Mixing Pearls

"Let me out!"

Unwilling to accept defeat from just this one move, the Hyuga Main Family member mustered all his strength, trying to break free from his restraints.

Crack!

Immediately, countless fine cracks appeared on the two ropes of ice that bound him.

"There's a chance!"

Joy surged through him; the two ice ropes weren't as tight as he'd imagined.

Snap!

Discovering this, he immediately put all his effort into shattering the ice ropes binding him, ice shards flying everywhere, snow fluttering.

Unfortunately, one mistake led to another.

He was too close to that kid wielding the sword. Although the two frost ropes hadn't completely trapped him, that momentary delay was enough. He had already stepped through the gates of death.

The instant he broke free from his bonds, a chilling sensation pierced his very core.

Zabuza's sword had already plunged into his chest, while his own palm landed on empty air.

He missed.

"Bastard!"

Blood rushed to his throat, spilling from the corner of his mouth. He forced himself to draw his last breath, wanting to deliver a final palm strike to the young boy in front of him.

Even if he died here, he absolutely wouldn't let the people of Kirigakure have it easy.

Even in death, he would drag someone down with him!

"Let me see who you really are."

A cold voice appeared beside him. The Hyuga Main Family member realized another person was now next to him.

It was the Chunin-level Mist Ninja, the captain of this small squad, who had instantly rushed over and restrained the hand he had just raised.

Immediately, he felt a strange Chakra being injected into the hand that was being held.

He knew this meant the other party was trying to dispel his Transformation Jutsu.

The so-called Transformation Jutsu involved distributing the caster's Chakra evenly throughout their body, then imagining the target's appearance and performing Chakra mimicry.

Because of the even distribution of Chakra, this simple jutsu tested the caster's Chakra control ability. The stronger the control, the better the transformation.

However, due to this uniform distribution of Chakra, once the caster's Chakra control balance was broken, their Transformation Jutsu would be dispelled.

Poof!

White smoke erupted from the Hyuga Main Family member's body.

This was the sign of the Transformation Jutsu being dispelled.

Even though they had been prepared for the possibility that this person wasn't the Hyuga Main Family member, seeing it happen still brought a tinge of disappointment to Ao and the others.

Their efforts had been in vain.

As the smoke cleared, a face that Qi Shuang and the others found somewhat familiar was revealed.

"It's you?" Ao asked, somewhat surprised.

The person before them was none other than the Jonin from the Hyuga Clan who had escaped after their earlier encounter at the Konoha main camp.

No wonder he had been so wary of Mei Terumi's Lava Release slime earlier.

He had apparently learned from experience.

"Yes... it's me!"

The person glanced at everyone with extreme disdain, coughed violently, expelling a lot of blood, and resentfully said, "If it weren't... if it weren't for my consecutive battles... exhausting me so much... you... you wouldn't have been able to defeat me so easily..."

Zabuza stirred the short sword in the other's chest, then yanked it out sharply, saying coldly, "You lost, you lost. Stop making excuses!"

With that forceful twist and pull of the blade, the Hyuga Clan ninja completely lost the strength to resist and slumped limply to the ground.

Ao, seizing the moment, released his hand, letting the ninja fall.

Blood flowed, instantly dyeing the ground red.

"Let's go!" Ao called out to the other three, preparing to leave.

"You... you... can't leave..."

Hearing his voice, the Hyuga family member weakly extended his hand.

His eyes had lost their focus, but he instinctively wanted to keep them there, delaying his final breath.

Unfortunately, Qi Shuang and the others had no interest in a dying person, especially since he wasn't their intended target.

They still needed to hurry and find the real "Hyuga Main Family member."

"You... can't leave..."

As the footsteps of the four receded, the Hyuga Clan ninja on the ground repeated his last sentence, his breath ceasing amidst unwillingness and helplessness.

"Which direction should we pursue this time?" Mei Terumi asked the leader curiously on the road.

Ao thought for a moment, pointed southeast, and said, "Let's check over there!"

"The Uchiha camp is that way, and Konoha's main forces are also there. The Hyuga Main Family will be easily rescued if they go there!"

"I believe the highest probability is that he fled in that direction!"

Qi Shuang, standing nearby, frowned slightly and immediately spoke up, "Captain Ao, I think it would be more appropriate for us to return to Konoha's main camp to search!"

"Oh?"

Hearing his words, Ao immediately landed on a branch and signaled for the others to stop. He then asked solemnly, "Why?"

Combining the information from the HR department last time with his performance on the spot today, he didn't dare to underestimate this child at all.

Therefore, he really wanted to hear the other party's explanation.

Qi Shuang organized his thoughts a little and slowly said, "We haven't received the signal that the mission is complete, and the Hyuga Main Family is still on the run. This much is basically certain."

The others all nodded in agreement.

Qi Shuang continued, "Besides our squad, there are quite a few other teams searching for the Hyuga Main Family."

"When guessing the direction of the Hyuga Main Family's escape, I'm afraid most of us would first react by thinking he's heading towards the Uchiha camp."

"What's wrong with that? He'll be saved as soon as he meets up with Konoha's main forces!" Mei Terumi asked in surprise.

Qi Shuang shook his head and said, "He will indeed be saved."

"But that's only if he can break through our blockade by himself!"

Upon hearing this, the three of them seemed to be deep in thought, yet they felt as if they had overlooked something.

"Do you think he can't figure out our direction of movement? Or, knowing that the path ahead is a dead end, he'll still charge forward?" Qi Shuang questioned the three of them with a serious expression.

"This..." The three looked at each other, speechless.

While meeting up with Konoha's main forces would lead to rescue, the danger on that path was also higher, and the Hyuga Main Family was more likely to fall during their escape.

If they were that member of the Hyuga Main Family, after figuring all this out, they absolutely wouldn't go in that direction to seek death!

"Then what makes you so sure we should return to Konoha's main camp to search? Couldn't he just go directly back to Konoha village?" Mei Terumi retorted deliberately without thinking.

Qi Shuang gave her a sideways glance and continued, "It's several hours' journey from here to Konoha village. It won't take long before we catch up to him!"

"At that point, he'll be even more isolated and helpless, with nowhere to escape!"

"As for returning to Konoha's main camp to search, it's precisely because we just chased him out from there. Most people wouldn't expect him to go back, which is why he would dare to go back!"

"That place is our blind spot. As long as he hides carefully, there's a very high chance he can slip away right under our noses!"