Plotting

After a burst of clashing ninja tools, the air fell into an eerie silence once more.

Besides the rushing sound of the river, Qi Shuang could hear almost nothing.

It looks like Teacher Mu didn't succeed! he thought to himself.

Just then, a chakra signature suddenly appeared behind him.

That was fast!

Startled, he instinctively swung a kunai behind him without hesitation.

Hastily blocking his counterattack, the newcomer, using the river's roar as cover, lowered his voice and shouted, "Don't be nervous, it's me!"

Hearing this, Qi Shuang stopped struggling. Glancing sideways, he saw that the person behind him looked somewhat familiar.

Even though a thick fog had rolled in, they were less than a meter apart, so he could still vaguely make out the person's features.

It was Kamiya Ki.

Immediately, he retracted his outstretched kunai and asked in a low voice, "Teacher, how did the fight go?"

Right now, they were standing on the surface of the river. With the sound of the rushing water to mask them, as long as they kept their voices down, the two on the other side wouldn't be able to pinpoint their location.

"The situation isn't very optimistic!"

Kamiya Ki shook his head and sighed, "If there were only one of them, I might have had a chance to defeat them with continuous surprise attacks!"

"But now there are two of them, coordinating offense and defense. My attacks were easily neutralized, and with the slightest mistake, I could have been taken down myself!"

"If only we could separate them..."

"Separate them?"

Qi Shuang frowned, thought for a moment, and replied solemnly, "Perhaps I can try!"

Just then, the shouts of two Konoha ninja could be heard from the other side of the mist.

"Aren't you Hidden Mist ninja good at assassination? Why aren't you coming back after just a couple of tries?"

"Did you not learn your assassination techniques properly? Are you going to go back crying to your teacher for more training?"

Following that, the two men's grating, arrogant laughter pierced through the thick fog.

Kamiya Ki's brow furrowed, his mood unsettled.

As a veteran on the battlefield, he wouldn't be easily provoked by such a simple taunt. However, hearing their mockery still didn't sit well with him.

He then turned back and asked his subordinate in a low voice, "What do you want to do?"

Qi Shuang smiled slightly and then whispered into Kamiya Ki's ear.

After listening, Kamiya Ki frowned. "I don't mind, but you, kid, will be in danger!"

Qi Shuang glanced in the direction where the two Konoha ninja had spoken, then said, "Fortune favors the bold. If we can take them down, we'll definitely be rewarded upon our return. Besides..."

His tone shifted, and a grave expression crossed his face. "Besides, there were supposed to be four of them originally, and now there are only two here!"

"Although we don't know what the other two are up to, if we can't deal with these two before they arrive, the consequences, as you can imagine, will be dire!"

Hearing this, Kamiya Ki's heart skipped a beat. No wonder he had felt something was off earlier.

Now, hearing Qi Shuang's words, he finally realized that two Konoha ninja were missing.

I was blinded by my focus! he thought, a bitter smile on his face.

He had been so focused on how to defeat the opponent that he had overlooked such obvious information.

"Alright! We'll do as you say!" He immediately agreed to Qi Shuang's plan.

Because of the presence of the other two, he had no choice but to fight quickly. If they waited until all four reunited, it would be very difficult for the two of them to survive.

"Then be careful. Don't you dare die before I can get back to help you!"

With that, Kamiya Ki once again melted into the thick fog, disappearing from sight.

"Don't worry, they're only at the Chunin level. It won't be easy for them to kill me one-on-one. If they underestimate me..." Looking in the direction his young teacher had vanished, Qi Shuang's words trailed off, a confident smile already gracing his face.

"Ice Release: Needle Rain Technique!"

After a series of rapid hand seals, he utilized the dense fog Kamiya Ki had condensed in the air to cast his Ice Release ninjutsu once more.

Then, controlling the ice needles formed from the water vapor in the air, he aimed them at the general location of the two ninja, launching a widespread assault.

On the other side, as the ice needles attacked again, the two Konoha ninja paused slightly. Then, wildly swinging their short swords, they could only hope to minimize their injuries.

After all, the assault of ice needles was too dense; they couldn't block them all.

Listening to the sounds of ice shards shattering against their short swords, the two exchanged a look. Following the chakra fluctuations emanating from the ninja as he performed his jutsu, they slowly moved forward and taunted loudly, "That ice-releasing brat, your ninjutsu is too weak! You can't even pierce old man's skin! Go home and drink milk!"

Immediately, his companion joined in with a chorus of grating laughter.

As if unable to bear their taunts any longer, the speed and density of the ice needle attack in the air suddenly increased.

Sensing the increasingly clear chakra fluctuations, one of them gestured to his companion standing close by. Then, shielding his head with one hand and holding his sword with the other, he charged forward, enduring the barrage of ice needles.

Just then, a pitch-black kunai abruptly appeared beside the charging ninja.

It was Kamiya Ki, seizing the opportunity to launch an attack on the suddenly mobile Konoha ninja.

Clang!

A crisp sound rang out. The person had suddenly stopped, turning to block his surprise attack.

"My target was never that kid, it was you! His target is that kid!"

A playful voice reached his ears. Kamiya Ki then realized that another Konoha ninja, taking advantage of him being held up, was charging towards Qi Shuang on the river, braving a barrage of ice needles.

Immediately, he abandoned his opponent and retreated back into the thick fog.

As if assuming he was turning back to rescue his subordinate, the Konoha ninja laughed heartily, "It's too late! Kid, you're just a kid after all! With your strength, you can't possibly block this wave of attacks!"

As he spoke, a black kunai once again attacked his back.

"Hm?"

As if sensing danger, he instinctively dodged to the side, avoiding a vital spot. A gash, about the length of his palm, immediately appeared on his shoulder.

Blood poured out, staining half of his sleeve red.

Following that, a mocking voice came from the dense fog.

"Who told you I was going back to rescue him? Isn't this the best opportunity to kill you right now?"

"What?" The person was somewhat surprised.

After a moment's thought, he immediately understood the reason.

Previously, the two of them working together had prevented the other from finding an opportunity to strike.

Now, although the Ice Release kid's ninjutsu had revealed his position, giving them an opportunity to attack, their separation also gave the opponent a chance to strike individually.

Now, as long as the opponent could kill him with an assassination technique before that kid died, he could return to support and face the other two alone, killing his other comrade.