Reinforcements

Chiba panted heavily, a bitter smile hanging at the corners of his mouth. He was truly exhausted now. All his Chakra had been depleted, and his weary body could no longer refine any more. The Clone Technique and Transformation Jutsu just now had used up the little Chakra he had left.

The fact that he could still stand made Chiba admire himself a little. Honestly, he could barely feel his limbs anymore, yet he was somehow still standing.

He lowered his head and, after confirming that the ninja was truly dead, finally let out a breath of relief.

Then came a wave of nausea.

After all, this was Chiba's first time killing someone. In his previous life, he had lived in peaceful times and had never even witnessed a murder. Feeling sick was only natural. Along with the nausea came wave after wave of lingering fear.

Every tiny detail of the battle just now flooded back into his mind. If there had been the slightest misstep—if Young Miss had failed to use the Substitution Technique in time, if she had not noticed the charred log... if the Kunai had missed its mark while being dodged... then they would have been the ones who died! "Are you all right..." Hyuga Yukina took a few steps forward, intending to help Chiba up, when an angry shout suddenly rang out. "Young Miss, move aside! Taki Chiba! You actually helped a ninja from an enemy nation! The son of a traitor truly is a traitor!"

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

Four Kunai flew into the ground in front of Chiba, Exploding Tags fluttering from them.

Fuck!

Chiba stared at the four Kunai. They had landed right by his feet, and with a hiss, the Exploding Tags began to burn.

This bastard is trying to kill me! Chiba desperately tried to move his feet, but he had no strength left in his body. How could he possibly dodge?

He had not died at the hands of the enemy, only to die at the hands of his own people!

Pah! What own people!

Chiba cursed inwardly.

The Exploding Tags detonated with a bang. The explosions set off a chain reaction, and the other three Kunai exploded at the same time. With a boom, a fireball erupted out of nowhere and instantly swallowed Chiba.

The next moment, two figures rolled out of the fireball, smoke rising from their scorched bodies.

They were Chiba!

And Hyuga Yukina!

After rolling several times, Chiba felt the world spin. When they finally stopped, something heavy seemed to be pressing against his chest.

He looked down and saw Hyuga Yukina lying across his chest. Smoke rose from her burned back, and the smell of scorched flesh filled the air.

Hyuga Yukina's eyes were tightly shut, pain etched across her face. She appeared to have already passed out.

Chiba was slightly stunned.

She... saved me?

At that moment, a young man dressed in Hyuga attire sprinted over. Several more figures then leaped from the forest and landed behind him before following close at his heels.

"Young Miss!" The youth rushed over anxiously. When he saw the charred black patch across Hyuga Yukina's back, his Byakugan glared fiercely at Chiba, as though Hyuga Yukina's injuries were entirely Chiba's fault. He looked like he wanted to swallow Chiba alive.

Chiba sensed the youth's gaze but ignored him. His heart was filled with mixed emotions.

Scenes flashed through his mind—Hyuga Yukina diving toward him, shielding him from the blast at the moment of the explosion, and pushing him out of its range.

If not for her sudden movement to block the explosion, that blast would have taken Chiba's life.

She had saved him.

Looking at Hyuga Yukina lying on his chest with her eyes shut, Chiba moved his lips but could not say a word.

In his previous life, he had been bullied, yet no one had ever stood up for him. His relatives and friends had all bowed beneath that man's power. Until the day he died, not a single person had extended even one finger to help him.

But now, a girl had risked her life to save him.

Chiba's heart was in turmoil.

"You traitor!" The Byakugan youth suddenly drew a Kunai and glared at Chiba with hatred. He raised it and was about to drive it down, ending Chiba's life.

"Stop!" A low shout rang out. At the same time, the Byakugan youth's hand was seized.

No matter how hard the Byakugan youth tried to thrust downward, that hand held him firmly and would not let him strike.

Chiba turned his head and saw a white-haired youth with a mask covering his mouth, stopping the Byakugan youth's killing blow.

Hatake Kakashi! Chiba's pupils contracted slightly.

"Hyuga Yukyō, he is Yukina's benefactor. Calm down!" Kakashi barked again. He tightened his grip, and pain shot through Hyuga Yukyō's hand. His Kunai fell, only for Kakashi to catch it with his other hand.

The pain startled Hyuga Yukyō. He looked around and saw several adult Hyuga clan members behind him staring at him in surprise.

The situation was obvious. If Taki Chiba were a traitor to the village, why would Young Miss Yukina risk her life to save him? And judging by their positions just now, it should have been this youth who killed that ninja and saved Young Miss Yukina.

Young Master Yukyō, who was usually so calm, seemed a little out of character.

Seeing everyone's gazes, Hyuga Yukyō's face darkened. Reluctantly, he said to Chiba, "Sorry. I was too worried about Yukina and lost my head."

Hearing Hyuga Yukyō's unwilling apology, Chiba did not even acknowledge it. You were trying to kill me, so don't use Yukina as an excuse!

Chiba understood perfectly well. He did not believe Hyuga Yukyō had failed to see what had happened. It was obvious that Chiba was on their side.

He did it deliberately! This bastard truly wanted to kill me! That shout was just an excuse to use after killing me, so people would think he had overreacted out of misunderstanding. After all, I'm the son of a traitor. If he killed me by mistake, at most he'd get some token punishment. And I have no family or friends, so no one would cause him trouble.

This Hyuga Yukyō is fucking vicious!

Chiba silently committed Hyuga Yukyō to memory. At the same time, he glanced at Hyuga Yukina and thought, So her name is Yukina. Hyuga Yukina. That's a beautiful name. I'll remember it.

Still, why does that name sound a little familiar?

As he was thinking, Chiba suddenly felt lighter. He looked up to see that Hyuga Yukina had already been lifted into Hyuga Yukyō's arms.

"Let's go!" Hyuga Yukyō said.

He then glanced at Chiba before flashing away. The others followed him, leaving only Chiba and Kakashi behind.

Kakashi examined him and said, "You only overexerted yourself and suffered some burns. Nothing serious."

Chiba, meanwhile, kept recalling the look Hyuga Yukyō had given him before leaving.

Damn it, that kid still wants to kill me! If I run into him again, first, I need to watch out for him. Second, I need to find a chance to kill him!

"You're pretty impressive," Kakashi said to Chiba, glancing at Iwaki Shin.

Though he was a heavily injured Jonin, he was still a Jonin. What method had this guy used to kill him?

Was that massive crater the work of the invading Jonin, or was it this guy's technique? That was what Kakashi was wondering.

Seeing the sincere admiration in Kakashi's eyes, Chiba said nothing. He was still thinking about Hyuga Yukyō.

When Kakashi saw that he remained silent, he said nothing either. He stood and examined Iwaki Shin. To ninja, even corpses held considerable value. After confirming that Iwaki Shin was truly dead, he grabbed the man's collar with one hand and dragged him back.

The Kunai in the back of his heart had been the fatal wound.

Hmm... what method did he use?

Kakashi passed the Rock Pillar Prison and the fissure in the ground, frowning slightly as he thought and analyzed. At the same time, he became interested in Chiba.

"Um..." Just as Kakashi was thinking, Chiba spoke.

"Hmm?" Kakashi stopped.

"Could you carry me back? My home is on the other side of the forest." Chiba gave a bitter smile.

"Oh! Sorry, I was supposed to carry you back in the first place." As he spoke, Kakashi walked over, slung Chiba over his shoulder, and dragged Iwaki Shin's corpse into the forest.

He really meant carry me over his shoulder! Chiba felt his stomach pressed against a solid shoulder.

This is so uncomfortable... I feel like I'm going to throw up...