Summoning Technique

Ao's fingers lightly brushed over the Kirigakure Emblem on his forehead protector. His young face still bore traces of bloodshed, and his eyes were filled with the desire to prove himself.

"It was him! He killed our companion!" Tobitake Tonbo shouted furiously.

"Why are you so angry? You killed one of ours too," Ao said coldly from a tree branch.

"Ao... this is a little troublesome."

The others did not recognize Ao. After all, Kirigakure lay on a massive island isolated from the mainland, and major wars rarely broke out between it and Konoha. It was only natural for Konoha Ninja to be unfamiliar with the young Ao.

The Last Time Konoha and Kirigakure had engaged in large-scale warfare had been during the First Great Ninja War over twenty years ago. It was simply too far removed from the present.

But Kaedeji recognized at a glance that this was Ao before he obtained the Byakugan.

"The other side claims to have a Kirigakure jonin, though we cannot rule out psychological warfare," Kazematsuri Takuya said in a low voice. "They have three people, while we have four, but we do not have a jonin. For now, we can only delay them as much as possible or flee. Hopefully, other companions nearby will notice the disturbance and come over."

Kazematsuri Takuya himself was only a Chunin, while the others were all Genin. None of them were combat prodigies with powerful ninjutsu. Their Chance of Winning was truly low.

But no matter how low their chances were, surrender was impossible. The enemy would never accept the surrender of several Medical Ninja within the Land of Fire.

Silently, a thin mist seemed to rise through the forest. Kazematsuri Takuya gripped a kunai, spun it twice around his fingertips, then abruptly threw it.

"I'm falling back!"

Kaedeji let out a sharp shout, grabbed the two wounded men who could not fight, and hurled them backward.

Almost at the same moment, a kunai carrying an Explosive Tag shot toward him. Fortunately, it was struck at the tail end by the kunai Kazematsuri Takuya had thrown in time, changing its trajectory. It ultimately grazed Kaedeji's fluttering clothes and embedded itself in a tree trunk two meters away.

Boom!

Amid the splinters thrown up by the violent explosion, Kaedeji was shoved by the shockwave and staggered forward.

Ao had already appeared directly in front of them, his Hands forming seals. "You seem to have the numerical advantage, but you won't for much longer. Water Release: Water Hail!"

Dozens of water droplets poured down in a dense barrage.

Kazematsuri Takuya opened the medical kit. The instant it burst apart, the flying bandages formed a spiderweb in the air. Tobitake Tonbo tried to block with his kunai, but as an ordinary Genin, he lacked exceptional Taijutsu and even the most basic combat instincts. In his panic, he cut apart two droplets, only for the third exploding droplet to pierce through him—a bloody hole in his right shoulder rapidly drained away his body heat.

Kazematsuri Takuya and Tobitake Tonbo were lucky. They survived Ao's ninjutsu, but someone else was not.

"Now it's three against three."

The two Mist Ninja darted away, their bodies covered in savage wounds, and finally withdrew from the back of that Medical Ninja's neck.

In a single exchange, Konoha had already lost one person.

The two men who had already been badly wounded now had parts of their injuries split open again. Without immediate treatment, they would soon die as well.

The situation had deteriorated to a certain point. Unless Konoha Ninja arrived to support them now, there was basically no hope of survival.

Ao often seemed like a clown. For instance, he would shout for retreat at the sight of the Yellow Flash, and he would shout for retreat at the sight of Body Flicker Shisui. Yet he always managed to avoid danger in advance and survive smoothly.

To some extent, being able to act decisively was also an extraordinary ability.

Now, Ao had judged that he could swiftly kill the Konoha Ninja before him, then flee the Land of Fire.

Kazematsuri Takuya growled, "Whether we can defeat them or not, we cannot head for the border. Our mission has already failed! I'll hold them back. You run!"

"You can split up and flee. Maybe someone will survive," one Mist Ninja mocked.

"Impossible! Konoha Ninja will never abandon their companions!"

Kazematsuri Takuya proactively launched an attack, intending to tie down the two Mist Ninja and buy the others time to escape.

But considering Kazematsuri Takuya's strength, this was asking far too much of him.

"We're finished. We can't hold out for more than a few minutes. Even if reinforcements arrive, it'll be too late. Damn it, damn it!! I got you killed. I got everyone killed!" Tobitake Tonbo pounded his head in agony. He had always been somewhat hot-tempered, and now he could no longer control his emotions.

A young Genin was still young, after all.

Then again, who would not break down after suddenly finding hope, only to fall into despair in the blink of an eye, realizing that the so-called hope had merely been a weapon the enemy used to create despair?

Ao and Kazematsuri Takuya had already exchanged blows. The two Mist Ninja separately charged toward Tobitake Tonbo and Kaedeji. As long as they avoided having vital points struck by a Medical Ninja's Chakra Scalpel, victory was assured.

