Hunt

Run wildly!

The trees on both sides flashed by like lightning, and the man leaped from tree to tree, trying his best to speed up!

Whew! Whew!

Sweat dripped from his forehead down his cheeks and into the air.

His disordered breathing and terrified expression indicated that the man was being pursued by a dangerous entity!

Faster! Faster!

Every breath felt like a burning pain, his chest felt like it was about to explode, and the adverse reactions throughout his body told him that he was nearing his limit. However, the nagging feeling drove his heavy legs to keep moving, relentlessly fleeing, because if he were caught—

Whoosh--!

A kunai emitting a chilling Kunai behind, grazing the man's face and fixing his gaze firmly on the ground!

"You... you caught up!"

A man draped in a cloak and wearing a bamboo hat, his face buried deep beneath the hat, turned around trembling. Behind him, a slender figure, still somewhat childish, gently landed on the ground. Her green eyes stared coldly at the man, without the slightest ripple of emotion!

"Have you chosen your final resting place?" I asked calmly.

I've been keeping a distance behind him, wearing him down, but now I've finally decided to stop this pointless chase.

Since receiving the assembly order yesterday, my short vacation has been ruined, and I have to throw myself back into the Anbu's mission. Well, this assembly isn't anything major, it's just that the Chunin Ninja Exams, which are held twice a year, are starting again in July. After the Konoha Crush Plan last time, Konoha is paying more attention to the safety of the Chunin Ninja Exams, which means that our entire Anbu has to be summoned to eliminate hidden dangers in the Land of Fire and Konoha!

My orders were to investigate Watanabe Kurogarasu, Chunin stationed at an intelligence post near the border of the Land of Fire. Intelligence indicated that he had apparently been in contact with unidentified individuals, raising suspicions that he had betrayed Konoha!

I never expected that Kurogarasu had other intelligence channels and knew in advance that Konoha was going to take action against him. I had just arrived at the intelligence station when I found it deserted. Obviously, he had a guilty conscience and had fled in advance! From the residual warmth of the seat, I deduced that he had just left, so I used the tracking techniques I learned in my Anbu training to follow him closely!

Keep him at a distance, forcing him to keep running away, creating immense psychological pressure on him, so as to quickly exhaust his physical strength—one of the guiding principles of the Anbu's pursuit and assassination rules.

Theory is no substitute for practice. This was my first time completing such a task independently, and I'm not sure if I've handled it well. But honestly, given his ninja-like nature, wouldn't it have been more effective to just kill him? Following him for so long wouldn't have made much sense, since he couldn't beat me anyway!

He's just an Elite Chunin- level ninja! Even I, who just graduated from the Ninja Academy, am much stronger than him. Besides, since graduating from the Ninja Academy, I've fought against so many strong Tsunade, learned Tsunade's Ninjutsu, reorganized my Ninjutsu system, and made up for many of my shortcomings. Now, apart from lacking combat experience, my combat power has begun to reach or even surpass Kakashi's level!

The middle-aged man before me seemed to have some schemes up his sleeve, but faced with an absolute disparity in strength, all his tricks and schemes were useless. Since he wanted to play some tricks on me, I'd rather just watch the show!

"I never expected that the one who chased after me was just a little girl..." The cold sweat and nervous expression on Kurogarasu's face vanished the moment he turned around, as if everything I had seen before was just an illusion! This guy, he really is an actor of his caliber. After following me for so long, I thought he was really getting tired! If I hadn't taken the initiative to speed up and intercept him, I don't know how long he would have led me in circles!

No—maybe even if I didn't do it, he would have stopped on his own?

"You're Watanabe Kurogarasu, right?" The faint, dismissive smile on Kurogarasu's face didn't affect my demeanor. I asked matter-of-factly, "I'm here to investigate your alleged illegal contact with foreign ninjas. Hmm... looks like there's no need for further investigation! Just surrender obediently. If you resist, I have the right to kill you on the spot!"

"Heh heh, asking such a childish question, do you think I'd agree? You really are a newbie..." Kurogarasu's mockery deepened. "I could tell from your rigid tracking methods! I was worried you wouldn't be able to catch up..."

"Trying to provoke me? Are you so eager to die? Well, someone like you, swayed by a pittance to betray the village, can't think long-term!"

Kurogarasu's smile vanished, replaced by an indignant look as he said to me, "What do you know! Ever since the Third Hokage regained power, Konoha has become increasingly corrupt, sinking deeper and deeper into a facade of peace! I risked my life for Konoha, I went everywhere urging everyone to be vigilant, and the result was that I was sidelined and banished to this godforsaken place to waste my time!"

At first glance, Kurogarasu seemed to have a point; it seemed that Konoha had indeed mistreated a meritorious official and deliberately suppressed him. Unfortunately, since this was my first investigation mission, I had done my homework beforehand and pulled up his file. Kurogarasu had participated in the Third Shinobi World War and had killed several people on the battlefield with his decent trap-making skills, so he had made some contributions. However, Kurogarasu was a very radical hawkish supporter. After the war, he had been openly and covertly advocating war ideology, ignoring repeated warnings. He even once attempted to selfishly attack the Kumogakure Ninja disrupt peace, and after his failure, he was demoted to the frontier!

