunai in their hands. "I suggest you give us your scroll. Without these two you've been outnumbered." He pointed towards Kazuki and Takeshi. Hanako smirked.
"Heh, don't even think about it!" She stood up, looking at the ninja with challenging eyes.
"Is that so?" he retired his hand. "Too bad, it'll have to be the harsh way." He made a strange hand seal and her body became paralyzed. One of the other ninja launched his kunai at her, but a wooden wall appeared on its way, defending her. Hanako was surprised.
"Can't you even protect yourself, Uchiha?" Hanako moved her eyes toward the voice. Hyori.
'Thank you,' Hanako thought as she closed her eyes, letting out a breath. "I never thought they would have the ability to paralyze. It'd be easier to defend myself if I could actually move," she said. 'Maybe Itachi was right. I should have a plan after all.'
At that moment, the jutsu was released and the ninja fell to his knees.
"Looks like this jutsu of yours requires a lot of chakra and you still have a short lapse of control," Hanako commented, straightening herself. Hyori and her team stood behind her.
"You sure meet with interesting people," said the Senju while looking at the opponents. Then her eyes moved to Kazuki and Takeshi, who were still knocked out in an illusion. "Our only encounter has been against a team who were only good at threatening."
