The Gap in Body Flicker Technique

Those around him were immediately stunned by his ruthless methods and had no choice but to quicken their pace and charge in the opposite direction.

Many of them had made up their minds that, now that they were surrounded by enemies, they could only run a little further away and then scatter to either side to escape, hoping that they might have a chance to survive if they were lucky.

However, the pursuers from Konoha were far stronger than they had imagined. They had only taken a few steps when they felt a gust of wind overhead, and three figures pounced down like lightning. Almost simultaneously, the sounds of fists landing rang out, "Bang bang bang..."

Shuichi palm strike as sharp as a knife, easily knocking him unconscious. He then dodged the hammer's trajectory by tilting his head, and instantly grabbed the attacker's wrist with his other hand, pressing down and twisting it forcefully.

"Ugh!" With a sharp crack, a loud scream startled many birds in the woods, and also frightened the enemy nearby. The charging body suddenly stopped, and the sudden stop almost twisted its ankle.

"Hey there!" Shuichi grinned at him. "Since we can't determine your guilt, could you please just pass out?"

Unexpectedly, this person was a ruthless character. Seeing that the Konoha Ninja did not kill him, he gritted his teeth, raised one hand, and then forcefully chopped down on his own neck. With a thud, his eyes rolled back and he passed out.

"Holy crap... They actually did it themselves!?" Shuichi was completely stunned. In his many years as a ninja, this was the first time he had encountered such a cooperative enemy. This incredible move shocked him.

By the time he had dealt with these few, the battles on the other two sides had also ended. These weaklings were not very strong; they could only handle ordinary people, and would be easily defeated by powerful ninjas.

"Shuichi, there's another one who ran away first, he's probably the leader." Ishikawa Tatsuki brought over the unconscious enemy, and Shisui did the same.

"I know he can't get away." Shuichi waved his hand. "Let's play a game. You two chase after him together, using only Body Flicker Technique and your fists. Whoever knocks the enemy unconscious first wins. It's also a good opportunity to test your training progress."

Without giving them a chance to ask questions, "3...2...1, start!"

"Swish!"

Orders from the captain must be obeyed, so Ishikawa Tatsuki and Shisui immediately sprinted forward. In the initial stages, the two were neck and neck, running side by side.

Ishikawa Tatsuki's face fell. Even if Shisui was a genius, he wasn't weak either, and he had the advantage of being five years older.

"Alright, Shisui. But I didn't use my full strength. You'll just have to watch from the sidelines this time!"

Having said that, he increased his speed again, instantly creating several body lengths in front of him and quickly closing the distance to the orange-haired enemy.

Shisui's expression remained relaxed, showing no sign of urgency. "As expected of Senior Tatsuki, I'm starting to fall behind. But giving up isn't my principle, so let's get serious."

"Whoosh..." After a stomp, Shisui's slender body burst forth with astonishing power, shooting out like an arrow. In a few moments, he rushed to Ishikawa Tatsuki's side, and the two launched their attacks on each other almost simultaneously.

However, this person was not on the same level as the previous weaklings, and he demonstrated solid ninja fundamentals when faced with the surprise attack.

First, he pinpointed their location by listening to their voices, then took a risky gamble at the critical moment. As he landed, he bent his legs to stabilize his body, and then drew his sword backward in a horizontal slash. The whole movement was completed in one smooth motion.

"Whoosh!"

A silver streak flashed in the air, but the swift Iaido Slash missed everyone. His movements weren't concealed enough, and the two from Konoha noticed the exertion of his muscles, so they used Body Flicker Technique to dodge in advance.

"Such fast movement, this is troublesome." The Orange-Haired Middle-Aged Man man's face was gloomy, cursing his useless subordinates, but this did nothing to change the current situation.

The three stood facing each other in a triangle formation. Ishikawa Tatsuki and Shisui didn't rush to make a move, intending to use their Body Flicker Technique and fists to knock out this fairly strong Chunin. They believed that working together would guarantee a victory.

But now there are special rules in the game: only one person can reap the rewards, and whoever makes the first move will be put on the defensive, resulting in a stalemate.

But the Orange-Haired Middle-Aged Man wasn't a robot, and he didn't know that Konoha was using him as a plaything in their competition.

With his extensive combat experience, he wouldn't sit idly by and wait to die. Being attacked from both sides, he had no choice but to take the initiative. Moreover, there was a third enemy, and if he dragged it out any longer, he would be doomed.

"Drink up!"

He roared and charged from the side in a small arc, choosing the seemingly slender Shisui as his target. His only way to break the deadlock was to fight head-on and use his strength advantage to create an opening...

"Swish, swish, swish..."

"Bang bang..."

Chaos erupted in the woods as the three men moved and pulled at each other haphazardly. The fight lasted for over a minute before finally stopping.

"Huff, huff..." Ishikawa Tatsuki breathed heavily, his face somewhat dark. Despite having a better chance of winning, he was the one who ultimately lost. "You've actually learned Shuichi's Continuous Body Flicker, and you even saved it for last. That's quite a technique..."

Following Anko, he also personally experienced the terrifying learning ability of top geniuses. Apart from Shuichi's abnormal behavior from childhood, which made everyone numb, over the years, only Kakashi has been a step ahead of his peers in every aspect.

Now I'm experiencing the feeling of being surpassed by much younger juniors. If I slack off in training, that would be one thing, but reality is much harsher.

The Body Flicker Technique was the skill he valued most. Even after practicing it countless times until he was exhausted, he was still not confident in using the ghostly Continuous Body Flicker in actual combat.

But Shisui was able to do this. He had only been in Shuichi's team for a few months, and had carried out a large number of missions in between, which meant he had spent one-tenth of his effort, yet he had achieved greater results than Shuichi.

Shisui laughed heartily after hearing this, "I also want to thank Senior Tatsuki for his courtesy. Actually, I took quite a risk in the end. Since I had only just mastered it, I wasn't very confident and could only use it when the enemy was tired. This victory was all due to luck."

Ishikawa Tatsuki: "..."

The two men tied up the unconscious Orange-Haired Middle-Aged Man and soon returned to the battlefield. Shuichi only glanced at their expressions and knew that Ishikawa Tatsuki had been defeated; his miserable look was practically written all over his face.

"Before handing over the mission, let's interrogate them to gather intelligence."

Except for the one who was killed by his own side at the beginning, all the other enemies are still alive.

The ringleader definitely deserves to die, but since the employers are willing to pay more for their personal revenge, Shuichi and his two companions will naturally grant their wish.

Shisui nearby, was very sensible. Without Shuichi needing to explicitly tell him, he activated his Sharingan to begin interrogation. In the captain's words, this wasn't me being lazy, but rather deliberately training your abilities.

"This person is a rogue missing-nin from Kirigakure; the others have no official identities..."

As Shuichi predicted, there have been numerous destructive crimes recently occurring on the east coast, causing serious damage to many towns and villages in the Land of Fire.

Therefore, these prisoners will not have a good fate; the enraged populace will subject them to brutal trials...