Harem Army: Impregnation Mission on a Frontline Base Full of Women - Chapter 73 & 74 & 75 & 76

Chapter 73: Night March Training (Restraint ②) – Is This Really the Enemy?

“So… I came out like you wanted…”

Lieutenant Kawana’s fingers tightened around the hilt of her knife. Sensing this, the silver mask’s gun muzzle shifted and pointed directly between her eyebrows. However, the words that came from its mouth once again shattered the tension of the situation.

“What’s wrong…? Hurry up and tell me… You said you’d tell me if I showed myself, right…?”

“Huh…?”

A deep wrinkle formed between Lieutenant Kawana’s brows.

“Who the hell said that…? First of all… what the hell do you even want to know…?! You haven’t even told us that yet…!”

At that pointed remark, the silver mask visibly flinched. Even though her facial expression was hidden behind the mask, Kawana could tell.

The enemy’s ridiculously honest reaction nearly made the Lieutenant burst out laughing herself. It was hard to believe this was the same “enemy” who had perfectly countered all of their coordinated attacks, including her predictive ability.

“Then… let me ask again…”

『Ask again? This is the first time you’ve asked anything…』

Narumi’s shoulders shook as she kept her face buried in the Lieutenant’s chest.

They couldn’t move freely. A gun was pointed at them. And now the unidentified “enemy” had revealed herself. In a situation where they absolutely shouldn’t be laughing, the absurdity was instead tickling Narumi’s funny bone.

“Is there… someone like me… in your base…?”

『“Someone like me,” she says…』

Lieutenant Kawana once again carefully observed the “enemy” pointing the gun at them.

She was noticeably shorter — about two heads smaller than Kawana. While petite, her body perfectly embodied the image of a woman: full breasts, a narrow waist, and smooth hips. The glossy black bodysuit emphasized those seductive curves. In complete contrast, the metallic silver mask evoked the image of an evil spirit.

“How about it…?”

The silver mask jerked the gun barrel as if urging an answer.

“I don’t know…” Kawana replied.

“Really…?”

“Yeah…”

『If someone like you was sneaking around the base, there’s no way we wouldn’t notice…』

The silver mask’s almost innocent way of speaking was steadily eroding Lieutenant Kawana’s hostility. The wave was growing higher. If this continued, it might wash away her fighting spirit entirely. As if trying to shake it off, Kawana gripped her knife tighter.

“I see…”

If the enemy had truly intended to kill them, this would have been the perfect moment to pull the trigger after failing to get the desired answer. But in the end, the gun muzzle was lowered without firing.

Kawana wasn’t surprised. From the very beginning, she had never felt any killing intent from the silver mask. Even so, she couldn’t just let this “enemy” go.

“Then…”

Before the silver mask could finish speaking, Kawana had already sliced through the wires binding her with her knife. Without waiting for them to fully loosen, she reversed the blade’s direction and swung her arm upward in a sharp arc.

A white flash cut through the darkness. The sharp sound of air being torn rushed toward the silver mask’s heart.

『Got her…!』

However, her conviction was once again in vain. The silver mask twisted her body, leaving only an afterimage. Kawana’s knife sank deep into the trunk of a beech tree beyond where the enemy had been standing.

“Coward…!”

A lisping, frustrated voice echoed from the darkness. Its exact position was unclear, but it was already more than ten meters away.

“Shut up…!”

In Kawana’s hand was the automatic handgun. It was the same one the silver mask had taken from her earlier and used as a shield.

“You’re the one who should fight fair and square… you bastard…!”

But the enemy did not take the bait. Their presence quietly faded into the distance. Lieutenant Kawana remained on guard until the presence completely vanished.

“Captain…”

Narumi’s voice came from near her feet. After being freed from the wires, she had remained sitting flat on the ground.

“Sorry… my legs gave out…”

“You’re so hopeless…”

Kawana returned the damaged handgun to her waist holster and extended her hand to Sergeant Narumi. Narumi grabbed it with both hands.

“But you know…”

There was a childish, tearful sweetness mixed into Narumi’s voice.

『Come to think of it… this was her first real combat situation…』

“You idiot…”

Realizing this, Lieutenant Kawana deliberately spoke in a bright tone.

“You were laughing earlier, weren’t you…?”

