Kazuki Utsuki had made a miscalculation. He'd never expected the ninja sent by Sunagakure to include a Jonin.
By the time he followed their trail and caught up, it was already too late. The Jonin's sensory abilities surpassed his, and as soon as Kazuki arrived, he realized he'd walked straight into their encirclement.
The surrounding landscape was a range of rolling hills, dotted with all kinds of bizarre rock formations. There was almost no vegetation, and anyone who found a high vantage point could survey the whole area.
In other words, Kazuki Utsuki had nowhere to run.
"Heh heh, boss, I didn't expect the Konoha Anbu to move so fast. He's already caught up."
Tanuki ran his tongue along the sharp tip of his kunai and stared at Kazuki Utsuki mockingly.
"Come to think of it, I haven't killed a Konoha Anbu in ages."
Kazuki Utsuki's face, hidden beneath his mask, turned ashen. His fingertips paled slightly. His strength was already on the verge of reaching Jonin level. In fact, he'd planned to take the Jonin exam after the Third Shinobi War ended.
He could have escaped unscathed even against five Chunins, and might even have seriously wounded them. There were only four Sand Ninja before him, and if not for the Jonin among them, he was confident he could kill them all.
But that Jonin had brought him to the brink of death. Forget killing his opponents—he wasn't even confident he could escape.
Jonin were the backbone of every nation's forces. In a sense, the nations' strength was ranked by the number of Jonin they had. A veteran Jonin was strong enough to hold back more than a dozen Chunins alone.
"I miscalculated," Kazuki murmured, a hint of regret in his eyes. He slowly drew the long sword from