"Stop blaming yourself. Run, quickly! Just like the captain said, split up and run!"

Kaedeji did not hesitate at all. Enduring the intense pain from the explosion's impact, he immediately turned around.

For him, there was no need to agonize over whether the mission or his companions mattered more. Whichever choice was more likely to keep him alive was the most important.

Kaedeji did not care at all about words like, "Someone who does not cherish companions is worse than trash." In truth, most Konoha Ninja would not care about such words at critical moments either.

Yet at this moment, when Kaedeji turned to flee, he grabbed one wounded man in each hand—the two he had thrown aside earlier—and leapt deeper into the forest. He was not moving very quickly.

Bang!

Kazematsuri Takuya, whose Taijutsu was nothing remarkable, was swiftly Defeated by Ao in close combat. A final sweeping kick broke several of his ribs, sending his entire body flying as blood gushed from his mouth.

"Kaedeji, you bastard... even when you're about to die, you still haven't forgotten to protect your companions. That's truly admirable... Then I won't let you down either. Even if it costs me my life, I'll make sure you escape! Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"

Seizing that fleeting opening, Kazematsuri Takuya pressed his trembling Hands to the ground. He had to buy time, Even If he knew Kaedeji would struggle to escape while carrying two people.

The suddenly rising wall blocked the Mist Ninja's vision. Kazematsuri Takuya knew it would not do much, but as long as it delayed them for even a little while, it would be enough.

By the time Ao destroyed the Earth-Style Wall with Water Release, the Konoha Ninja were nowhere to be found amid the scattering dust and debris.

"They can't have gone far. A Chunin with little talent, and two Genin with almost no Chakra left... one of them is even carrying two severely wounded men. Hmph, how foolish. Norio, I'll leave that idiot To You. Kill them all."

Ao snorted. He was not surprised by this situation. Konoha Ninja always seemed to be like this, constantly babbling about companions, bonds, friendship, and other boring things. Did they use lofty morality to advertise their abilities?

No. Perhaps they used this sort of brainwashing to eliminate negative emotions such as fear and Fear of Battle, thereby increasing combat strength. From that perspective, it was not a bad Means.

Kirigakure was different. Since the Third Mizukage of Fierce Temperament took office, countless people had been killed. Every Mist Ninja lived in fear, engaging in Mutual Reporting, Mutual Vigilance, and Mutual Slaughter, To the point that the village had begun to show signs of becoming the Village of the Bloody Mist.

Kaedeji coughed violently, visible threads of blood running from the corners of his mouth. Yet Even If so, he still did not abandon the two unconscious companions who were gravely wounded.

Anyone who saw this scene would sigh from the bottom of their heart and believe Kaedeji to be a practitioner of the Will of Fire.

"Did you catch up?"

There was Without Any surprise on Kaedeji's face. Being able to buy those few minutes had already been extremely difficult. "I heard that Kirigakure Ninja are generally cruel and cold-hearted. I thought you would spend another minute or two toying with me, enjoying the thrill of a Small Village Ninja defeating a Large Village Ninja."

The Mist Ninja named Norio appeared on a branch in front of Kaedeji. "Small Village Ninja? Don't underestimate Kirigakure. Besides, at your age and in your condition, it feels like a gust of wind could blow you over. Even in Konoha, you're just some fringe nobody. Who would care about you?"

Watching Kaedeji breathe Rapid Breathing while still carefully placing the two wounded men on the ground, he sneered, "Are you an idiot? Your body is in such poor condition, yet you carried two people while running... You were far too slow! The mission and One's Own life are what matter most. You abandoned both to protect your companions first. No Wonder Captain Ao called you a fool."

"I'm not sure whether Kazematsuri Takuya can survive Ao, but that does not affect what needs to be done... Thank you for giving me another minute. I Think that should be enough."

After settling his two companions, Kaedeji revealed a hand covered in blood. One hand had remained in a seal the entire time. Clearly, he had long been secretly generating more Chakra.

"From the moment I saw Tobitake Tonbo and these two badly wounded men, I felt something was off. I had been preparing a tactic ever since then. I had no Chance of Winning in a Head-on confrontation with you, and My Jutsu needs time to activate properly... The stronger the person, the longer the preparation time."

It was not only because his Chakra was too scarce. It was also because these two critically wounded, dying men were fairly strong. This meant Kaedeji needed more time to accomplish that task.

Fortunately, he had made it in time.

"Very good, boy. You have shown the proper respect when facing a Strong Person. I will let you die without pain—"

The other man misunderstood, thinking Kaedeji had praised him as a Strong Person. He immediately threw out three Senbon Needles.

"No. That's not it. I have enough time now. The One who is damned is you."

Kaedeji cut off his Words and suddenly pressed one hand against the ground.

Summoning Technique!

The earth suddenly churned like boiling water, and a pitch-black coffin burst from the ground.