“T-That was…”

Supported by the Lieutenant’s hand, Narumi finally managed to stand. Though it was hard to see on her camouflage uniform, her pants were covered in leaf mold from her hips down to the backs of her thighs and calves. She shouldered her rifle and brushed the dirt off with both hands.

“Um… about Yamimaru… Is she really our ‘enemy’? She seemed kind of…”

『Hard to hate…』

Narumi swallowed the last part. She realized it would be far too inappropriate to say in this situation.

“Who knows… but…”

Lieutenant Kawana stared into the darkness where the silver mask had disappeared and said:

“Yeah… Nagato-kun…!”

Interrupting her superior, Narumi raised her voice.

“Is he okay…? And the Unit Commander too…”

The danger to her own life — her first time facing such a situation — had paralyzed her awareness, making her worry intensely about the safety of the other two.

Of course, Lieutenant Kawana had not forgotten them. However, she did not answer Narumi’s question. She simply said, “Let’s go…”

Narumi thought they would chase after Nagato. But she was wrong.

“Thirteen Lake… At the latest, we’ll link up with our forces there… Then contact base camp via radio. Those were… the Unit Commander’s orders…”

But…

Narumi didn’t say it. She understood that, in this situation, Lieutenant Kawana’s decision was the best possible choice.

She simply kept gazing anxiously into the dark, steep slope that Nagato had sprinted up.

Chapter 74: Night March Training (Defensive Battle ②) – Rescue

『Chemical weapons, huh…』

The Unit Commander only muttered that single, detached thought.

Chemical weapons.

Lethal or non-lethal.

If it was mustard gas or sarin, it could be absorbed not only through the respiratory system but also through the skin. Its lethality was extremely high.

Even chloroacetophenone, considered non-lethal and commonly sold as tear gas spray, could cause severe aftereffects in some cases.

If only it were the former…

In her current state, she might have even wished for that. A powerful poison gas might be able to take her to the place she desired, despite the effects of “Kagutsuchi.”

Yet before the gas could fully fill the area, she had already held her breath and closed her eyes. It was an instinctive action to minimize the damage. Perhaps this response too was nothing more than a reflex.

『Now then… what comes next?』

She treated her own life and death as someone else’s problem, calmly observing the situation. She knew that if it wasn’t a lethal gas, she could hold her breath for about twenty minutes without much difficulty. However, there was almost nothing left for her to think about during that time.

Regret, happiness, suffering, joy — and even the man who had gone ahead of her through the door. She had already ruminated on those memories countless times and reached a certain closure. So what else was there to think about?

All she wanted was to pass through the same door he had opened and reunite with him on the other side. That kind of death was what she desired. Ideally on the battlefield, quietly, without anyone knowing.

She didn’t think, “Was I always this weak?” Nor did she feel any regret that her resolve to protect this country and its people had crumbled. Hihino Chiharu had already lost even the passion needed to feel disappointment in herself.

A light numbness, like tingling, was beginning to spread through her limbs, especially her extremities. Perhaps she had inhaled some of the gas right before holding her breath. Or maybe it had penetrated through her exposed skin.

『You…』

The face that floated behind her eyelids made her unconsciously call out. It was the face of her husband, for whom she had prayed for safety for ten long years.

She didn’t know whether it was a vision created by her own heart or an effect of the gas’s hallucinogenic properties. It didn’t matter. If it was a dream, she wanted to sink into it forever.

“Unit Commander…!”

The voice of a young man who still retained a boyish trace pierced through the darkness enveloping her for a brief moment. But it still wasn’t enough to break the dream Hihino Chiharu was seeing.

The shadow that came rushing up the slope like a gale kicked the cylindrical metal object with full force as it landed. The speed surpassed that of a top-class soccer player’s shot. Had it been measured, the impact would likely have exceeded 200 km/h. The metal piece flew high into the air, scattering gas behind it. However, he didn’t even glance at it.

He raised the high-carbon steel knife gripped in both hands and brought it straight down to the ground. At the same time, he flipped the blade and swung it upward again.

His hand speed was so fast it created the illusion that the sound of the wire snapping came right after the slash. It was truly a lightning-like strike — two strikes in one.

“Hold on…!”

Nagato’s back caught the Unit Commander’s collapsing body as she lost her support. In the next instant, he lifted her — a body weighing over 70 kilograms — and began running at ferocious speed.

