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The hours that followed our leaving the main path were some of the most brutal and excruciating of my entire time on the Robojama server. The Yin Clan knew almost every inch of these mountainsides and were experts in navigating them. Hideki and I, on the other hand, were not at all prepared for this. The mountains were stiff and tough to traverse on their own. But when you added in the thick jungle canopy which grew everywhere, the way became nearly impossible to move through! Each step was a battle, and at times it seemed as though we were making no progress at all. Still, the knowledge that our beloved Emperor Yangtze was somewhere in this jungle, held prisoner by the evil Yin Clan, pushed us forward with urgency.
Neither I or my partner said a word as we traveled. Hideki was busy searching the ground as we moved for signs that our quarry had gone this way. He was an expert tracker and I trusted him completely, so I did not question the direction that he was leading us. As we moved onward I thought a lot about what had happened on the road. In truth, I was deeply ashamed of my performance, if you could even call it that. This had been my first opportunity to prove myself to Hideki, as well as the other members of the Yang Clan that I deserved to be a part. But instead of fighting bravely, I had fallen prey to a simple trap before I could even begin to fight! It was extremely embarrassing, and dangerous too. If Hideki could not trust me to serve by his side, he may never allow me to work alongside him again!
Speaking of Hideki, I wondered how he was doing. I had seen the ugly cut on his face. It was obvious that he had taken a serious beating during the fight. Still, he was the only person to survive the battle! Not only that, but I had noticed a rather large number of Yin Clan ninjas strewn on the ground. I knew he would never admit it, but I suspected that my former teacher had been more than a match for our enemy. That may even be why the Emperor was still alive. The Yin may have realized that fighting this old ninja was more than they had bargained for and chosen to retreat with their captive. I couldn't confirm it, but I had seen Hideki fight before, and I knew his talent.
We had been fighting our way through the jungle for what seemed like an eternity when Hideki finally held up his hand, signaling a halt. Moving quietly, I came up to where he was now crouched, peering intently forward.
“What do you see?” I whispered.
“There, maybe five-hundred meters ahead of us. Can you see it?”
I peered out to where he was looking. At first, I saw nothing, but then I caught sight of what he was seeing.
“It's an opening, right?”
“Yes,” he replied. “And if I'm not mistaken, I believe I saw people moving in it. There's only one way to know for sure.”
Together, and with renewed caution, Hideki and I proceed to creep closer towards the opening in the jungle.