Encounter

"So that's how it is..."

Seeing this, and recalling the half severed arm that had been hanging from Uchiha Tai's leg earlier, Qi Shuang suddenly understood.

That guy must have severed Kamiya Ki's arm with a short sword at the last moment before the explosion, thus escaping the entanglement.

This explained why Kamiya Ki's remains had one arm shorter than the other, and why Uchiha Tai's leg had an inexplicable severed limb attached to it.

Suddenly, as if realizing something else, he quickly said to the three people, "Hurry and chase him! That's a Jonin from the Uchiha clan! He's heavily injured, it's a perfect opportunity to capture him alive!"

"He holds the dual identity of an Uchiha and a Konoha Jonin, so he must know a lot of important information. If we can capture him alive, it will be a great accomplishment!"

After all, given the situation at the time, Uchiha Tai was far too close to the Explosive Tags.

Even if the other party escaped by severing Teacher Ki's arm, it was impossible to completely avoid the damage from the explosion.

Combined with the fact that he looked ragged, like a beggar, he had every reason to believe that the opponent must have been severely wounded and their combat power greatly diminished.

"A Jonin from the Uchiha clan?" Hearing his words, the reinforcing Mist Ninja Chunin gasped.

He hadn't expected to encounter such a troublesome enemy so close to the Mist Village's front-line camp.

The Uchiha clan was a famous and prestigious family in Konoha, and also a renowned combat clan in the ninja world.

Their Sharingan Kekkei Genkai had forged a fearsome reputation with countless lives, making anyone hesitate to approach.

Furthermore, as one of the founding elders of Konoha, the Uchiha clan held an extraordinary position within the village.

If the opponent was also a Jonin and knew a lot of important intelligence, this possibility was extremely high!

"But... as a Konoha Jonin..." the arriving Mist Ninja Chunin hesitated.

The Uchiha clan's fearsome reputation wasn't just for show; it was earned through actual combat.

Coupled with the gap between a Jonin and a Chunin, he didn't have the confidence to fight against the opponent.

"Don't be afraid!"

Qi Shuang glanced at the charred remains and continued, "Teacher Kamiya Ki gravely injured him with a mutual destruction technique using Explosive Tags, greatly reducing his combat power. You just need to pursue him and hold him off until the follow-up reinforcements arrive, and you'll definitely be able to capture him alive!"

"Are you sure?" the person confirmed again.

They had arrived in a hurry, and the opponent had retreated just as quickly. The two sides hadn't officially met, so he wasn't clear about the opponent's actual physical condition.

"I'm sure!" Qi Shuang nodded firmly.

He still clearly remembered Uchiha Tai's ragged, scarred, and disheveled appearance.

It was obvious that he had sustained significant injuries. Otherwise, with his Jonin status, facing these three Mist Ninja – one Chunin and two Genin – who had rushed over, he wouldn't have fled without looking back.

"Captain?"

The young boy at the Genin level glanced at his leader, looking eager to try.

The opportunity to fight against the renowned Sharingan, and even the chance to capture them alive, made him impatient.

"Alright then!"

The leading Chunin thought for a moment, nodded, and then looked at Qi Shuang again, solemnly saying, "You wait here and liaise with the follow-up reinforcements. The three of us will go after him and stop him!"

"Okay, I understand!" Qi Shuang immediately agreed, without any objections.

Any Jonin held a significant position within their respective ninja villages, let alone a Jonin from the Uchiha clan.

Although capturing such a Konoha Jonin alive would bring immense merit, his own Chakra had been completely depleted, leaving him with no strength to fight.

Whether he could even catch up was a question. Even if he did, in his current state, he would only be a burden.

Having barely escaped death, it would be incredibly foolish to get caught by that person again due to greed and recklessness!

Compared to merit, he valued his own life more.

"Mei, Zabuza, let's go!"

Greeting the two subordinates beside him, the leading Mist Ninja Chunin followed the residual Chakra scent in the air and immediately took the lead in pursuing the direction the Konoha Jonin had left.

As his voice fell, the excited boy immediately followed.

"Be careful!" The remaining girl said very seriously to Qi Shuang.

"Okay, I will! Thank you!" Qi Shuang replied with a reassuring smile.

Then, the little girl with brown hair and green eyes left with peace of mind, closely following the direction her two companions had gone.

Watching her receding figure, Qi Shuang's thoughts drifted far away.

His mind settled on the young boy he had just seen.

"Zabuza? I didn't expect us to meet again so soon!" he sighed softly.

From the moment they met, he felt that the child looked familiar, but he couldn't recall why.

It wasn't until he heard the leader call out the name "Zabuza" that he realized the little boy was the madman who had killed all the examinees in the same session.

His classmate—the Demon Zabuza!

It wasn't surprising that he hadn't recognized him at first. Zabuza was only about ten years old now, and his appearance was vastly different from when he appeared in the original work as the wielder of the "Kubikiribōchō."

Moreover, although Zabuza was his classmate, that belonged to the former owner of this body's school life, not his own true memories.

He himself had only met Zabuza once during the graduation exam, and with over a year having passed since then, his impression wasn't very deep.

Therefore, he didn't recognize Zabuza at first.

At this moment, encountering him again, his heart was filled with emotion.

On the other side, seeing the little girl catch up to the group, Zabuza asked curiously, "What were you doing? Why are you only catching up now?"

"Nothing, just reminding him to be careful!" the little girl replied nonchalantly.

"I think you're worrying about that guy for nothing!" Zabuza shook his head.

"What, is something wrong?" the little girl asked in surprise, and even the leading ninja in front turned back curiously to look at them.

Zabuza twitched the corner of his mouth and said helplessly, "That annoying lucky guy, even a Konoha Jonin couldn't kill him. I really can't think of anyone who could!"

"Or... maybe the Konoha Sannin could try?"

"Annoying lucky guy? You know him?" the little girl asked, surprised.

Judging by his tone, they should have known each other.

"He was the sole survivor of my graduation exam!" Zabuza smirked.

During that exam, that guy had temporarily withdrawn because he was poisoned by me, becoming a laughingstock for a while, but also avoiding my blade.

This created a flaw in his plan to annihilate all the examinees.

Therefore, he had a very deep impression of that lucky classmate.

That's why he recognized that person the moment they met.