Not downward toward where Lieutenant Kawana and Narumi were, but along the contour lines of the mountain slope. In the exact opposite direction from where the “enemy” likely was.

Was he also trying to draw the “enemy” away from Kawana and Narumi?

“Nagato…?”

In her lethargic daze, Hihino Chiharu faintly opened her eyes. Perhaps because of the lingering dream, for a very brief moment she mistook the person she was leaning on for someone else. Someone she could only meet in dreams.

A long time ago, she had once been carried on his back like this. On the back of a man nearly 20 centimeters smaller than her. It was either before or after she learned they were called the “odd couple.”

Anyway, that day I was ridiculously happy.

I drank too much and caused him a lot of trouble.

As soon as we got to the room, we got naked.

So… maybe that was the first day we made love…?

She slightly lifted her face.

This young man, freshly graduated from officer academy, had an atmosphere similar to her dead husband. She had first become conscious of it the moment she saw him in the Commander’s office.

It wasn’t that their faces were similar. It was in his occasional expressions and mannerisms.

Especially that dazed look when he first entered the room.

The overly serious salute after being yelled at by the Commander.

And the personality so unsuited for military service that he would even defy a superior officer to protect a girl — or rather, those twins.

“Why… did you come back…?”

She asked toward the back that was supporting her full weight without any instability. The sensation of her breasts pressed against it felt strangely warm. She vaguely wondered if this too was a lingering effect of the dream.

“I’m sorry…”

Relying only on the faint starlight, yet running without faltering, Nagato answered.

“I couldn’t… leave a woman behind…”

“Nagato…”

The Unit Commander interrupted her subordinate.

“What you’re doing right now… is a serious violation of orders… You could be removed from duty for this…”

Despite her words, the arm the Unit Commander had wrapped around Nagato’s shoulder tightened, as if trying to embrace him. This only pressed her soft breasts more firmly against his back.

Nagato felt as if his heart was being violently beaten inside his chest. His heart, which had maintained only a light jogging rhythm even while carrying a person heavier than himself at near-full speed, was now pounding wildly as if it might burst.

The swelling in his lower abdomen beneath his underwear was also becoming more pronounced. He tried to suppress it by staring into the darkness.

『You let your guard down…』

Flames reignited in the Unit Commander’s eyes. However, even this feeling remained strangely detached, as if it belonged to someone else.

The moment Nagato was caught by the wire tearing through the air and lost his footing, she separated from his back and rolled across the ground. The wire wrapped around his leg tried to drag him into the darkness.

A new silver thread came flying from another direction toward Nagato as he tried to stand. It was deflected by the flash of the Unit Commander’s knife.

『So their target is Nagato…』

Twisting her upper body like a caterpillar, Nagato resisted the force trying to pull him in. But the Unit Commander’s gaze was no longer on him.

They were fully covered in glossy black bodysuits. Silver masks floated above the darkness-absorbing clothing, dully reflecting the faint starlight.

『Like clowns… So this is “Yamimaru”…』

Two silver masks approached the Unit Commander from both sides. Each held a jet-black knife in hand.

The wrist portions of their suits were slightly swollen — probably where the wires were stored. But in an instant, that swelling spread across the surface of the suits. It looked as if a mass of thick worms was writhing underneath.

『Powered suit…』

A clothing-type device that enhances the wearer’s physical abilities through built-in artificial muscles, in addition to high cut-resistance, puncture-resistance, and fire-resistance. In HINOMOTO, development had proceeded alongside “Kagutsuchi,” but the project was reportedly suspended due to cost issues.

If so, these “enemies” using such equipment were indeed spies from an enemy nation. But for the Unit Commander and Nagato, that wasn’t the immediate problem.

The killing intent the “enemy” had never shown until now was now filling the darkness.

Hihino Chiharu flexed and extended her toes several times inside her boots. The numbness thought to be from the gas still lingered.

Even so, a faint smile had appeared on her lips.

Chapter 75: Night March Training (Defensive Battle ②) – The Unit Commander’s Wish

『As expected… they’re still not using guns…』

While effortlessly dodging the blades slicing through the darkness, Hihino Chiharu glanced briefly at the leader’s waist holster.

Even in this situation, they refused to use it. That fact clearly showed the priority of the silver masks’ objectives. That was what she concluded.

『Primary goal: Capture Nagato.

