Don't Come Any Closer!!!

Motonari had planned ahead, creating an overwhelming advantage for the Konoha side. The temporary squad of Soji and Todo had also succeeded in killing the formidable Sand Ninja infiltrator.

However, that didn't mean every team would be able to complete its pursuit mission without a hitch...

In a decisive contest where life and death hung in the balance, even the slightest unexpected interference could turn the tables. And considering that most of the Sand Ninja involved in this mission were highly capable fighters with plenty of combat experience, a desperate counterkill was hardly surprising.

What truly surprised Yamada Soji was where the distress signal had come from.

Thanks to the seamless teamwork between Soji and Todo, their battle had ended quickly.

Even counting the earlier pursuit and probing, the fight had broken out barely a mile or two from Rock-Pipit Desolate City, just beyond the riverbank with its clear view and into the forest.

In other words, in terms of numbers, the Konoha Ninja in the area—who had yet to fully disperse—had an overwhelming advantage.

If he put himself in the Sand Ninja's shoes, then even if the fugitive was confident he could kill his pursuers, he should have focused on opening up some distance first and waited until the forces were sufficiently spread out before picking a fight.

Starting a battle in such haste only gave the Konoha side ample time to send reinforcements. And if luck was against him, he might even draw Nara Motonari, who had been slaughtering his way through the enemy earlier. That would be tantamount to suicide!

Soji couldn't figure out what was going on...

But as someone who truly embraced a materialist worldview, the boy knew that theories had to be adjusted to fit reality. Reality couldn't be twisted to fit a theory.

So no matter how many thoughts raced through his mind, the only option he actually had was to rush in and provide support!

Todo was right beside him. If Soji hesitated now, he might as well stamp himself with the label of a coward.

Soji understood the risks of going to their aid, but at this crucial moment, when he was building political capital, he was even less willing to leave himself open to criticism.

"Move! Seven o'clock, about six hundred meters!"

"Got it!"

Composing themselves, the pair who had just finished a fight to the death headed toward the second battlefield.

Compared to the anxiety he'd felt when rushing to support Motonari earlier, Soji was noticeably calmer this time, even though he was once again heading straight for danger.

He realized that the teammate who had sent the distress signal might already have been killed by the Sand Ninja. So, as the temporary squad's leader, he adjusted their route on the way, cutting diagonally deeper into the forest to circle around to the site and block the enemy's escape route.

But events once again unfolded beyond the boy's expectations...

As they rapidly closed in on the battlefield, the traces of the earlier struggle between the two sides grew denser and denser!

This meant that the battle had been moving in the exact opposite direction from the fugitive's escape route, with the fighting gradually drawing closer to Rock-Pipit City...

It was undeniably strange.

If the Sand Ninja had the upper hand, there was no reason for them to move toward the center of the encirclement, knowing full well they'd walked into an ambush.

On the other hand, if the Konoha side had the advantage, there was no need for them to send a distress signal...

The two of them were racing against time to carry out their support mission. Soji had no time to discuss these odd details with the chubby boy.

But as the contradictory clues continued to pile up, the boy quietly raised his guard to the highest level!

He deliberately began adjusting the way his chakra flowed, preparing to use the trump card he'd just learned from Motonari.

"We don't know what the enemy's planning. Stay alert!"

"Yes!"

His palms were sweaty and his heart pounded.

Soji reminded his teammate, using the same words to focus himself as well. He was afraid he might miss even the slightest movement around them.

As the two hurried on, they soon left the dense forest behind...

On the pitch-black riverbank, the only faint light came from the stars reflected in the Amber River, barely illuminating the bloody struggle.

Squinting, Soji made out a fierce close-quarters fight unfolding beside a pile of rocks!

One of the combatants was tall, with streamlined muscles bulging all over his body. Every shift from motion to stillness created a strange, almost jump-cut effect...

His attacks came so fast they seemed beyond human comprehension, keeping his opponent on the back foot. After just one or two clashes that sent sparks flying, another bloody gash would appear on the man's body!

If he'd been in the other man's place, Soji was certain he wouldn't last two rounds against the giant's rapid attacks. The moment that thought crossed his mind, he abruptly stopped in his tracks.

But in the next second, a new doubt clouded the boy's mind.

Soji himself might not have been a match for the muscular giant, but the Konoha Ninja struggling to hold out was also growing weaker as his injuries piled up. By all rights, a fight this intense should have been over long ago!

Yet the man at a disadvantage hadn't been defeated. His rate of injury hadn't even changed. It was as if the giant's attacks were automatically adjusting to match the strength of his opponent...

Combined with all the other strange signs, the seeds of doubt began to take root in Soji's mind!

He started to wonder whether the Konoha Ninja who seemed to be "on the verge of defeat" might actually be an enemy in disguise, using the Transformation Technique to set a trap.

Or perhaps Muscle Man was using some strange technique that required him to maintain the fight in this bizarre manner?

If that was the case, rushing into the fight blindly would be a terrible idea...

Soji, who made a habit of catching his enemies off guard, had no intention of putting himself in a similar predicament. At least until he understood what was going on, the frail Yamada-kun, with his pitifully short health bar, wasn't going to risk his life.

But in the few seconds he spent thinking, the situation on the battlefield changed again!

Akimichi Todo charged forward and attacked without hesitation!

...Every gift fate gave you came with its price secretly marked.

He'd just enjoyed the advantage of a two-on-one fight, and now, in the blink of an eye, Soji was forced to bear the drawbacks of fighting as a team!

"He can't hold on! Cover me!"

"Don't... wait!"

Before Soji could finish trying to stop him, the chubby boy Todo—desperate to save his comrade—had already stirred his chakra again, swelling his entire body under the influence of the Multi-Size Jutsu.

Perhaps his earlier experience of killing Head-Wrapped Man in a single blow had given him the courage to face an enemy head-on. This time, Todo didn't even wait for Soji to come up with a plan. He immediately launched the Meat Tank, hurtling toward Muscle Man!

In an instant, the rapidly rolling ball of flesh swept aside the stones at its feet and barreled toward the pair locked in combat, carrying an unstoppable, overwhelming momentum!

The rumbling clatter and the faint tremors beneath their feet made Todo's charge seem even more imposing!

Even Soji, worried as he was, couldn't help feeling a glimmer of anticipation about the destructive power of the Akimichi secret technique.

And yet, inexplicably, the Konoha Ninja caught up in the fight didn't take the chance to escape the Meat Tank's path. Instead, he took a knife to the abdomen and wrapped both arms around Muscle Man, as if he were determined to die with him!

"Don't come any closer!!"

"Run!!"

A bloodcurdling roar rang across the riverbank!

In the next instant, Muscle Man abandoned his earlier pretense of holding back and simply twisted the man's neck until it snapped!

Then he turned, raised a hand, and deliberately faced the oncoming, unstoppable giant ball of flesh!