The massive explosion echoed through the forest.
Kiri had noticed something was off about Zangetsu. His reaction speed was too fast, not like a Chunin at all. But Kiri chose not to investigate. Everyone had their secrets. Besides, they needed to leave.
The reason they weren't setting up a counter-ambush was because they had an injured man. Kyaku was badly hurt in the blast, and the scent of his blood made it impossible to hide. Of course, Kyaku was not Hiru; he would never agree to be used as bait.
Zangetsu nodded and followed Kiri back toward the camp. Seeing that neither of them offered to help him, Kyaku's pale face turned ugly, but he could only grit his teeth and忍 the pain as he hurried to keep up.
…
On the other side of the forest, about a kilometer away.
Four Konoha ninja hidden in the trees looked toward the sound of the explosion.
"We've got a bite. Let's go!" one of them said, and the four moved out.
From another direction, another team of four Konoha ninja also heard the sound and began to close in without hesitation.
And from yet another direction, a third team—this one composed of four Jonin—also heard the blast.
"My lady…"
"Surround them!"
…
In the dense forest, Zangetsu and the others were running.
But they didn't get far before they stopped. Kiri and Kyaku's faces turned pale.
In front of them, at their eleven o'clock and one o'clock positions, two Konoha scout teams had appeared. Eight enemies. They had gone too deep. Or rather, these Konoha teams had already been lurking around the trap, waiting to hunt any Mist ninja who triggered it.
Kiri cursed Hiru's entire lineage in his mind, while raw fear gripped Kyaku. He was already injured. Three against eight—he was almost certainly doomed.
In contrast, Zangetsu remained calm. He held his kunai in a defensive stance, his eyes quickly scanning the environment. His intuition told him that there were no Elite Jonin among the eight opponents. If he wanted to run, they couldn't stop him.
But he didn't plan to just run. He wanted to see if he could kill them all and fake his own death, allowing him to finally escape the Hidden Mist and begin his plan to romance Tsunade.
"Looks like we've caught a big fish," one of the Konoha ninja, a middle-aged man who was likely a team leader, said with a hint of excitement. A Jonin was a valuable asset to any village. Killing him would be equivalent to an A-rank mission.
"Big fish? Hmph, we'll see who the real fish is," Kiri scoffed, refusing to show weakness.
"Such a tough talker. Is that all Mist ninja are good for?" the Konoha captain taunted.
"Why waste time talking? Just kill them," another Konoha Jonin, the leader of the second squad, said impatiently.
"Kill me? Let's see who dies today!" Kiri roared and quickly formed hand seals.
"Water Style: Hidden Mist Jutsu!"
A dense fog instantly rose, enveloping the three Mist ninja. But even as the fog spread, Zangetsu saw the glow of fireballs approaching them.
Without a second thought, he leaped back and formed his own seals.
"Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique!"
A huge torrent of water shot from his mouth, colliding with the fireballs.
HSSSSSSSSSS!!!
Water and fire clashed, creating a massive cloud of steam that made the already thick fog even harder to see through.
"Water Style: Water Clone Jutsu!"
Zangetsu formed more seals, creating a water clone beside him. He then used a Body Flicker Technique to hide his real body behind a large tree.
"You can't escape!!!" an angry voice shouted from the mist.
Zangetsu remained unmoved, his eyes on the fallen Kyaku and the fleeing Kiri.
That bastard Kiri had no intention of fighting. The moment he used the Hidden Mist Jutsu, he had turned to run. On his way out, he had even slammed his body into Kyaku, knocking him to the ground. He had abandoned them both, using them as bait to create his own escape opportunity. Such an act was unforgivable even in the Hidden Mist. Kiri must have been certain that Zangetsu and Kyaku would die here, and his actions would never be exposed.
Zangetsu's eyes turned cold, but he didn't pursue Kiri.
What he needed today was to "die" here, not escape with his life.
-------
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