Secondary goal: Remove obstacles like me and Kawana who stand in the way of that objective.

Tertiary goal: Eliminate us using only close-quarters combat… Well, that last one is probably just an option…』

She was also beginning to get a read on the enemy’s identity. The swordplay from the two attackers had already exceeded three digits in exchanges. Anyone with as much real combat experience as her would inevitably start to discern the opponent’s background.

『Central Command’s… assassination unit, huh…』

Assassination units operated even deeper in the shadows than the Intelligence Department, handling the military’s true dark side. Belonging to such an organization inevitably meant taking many lives, regardless of whether they were friend or foe.

In terms of pure kill count alone, it wouldn’t be strange for them to rival Hihino Chiharu, who had survived countless brutal battles over the years. However, she could not sense that kind of aura from the women standing before her.

『So they’re… newcomers… They thought our unit would make the perfect practice dummies…』

For a moment, she suspected the Intelligence Department might be involved. Or perhaps they too had been manipulated.

The face of Intelligence Unit Commander Himuro Madoka floated in the Unit Commander’s mind. The woman known as the “Absolute Zero Woman.” Some also called her the “Iron Mask” or the “Vampire Princess.”

『No… She’s not the type…』

The Himuro Madoka that Hihino Chiharu knew was not shallow enough to be used by others’ schemes. She was far too sharp for that.

『A third party taking advantage of the situation… Is that it…?』

Yamimaru — the entity that had remained unidentified until now. At least part of it was likely an unofficial assassination unit secretly trained by radical factions within Central Command.

It was no secret that Central Command, the core of the military, was not a monolith. Radical elements dissatisfied with the organization’s direction had always existed.

An assassination unit trained independently by such people. For certain high-ranking officers, the existence of such a unit was an unspoken truth rather than mere urban legend.

They were sending their rookies into a regular unit’s training exercise to gain real combat experience by attacking soldiers. To Hihino Chiharu, that sounded exactly like something radical hardliners would do.

The Intelligence Department had probably caught wind of their movements. The Infantry Unit was nothing more than bait to lure them out.

Even after reaching this conclusion, Hihino Chiharu’s expression remained coldly detached.

『In that case… the presence that appeared earlier was probably an Intelligence ninja… If so, there’s no need to worry about Nagato’s safety. I doubt the one who moved first could defeat Kawana and the others without firearms…』

At this point, the Unit Commander stopped thinking about her subordinates.

Now then…

『All that’s left is how to settle my own fate…』

For the past several seconds, the quality of the air and the surrounding sounds had been changing. Just ten-odd meters behind her, the beech forest ended, and beyond that lay a cliff.

The Unit Commander had already sensed the change in the environment. Her plan was converging on luring the “enemy” to drive her toward that cliff and cause her to fall.

An honorable death in battle.

At least on paper, that was how it would be recorded.

Husband and wife, both decorated with the medal of death.

For a career soldier like her, it was the sweetest possible ending.

Of course, the silver masks aiming for her neck had no way of knowing what was in her heart. They simply continued desperately pursuing and slashing at an opponent whose power far exceeded their understanding.

『Nine meters left… Eight… Seven… Six… What’s wrong? Come at me harder…』

The silver masks had probably also noticed the change in terrain ahead.

The one who appeared to be the leader had surely realized it. That was what the Unit Commander thought. She had already seen hesitation creep into the blade movements of the second silver mask before her partner suddenly stopped attacking.

『A fall from the cliff… That wouldn’t count as a victory for them… Is that what they’re thinking…?』

The shoulders of the silver mask wielding two knives were now rising and falling heavily. On top of that, the sound of her ragged breathing was reaching even the Unit Commander’s ears.

The leader, still holding her knife, began circling slowly to the left. She was trying to get behind her target. She probably intended to avoid the cliff and reset the fight.

『That would be inconvenient for me…』

As Hihino Chiharu turned her body to once again position the cliff at her back with the “enemy” in front, the two-knife silver mask suddenly leaped onto the leader’s waist.

Not only the one being grabbed, but even the Unit Commander was completely caught off guard by the action.

『But… thinking about it…』

While conscious of the compact revolver’s muzzle being drawn from the holster and pointed at her, Hihino Chiharu’s thoughts remained as calm as a still lake.

