"Now that's some incredible news."
Betraying Konoha at the height of its power? Had his brain gone rusty? Karot couldn't understand it.
"The reason for his defection is unknown. He may be carrying important information. Whatever the case, we can't let him leave the Land of Fire."
Matsushita Hokuto gave the order.
"Understood."
"According to the intelligence report, the rogue ninja is heading toward the border of the Land of Earth, so he may be defecting to the Stone Ninja."
"We must not only watch out for the rogue Jonin but also stay alert for any Stone Village reinforcements."
The group slowed their pace, or rather, became more vigilant. After all, it wasn't easy to find a Jonin who wanted to hide. The enemy was concealed while they were exposed, and the roles of hunter and prey could change at any moment. No amount of caution was excessive.
After searching for nearly four hours without finding a thing, the group began to let down their guard. Just then, Karot stopped in his tracks. He sensed someone powerful rushing toward them at great speed.
"What's wrong, Karot?"
Seeing Karot stop, Matsushita Hokuto asked. He knew just how capable his student was.
Karot told Matsushita what he had sensed.
"No need to look anymore. The target may be coming our way."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm sure."
"Good. Everyone, hide yourselves and set traps nearby. We'll catch him in a trap."
Matsushita Hokuto then told Karot to protect Sanada and Kazumi while he dealt with the rogue ninja.
Explosive Tags, kunai traps—the basics of a ninja's training. As it happened, our Karot couldn't do any of them.
A little over ten minutes later, a figure appeared in their line of sight. In his haste, the rogue ninja rushed straight into the middle of the trap. In an instant, sparks and explosions filled the air, blasting a fifty-meter-wide, five-meter-deep crater into the ground that had been smooth just moments earlier.
A Jonin was a Jonin, all right. His reflexes were incredible. The moment he realized it was a trap, he used the all-purpose Substitution Technique and appeared safely outside it.
"Come out."
He had successfully dodged the ambush. Though he didn't know where his opponent was, he had the persistent feeling that he was being watched.
At that moment, Matsushita stepped out from behind a tree.
"Watanabe, why is it you?"
Matsushita Hokuto clearly knew him, and the look on his face suggested they were more than just acquaintances.
"I never thought you'd be the one to stop me."
Watanabe's face twisted with conflict.
"Why betray Konoha? This is our home, Watanabe."
Matsushita Hokuto looked stricken. He and Watanabe had graduated from the Ninja Academy at the same time, and they had been close friends at school. He had never imagined they would one day face each other as enemies.
"Betrayal? What betrayal? I've always been a Stone Ninja. How could I betray Konoha?"
"Do you know, Matsushita? You really are too naive. In this cruel world, we don't get to choose."
Watanabe spoke with a manic look in his eyes.
Caught between his friendship and his village, Matsushita had no choice either. He drew his kunai.
"You're not getting away today."
"Then I'll just have to kill you."
The battle was about to begin.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Matsushita charged as he formed hand seals, sending a massive fireball straight at Watanabe.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
Watanabe reacted just as quickly. A wall of earth sprang up, successfully blocking the enormous fireball. The two collided with a thunderous boom, and the wall was blown to pieces. Dust billowed everywhere. Matsushita immediately charged into the cloud. The only sounds were kunai clashing and sparks flying.
Then the two figures shot out of the dust, one after the other.
"Not bad, Matsushita. You've gotten strong so fast."
"You're not bad yourself."
They praised each other's skill, but neither went easy on the other.
Matsushita pressed forward with his attacks while Watanabe defended and retreated. Their skills had been evenly matched, but after his long journey, Watanabe's strength had waned, while Matsushita was fresh. As their fortunes shifted, Matsushita gained the upper hand.
"That's incredible."
Sanada, watching from the sidelines, exclaimed. Even with the Byakugan of the Hyuga clan, he could barely make out two blurry figures crossing paths. Miwako couldn't see a thing.
"Karot, can you see them?"
Sanada was about to show off his Byakugan and put Karot in his place.
Karot never disappointed when someone served himself up for a slap in the face.
"I can see them."
"You can... What did you say? You can see them?"
Sanada couldn't believe it.
Karot shrugged.
"Do you need special eyes to see them? Are you saying you can't?"
Sanada opened his mouth to respond, then fell silent.
"Matsushita, give me a chance to live, will you?"
As time passed, Watanabe grew anxious. Konoha had more than one pursuit team, and if he was held up for too long, he might not get away.
"Impossible."
"I won't let any ninja who threatens Konoha go."
Matsushita replied firmly.
"Then don't blame me for what happens next."
After Watanabe spoke, his attacks grew noticeably faster. The two had been evenly matched, but now he was overpowering Matsushita. He was buying time. Matsushita understood his intent and only needed to wear him down to win. He didn't ask Karot for help; he wanted to send his own friend on his final journey.
"Watanabe, surrender! Come back with me. I'll plead with the Hokage. He'll spare your life."
Matsushita fought back as he tried to persuade Watanabe to turn back while there was still a chance to live.
"Hahaha! You call me naive, Matsushita, but you're the one who doesn't get it. I'm just a pawn that's already crossed the river. There's no turning back. So, for old times' sake, let me go."
Watanabe pleaded with him.
"Impossible, Watanabe. You know what happens to those who betray their village."
"If we can't settle this with words, then we'll settle it with our hands."
They returned to the most primitive form of killing. The two constantly changed positions, leaving fallen trees and craters in their wake as they unleashed one jutsu after another. One did whatever it took to survive; the other fought to stop him, battered and exhausted.
Both sides ran out of strength. Watanabe seemed to sense something, and his expression darkened. One felt relief, the other despair; each faced a different fate. Reinforcements were close. Several streams of Chakra were rushing toward them.
"Ah, Matsushita. I never wanted to kill you. Why wouldn't you listen?"
With that, Watanabe charged straight at Matsushita. Just as their kunai were about to meet, Watanabe thrust his chest forward. Matsushita couldn't pull back in time, and his kunai plunged into Watanabe's chest.
"Why?"
Matsushita caught Watanabe as he began to fall.
Watanabe smiled as blood poured from his mouth.
"I couldn't escape. The only choice I had was whose hand I would die by."
"Fortunately, the last person I met was you, Matsushita."
"Why did it have to end like this?"
Matsushita cried out hoarsely. The pain of killing his closest friend with his own hands was beyond words.
"Ah... Ah..."
"I thought I'd never be activated in my life. I thought I'd go on living in Konoha like this. Damn this war..."
Watanabe's voice grew fainter with every word.
"Don't come looking for me too soon, Matsushita. Forgive me, my friend."
After speaking his last words, Watanabe breathed his last.
"Watanabe!"
Matsushita cried out.
Before you continue