"He's still breathing."
Ziji placed her fingers on the chest of Yuki's envoy, feeling the faint but persistent heartbeat. He had fallen unconscious due to the backlash from taking a soldier pill.
He was still alive! The worst scenario that Kazuma feared hadn't happened.
"Good, he's alive!"
Kazuma let out a sigh of relief. He had learned about the forbidden techniques of the Tsuchigumo Clan in the forbidden archives of the palace—a secret so well-guarded that the ninja forces, numbering likely over a thousand, had invested a great deal of effort in gathering information.
The Tsuchigumo's forbidden techniques weren't like ordinary forbidden arts acquired through years of practice. Instead, they were inherited techniques passed down through the clan, almost having a tangible existence beyond just "knowledge."
Although their nature was somewhat mysterious and hard to understand, one thing was clear:
The palace's spies had concluded that capturing the forbidden arts of the Tsuchigumo Clan was exceedingly difficult, and capturing Yuki's envoy alive would likely be the only way to secure them. At the time, Yuki's envoy had not been as weakened as he was now.
After weighing the risks, the palace had refrained from making a move on the Tsuchigumo Clan.
Until now—
Once renowned, Yuki's envoy had first been worn down by time and then ambushed by Kazuma, left vulnerable and outnumbered... The forbidden arts of the Tsuchigumo Clan were now either going to vanish into the past or fall into Kazuma's hands, waiting for a chance to be revived.
Which outcome it would be depended on Kazuma's efforts and luck.
"He can't be moved?"
Kazuma, relaxed for only a few seconds, grew frustrated once again.
"Leader, don't put this on me. I'm no Tsunade. This old man is barely breathing; I can't guarantee he'll survive if you carry him. If you run fifty meters, he might become a corpse."
Ziji placed her hands on Yuki's envoy's chest, using a healing technique to reduce the backlash from the soldier pill.
"Is there any way at all?"
"No."
Ziji's definitive answer left Kazuma defeated. He crouched down in resignation. "Well, it looks like we'll have to try something here. Kamanosuke, Kohanemaru, Tenme, go after Dairiku; don't let them escape."
As he rummaged through Yuki's envoy's pockets, Kazuma issued orders to his companions. Originally, he hadn't planned to pursue Dairiku. Once he had captured Yuki's envoy, he had intended to relocate and work on obtaining the forbidden arts. But with Yuki's envoy unable to be moved, plans had changed.
In this case, he couldn't let Dairiku escape.
Otherwise...
He could easily imagine what would happen if Dairiku and the others escaped; soon, Konoha's ninja would arrive, especially Enma, who was still lurking at the palace. Kazuma had little confidence in facing such a powerful opponent.
"Haha! Leave it to me!"
Kohanemaru, with his hand on his sword hilt, had yet to cool down his bloodlust.
They had achieved their objective, but not a single person had been slain. Even without Kazuma's orders, he had already planned to chase down and take out the irritating Dairiku.
"I'll do my best."
Kamanosuke left his words open-ended, indicating he'd see how things went. As Dairiku's old rival, he knew the tricks Dairiku had up his sleeve. With six against one, they'd undoubtedly bring Dairiku down. But with only himself, Tenme, and Kohanemaru, defeating Dairiku would be possible, but killing him might not be easy if Dairiku was intent on escaping.
"Alright... Yunko, you go too," Kazuma said after considering it for two seconds.
For insurance, Kazuma decided to add one more. Tenme was good at tracking, Kohanemaru preferred frontal attacks, Kamanosuke excelled at ambushes, and Yunko, a Lightning Release specialist, was the fastest for short-range movement. If Dairiku tried to escape, Yunko could intercept him.
With four of them, they'd have a high chance of taking down Dairiku.
"What about you two? Just you and Ziji…?" Kamanosuke looked at Kazuma.
There were only six of them, so sending four would stretch Kazuma's side thin, leaving limited resources if anything unexpected happened. The palace wasn't far, and it was possible they could run into others even if Dairiku didn't call for backup.
As part of the Guardian Twelve, they knew that the palace, like a drop of honey on the ground, attracted ninja from all over the country. The palace ninja numbers were not far behind those of Konoha.
"Don't worry; I have backup here," Kazuma replied without lifting his head. He had found several scrolls in Yuki's envoy's pocket and was examining each one, hoping to find something useful.
Kamanosuke nodded, remaining silent. He knew Kazuma had his own followers who had helped them track down Yuki's envoy's group this time. Since Kazuma didn't lack support, he'd focus solely on hunting Dairiku.
Without delay, they set off, following their standard formation, with Tenme, the sensory ninja, leading, and the others following closely. They pursued Dairiku's trail at top speed.
...
Holding the unconscious Tsuchigumo Hotaru, Dairiku couldn't help but slow down. His companion, Tobie, also couldn't maintain a high speed. As Yuki's envoy's attendant, he was getting on in age.
Tobie had taken several hits in his earlier battle with Kohanemaru. Though the wounds weren't deep enough to take him out of action, blood loss was unavoidable. Even though he took a blood-staunching pill, the effect took time, and he had already been weakened.
His breathing grew ragged, and he felt his strength waning.
"Dairiku, it looks like they haven't followed us yet!"
"Just keep going a bit longer. We can't be sure they've given up."
Dairiku's tone was serious.
Tobie shook his head and replied with difficulty, "Master Dairiku, if… if they do catch up, please don't worry about me. I'll stay behind to buy time; please take Lady Hotaru and keep going. My abilities can probably only stall them for a few seconds."
