Ice Needles

"Let's go!"

Blocking the incoming ninja tools, Kamiya Ki grabbed Kamimura's hand and was about to leave.

"Trying to leave? The two of you might as well stay here together!"

A mocking voice came from within the thick fog. Three Konoha ninja were now less than three meters from the two of them.

Although they could not see very clearly through the dense fog, they could still make out that someone had suddenly appeared and blocked a fatal wave of attacks for the Kirigakure kid.

That person was probably the kid's fellow Kirigakure ninja.

"Ice Release: Needle Rain Technique!"

Just as the three were preparing to strike and wipe out the two Kirigakure ninja, a surge of chakra suddenly came from the thick fog above them.

Qi Shuang had unleashed the technique he had been charging for a long time.

Although he was not the caster and could not see Kamiya Ki's exact position in the fog, the three opponents were not casters either.

They could not do what Kamiya Ki did—use the thick fog to conceal their voices and chakra signatures.

That mocking voice, combined with the aura they had revealed while trying to kill Kamimura and the other ninja, exposed their approximate positions in the fog.

Therefore, Qi Shuang unleashed his technique without hesitation.

He rapidly condensed the abundant water vapor in the fog, transforming it into dozens of translucent, three-inch-long ice needles in midair. Then, aiming at the three Konoha ninja's approximate positions, he fired them in a blanket attack.

In the fog, the Konoha ninja who had been preparing to strike and keep Kamiya Ki and the others from escaping immediately abandoned their plan when they realized they had lost the initiative. They all retreated, preparing to defend against the enemy's attack.

Unfortunately, Qi Shuang had been charging the technique for a long time, and it was an area-of-effect attack. They had no chance to dodge. Even after retreating two steps, they still had not escaped the technique's range.

Then, an inexplicable sense of dread came from above. When they looked up, they saw a rain of needles formed from countless three-inch-long, translucent spikes.

Seeing that there was no way to avoid it, the three immediately protected their vital head areas with one hand while desperately swinging their Kunai with the other, hoping to block some of the spikes and reduce the damage from the enemy's technique.

Clack, clack, clack!

As the Kunai collided with the spikes, producing strange sounds, the three felt as though they had been stung by a swarm of hornets. The spots struck by the needles suffered not only intense pain but also a bone-chilling cold.

Before long, their hands and feet felt icy, their muscles stiffened, and their movements slowed considerably.

Meanwhile, taking advantage of the Konoha ninja being temporarily driven back, Kamiya Ki immediately grabbed the still-sobbing Kamimura and retreated in haste.

After calling over Qi Shuang, who had been hiding in the bushes, the three retraced their path and prepared to withdraw.

At present, because of their two useless teammates, they had lost the initiative in battle. With Natsuki dead, Kamimura had no will to fight and had become a complete burden.

Only Qi Shuang and Kamiya Ki still had the strength to fight.

If they continued entangling themselves with the enemy, they would have to face four opponents with only two fighters while protecting Kamimura. The situation was disastrous. Given enough time, the three of them might all lose their lives.

Although being pursued relentlessly was also a terrible prospect, it was still better than facing four enemies with two fighters in a hopeless situation.

As the three withdrew, the thick fog in the forest quickly dispersed, and the needle rain in the air stopped as well.

Only then did the three Konoha ninja, who had been attacked by the rain-like spikes, finally escape their predicament in a battered state.

"Looks like one of them is an Ice Release Kekkei Genkai ninja!" Pulling a bloodstained spike from his body, one of them discovered that it was a needle formed by condensing water into ice.

They finally understood why they had felt that bone-chilling cold after being struck, and why their body temperatures had dropped so rapidly.

"Killing that Kekkei Genkai user would definitely make Kirigakure suffer!" another Konoha ninja added.

"What are you three whispering about?"

At that moment, the Konoha ninja who had killed Natsuki earlier walked over, his tone filled with displeasure.

He then glanced at the three, whose bodies were covered in blood, and frowned. "You couldn't even take down a kid. You're completely useless!"

"If not for..."

Hearing this, one of them immediately showed an indignant expression. But before he could finish, another companion beside him tugged at him and gave him a meaningful look.

He seemed to realize something and immediately suppressed his resentment. He could only glare discreetly at the red-and-white war fan crest on the other man's clothing.

"Treat your injuries quickly. Then we'll pursue them and kill them!"

Seeing that the three were becoming agitated, the man could not continue scolding them. He could only bark out that order before turning back to inspect the Kirigakure kid's corpse.

He hoped to find some useful information from it.

Meanwhile, after that man had left, the three began muttering again as they treated their injuries.

"He was just born into a good family. What's there to be so proud of? He orders us around every day!"

"Don't say that. With those eyes of his, he really does have something to be proud of!"

"That's right. Without those eyes, we wouldn't know how many times we would have died by now!"

After a round of sighs, the three fell into a brief silence.

Before long, they had finished cleaning and treating their injuries.

The ice-needle attack had looked dense and terrifying, but in truth, it had not been that serious.

They had not been fast enough, nor had the needles possessed enough force. They had only barely pierced an inch into the skin, nowhere near enough to kill them immediately. Aside from leaving them covered in frightening-looking flesh wounds, they had suffered no serious harm.

At that moment, they even felt somewhat regretful.

If they had understood this earlier, they could have endured the wave of attacks and launched their own assault. They might have been able to take down both opponents.

Meanwhile, the man searching Natsuki's remains shook his head helplessly.

A child was ultimately just a child. He could not possibly know much about Kirigakure, nor would he have any useful clues on him.

In the end, the man found nothing.

Afterward, seeing that the three had regrouped and prepared themselves, he immediately led his companions in pursuit, following the traces Qi Shuang and the others had left behind during their retreat.

On the way, he said solemnly to the three, "From my observations, of the three remaining enemies, only one is somewhat older. He should have the strength of a Chunin. The other two are young, so they're probably the dead kid's peers—two rookie Genin!"

"With those two slowing him down, the Chunin won't be able to move very quickly!"

"I think we should split into two groups. One group can rush ahead to intercept them, while the other continues tracking from behind in case they suddenly change course!"

"Mm! Good idea!" one of them immediately agreed with a nod.

The other two remained silent and did not object.

Seeing this, the four immediately divided into two groups of two.

After discussing it, the group containing the man who had killed Natsuki earlier sped ahead to ambush them, while the other group remained behind and continued tracking their trail.