Therefore, Kurogarasu's righteous indignation is nothing but a joke in my eyes! He clearly made a mistake but refused to admit it, making it Konoha's problem instead!

"Is this your reason for betraying Konoha?" I sneered. "If you like militarism so much, why don't you join Danzo? You two should have a lot in common! Afraid to join Root? It's clear you're all talk! All that nice talk, all that self-righteousness, is just nonsense. You're just a victim who refused to admit your mistakes after losing a side!"

"On your lips...? Well, then you'll see if I'm just talking!" Kurogarasu laughed loudly. "You should have seen my profile, right? I'm the best at making traps! Rashly following a trap-making master... Heh heh, should I praise your courage or despise your stupidity?"

After finishing, Kurogarasu took out a Kunai, attached a burning Explosive Tag, and quickly threw it at me.

Boom boom boom--!

The Explosive Tag hidden underground and in the forest detonated in a series of explosions, creating a deafening roar that stirred up clouds of dust, and even the ground trembled slightly from the sound!

Whoosh whoosh whoosh--!

Countless Kunai and Shuriken shot out from the mechanisms in the forest, covering every inch of the area I was in, leaving no gaps!

The continuous blasting of the mechanisms lasted for a full half minute before stopping! As the dust settled, the earth looked as if it had been gnawed, with not a single inch of flat ground to be found. Every patch of land was blasted up with fresh mud, and everywhere was full of pits and countless scattered Kunai!

To be able to create such a powerful trap in such a short time after receiving the information—truly a master of traps! Even a regular ninja would be quickly blown up by the Explosive Tag, even if they used defensive Ninjutsu! Even a typical Jonin couldn't just Earth Flow right into his trap and escape safely!

But--

"Azure Water Release? Absolute Defense!"

The pale blue water film firmly blocked the explosion and Kunai outside the film. Even the loud explosion was blocked by the soundproof layer formed by the vacuum between the two water films, so it couldn't get in! The simple explosion and Kunai were completely suppressed by my Azure Water Release and could not cause me any harm.

As the explosions subsided, all the traps had been activated. I removed the water shield, and the dust gradually settled.

"Hahaha!" Kurogarasu's smug laughter rang out. "What foolish Anbu! They must have been blown to smithereens, their bodies utterly gone—"

Kurogarasu's arrogant laughter abruptly stopped the moment he saw me appear. He raised his finger, staring at me in disbelief!

"How... how is this possible! Completely unharmed after my trap bombardment—! Damn it!"

Kurogarasu finally realized that after his most ruthless tactics had failed to work on me, the person standing before him was an opponent he could only look up to, an opponent he could not defeat and could only flee from! Cold sweat broke out on his forehead once again, this time not as a feigned trap, but as genuine cold sweat from fear!

"Don't be so smug! You think I only set a trap for you? I have other tricks up my sleeve! As long as I—"

I've lost interest in listening to him anymore. I've already wasted too much time on him, and I'm tired of his tricks! I've given him a chance, and since he doesn't appreciate it, then it's over!

Water Release: Wind Cutter Water Blade!

"Earth Release? Earth Style Wall!"

A towering earthen wall and a blue waterline appeared simultaneously! However, even the thick earthen wall could not withstand the impact of the waterline, and the Kurogarasu hiding behind the earthen wall had its heart pierced by the waterline!

Cough! Fresh blood gushed from the Kurogarasu's beak, splattering onto the earthen wall. The Kurogarasu's clothes on its chest were completely soaked and stained red with blood!

"What... what kind of Ninjutsu is this? It actually... even the Earth Style Wall, which is the most effective counter to Water Release..." Kurogarasu's eyes widened, his gaze gradually fading. He collapsed to the ground before he could even finish his last sentence. It's likely that he would never understand, even in death, why Water Release that didn't seem particularly powerful could so easily penetrate the earthen wall and kill him!

I took out the quest scroll and opened it; a character card fell out. It read: --

Watanabe Kurogarasu (7 years old): Elite Chunin, with Lightning and Earth attributes, skilled in various ninja tools, trap making, assassination techniques, and Taijutsu.

... Once confirmed to have defected from Konoha, it is recommended that they be executed on the spot!

It's a real shame, I initially thought at most we'd just be taking him back to Konoha...!

"If you don't court death, you won't die." I slashed off the Kurogarasu's head and sealed it into the scroll, muttering to myself to the now-unresponsive Kurogarasu, "Originally, if you had surrendered obediently, you might have had a sliver of hope!"

The Chakra reactions around were getting closer and closer; they probably rushed over as soon as they heard the explosion!

"If you fail to recognize your own strength and that of your opponent, and blindly provoke them, you'll lose your life! Don't you agree?"

Three ninjas appeared before me! Deep, horizontal scars ran across their foreheads, clearly indicating they were missing-nin. Were they Kurogarasu's second trump card? Unfortunately, he didn't last until reinforcements arrived; I instantly killed him!

