Shingetsu's intel couldn't be wrong. If the enemy had already entered her range of observation, they weren't far away, and they had probably pinpointed their location.
The wisest choice was to run immediately.
Akashi glanced at the wounded on the ground. "You go on ahead. Aobou and I will stay behind and cover you. Captain, that should work, right?"
"You two?" Shingetsu asked in surprise.
"Don't worry. We'll be fine." Akashi smiled.
"I agree." Kudo Yukiyuki quickly bandaged the gash on his arm from the Wind Release blade. "We'll take the wounded, and the Byakugan will lead the way. You two cover our retreat. Meet at the supply station at Point B on the map."
"There's no time to waste. Move out!"
The group split into two teams and sprang into action.
Shingetsu and the others, carrying the wounded, ran into the forest first. Akashi and Aobou followed behind, setting a few simple traps.
As the distance between them grew, they couldn't help but quicken their pace.
They looked back. It seemed the Sand Ninja had no intention of pursuing them.
Yet Akashi and Aobou kept several paces apart, as if wary of each other.
Every so often, Akashi stole a glance at Aobou, only to find him doing the same.
Thinking it over, they'd exchanged fewer than ten words during their journey from Konoha to the border. Silence was probably the norm between them.
But the strange tension between them was unexpectedly broken.
Aobou spoke first. "You know Orochimaru's ninjutsu?"
He didn't sound particularly surprised, and his tone barely changed. He simply asked.
Akashi didn't answer directly. "You saw it yourself, didn't you? If you want to know how I learned it, you can ask Orochimaru."
"I... yes. I also saw you unleash several powerful Wind Release techniques in succession. Your chakra reserves are impressive, too."
"What, am I not allowed?"
Akashi shot back.
Aobou was left speechless. After a moment, he wasn't sure how to continue.
He was just about to speak when Akashi looked at him, his gaze sharp. "What mission did Danzo give you?"
Aobou's open mouth suddenly stopped.
"Aobou isn't a name I recognize. You look about my age, so I should remember you from the Ninja Academy, but I don't. And you're exceptionally efficient in both combat and the way you handle yourself. That has nothing to do with your strength—it's a habit shaped by your environment. Most importantly, there's something about your presence that really irritates me!"
Akashi had been watching him from the moment they set out.
For some reason, the guy made him feel uneasy. After turning it over in his mind, Akashi realized that unease came from one place.
Root.
Whether it was instinct or judgment, he was convinced Aobou was a spy sent by Danzo.
He didn't know what the objective was, and he didn't need to.
How many good things could Danzo possibly be up to?
Better to strike first and ask questions later.
"Are you here to watch me, or Orochimaru?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Aobou gave an awkward smile that looked worse than a grimace.
"If you can't smile, then don't. Looks like Danzo trained you well," Akashi said mockingly. "He even stamped out your basic emotions."
Aobou wasn't bothered by Akashi's taunts. His expression remained calm.
Root members would never admit their identities. Even if they were killed by an enemy, they wouldn't betray their secrets. Danzo had erased their individual wills; they had long since put their lives on the line.
So Akashi knew that interrogating or threatening him would be pointless.
But he still had to deal with the fact that one of Danzo's men was beside him.
The best solution was to make him disappear!
That was why Akashi had wanted to travel alone with Aobou. He slowed his pace slightly, reached for his ninja tool pouch, and suddenly drew a kunai.
Just as he was about to attack, a shifting shadow flashed across the side of his weapon.
"Sand Ninja!" Akashi's expression changed.
Almost at the same time, a rain of senbon and shuriken came flying down. Akashi immediately changed direction and swung his arm, knocking them aside one by one with his kunai.
Aobou was startled, too.
He'd sensed killing intent behind him and thought Akashi was about to attack him. Instead, they were under attack.
Several Sand Ninja then leaped out from between the trees.
"Leaf shinobi! We finally found you! And there are only two of you? What a disappointment." Their mocking laughter sent chills down the spine.
Even as they spoke, they were already forming Hand Seals.
A gale swept through the forest, shearing through trees as thick as a person. The force was astonishing.
Akashi fought while retreating, his Sharingan fixed on the Sand Ninja's Hand Seals. He studied them as he fought, then shifted his gaze to Aobou and came up with a new idea.
"Hey, let's split up and run."
"If we split up now, they'll pick us off one by one. We might still have a chance if we fight together!" Aobou hesitated.
"I'm the second-best at running away in the Shinobi World. Trust me." Akashi quickly moved closer. "I'll teach you four words."
"Huh?" Aobou pricked up his ears.
There was no time. He couldn't even spare a thought for who might be the best in the Shinobi World.
Akashi's eyes suddenly sharpened. He twisted hard and sent a Leaf Whirlwind kick flying toward Aobou without warning, sending him straight into the Sand Ninja's midst!
"Remember these four words—"
"Ditch, dodge, and bolt!"
Akashi turned and ran without looking back. If the Sand Ninja killed Aobou for him, Danzo couldn't complain. As for running away, he really had learned a few tricks from Orochimaru. The key was not to hesitate. Ideally, by the time the enemy reacted, he'd already be long gone.
Getting the first move gave him a better chance of survival. He might even be able to take out his opponents while on the run.
With Aobou charging into the Sand Ninja, Akashi managed to shake off some of his pursuers.
Only three remained on his tail.
He could handle that.
He ran. The Sand Ninja pursued.
Their speeds were evenly matched, and the distance between them barely changed.
After a moment's thought, Akashi leaped high and hung upside down from a thick branch, hidden by the lush leaves like a snake lurking in the darkness, waiting to strike.
The Sand Ninja chased him through the forest. When Akashi suddenly vanished from sight, they gradually slowed.
"He disappeared nearby. He couldn't have gotten far. Search the area."
"Wait. I hear something!"
A strange sound came from beside them. The Sand Ninja sensed danger drawing near. An ambush? The two alert shinobi leaped aside at once and hurled several shuriken toward the source of the danger.
Thwack, thwack, thwack—
Their barrage pinned the target to a tree trunk, and a hissing sound followed.
A snake?
It wasn't unusual to run into a snake or two in the wild.
But the Sand Ninja felt a chill run through them. There was something about this snake that was different from an ordinary one. Its cold eyes seemed to hold a murderous glint.
"Watch out! Explosive Tag!"
One of them suddenly shouted.
The snake pinned firmly to the tree wasn't quite dead yet. It opened its jaws, and the Explosive Tag stuck to the roof of its mouth began to spark!
Boom!
The nearest Sand Ninja didn't have time to retreat and died on the spot. The other two survived, but the powerful shockwave sent them flying a long way.
Akashi dropped from the treetop and raised his hand to grab a Ninja Blade.
He plunged the blade into each of them, ending their lives.
In a battle between ordinary shinobi, ninja tools killed far more people than ninjutsu.
Most shinobi were fragile. No one could withstand a kunai driven straight into a vital spot.
Nor could they withstand an Explosive Tag blasting them at point-blank range.
"Whew... I'll have to make Konoha reimburse me when I get back. I'm nearly out of pocket." Akashi caught his breath, heart aching at the expense.
A high-quality Explosive Tag cost around two thousand ryo. That was no small sum.
He simply gathered everything useful from the Sand Ninja, then dashed through the forest like an arrow. He hoped Aobou was okay after all this time.
Before you continue