Before These Eyes, You Have Nowhere to Hide! (Seeking Follows)

The sudden ambush caught Haori and his two companions off guard for a moment.

But all three were qualified ninja; almost the instant the explosions spread, they leaped away in different directions.

Because they were caught in the blast, they were forced to scatter, and in an instant, the distance between them was stretched wide.

The continuous explosions filled the surroundings with thick mist, and Haori had to dodge back and forth through the forest to avoid the blasts.

Damn it, it's an ambush.

Haori cursed inwardly. Even though he had guessed that Iwagakure would make a move, he hadn't expected them to act so quickly.

He also noticed one thing: the explosions were caused entirely by explosive tags, which meant—

"Iwagakure has already realized where we were planning to strike!"

No one was a fool, especially those who managed the village and oversaw the battlefield.

It was easy to imagine that the situation on Namikaze Minato's side probably wasn't going smoothly either.

But how things were going over there had nothing to do with Haori. At this moment, his eyes had turned scarlet, and three tomoe slowly rotated within them.

Through the smoke, he could see a figure rapidly approaching him, and before long, this figure had blocked his path!

"I never expected it to be an Uchiha."

The newcomer saw Haori's eyes and instantly turned his head slightly, refusing to make eye contact.

"You are..." Haori frowned slightly.

The slightly gaunt figure before him gave him a faint sense of familiarity.

However, he couldn't immediately recall exactly who this guy was.

"I am Gari of the Iwagakure Explosion Corps."

The gaunt man's expression was cold, though his demeanor was quite composed. His name, however, made Haori pause for a moment.

Haori now remembered who this guy was; he was the one skilled in Explosion Release who would later be brought back by Yakushi Kabuto via Impure World Reincarnation alongside Pakura.

"So it's you," Haori nodded slightly.

"What, are you surprised?" Gari's expression remained indifferent. "The fact that you could make it here and cause such a commotion is what surprises us most."

"Actually, we should thank Kumogakure," Haori knew a fight was inevitable, so he didn't mind trying to rattle him. "If it weren't for them, we wouldn't have gotten such a good opportunity."

Sure enough, Haori's words caused Gari, who already looked somewhat grim, to darken even further.

"What is your objective, and how many of you are there?" Gari asked coldly, suppressing his anger.

"You've already guessed it, otherwise you wouldn't have set an ambush here. As for how many of us there are..."

Haori shook his head. He noticed movement coming from the distance as well.

There was no doubt that Might Guy and the others had also encountered enemies and were each embroiled in their own battles.

"You still have the heart to worry about others at a time like this?"

Gari seemed to notice that Haori was somewhat distracted and spoke with disdain.

"Forget it. It looks like you won't talk, but no matter how many of you there are, you will all meet again in the Pure Land."

"Before you say that, have you considered one thing?"

Haori pulled his gaze back, but at this moment, he also revealed a hint of disdain.

"Do you really have the courage to face me directly, or are you afraid of my Sharingan?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the ground beneath Haori's feet shattered, and a figure shot out from the earth.

His speed was immense, and through his Sharingan, Haori could see chakra flowing over his fist!

Clearly, this was Explosion Release.

Although he had been ambushed, Haori felt no panic; he could clearly see the trajectory of Gari's attack.

The moment the fist was about to strike him, his body shifted slightly, appearing incredibly fluid and effortless as he easily dodged Gari's blow.

Taking advantage of the split-second stiffness in Gari's body after the missed attack, he quickly drew a Kunai.

The Kunai went straight for Gari's chest, and in the blink of an eye, it sank directly into his torso!

However, Haori raised an eyebrow slightly, because he clearly saw that Gari had already escaped.

What remained in place, just like before, was merely an earth clone.

"Is this the style of you Iwagakure ninja?"

Haori spoke with mockery, though he remained exceptionally vigilant inwardly.

Once Iwagakure ninja entered the ground, they were naturally difficult to detect, and even with the Sharingan, it was hard for Haori to lock onto them immediately.

Moreover, this Gari possessed the standard mindset of a ninja: if a strike failed, he would immediately use his advantages to go into hiding.

This was clearly different from the way he acted after being brought back by the Impure World Reincarnation, where he seemed to let himself go.

"What a turtle. It seems your Tsuchikage must live a long time—after all, are you all just turtles by nature?"

Seeing that Gari still hadn't made a move, Haori continued to taunt him while searching for his position.

Unfortunately, he had overestimated his ability to taunt.

Perhaps his ability to spout inspirational nonsense could barely compare to Naruto, but his talent for mockery clearly couldn't hold a candle to Sasuke.

It was possible that if Sasuke were simply standing here without saying a word, others would already be unable to resist the urge to come out and beat him up.

"Since you have no desire to fight, let's not waste each other's time. I'll be taking my leave."

Haori thought for a moment and said casually, then he really began to walk straight ahead.

However, just as he took a step, he instantly sensed movement behind him.

He turned around quickly, his gaze instantly locked onto the position behind him, three tomoe spinning rapidly.

A slight look of surprise crossed his face, followed immediately by a smile.

"Got you!"

He rushed forward, one hand behind his back, while the other held a Kunai that he slammed fiercely into the ground!

The Kunai pierced into the earth instantly, yet Haori's expression shifted slightly.

Because the ground did not yield blood as he had expected, and the sensation of the Kunai piercing the soil felt completely wrong!

"It is I who have caught you, Uchiha brat!"

Almost at that very instant, the ground behind Haori suddenly split open, and the figure of Gari finally appeared.

His right hand threw a fierce punch, the fist wreathed in a chakra glow smashing toward Haori's body.

He had endured for so long, waiting precisely for this moment!

However, when he saw Haori standing still, showing no intention of dodging at all, he suddenly felt a hint of alarm. Still, he did not pull back his punch, merely controlling his strength slightly.

BOOM—

The moment the fist made contact with Haori's body, a violent explosion erupted from him.

Yet this explosion did not shatter his body; instead, it instantly melted into surging electrical currents!

"Lightning Clone, when?"

Gari's expression turned ugly, though fortunately, he had pulled back some of his strength, which left him a chance to recover.

He immediately kicked off the ground with all his might, using the massive explosion generated by the ground and his own punch to retreat from the spot before the electricity could spread to him.

And not long after he had left, a massive fireball tore through the smoke screen and slammed fiercely into the ground.

The surrounding grass was quickly ignited, the flames began to spread continuously, and in the shadows of the blaze, Haori's figure quietly appeared.

"Truly ignorant and foolish."

Several Kunai appeared in Haori's hands, and he looked calmly at Gari, who was hiding not far away, a mocking expression on his face.

Those scarlet eyes, set against the backdrop of the firelight, appeared exceptionally cold.

"Admittedly, hiding underground can indeed avoid the perception of the Sharingan to a certain extent."

"But do not forget, as long as you make any reckless move, you cannot escape the lock of these eyes."

"Before these eyes, you have nowhere to hide!"