"Not good!"
Without bothering to put away the Byakugan he had just cut out, Ao crossed his arms to shield his head while rapidly retreating.
Unfortunately, he had devoted ninety-nine percent of his focus to cutting out that Byakugan. The remaining fraction had been reserved for watching his surroundings, so he had failed to notice the Hyuga Main Family's movements.
In his eyes, that man was already dead.
On top of that, the Hyuga Main Family's presence was almost nonexistent, and his movements were practically imperceptible. There was no way Ao could have detected him.
By the time Ao sensed that the Explosive Tag had been triggered, it was already too late.
Boom!
Blinding flames filled his vision, and Ao had no time to escape beyond the safe distance.
The scorching wave of fire and murky smoke engulfed him.
Then a tremendous impact slammed into his chest and hurled him out of the smoke screen.
This sudden turn of events left both the Konoha and Kirigakure sides stunned.
No one knew what had happened. By the time everyone came to their senses, all that remained where the Hyuga Main Family had fallen was a shallow pit more than two meters across and a charred, human-shaped object.
Clearly, it was the Hyuga Main Family's remains.
As for Ao, he lay in an empty area on the other side, his clothes in tatters and his body covered in blood.
"Captain!"
Mei Terumi cried out and immediately abandoned her opponent to rush over.
Qi Shuang and Zabuza also consciously gathered around them, shielding the two of them inside their formation.
Seeing this, the other Konoha ninjas also closed in.
Fortunately, at that very moment, a Kirigakure squad charged out of the dense forest.
Upon seeing the situation, they immediately dragged the Konoha ninjas