Kung Fu Panda 4 (rewritten)

Juniper City.

After coming to the realization that Zhen had slipped away from under their noses, they let her be and focused on their mission. After all, most of their trust was put into Daiyu's intuition and seismic sense in that case and she was certain that Zhen wouldn't get in their way of saving Shifu and retreating the Staff of Wisdom.

Leaping from building to building, the five of them landed on the rooftop of an apartment building that offered them a wide panorama of the entire city. Squatting down at the rooftop, Tigress and Tai Lung were scanning the streets and the fortress at the top of the mountain as Po, Mantis and Daiyu gathered themselves into a small circle.

"I know that taking the fox with us was your way of giving her a chance, but I think you can guess how that worked out. Plus, it would be kinder to let her serve her sentence where I won't have to look at her and where she won't be a liability." Daiyu spoke as she had her paw flat against the floor surface, Po and Mantis nodded.

"Actually, you've been way kinder than what she actually deserved from you." Mantis agreed.

"And maybe you were right about her, she was unreliable, but I'm also growing suspicious of her wide knowledge of the Chameleon. It-It's just unreal. At least, for someone who swore to have only stalked her." Po said, Daiyu responded.

"See? It does sound suspicious. You're staring to really get it now." Daiyu stood up. "And as for your current problem, I've seen many young people full of talent and potential that do have the qualities we need them to possess, one of them being not spitting in the faces of other people and where Yina and the little one won't get exposed to that nutjob's vulgarity and poor example." Daiyu gestured at them to follow her right where Tigress and Tai Lung were standing and they did.

"We've got to be stealthy if we want to reach the Chameleon's fortress. That place must be heavily crowded and we cannot afford to get spotted." Tigress informed them.

"Shouldn't be a problem." Tai Lung commented, his eyes fixated on the fortress he had escaped from days ago.

"I've been watching the fortress and I highly suggest to strike now. The Chameleon is not there and most of the guards have been decreased as we know by now, so our way to Shifu will definitely be free and safe." Daiyu spoke, pointing right at the fortress.

"Alright. We'll infiltrate the fortress, free Master Shifu and then we'll figure out a way to take my staff back." Po repeated once more, until it was engraved into their minds.

"And then you bring me back to the Spirit Realm, because I'm actually done here." Tai Lung added, clarifying how he had changed his mind earlier, before then asking Daiyu. "And what about the fox? I thought you said-..."

"I know what I said." Daiyu cut off Tai Lung, harshly. "That's something we shouldn't worry about now as we already don't have an under-skilled and underhanded minor getting in our way. That's what matters."

"I hope for your sake that she is, because then I'll come for both of you." Tai Lung answered cynically, sounding more on the worry-sick side as it made Daiyu frown at him.

"And what did I do?"

"Giving me superficial theories and even more gibberish after you let her escape in the first place. And you're certainly not getting a pair of sunglasses either, because there's none here anyway. Not that I have time for that, but still."

"But I've already told you that I'd-..."

"Let's just cut off this nonsense and finish the job already. We have yet to reach that fortress!"

As they leaped from building to building to reach the fortress, Zhen spied on them from the crowded streets with her hood covering her face. Frowning, Zhen reached for her jadeite piercing on her right ear, took it off, hooked it onto her belt buckle and stuck it inside the lock.