This old man's resolve was impressive.
Though his breath came in gasps like an old bellows, he was still tying explosive tags to his kunai as he ran.
"...Understood."
After a two-second pause, Diluk gave a definitive answer.
"Thank you for your help."
Dunbei's pale face softened slightly with a hint of a smile as he expressed his sincere gratitude.
To him, death wasn't something to be feared. At over sixty years old, he was considered to have lived a long life in this world. As an orphan taken in by the Yakshi Traveler, he might not have survived to this age without that stroke of fortune. To him, each extra day was a gift.
Just as he was speaking, Diluk suddenly looked back over his shoulder.
"They're here!"
Although brief, his words conveyed everything to Dunbei, who followed his gaze and immediately recognized the figure approaching with a blade in hand—a sight he could never forget. White hair, a beautiful fox-like face…
And they weren't alone.
In addition to the blade-wielding Kohomaru, there was Yunkou, enveloped in lightning, and Tenmu, who didn't appear remarkable at first glance.
"Three of them?"
Diluk frowned.
It was a relief not to see Kazuma among them, but they couldn't rule out the possibility that Kazuma and Kamano were lurking underground, given their expertise in earth techniques. Even without them, Kohomaru and the other two would be more than enough for him to handle alone.
They were all elite ninjas of the Guardian Twelve. Although differences in skill levels existed, they were never so drastic that anyone could easily outmatch another in a one-on-one fight.
"Master Diluk, take Lady Hotaru and go ahead. I'll stay and buy you some time," Dunbei quickly offered, ready to fulfill the promise he'd just made.
But—
"Wait," Diluk stopped him suddenly. "There are a lot of people ahead; we might have a chance."
Diluk wasn't a specialized sensory ninja like Tenmu, but his spiritual training from the Fire Temple gave him a heightened perception, much sharper than the average elite ninja.
Shortly after noticing Kohomaru and his group drawing near, he sensed a significant cluster of chakra waves up ahead. Among these, he could detect a few especially powerful ones. Based on their quantity and quality, it was likely they were upper-tier ninjas at least.
For a brief moment, Diluk felt a spark of hope.
They were still in the Land of Fire, after all, and Konoha had the most ninjas here. Other ninja villages and clans rarely traveled in such large groups, so there was a high probability the ones ahead were Konoha ninjas. If they were, then they not only had a chance to escape, but they might also be able to turn the tables and defeat Kazuma's group.
Diluk wasn't the only one who had noticed, of course. Even with his limited sensory skills, he'd been able to detect the chakra waves ahead. Tenmu, a professional sensor, had already noticed them as well. Using his "Bird's-Eye Technique," he sent his mental energy soaring above like an invisible bird, surveying everything below.
He and Diluk had noticed almost simultaneously because Tenmu couldn't use the technique while moving at high speed. He hadn't detected the group during his previous scan when they were further away.
As the distance closed, however, Tenmu sensed the chakra cluster, crouched down, and performed another round of the Bird's-Eye Technique. This time, he took in the scene ahead before the others, and his expression grew strange.
"Something's changed!"
With no time for discretion, he yelled out to alert Kohomaru, Yunkou, and Kamano, who was lying in wait for an ambush underground. Sound can travel through solid matter, and in fact, it travels even faster that way.
What he saw was so unexpected that his mind momentarily struggled to process it.
"What's going on?"
Kamano surfaced from the ground.
They'd only just caught up, and Kamano's Earth Technique wasn't faster than the others'. Earth techniques excelled at stealth, not speed. He hadn't yet caught up to Diluk and his group when he heard Tenmu's shout.
"There are a lot of ninjas ahead. I didn't have time to count them, but there are at least thirty or so."
"Konoha ninjas?"
Kamano's face paled.
Thirty Konoha ninjas? What kind of bad luck was this? Why would there be that many Konoha ninjas here? As Kamano mulled over which way to escape and whether he should signal Kazuma, Tenmu responded with an unexpected answer.
"No, judging by their headbands and attire… they look like Mist ninjas!"
"...What did you say? Mist ninjas?"
Kamano froze, dumbfounded.
What was going on? Thirty Mist ninjas… Why would Mist ninjas be here? Wasn't this still the Land of Fire? Had they somehow unknowingly fallen into a time-space technique and been transported to the Land of Water?
Kamano, with his unassuming appearance and young but farmer-like demeanor, wasn't the type to spend his days training nonstop. In his spare time, he enjoyed reading—not popular works like Icha Icha Paradise, but more mythical and fantasy-based stories.
He was no stranger to wild ideas.
"Kamano, are we still pursuing them?" Tenmu asked, looking at the dazed Kamano. "Kohomaru and Yunkou have already charged ahead."
"What? Those idiots!"
Kamano snapped out of it, glaring at their backs in frustration, but he quickly gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, Tenmu, let's go check it out too. If it's Mist ninjas… Well, Konoha and Mist may be allies now, but that doesn't mean they'll go out of their way to help Konoha. Plus, Diluk's group isn't Konoha ninjas. If we act quickly, we might still have a chance to take them down."
"All right!"
Tenmu shrugged, agreeing casually.
After all, with Kohomaru and Yunkou leading the charge, they could still retreat if things went south. And honestly, ever since the day they'd chosen to "defect" with Kazuma, they'd accepted the risk of life and death.
Of course, if there's a chance to live, they didn't need to go looking for death.
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