After crossing another stretch of forest, Takeya—still carrying Enshin on his back and trying to escape—was suddenly blocked by a black-clad figure.
"Don't even think about going further!"
Takeya kicked the man square in the face.
"Get the hell out of my way!"
The black-clad man didn't get angry—he laughed.
At the same moment, another attacker from Takeya's flank hurled a kunai.
An explosive tag was tied to its handle.
Takeya's ears twitched.
His peripheral vision caught the glint of steel.
Bad—!
He was mid-air.
The force from his kick was already spent.
Both hands were occupied holding Enshin.
There was no way to dodge.
No spare hand to block.
Whoosh—
In Takeya's vision, a pale-blue chakra thread snapped around the kunai and violently flung it back—
Pff!
The attacker's eyes widened in disbelief as the kunai pierced straight through his forehead.
Then—
BOOM—!
The explosion echoed through the forest.
Three black-clad figures perched in the trees, along with the one on the ground whose face still bore Takeya's footprint, all fell into stunned silence.
"Did… did Konoha reinforcements arrive?!" ×4
Takeya landed heavily, Enshin still on his back, staring at the aftermath as flames from the explosive tag crackled.
He recognized it instantly.
A B-rank explosive tag.
The war had only just ended.
Explosive tags were scarce to begin with.
B-rank tags were selling for over ten thousand ryō on the black market.
In peacetime:
C-rank: ~500 ryō
B-rank: ~2,000 ryō
A-rank: ~20,000 ryō
No ordinary wandering ninja or mercenary group would ever waste something that expensive.
"You're not ordinary rogues," Takeya growled.
"Who sent you?!"
One name surfaced in his mind immediately—
Enchiu, the Daimyō's younger brother.
One of the royal factions.
As for the other uncle, Takeya had never heard of him recruiting forces—so it couldn't be him.
"If the Daimyō finds out about this," Takeya said coldly, eyes sweeping over them,
"you will all die. Along with your families."
He glanced at Enshin, careful not to frighten him further.
Then—
"Ha—"
A man wearing a rabbit-patterned mask and dressed in blue-and-white robes stepped out of the forest, yawning.
One of the black-clad men scoffed when he saw him.
"Where'd this trash come from?"
He surged forward, chakra reinforcing his legs, kunai aimed straight at the masked man's pale throat.
"Die—!"
Behind the mask, Kaito merely glanced at him.
A finger moved.
Pshhk—
Pain exploded in the attacker's chest.
He looked down in disbelief.
A pale-blue line of chakra had pierced clean through him.
"W-What… is this jutsu…?"
Kaito lazily stretched, rolling his shoulders, as if he'd just woken up.
For a moment, the forest was completely silent.
Only after the man collapsed did Kaito answer, casually:
"This is a technique that combines a chakra scalpel with chakra threads."
"In simple terms?"
"A medical ninjutsu."
The remaining attackers froze.
"…Did you hear that?"
"He said medical ninjutsu."
"He's lying. That's impossible."
One of the fallen attackers tried to crawl away.
Kaito flicked his finger.
A chakra thread wrapped around the man's ankle.
The man roared, slashing it apart with chakra-enhanced steel, leaping back to his companions.
"It really is chakra thread! I cut it!"
"But chakra threads are for surgery… or puppets…"
The last man with a blade drew it, pointing at Kaito.
"Doesn't matter! If he's a medic, he's weak! Kill him!"
Three attackers rushed him together.
Takeya hesitated—but he had to get Enshin out.
Sorry, he thought.
Good luck. That Konoha jōnin should arrive soon.
Kaito, meanwhile, was calmly analyzing his chakra control.
Threads can still be cut… control density needs work.
Three attackers closed in—one above, two flanking.
"Die—!"
Slash! Slash! Slash!
They struck.
And hit—
A wooden log.
Substitution.
Kaito's voice drifted down.
"Hey."
"Help me train my chakra threads, will you?"
"You already blocked the path ahead anyway."
Blue light bloomed.
Dozens—no, hundreds—of chakra threads lit the forest.
They were completely surrounded.
"That's impossible," one man hissed.
"No medical ninjutsu creates traps like this!"
"And over a hundred threads?!"
Kaito frowned.
"Hey."
"I didn't ask you to analyze."
"If you don't cut them…"
"You'll die."
Threads lashed out—more than a hundred, effortlessly controlled.
Then—
Someone landed.
Naoto.
He froze when he saw his subordinates trapped.
Damn—did we run into a monster?!
Then—
Kaito stopped.
He sensed movement behind him.
A blade struck—
CLANG!
Naoto's chakra-reinforced sword was blocked by a pale-blue chakra construct—
like a kunai made of light.
"What—?!"
Naoto leapt back.
"I thought it was just a Konoha jōnin…"
"But my men were stopped by you?"
"Pathetic!"
Kaito smiled behind the mask.
"'Trash' is a bit generous."
"Why don't you keep that title?"
Three attackers broke free—
And were instantly impaled mid-air by chakra threads.
Screams echoed.
"Oh, right," Kaito said lightly.
"I forgot to tell you my codename."
"My codename is Surgeon."
"As for the organization…"
He thought for a moment.
"Let's call it White Cross."
"I'm the leader of the Ten."
Naoto's scalp went numb.
"You're strong… I can't even gauge you."
"But this is Fire Country."
"Don't forget—there are Konoha ninja here."
Kaito sighed.
"Enough."
"I'm bored."
"Time to go."
An identical Kaito appeared.
"Why is it always you?" the original muttered.
The clone jogged off after directions.
Naoto attacked—
Too late.
The clone vanished.
Sweat poured down Naoto's face.
"You're a jōnin… and someone's backing you."
Kaito's expression finally shifted.
Royal politics… great.
"Sorry," Kaito said suddenly, appearing behind him.
"I remembered I need to visit the Land of Lightning."
"Can't chat."
The night wind brushed Naoto's face.
His green eyes lost all light.
Only two thoughts remained.
So fast.
Not long after, Konoha jōnin and the Daimyō's private forces arrived.
Utane An surveyed the scene.
"…Something's wrong."
"These wounds—precise. Organs pierced."
"This looks like the work of a medical ninja."
"A medic?" Uchiha En scoffed.
"Seal the bodies. Yamanaka can read memories."
Before she could answer—
"The Daimyō orders all corpses reclaimed."
They had no choice.
Far away—
At the cliff.
Takeya stood, blade embedded in the earth, body drenched in blood.
Enshin stared in despair.
Fire gathered.
"Fire Release: Flame Cannon!"
Takeya smiled faintly.
So this is it…
Enshin screamed.
"DON'T—!"
Regret shattered him.
Being a ninja… really does end badly…
And somewhere—
The name Kaito echoed in his heart.
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