Lock reappeared in a narrow street with a flash. Before he could move, he sensed dozens of chakra signatures rushing toward him from every direction — they'd surround him in seconds.
He exhaled through his mask, voice low.
"Guess I'll have to carve my way out."
Since talks had broken down, there was no reason to leave quietly. If he had to fight, he might as well make it count — as long as he could still break free.
Blink Strike!
He vanished and reappeared behind an advancing Iwa-nin, cutting him down with a single, silent blow.
The others froze for a moment, startled — only a few had seen what happened.
High above, the Third Tsuchikage floated in mid-air, eyes narrowing. Two blinks already — not a coincidence.
"This one's using space–time ninjutsu!" he barked. "Teams of three! Watch each other's backs — don't give him an opening!"
Decades of combat experience had kicked in instantly. He'd already begun formulating counters after seeing the technique twice.
Lock didn't wait. He flickered again toward another target — but the ground trembled before he could strike. Four thick stone walls surged upward, enclosing him in a solid earthen cage.
Boom!
Lock slammed a fist into the nearest wall. The impact shattered chunks of dirt — but underneath lay dense stone.
"Tch… Yanyin really is full of surprises."
Outside, he heard the command:
"Activate the sealing array! Seal him now!"
That order made his expression sharpen.
A sealing technique inside a stone prison — if they completed it, even he might be trapped.
The only open path was up. Lock kicked off the ground and vaulted toward the top.
But the instant his head broke the rim, a barrage of jutsu rained down. He had no choice — his body shimmered, vanishing into a ripple of distorted space.
"I can't sense his chakra anymore — he's using space–time ninjutsu again!" shouted a sensor-nin. The surrounding Iwa-nin instantly regrouped, forming tight defensive circles.
Then — shhk!
A man dropped without a sound, a kunai buried in the base of his skull. Before anyone could react, another fell the same way.
Two seconds later, four shinobi lay dead — all slain with surgical precision, each from behind.
"Watch your backs! He's still here — he's striking from the rear!"
The Iwa-nin tightened formation. They were elite — and quick to adapt — but Lock was faster.
A jōnin felt a chill along his neck and spun forward just in time; Lock's blade sliced across his shoulder instead of his throat. The man staggered, bleeding but alive.
"Why can't we sense him?!" shouted one of the sensors. "He's attacking, but his chakra's completely gone!"
No one had an answer. Lock moved like a ghost — his strikes left no chakra signature, no warning. Fear began to spread through the ranks.
"What kind of space–time technique is this…?"
"Fall back! One hundred meters, now!" the Third Tsuchikage ordered, watching from above.
He'd already analyzed the pattern — Lock could only strike one target at a time, always from close range. Those farther away were safe… for now.
But even as his troops retreated, two more fell before reaching the perimeter.
"I've got his chakra!" a sensor suddenly yelled.
Before the words finished echoing —
Blink Strike!
Lock appeared behind another Iwa-nin at the outer edge of the ring and drove his kunai clean through the man's back.
"He's there! Kill him!"
But Lock didn't stay. He was already moving, sprinting toward the village's outskirts.
A whistling sound cut through the air. Lock's instincts screamed — he twisted, glancing back.
The Third Tsuchikage was right behind him, floating effortlessly, closing the gap in seconds.
Lock's eyes narrowed. Fast…!
He'd escaped the Iwa-nin, but now he had the Tsuchikage himself on his heels.
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