Interception

"You brat, you really surprised me!"

Glancing at the child beside him, Kamiya Ki asked in surprise, "At your age, you can actually unleash such a large-scale ninjutsu?"

The dense fog earlier was his doing. Just because others couldn't see what was happening inside didn't mean he couldn't.

Qi Shuang's Ice Needle Jutsu, which covered an extremely wide area, was fully visible to him.

"Teacher Ki, you overestimate me!"

Hearing this, Qi Shuang gave a wry smile and continued, "Originally, with my chakra reserves, I wouldn't have been able to create such a large-scale Ice Release ninjutsu."

"But your Mist Technique just happened to provide me with convenience."

"I merely processed the large amount of water vapor you condensed and created a Rain of Ice Needles. It was a bit of a shortcut!"

Then, he touched his nose sheepishly and added, "Besides, my jutsu only looked intimidating. Its actual destructive power is very limited. I estimate they'll catch up soon!"

"Teacher, you should hurry and think of a plan!"

After saying that, he looked solemnly at the young teacher beside him, his heart feeling heavy.

Hearing his words, Kamiya Ki turned his head to glance at Kamimura, who was following behind them with a dejected expression. He thought to himself, This brat has no fighting spirit. If we keep him around, I'm afraid we'll both be dragged down and die!

Then, he looked at the small hill directly ahead, estimated the distance between them and the Kirigakure front-line camp, and said loudly to the two of them, "Once we cross this small hill ahead, we won't be far from the Kirigakure front-line main camp!"

"I estimate they won't chase us past that hill!"

Upon hearing this, Kamimura, who had been silent, looked up, a spark of life returning to his eyes.

Kamiya Ki felt a slight sense of relief.

As long as Kamimura hadn't completely lost hope, there was still a chance for salvation.

He then said solemnly to them, "Qi Shuang and I will stay behind to cover your retreat and tie down the enemy. You accelerate back to the camp and bring back reinforcements. Can you do it?"

"Yes! Yes!"

Hearing that Teacher Ki and Qi Shuang were going to stay behind and let him escape alone, Kamimura suppressed the surge of joy in his heart and quickly nodded in agreement.

He was afraid that if he was a moment too slow, the teacher would change his plan and make him stay to cover their retreat instead of letting him go for help.

Seeing his slightly excited expression, Kamiya Ki felt even more annoyed. He waved his hand dismissively and said, "Alright! You go all out now and bring back reinforcements for us!"

"Okay! Then I'll be going ahead!"

Kamimura nodded again and said solemnly to the two of them, "I will definitely bring back reinforcements to meet you!"

Before his voice even faded, he had already accelerated several meters ahead.

Qi Shuang, falling behind, asked the young teacher with some worry, "He won't desert us and run away, will he?"

It wasn't unreasonable for him to think this. Kamimura was only a child under ten years old, and he had just experienced the terror of life and death at such close range. It wasn't impossible for him to do something irrational now.

Even adult armies often had deserters, let alone a child who had been frightened and stimulated like this!

Kamiya Ki sighed and continued to move forward at the same pace, saying helplessly, "In his current state, even if he stayed, he would only be a burden to us. It's better to let him leave first!"

"If he actually brings back reinforcements, then it would be a cause for celebration; but if he deserts, the Kirigakure pursuers aren't to be trifled with!"

"Especially now, during wartime, the higher-ups are paying close attention to the front-line battles! No one can retreat from the battlefield!"

As he spoke, he looked very seriously at the subordinate beside him.

"But if he only cares about saving himself, won't we be in trouble?" Qi Shuang frowned.

He didn't have much affection for this companion he had only known for a few days. He didn't care about the consequences if the other party deserted; he was more concerned about his own life.

Kamiya Ki looked at him deeply and said, "The Konoha group only has four people. As long as you and I work together, even if we're not their match, it won't be easy for them to take us down in a short time!"

Then, he looked at the approaching small hill and continued, "We are not far from our main camp anymore."

"As long as we make some noise with our fight, even without Kamimura's call for help, the camp will definitely send people to investigate!"

"So, we just need to stall the battle!"

Hearing that there was a backup plan, Qi Shuang breathed a sigh of relief. He was afraid of encountering a teacher who was willing to sacrifice himself for others.

One who would risk their lives to let a weaker student escape.

Although it sounded glorious, he didn't want to die young. His ninja career had just begun, and a brighter, more glorious future awaited him. To die here inexplicably while covering a retreat felt too stifling.

Meanwhile, having received Teacher Ki's permission, Kamimura ran towards the Kirigakure camp with all his might, disregarding his physical exertion.

He didn't know if Teacher Ki and Qi Shuang could hold off the pursuers behind them, but he knew that as long as he ran faster and returned to the camp before the Konoha ninja caught up, he would be safe.

Just as he reached the foot of the small hill, a faint voice came from somewhere.

"Brat, didn't your teacher tell you that running too fast makes you easily overlook the dangers around you and get ambushed?"

Immediately after, a silver gleam suddenly flashed out from the forest.

"Not good!"

Hearing the unfamiliar voice and seeing the cold gleam, Kamimura's heart sank to the bottom.

But, just as the other party had said.

He was moving too fast, exceeding the limits of his control, and he couldn't stop immediately.

He could only watch helplessly as the light streaked towards him, with no time to dodge. In an instant, it was before his eyes.

Then, a chill ran down his neck, and he felt all his strength vanish. His body, out of his control, lunged forward, collapsing to the ground, unable to move again.

"Is this what death feels like..."

With this final thought flashing through his mind, Kamimura stopped breathing.

After the light passed, a Konoha ninja appeared beside Kamimura's corpse.

He lightly flicked the blood from his blade, sheathed it, and slowly said, "This is the second one. Two more to go."

After speaking, he glanced back in the direction Kamimura had come from, his eyes full of confidence.

On the other side, Qi Shuang and the other person were also heading towards the Kirigakure stronghold. However, to guard against a sudden enemy attack and to ensure they were in good condition to fight if caught by Konoha ninja, they dared not go all out and could only proceed cautiously.

Suddenly, Kamiya Ki spoke to Qi Shuang, "Go right. There's a lot of moisture in the air over there!"