Deep within the mountain forest.
Hanguang and Kakashi stood atop the trees, observing a group of more than a dozen Cloud ninjas.
"No A-B Duo?"
Not seeing Killer B and A among them, Hanguang looked slightly disappointed.
He had stayed here specifically waiting for the legendary A-B combination.
"Kakashi, keep scouting. I'm going back to sleep."
"Huh?"
When Kakashi turned around, Hanguang was already gone.
There are still more than ten Cloud shinobi here — and you're just leaving?!
Back on the mountainside, Hanguang noticed his clothes had been neatly mended.
Yugao Uzuki was fiddling with a trap, seemingly trying to catch… birds?
"What kind of trap is that?" Hanguang asked curiously.
It looked like a clamp mechanism, but also not quite — connected by thin fishing line.
Hearing his voice, Yugao turned around, her face instantly turning bright red.
"P-Please put your clothes on first!"
"Ah… forgot."
After putting them on, Hanguang walked over.
Yugao picked up a wooden stick and demonstrated.
"Look, this stick represents a bird landing on the line."
She gently pressed it against the thread.
Snap!
The clamp closed instantly, breaking the stick in half.
Hanguang: "..."
"Well? Strong enough, right?" she said proudly.
"So where are you planning to place this?" he asked.
"Of course, on the trees."
"But there's a big problem with this trap."
"Hm?"
"There's no bait. Without bait, no bird will land on it."
Yugao froze.
He wasn't wrong.
If she added bait, the trap would trigger prematurely.
After thinking hard for a long time, she still couldn't come up with a solution.
In the end, it was Hanguang who helped her improve it.
"Why hasn't Kakashi returned yet?"
Glancing at the sun, Hanguang muttered uneasily.
It was nearly noon — this was not normal.
"Maybe he ran into danger?" Yugao suggested.
They quickly left the mountainside and headed into the forest to investigate.
At the ruins of the Cloud supply base.
Kakashi lay on the ground, a foot planted squarely on his face.
"So you're Hatake Kakashi? The one who destroyed our supply post?"
A's rough, domineering voice dripped with contempt.
As the son of the Third Raikage, A had used barely over a dozen Cloud ninjas as bait to lure out the hidden enemy.
What disappointed him was that the attacker was just this so-called Leaf "genius".
This?
This weakling who went down with one punch was Konoha's genius?
"Looks like Konoha really has no one left. Even trash like this can be called a genius now."
Beside him, Killer B cracked his knuckles.
"Big bro, let me kill him!"
This guy had caused the deaths of over a hundred Cloud comrades — he couldn't be spared.
"Wait, B. He should have teammates," A reminded calmly.
A standard infiltration squad was usually at least three people.
That meant two more Leaf ninjas were nearby.
"But his partners aren't showing up. Probably abandoned him," B sneered.
"Then hang him on a tree. Use him as bait to lure them out."
A's plan was simple — use Kakashi to draw the rest in.
High up in the trees.
Hanguang rubbed his eyes, looking as if he'd seen a ghost.
Yugao covered her mouth in shock.
"Is… that Kakashi?" Hanguang asked uncertainly.
He was hanging from a tree, swaying left and right — hard to see clearly.
"It's him! But why is he hang there?!" Yugao confirmed anxiously.
"He got caught."
Hanguang sighed.
Most likely, Kakashi tried to take on those Cloud ninjas alone and failed.
But why didn't they kill him? Why hang him up instead?
"…Trying to lure us out?"
That seemed the only logical answer.
"Yugao, stay here."
With that, Hanguang leapt forward.
Kakashi saw him.
Even though he was hanging from the tree, he still caught sight of Hanguang charging in.
"Don't come!" he shouted with all his strength.
He had clearly felt how terrifying those two were.
Hanguang probably couldn't handle them either.
If only he was captured, the mission still had a chance.
But if Hanguang got caught too, everything would be over.
His voice was loud.
Hanguang heard it faintly.
But instead of slowing down — he sped up.
Just as he approached Kakashi, a figure burst out from the side, lightning crackling around his body.
"GET LOST!"
Boom!
Hanguang casually swung a punch.
CRACK!
The lightning-wrapped figure flew backward, smashing into a tree and snapping it in half.
"You actually got hung up by the Cloud like a decoration? You're disgracing Team Nine."
After freeing Kakashi, Hanguang even took the time to mock him.
"RUN!" Kakashi yelled urgently.
"You think you can leave?"
Two figures flashed into view as a rough voice echoed.
"No wonder you managed to destroy our supply base. You've got a taijutsu expert."
A's sharp gaze locked onto Hanguang.
"Big bro, let's settle this with fists!" B grinned eagerly.
In terms of close combat, who could stand against the Raikage brothers?
Hanguang's eyes lit up.
The A-B Duo?
This is exactly what I've been waiting for.
"Kakashi, fall back."
He shoved Kakashi behind him and stared at the two men.
"Be careful… their instant burst speed is insanely fast — not slower than yours," Kakashi warned.
"Oh? Is that so…"
A faint smile curved Hanguang's lips.
Fast?
But what about power?
Whoosh!
He vanished.
In an instant, he appeared before A and threw a punch with overwhelming force.
BOOOOOOM!!!
A single punch shook the air itself—
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