『It was bound to happen… Trained in combat techniques from childhood… Probably received Kagutsuchi augmentation as well… A killing machine with no purpose in life other than murder… Having their absolute confidence in assassination techniques completely shattered for the first time… The moment of their first挫折 (setback)… It’s easy to predict how a young soldier would react in such a situation…』

Trembling arms.

An unsteady gun muzzle.

A withdrawn waist that looked like it might collapse at any moment.

There was no trace left of the bloody, rigorous training that should have been behind such a posture.

This was the moment she had been waiting for — the moment the door her husband had already passed through would open. Hihino Chiharu watched the “enemy” with a faint smile on her lips.

『Don’t miss…』

The leader standing beside her still couldn’t move. The unexpected action of her comrade had, for the first time, brought a human color into her ice-cold eyes.

“Uuuu…!”

A growl rose from the throat of the silver mask holding the gun. At the same time, the Unit Commander did not dodge the line of fire that erupted.

Even now, the divine hand behind her tried to activate “Ma-ai no Mikiri,” manipulating the threads connected to her entire body to evade the bullet’s trajectory.

But she stubbornly resisted it.

This once-in-a-lifetime chance to fulfill her wish.

How long had she waited for this moment?

The result was far from what Hihino Chiharu had hoped for.

The bullet pierced through her cut-resistant jacket and gouged the flesh of her shoulder. That was all.

“Kuh…!”

A groan escaped the Unit Commander’s lips. The impact knocked her body back about a meter, forcing her down onto one knee.

And that was it.

She had barely even touched the handle of the door.

To push it open and step through, she would need a second and third shot. But those never came.

Because a new presence was approaching from behind the silver masks.

Chapter 76: Night March Training (Rescue ①) – Yamimaru and the Lucky Pervert

At the time when Captain Hihino was beginning a strangely cold-blooded fight to the death against two Silver Masks, Nagato was alone on the ground, writhing. His neck, both hands, and legs were restrained.

His wrists were jammed between his neck and the wire. He was trying to widen the small gap that had formed there. His left hand still gripped a knife. If he could free his arm, he should be able to cut the wire with that knife.

Even when the woman who had deployed the wire emerged from the overlapping shadows of the trees, Nagato didn’t spare her a single glance.

Save the Captain…!

That single thought dominated his mind and actions. He was just a 16-year-old fresh out of officer academy with no real combat experience—what could he possibly do? He didn’t entertain that obvious doubt for even a second.

A few meters from Nagato, the wrist device on one of the Silver Masks was reeling in the slack wire. A faint mechanical motor-like hum could be heard if you listened carefully.

Despite Nagato’s efforts, the wire was wound up until there was no more slack. The Silver Mask then grabbed the thin threads connected to Nagato’s limbs, apparently trying to lift his body.

But it didn’t go well. It wasn’t that she lacked the strength to lift 60 kg. However, when the prey thrashed around on the ground like a fish, it wasn’t easy to hoist him up. She recognized that.

She released the wire she was holding. She hadn’t given up, though. She had thought of an easier way to transport her catch.

“Guh…!”

Along with that groan following a dull thud, Nagato’s movements stopped. The sweat that had been beading on his forehead from the full-body exertion turned into cold sweat. The heel of the Silver Mask was driven deep into his solar plexus.

Nagato was wearing the same blade-resistant, penetration-resistant, and fire-resistant jacket as the other infantry soldiers. Yet the blow was so powerful that the jacket felt almost useless, gouging deeply into him. The contents of his stomach rose to his throat, and that sour taste was already spreading through his mouth.

He clenched his teeth and endured the urge to vomit. Another kick, and then another, landed on the same spot.

The knife slipped from his hand, and Nagato’s body collapsed limply onto the ground. His eyelids were closed, and saliva trailed from the corner of his slightly open mouth toward his cheek.

This time, the Silver Mask gripped the wire with one hand and lifted Nagato. She folded his body and hoisted his waist onto her right shoulder. Nagato’s head dangled loosely near the waist area of the woman’s bodysuit.

She was slightly shorter than the other three Silver Masks—around 155 cm. In exchange (or perhaps not), she had quite a voluptuous figure. Especially notable were the prominent roundness of her bust and hips compared to the other three.

Believing she had knocked Nagato unconscious, she grabbed the zipper pull under her chin and casually pulled it down to her stomach. Under the suit was bare skin—moist, white skin that reminded one of freshly pounded mochi.

