Awaiting The Whistle

Inside the thick forest, Jin's team gathered at their designated starting point.

"Alright, let's go over the plan one more time.", Jin stated with authority, kneeling in front of his team members, "Izumi...Takeshi...you two will take the point. Your chemistry and speed will be crucial for scouting ahead and taking on any immediate threats".

In front of Jin stood Izumi with her arms crossed. Her black hair cut to shoulder length with emerald green tips that matched her eyes.

"Got it...", Izumi said in acceptance to her task, her eyes sharp and attentive.

Casually leaning back against a nearby tree was Takeshi, his rugged spiky black hair and glistening hazel eyes giving him a fierce look.

"And what about you? Where will you be during all of this?", Takeshi questioned Jin, his tone challenging but not disrespectful.

"I'll be right behind you both, coordinating our movement and providing support when needed.", Jin responded to Takeshi, his voice steady and authoritative, "We need to remain focused and communicate at all times".

"What about us?, one of the other members asked.

Jin turned his gaze to the remaining two members who were standing slightly behind Izumi.

"You two will be on flank watch. Your priority is to make sure that there aren't any ambushes set up, and to deal with them if there are any", Jin said to the other two members.

The two members, a petite girl with her black hair wrapped in a bun and a slim boy with messy brown hair, nodded in agreement to Jin's plan.

"Alright...That just about covers all of the plan. I guess all we can do now is wait...", Jin stated to his team while standing from his kneeled position.

While waiting for the whistle, the team fell into a silence, each of them lost in their own thoughts. Time seeming to stretch endlessly as they braced themselves for the impending signal. After what felt like an eternity, the piercing blast of the whistle shattered the stillness. 

Without hesitation, Jin and his team dashed into action, each member lining into their designated roles. As they navigated through the dense forest, Jin noticed that something was not right. He abruptly stopped in his tracks and raised his right hand, a silent command for his team to halt. The two members trailing behind him then stopped as soon as he lifted his hand.

"What's wro-", Izumi asked in a worrying tone before being cut off.

Jin responded with a silent gesture, pressing his finger to his lips, urging them to remain quiet. With trust in Jin's intuition, the team followed him through a thick set of bushes. Emerging on the other side, they encountered a lone figure, a member from another team that was crouched behind a tree. The lone member looked up as Jin and his team gathered around him, his face pale and eyes wide with panic.

"If you're going to do something, then do it already!", the member stated in a startled tone.

Jin then kneeled down to the distressed member, his demeaner calm and composed.

"Look, we're not gonna' hurt you. All we want from you is some information.", Jin said in a comforting tone.

"That's it?", the member asked, his stance getting less tense.

"That's it...", Jin responded with a slight smile.

The member took a second to compose himself before telling them the information.

"Our plan was to set up a flank along the east side of the forest. It worked at first...we ended up catching a team off guard and took em' out. But...I guess another team was onto us.", the member stated, his arms resting on his knees, "They had us surrounded...took down two of us right then and there. The rest of us tried retreating, but I don't know if anyone else got away. There, I told you all I know...Just forget y'all ever saw me here".

"Yeah, we will forget you were ever here.", Jin stated as he stood back up, his smile fading into a serious expression, "But you broke the code...Rule number six: never give information to the enemy no matter what".

Before the lone team member could respond, Takeshi walked up to him with a menacing look. Without warning, Takeshi delivered a fierce punch to the members face, knocking him out cold in an instant.

As Jin began to walk away, Izumi fell into step beside him.

"You think his team is still in?", Izumi questioned Jin, her voice filled with curiosity.

Jin looked over to his left, his gaze meeting Izumi's.

"Probably not...if they were ambushed as badly as he said, they're likely out of the fight.", Jin responded in a serious tone, "But now we have a lead...Our priority moving forward should be to track down that other team before they set another trap".

Cracking his knuckles while walking over to join Izumi and Jin, "If we're done here then let's head out...", Takeshi stated in a determined voice.

Izumi and Jin nodded simultaneously to Takeshi's remark before Jin signaled to the remaining two members of their team, who had been standing guard nearby, that it was time to head out. As they moved through the forest once more, the quietness seemed almost oppressive. The usual echoing of wildlife was absent, the only sound being the crackling of leaves and branches beneath them.

Suddenly, the silence of the forest was broken by the distant muffled voices of another team. Discreetly approaching the sound, Jin signaled to his team to drop to their knees and hide behind a thick set of foliage. In front of them was a small clearing where a rival team had gathered.

Izumi leaned in close to Jin as she asked, "You think this is the team that guy was talking about?", her voice barley above a whisper.

"It's hard to say...We don't have enough information yet.", Jin whispered to Izumi, his gaze switching between her and the enemy team, "Let's stay hidden and listen for now".

"There's no point in hiding. We're in the perfect position to attack." ,Takeshi stated in disagreement, his voice filled with determination, "It would be a waste of time to just sit here".

"If we were to attack now, we would risk drawing even more attention to ourselves.", Jin said to Takeshi in a serious tone, "Let's observe for just a bit longer...see if we can gather more information. Maybe find a way to neutralize them without compromising our own position".

"I agree...", Izumi stated in a calm whisper, "It's better to wait for the right moment to strike".

Takeshi's hazel eyes flashed with irritation, his shoulders rising and falling as he took a deep breath. Ignoring Jin's reasoning, Takeshi then walked out into the clearing, his gaze locked onto the enemy team with a predatory gaze. As he walked towards the other team, a flickering flame ignited from his right palm.