Lure the Tiger from the Mountain

Outside Kasahara Village, the red light of the Signal Flare faded.

Yamato suddenly appeared and immediately saw Kobayashi Ken and Sato Yu in dire straits beneath the attacks of two Masked Ninjas.

"Wood Release: Silent Killing Bind Technique!"

Without hesitation, Yamato formed hand seals, and his arms transformed into several sharp wooden strips that shot toward the two attacking Masked Ninjas.

The two Masked Ninjas' offensive stalled, forcing them to leap back. A flicker of surprise crossed their eyes.

Almost at the exact moment Yamato appeared and attacked, the Masked Ninja who had been standing by with his arms folded made a gesture without hesitation.

"Retreat!"

With a low shout, the three Masked Ninjas moved in perfect unison and instantly threw several Smoke Bombs.

"Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!"

Thick white smoke rapidly spread, blocking their vision.

Yamato swept aside part of the smoke with his sleeve, his gaze icy.

No one remained. The enemy had retreated cleanly and decisively, without any hesitation.

"Teacher..."

Kobayashi Ken clutched the wound at his waist while Sato Yu pressed down on his bleeding arm. Both wore the lingering terror of having narrowly escaped death.

Before he could finish, Yamato immediately demanded, "What happened? Who were those people? When did they appear?"

The three ninjas' actions just now had been decisive. They were definitely not ordinary wandering ninja or rogue ninja.

Their methods gave him a vague but troubling suspicion, and his heart grew heavier.

Enduring the pain, Sato Yu quickly explained, "They suddenly appeared and attacked us right after we finished dealing with the Bandits! They were very strong—we were no match for them at all... It seemed like... they didn't intend to kill us right away. It was more like they were forcing us to call for help!"

Kobayashi Ken added, "That's right! They kept us tied down until we fired the Signal Flare!"

Forcing them to call for help?

Yamato's brow furrowed deeply as thoughts raced through his mind. A deliberate attack, forcing out the signal, then fleeing at once after luring him here... Their target was clearly not Ken and Yu, two ordinary Genin... nor was it him.

Then...

His expression changed abruptly!

"Damn it!!" Yamato's voice was filled with urgency. "Their real target is Shinichi!"

Kobayashi Ken and Sato Yu's faces instantly turned deathly pale at Yamato's words.

"Shinichi?!"

"Shinichi is their target?!"

Anxious worry appeared on both their faces.

They had experienced the Masked Ninjas' strength firsthand. If Shinichi was truly their target, the danger he faced was unimaginable.

Yamato said no more and brought his hands together to form seals.

"Wood Release: Wood Clone Jutsu!"

The air beside him warped slightly. A mass of Chakra brimming with vitality rapidly separated from his body and took shape, condensing in the blink of an eye into another "Yamato" identical to him.

"Escort them somewhere safe and hide. Stay alert on the way."

Yamato spoke rapidly to the Wood Clone, his gaze never leaving the direction of Ishikawa Village.

"Understood."

The Wood Clone nodded, its voice overlapping with the original's.

The next instant, Yamato's Chakra erupted. Without pausing for even a moment longer, his body became a blurred black streak that tore through the night at top speed toward Ishikawa Village, vanishing into the depths of the forest in an instant.

The Wood Clone immediately crouched down and began administering emergency treatment to the two injured Genin.

Kobayashi Ken and Sato Yu stared in the direction their Teacher had disappeared, their palms icy as overwhelming unease gripped their hearts.

"Shinichi... you have to hold on..."