Her hand, which had lowered the zipper, moved further. She lightly lifted one side of the opened suit’s chest area. A large, glossy swell bounced out with a boing. Only the tip was barely caught on the edge of the suit, still hidden.

If Nagato had seen it, he would likely have felt a huge sense of discomfort on her shoulder: the sensation of something hard, lumpy, and burning hot—a mass of flesh.

Fortunately, Nagato’s eyelids remained closed. The kick to his abdomen must have completely severed his strong will and consciousness.

The Silver Mask began walking toward the darkness where she had been hiding earlier. Her steps showed no sign of carrying a 60 kg load. She didn’t even make a sound. She proceeded leisurely into the depths of the forest, almost like a butterfly dancing through the air.

If these Silver Masks were indeed the central extremists’ assassination squad that Captain Hihino had imagined, then why were they trying to abduct Nagato?

The Captain’s insight was cut off before it could reach that point. Naturally, Nagato himself had no way of knowing the reason. He hadn’t even guessed Yamimaru’s true identity in the first place.

Nagato’s right hand, inserted between the wire and his neck, twitched. It moved faintly, as if checking something—probably whether he could pull his hand out from there.

The act of playing dead to lower the enemy’s guard had been quite masterful. He had even planned the next steps. He hadn’t simply been flailing on the ground.

This should work…

While pretending to be unconscious, he simulated the plan in his head: pull out his arm, swing his hand upward with the momentum, and strike the opponent’s chin. For that desperate counterattack, he had tensed his arm and endured the wire biting into his flesh with tearing pain.

Even when the Silver Mask reeled in the wire or lifted his body, he kept bracing his arm to preserve that tiny space. Then he played dead to lower her vigilance. His eyelids stayed closed—he judged that opening them even slightly would risk detection.

It’s fine… At this close distance, there’s no way she can avoid it…

Just as he believed, he smoothly pulled his right arm free from the wire. It was an ultra-fast move in a fraction of a second, undetectable to the Silver Mask. At this point, the success of the plan he had refined seemed all but assured. All that remained was to swing his arm up and smash her chin. There should have been nothing left to obstruct him.

Or so he thought.

However, his hand stopped at an unexpected position. His clenched fist had entered a warm, narrow, oppressive space. The moment he opened his hand, a warm, smooth sensation spread across his palm.

He tried to forcefully swing his arm upward. After all, his life was on the line—not just his own, but he had to save the Captain.

But that determination was blocked by a heavy, weighty wall of flesh. The soft, overflowing mass that couldn’t possibly fit in his palm stood fiercely in his way.

Nevertheless, Nagato didn’t give up. As if in one last act of resistance, he sank his fingers deep into it. The soft elasticity tried to push his fingers back. He continued pushing upward.

Then, a new sensation appeared in his palm. It had the same soft flesh and elasticity but was clearly different—a small, firm nub. When he pinched it, he began to dimly realize what exactly he was fondling with his hand.

As evidence, a large amount of blood had already rushed to his lower abdomen.

Th-This… No way… Breasts…?!

Fearfully, he opened his eyelids and turned his head. He confirmed that his hunch was correct. At the same time, he sensed the Silver Mask’s rage.

Due to the angle, he could barely see the expression of the woman behind the metallic mask. Nevertheless, he could clearly perceive the shame and anger boiling up across her entire body.

“Where are you touching…!”

The moment she spoke, she hurled Nagato’s body toward the ground. With the wire still entangled around him, he couldn’t even take a proper breakfall.

“Ugh…!”

His waist and back slammed hard into the ground. Only his head was barely protected by his freed right hand.

The Silver Mask advanced on Nagato in a rage and tried to kick his face upward. Nagato’s right hand blocked it, but the impact made his arm bounce away. A follow-up attack was coming. He wouldn’t make the guard in time.

It was a kick powerful enough to nullify the blade- and penetration-resistant jacket. Taking it straight to the face could easily shatter his skull.

No…!

Just as he tried to shift his head out of the kick’s trajectory to avoid a fatal blow, the Silver Mask’s leg—which should have been right in front of him—suddenly vanished. At the same moment, the wire connecting him to her was deployed, and its slack danced in the air like a spider’s thread.

Thud! Something hard struck the ground in front of him, kicking up dirt.

A… shuriken…?!