Countdown to Life, Anbu Pursuit

"Huff... huff..."

Within the forests of the Land of Eddies, Kazama Kaguya ran and leaped, his breathing like a wheezing bellows.

Panting like an ox, sweat pouring like rain—that was the true picture of his current state.

He clenched his teeth, stubbornness burning in his eyes, with no thought of stopping.

He and Kimimaro were now rapidly advancing toward Konoha, but Kazama Kaguya had vastly overestimated his own physical condition.

Following the running style of an ordinary shinobi, just half an hour had already pushed his body to its limit.

His clothes were soaked through with sweat, each breath sent a dull ache through his chest, his throat felt like he'd swallowed hot coals, and every jump made his legs tremble.

Beside him, Kimimaro—not a single bead of sweat, his breathing steady—watched with concern in his eyes. "Lord Kazama, you've been sprinting at high intensity for half an hour. Let's rest for a while. If we keep this up, your body will collapse prematurely."

Kazama Kaguya wanted to push on a little longer, but a metallic taste was already lingering in his mouth. If he ran any further, he'd probably start coughing up blood.

He stopped, leaned against a large tree, forced down the surging blood, and spoke in broken gasps:

"Ki... Kimimaro, at this pace, how long can you keep going?"

Kimimaro meant to say he could run for a day, but seeing Kazama Kaguya's struggling state, he changed his answer: "I can run for three hours, Lord Kazama."

"Three hours, huh..." Kazama Kaguya sighed. "What a enviably healthy body."

Kimimaro watched Kazama Kaguya's legs shaking uncontrollably and said with a pang of sympathy, "Lord Kazama, let me carry you for the rest of the way."

Kazama Kaguya fell silent at that.

It wasn't out of embarrassment. He knew his own body well enough—bringing Kimimaro along was precisely to have him assist in the escape.

The reason for his silence now was the numbers dropping in the golden finger within his mind.

[Evolver: Kazama Kaguya]

[Status: Bloodline Disease outbreak, estimated survival time: 2 months]

On the Evolution Obelisk, that glaring [estimated survival time: 2 months] sent a jolt through his heart.

The fear of life steadily ticking down to zero felt like an invisible hand gripping his heart, suffocating him.

"Survival time decreased by one month compared to before the defection. Is it because I fought Orochimaru and used All-Killing Ash Bones multiple times?" Kazama Kaguya thought to himself.

Every use of the All-Killing Ash Bones ability was a severe overload, accelerating his body's collapse.

They were still within the Land of Eddies, with a long way to go before reaching Konoha in the Land of Fire. Next, they'd have to deal with pursuit from Kirigakure, and even after arriving at Konoha, they'd need to figure out how to seize the Byakugan bloodline.

If an emergency forced him to use All-Killing Ash Bones again, his survival time would likely shrink even further.

At that thought, a sense of urgency surged within him.

"Kisame Hoshigaki, I hope you're the one who takes the pursuit mission."

From then on, Kazama Kaguya completely gave up on moving on his own, letting Kimimaro carry him.

Though it slowed Kimimaro's pace somewhat, it was still much faster than when they moved together.

They traveled this way for an entire day. When night fell, they stopped to rest.

In the dense forest, the two sat cross-legged on a tree branch, not lighting a fire, just eating dry rations with plain water.

Lighting a fire would easily expose their position or attract large beasts.

After filling their stomachs, Kimimaro prepared to carry Kazama Kaguya again, but was stopped. "You need to rest, Kimimaro. The road ahead is still long. We need to conserve enough stamina to deal with the coming pursuit."

"But, Lord Kazama, if we don't move, the Kirigakure Anbu will catch up easily," Kimimaro said anxiously.

"We can't outrun them, Kimimaro."

Kazama Kaguya looked up at the moon in the high sky and gave a bitter smile. "My endurance is basically zero, and carrying me cuts your speed by at least a third. The pursuers from Kirigakure are sure to be a Chunin squad led by a Jonin. Their speed is three to five times your full pace. Kirigakure is surrounded by sea, and the nearest land is the Land of Eddies. Plus, we didn't have time to erase our tracks—they're probably almost on us by now."

"Then we should run even faster," Kimimaro said, growing more anxious at the thought of pursuers closing in.

Kazama Kaguya shook his head, pulled out a Summoning Scroll packed with ninja tools and Explosive tags, and handed it over. "Go set up traps. Then rest for a while. We'll move out in three hours."

Seeing that Kazama Kaguya insisted on resting, Kimimaro had no choice but to reply, "Yes, Lord Kazama."

After Kimimaro left, Kazama Kaguya took out the scroll recording Danzo's secret contact channels and began to examine it.

It detailed the locations and code words for covert meetings, along with a translation key.

To anyone unfamiliar, it would look like a jumble of unrelated words.

After reading it through carefully, Kazama Kaguya couldn't help but admire, "Two old schemers, neither of them an easy mark. No wonder they dare to pull strings right under Hiruzen's nose."

Soon, Kimimaro returned after setting the traps.

Kazama Kaguya looked at the boy's weary appearance, brushed a fallen leaf from his hair, and said gently, "Get some rest while you can. I'll keep watch."

"Lord Kazama, I'm not tired. I can keep going." Kimimaro's eyes brimmed with gratitude, almost overflowing.

A weapon like him had never been cared for like this before.

"Go on, be good. While you were carrying me, I already got enough rest. Now it's your turn."

Kazama Kaguya stood up, leaped onto a branch, and gazed far into the path they had come from.

Under the silver moon, the dense forest loomed in shifting shadows. The night wind swept through, swaying the branches and leaves, like a dark green ocean surging in the dark.

Kimimaro stared at the figure perched in the treetops and silently resolved himself: "Lord Kazama, I will definitely protect you. Please don't die."

He leaned back against the large tree, and with the remarkable discipline of a shinobi, began to drift off to sleep within minutes.

Kazama Kaguya sat cross-legged in the treetops, keeping watch while pondering how to maneuver against Danzo to gain the greatest advantage.

Two hours later, several kilometers away, a sudden explosion rang out, startling a large flock of birds into flight.

Boom...

Kimimaro was jolted awake by the blast.

Kazama Kaguya dropped down, his expression grave. "The Anbu pursuers are here. Prepare for battle. Follow the plan—feign weakness and create an opening for me to use All-Killing Ash Bones."

"Understood."

After the brief exchange, bones burst forth from both their bodies, rows of pristine white spikes emerging to shield their vital points.

As long as he didn't use All-Killing Ash Bones, the color of Kazama Kaguya's bones was no different from Kimimaro's.

What he needed to do now was exploit the gap in information, seize the chance to take out the leading Jonin first—otherwise, neither of them would escape.

Within the dense forest, the clamor of insects gradually fell silent.

Not a single figure was visible, only thick white mist suddenly surging between the trees, a vast, blinding expanse that obscured all sight.

The entire forest grew eerily still. Within the fog, shadows flickered past in rapid succession.

A bone-chilling killing intent pressed in from all directions, sending a cold shiver down the neck.

"Mist Technique!"

Kazama Kaguya's face turned grim. This was a standard assassination method from Kirigakure—combined with the Mist Body Flicker, it became the dreaded silent killing technique.

The Demon of the Hidden Mist, Zabuza, was still active in Kirigakure even now.

Kazama Kaguya knew no Wind Release to blow away the thick fog. As he racked his mind for a countermeasure, streaks of cold light shot out from the mist, aimed straight at their vital points.