Silent oath

The Anbu—silent warriors of Konoha—had been broken. Silver and his squad, battered and bruised, were heading back to the border outpost with their fallen comrades. As they made their way, the weight of their injuries and losses pressed on their shoulders. Their mission had gone horribly wrong. Silver couldn't escape the image of the eight missing Anbu—captured, tortured, and left on the edge of death by Iwagakure.

Their bodies were barely holding on, the result of Onoki's brutal interrogation techniques. The four Anbu—once elite warriors of Konoha—had been rescued, but the other four were lost to the horrors inflicted upon them. Falcon, whose team had been decimated in the battle, carried the sealing scroll that contained the bodies of his fallen comrades. The toll of the loss was visible in the quiet, heavy steps he took. His squad was down to him now—one remaining member—struggling to carry the weight of his comrades' deaths.

The silence between them was deafening, but there was a shared understanding. This was no longer just a mission. It was a personal vendetta, a call for justice. Silver couldn't bear to look at the battered bodies of his comrades—he felt their broken spirits as if they were his own. These were warriors who had stood beside him, trusted him, and now they were suffering because of the cruelty of Iwa.

The four rescued Anbu had been tortured relentlessly by Onoki and his elite Iwa Anbu forces. Their chakra had been drained, their bodies left in ruins. The pain they had endured wasn't just physical—it had crushed their will, and they were barely alive. Silver felt the sting of failure in every step he took, but the anger coursing through him was almost too much to bear. He had failed to protect his team, to prevent this from happening. And now, it was his responsibility to get them home. He couldn't—wouldn't—let their sacrifice be in vain.

Falcon's voice broke the heavy silence. "Silver... we're not going to let them get away with this, are we?"

There was a raw, aching anger in his eyes, the same fire that had always been there—the drive to protect his comrades, his village. It was now a hunger for vengeance. Silver knew that fire all too well. It was the same fire that burned in his chest. The same fire that had driven him to become an Anbu captain. He could feel it flickering in his heart, an anger that demanded retribution.

"We'll make them pay," Silver replied, his voice sharp, cold, and unwavering. "But right now, we need to get them back to Konoha. We need to get them the medical attention they deserve. The Iwa Anbu may have taken everything from them, but we're not letting them lose their honor."

As they arrived at the border outpost, Silver turned to his team. His comrades, though weakened and exhausted, nodded with grim determination. They knew what needed to be done. Falcon looked back at the sealing scroll in his hand, still holding his comrades' bodies in the hope that Konoha could give them peace, even if only in death.

They needed to move fast. With Onoki's forces likely still hunting them down, staying at the border outpost was no longer an option. Silver raised his hand and shot a flare into the air—a signal for any Konoha reinforcements that might be nearby.

With the wounded Anbu in tow and their fallen comrades sealed away, the team began their trek back to Konoha. Every step felt like an eternity as they carried the weight of their losses, the cries of their fallen comrades reverberating in their minds.

But Silver knew this was far from over. The mission had failed. But the Iwa Anbu would pay for what they'd done. They would feel the weight of Konoha's wrath. And Silver, the captain of this broken squad, would make sure that justice was served.

As they ventured through the forest, every sound, every crack of a twig underfoot, felt like an eternity. But Silver wasn't just thinking about the mission anymore. His thoughts turned to the four Anbu comrades who had been lost in the battle. He couldn't forget the faces of his fallen friends—the ones who had trusted him to lead them. The ones who had given everything for Konoha.

And now, with the four of them clinging to life, Silver swore an unspoken oath. This wasn't just about getting back at Iwa. It was about protecting those who couldn't protect themselves, about ensuring the fallen were remembered, and that Konoha stood as a beacon of justice—no matter the cost.

They weren't out of danger yet, but they would get their answers. And when the time came, they would make sure Onoki and the Iwa Anbu knew the price of attacking Konoha's own.

But for now, their priority was to get the injured back to safety, to save the lives of those still hanging by a thread. Silver wouldn't fail them again. He couldn't.

The road ahead was long, but their determination was unyielding. It was time to return home—and make sure this mission, no matter the outcome, would not be forgotten.