"You actually killed Kurogarasu... This guy may be arrogant, but his trap-making skills are unparalleled!" The leading ninja, his entire body wrapped in bandages, glanced at the decapitated Kurogarasu and said, "Even though the trap was triggered, you still managed to kill Kurogarasu. Not bad!"

"Boss, I think I recognize her...! If I remember correctly," the short man in all black standing in front grinned lewdly, "Her name is Sakura Haruno, she's Chunin from Konoha, there's a bounty on her in the black market, someone's offered 5 million for her head! How about we...! Hehe!"

"Heh heh ha ha--!" The ninja, his entire body wrapped in bandages, chuckled sinisterly. "Looks like I didn't make a wasted trip today; in fact, I've gained quite a bit!"

The blatant killing intent emanating from the three missing-nin made me frown. It seems Kurogarasu won't be lonely, because... I'm about to send these three fools on their way to join him!

Hearing that I also had a bounty on my head startled me slightly, then a surge of anger welled up inside me! There aren't many people who have a grudge against me and can afford the bounty. It's either revenge from the Gato Party, the work of die-hard loyalists from the Land of Snow's Kazahana Dōtō who didn't all die, or perhaps an Akatsuki bounty on me! But for the black market within the Land of Fire to dare openly publish a bounty on Konoha Ninja! Regardless of what other Konoha Ninja think, I'll wipe out any Bounty Guild that dares to do this!

The killing intent was building up in my heart!

"Ninjutsu? Lightning Flash Shadow!"

This is a support Ninjutsu developed from Tsunade's Body Pathway Derangement, but in reverse, while Body Pathway Derangement targets the enemy's nervous system, this Ninjutsu targets my own! Simply put, this Ninjutsu is a support Ninjutsu that can speed up my reaction time!

We all know that the human body's ability to receive signals from the limbs and to control limb movement relies on the transmission of nerve signals between nerve cells. More fundamentally, it's an electrical signal traveling through nerve fibers via localized current. The transmission speed of this signal is generally between 10 and 10 meters per second. The so-called reaction time, besides the time required for the brain to make a judgment, mainly refers to the time it takes for the signal from the brain to travel to the spinal cord and then to the muscles in the hands and feet, typically as fast as 0.1 seconds. This time cannot be shortened through training. Common methods to improve reaction speed only involve extensive training to form conditioned reflexes, thereby shortening the time it takes for the brain to make a judgment.

While the speed of nerve impulse conduction cannot be increased through training, it can be forcibly increased through Medical Ninjutsu! The simplest method is to stimulate nerve fibers with Medical Ninjutsu to make them thicker, and the thicker the nerve fiber, the faster the conduction speed! However, because it involves the delicate nervous system, such stimulation can only be carried out little by little; otherwise, it will cause damage if not handled carefully. Although it can stimulate nerve cells to grow new synapses and reconnect, all the previous efforts will be wasted!

While this method offers a permanent solution, it's relatively slow to take effect and has its limits. Therefore, based on the Body Pathway Derangement, I developed another, more aggressive auxiliary Ninjutsu — Lightning Flash Shadow! It converts Chakra into electrons and fills the nerve fibers in the body, using them to replace sodium and potassium ions in conducting electrical signals within the nerve fibers, thereby greatly increasing the speed of electrical signal transmission! The specific technical details, of course, cannot be explained in a few words, and there are many challenges in exploring this Ninjutsu! However, compared to the difficulties in developing the Azure Water Release back then, the problems encountered in this Ninjutsu are almost entirely technical, and some can even be solved after mastering its use.

Right now, I've only accelerated a few key nerve fibers with this Ninjutsu —any more than that is beyond my Chakra control. After all, performing such subtle operations with Chakra is a huge Ninjutsu even for me!

Nevertheless, I clearly felt what a tremendous improvement this was! Every action could be changed instantly with just a thought—it seemed that in an instant, I had reached the state of "eyes and hands moving in unison"! A mysterious feeling welled up in my heart!

Are you... ready?

Looking at the three missing-nin opposite me, I said confidently!

With a powerful stomp, my Monstrous Strength Technique exploded, creating two deep craters in the floor! The mere dozen meters between us vanished in an instant. Using the explosive power of my Monstrous Strength Technique, I instantly reached the sleazy man in black standing at the front. Even in such a high-speed battle, I made the right move—my left hand blocked his instinctively outstretched Kunai my right hand plunged the Kunai into his heart! This short, thin ninja, without even a final word, fell into the cycle of life, filled with deep regret and fear!

Bang--!

In my pursuit of a fatal blow, I accelerated excessively and lost control, knocking the black-clad man's body away. I also fell to the ground somewhat awkwardly, rolling more than ten meters away!

"This is the first one...!" Even though I was covered in dust and dirt from the fall, I still smiled triumphantly!

[I actually thought of the idea for Lightning Flash Shadow a long time ago, but that's for Lightning Release ninjas. Sakura doesn't know much about Lightning Release, but this Ninjutsu isn't really Lightning Release!]