[send power stones please]
Hikaru's retreat was clean and ruthless—no hesitation, no wasted movement.
Kakashi wasn't any slower either. Maybe it was because of that encounter with Kakuzu; after surviving something like that, Kakashi's "withdrawal" instincts had sharpened into something almost frighteningly decisive.
The ANBU and ROOT shinobi they didn't take with them froze in place.
They'd heard the exchange between Hikaru and Kakashi.
But that kind of retreat speed… even with mental preparation, it still left them dazed for a heartbeat.
Then training took over.
They were elites. Worse—ANBU and ROOT, the two factions with the most brutal discipline in Konoha. They didn't need words. A few glances, a few tiny shifts in posture, and the decision was made.
Of the seven ANBU remaining, four stayed behind.
Three immediately went after Hikaru.
And every ROOT operative prepared to fight.
Even knowing it was suicide, none of them hesitated.
"Decisive," Sasori rasped, voice cold and flat. "You ran quickly."
"As for you…" his tone held faint disdain, "you do have courage. But I don't like you."
The ANBU and ROOT said nothing.
They stared at him with eyes like knives—silent, determined, already resigned.
Then, without moving an inch, Sasori formed a hand seal.
A terrifying surge of chakra rolled off him.
Every Konoha shinobi tensed, because they understood exactly how dangerous the opponent in front of them was.
But a moment later—
They dropped.
One by one, they collapsed to their knees.
Beneath those thick masks, blood began seeping out—dark red, wet, unstoppable.
"So die," Sasori said indifferently.
"Once you've been poisoned, you're already dead. The only question is whether I let you die now, or later."
"And watching you cling to this mission result…" he continued, voice almost curious, "I'm getting more and more interested."
"What did you steal… that made Sunagakure that angry?"
A pause.
Then the hoarse voice softened into something cruel.
"Too bad. You won't get to see my newest artwork."
Bodies curled and toppled.
Soon they couldn't even twitch.
From the way they died, it was easy to imagine the suffering that filled their last moments.
Sasori didn't care.
To him, these shinobi were worthy of respect—and completely worthless.
Even turning their corpses into puppets would be a waste.
His gaze remained locked forward.
He was thinking.
Thinking which direction to pursue.
The ANBU had fled down the central route, meaning the enemy had split into three paths.
But Sasori had no interest in the center.
The ones he cared about were the two who'd been rescued and extracted.
If he wanted answers, the shortest path was choosing between them.
It wasn't purely tactical.
There was also spite.
His parents had died to Konoha's kakashi.
How could he not hate Konoha?
And now, he'd stumbled onto an opportunity to strike back.
Especially since the two who had intervened were both white-haired.
That alone made him even less willing to let them go.
There was just one uncertainty—
Was the lightning user Kakashi Hatake?
"From the feel of the technique… it resembled Chidori," Sasori thought, "but it wasn't the same."
His eyes shifted south.
"The white-haired one is the captain. The other called him 'Captain.'"
"I've heard Kakashi is arrogant. And he's the Hokage's disciple—he wouldn't casually call someone else captain."
"Then…"
Decision made, Sasori moved.
Hiruko leapt like a shadow, and he headed straight south.
…
"Damn it."
Hikaru supported Namuki as they fled, his perception never leaving the battlefield behind them.
He'd already sensed it: the ANBU and ROOT who stayed behind… all their life signatures had vanished.
And Sasori, after only a brief consideration, was coming straight for him.
Hikaru had expected it.
Still, it was a headache.
Luckily—he still had one trump card left to save his life.
"Cough—cough—!"
Namuki suddenly convulsed, then spat a mouthful of pitch-black blood.
Hikaru glanced at him. Namuki's complexion was turning worse by the second.
"You alright?" Hikaru asked.
"I… can still hold on," Namuki forced out through clenched teeth. "Is he coming after us?"
"He is, Captain." Hikaru nodded once. "He probably thinks we're more valuable."
He glanced at Namuki without changing his tone.
Earlier, this man had been protected at the center of the formation.
That hadn't been accidental.
It was meant to make Sasori believe Namuki was the most valuable target.
And then Kakashi had called Hikaru "Captain" in front of Sasori.
Now the "value" of Hikaru's side was even higher than Kakashi's.
Namuki stared at Hikaru and spoke slowly, deliberately.
"I've heard you have sensory ability."
"After seeing you today… that evaluation is wrong."
Then, word by word, he said:
"Put me down."
"Escape alone and deliver the intelligence. That's what matters most."
As he spoke, Namuki dragged out a scroll from his chest and held it out to Hikaru.
Hikaru flicked his eyes to it.
He didn't take it.
But behind the mask, his expression changed.
So that's what this was.
This bastard was trying to play a "righteous sacrifice" card to pin Hikaru in place.
Leave him behind for Sasori?
Did he even have fighting strength left?
No.
Not even close.
Judging by Namuki's condition, if Hikaru dropped him here, he wouldn't delay Sasori for more than a few seconds.
And yet Namuki made it sound noble—so noble it stank.
Because the real plan was obvious.
If Sasori captured Namuki, Namuki would put on a show of "dying resistance."
All he'd need to do was hint at doubt—
Or even flat-out tell Sasori, "You're chasing the wrong one. The important target went north."
Then Sasori wouldn't abandon the chase.
Even if Sasori would normally stop after failing to catch up for a while, this kind of "confirmation" would make him pursue relentlessly.
And that would mean Kakashi's side—the ROOT operative he was escorting—would be much safer.
The mission outcome would survive.
That was the logic.
Mission first. Anyone can be sacrificed.
Namuki was the kind of man who lived by that.
And Hikaru knew his name.
Not just "Namuki, ANBU captain."
But Namuki the one who sided with Danzo.
Hikaru's eyes narrowed slightly behind the mask, something sharp and dangerous flashing through his gaze.
In that moment, he realized he'd made a mistake.
This man wasn't worth investing in.
And he no longer had any value to invest in.
"Captain," Hikaru said softly.
His voice turned warm—almost gentle—like it had in the old days.
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
He smiled.
And his smile carried a chill that didn't reach his voice.
"I'll take you back."
"I'll take you home."
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