Hyūga Ming smiled pleasantly at the three of them, then flipped backward and landed some distance away.
"Begin!"
The moment his voice fell—
Namikaze Minato and Kushina vanished from where they stood, darting straight into the surrounding forest and disappearing into the foliage.
"They chose to hide immediately, huh?"
Hyūga Ming swept his gaze across the area. Without activating the Byakugan, he could no longer find their traces.
"A very smart choice."
When facing an opponent far stronger than yourself, the first priority is to conceal your presence and gather intelligence.
That was orthodox ninja thinking.
As for Nawaki…
Hyūga Ming looked at Nawaki, who was standing stiffly in the distance without moving, his temple twitching.
Don't tell me this idiot plans to charge head-on.
"BIG BRO!! I'M COMING!!!"
The ground beneath Nawaki's feet cracked as he launched himself forward like a cannonball, hurtling straight toward Hyūga Ming.
He really did rush in head-on.
"…Yeah. Getting blown up by explosive tags later on was honestly well-deserved."
That kind of straight-ahead, reckless ninja wasn't rare.
But among the named characters, the only one dumb enough to die that way was Nawaki.
And Hyūga Ming's goal was very simple—
Fix that flaw.
Facing the charging Nawaki, Hyūga Ming stood calmly, making no move to defend.
Nawaki saw nothing suspicious and broke into a grin.
"Got you!"
One more step and he'd land the hit. Chakra surged into his fist.
Monster Strength.
A signature technique of the Senju lineage—granting monstrous physical power.
The very ability that made Tsunade famous.
Nawaki wasn't Tsunade, but his punch was still something most people couldn't withstand.
Just as he was about to take that final step—
He suddenly stopped.
Then he slowly lowered his head.
At his feet was an explosive tag.
It was already glowing faintly.
The smile on his face froze.
"…Wait. Where the hell did this come from?"
"BOOM!"
The explosion went off—but there was little fire, only a violent shockwave that sent Nawaki flying.
Hyūga Ming yawned lazily.
"Discarded explosive tags. They only blow people away—can't really hurt anyone."
Cheap defective goods from the ninja tool shop.
They still exploded, just without the full power of proper tags.
He'd buried them here yesterday.
This spot wasn't chosen at random.
"I've set up plenty of traps around here."
Hyūga Ming's lips curled into a grin, white teeth showing, his expression chilling.
"If you're careless…"
"You'll die."
Nawaki climbed to his feet in the distance, covered in dust. Without a second thought, he charged again.
Hyūga Ming rolled his eyes.
"You know there are traps, and you still rush in like that?"
Nawaki flashed a naive grin.
"Big bro! Since the trap already went off, that means there aren't any left here!"
He accelerated again, closing the distance.
"You call me stupid, but I'm actually pretty smart!"
"Monster Strength Punch!"
He swung with all his might.
Hyūga Ming hopped lightly backward, evading the blow.
Nawaki landed where Hyūga Ming had stood and immediately tried to push off the ground again—
Then the ground vanished beneath his feet.
Nawaki: (ºДº)*
What looked like solid earth was actually just a layer of cloth.
His foot tore straight through it, and he dropped into a pit.
At the bottom, only a single wooden branch remained intact—the exact spot where Hyūga Ming had been standing earlier.
Hyūga Ming peered down into the pit, clicking his tongue and shaking his head.
"I told you there were traps. Did you really think there was only one? I'm not wrong about you at all."
At that moment—
Two figures suddenly burst from the treetops, attacking from left and right.
Hyūga Ming leapt straight up, narrowly avoiding the ambush.
Minato and Kushina saw they'd failed and didn't hesitate—vanishing back into the forest in opposite directions.
"Even switching positions," Hyūga Ming muttered, amused.
Meanwhile, Nawaki had scrambled back up to the edge of the pit.
As his hand grabbed the rim, his fingers brushed against something papery.
He looked up.
Hyūga Ming's grin widened.
"Big… bro…"
Nawaki tried to call for help.
Too late.
"BOOM!"
The pit exploded.
The shockwave flung Nawaki's arm upward. Even a weak explosion was still an explosion—
Crack.
He let out a muffled groan and fell back down.
"Looks like a fractured arm."
Hyūga Ming assessed coldly, making no move to jump down and treat him.
Instead, he leapt backward and vanished.
Minato and Kushina completely lost track of him as well.
After waiting a while with no sign of Hyūga Ming, the two finally jumped down from the trees.
"Wait," Minato suddenly said, stopping Kushina as she moved toward the pit.
He picked up a few stones and tossed them into the opening.
Only after nothing happened did he nod.
They approached the pit together.
"Nawaki-san, are you okay?" Minato called down.
Nawaki looked up, clutching his arm, on the verge of tears.
"My arm… it's broken."
"I'm coming down to help you!" Kushina shouted—and jumped straight in.
Minato scratched his cheek awkwardly.
He really hadn't expected her to jump in so recklessly.
Shouldn't you at least confirm where Hyūga Ming is first?
In reality, Hyūga Ming had already abandoned them and headed deeper into the Forest of Death.
He'd planted plenty of traps around their area.
They were going to suffer for a while.
If this still didn't fix Nawaki's habits, then once the frontline was stabilized and they returned to Konoha—
He'd just raise the difficulty.
After all, he hadn't chosen the Forest of Death just to train Nawaki.
He had his own goals.
His figure flashed through the trees at high speed.
The Forest of Death was forbidden ground. Even genin could easily die here.
It wasn't just wild animals—there were feral ninja beasts as well.
Soon, a cave came into view in the distance.
Hyūga Ming knew he was close.
He was a regular here.
The killing intent clinging to him—and his current level—had both been farmed in this forest.
No killing, no killing intent.
The bandits earlier had merely been his first time grinding humanoid enemies.
He halted on a tree branch and formed seals rapidly.
Snake – Ram – Tiger.
Chakra began to drain steadily.
"Let's say hello first."
He drew a shuriken and hurled it into the cave.
Mid-flight, it ignited, turning into a small fireball that slammed inside.
Flames erupted within the cave.
A massive, shadowy shape flickered past.
"ROAR!!"
A thunderous beast's roar shook the ground as something ferocious charged out of the cave.
Hyūga Ming flicked his wrist.
A bronze blade appeared in his hand.
"…Time to pull."
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