Discarding Teammates for Victory

Although the basic Clone Technique is considered a piece of trash, with Choza in his giant form looking down from such a great height, he couldn't possibly tell if this clone was the real body.

After leaving behind a clone, Yashui felt relieved and boldly slipped away.

The escape process was exceptionally arduous. Although Choza's vision became less clear after using his giant transformation, his field of view had expanded significantly, making it easy for him to spot people on the ground. A single moment of carelessness or the slightest slip-up could lead to Choza spotting him.

The previous time Yashui was discovered by Choza after using the Crow Substitution Technique, it was likely because he hadn't hidden himself well enough.

The things learned at the Ninja Academy were now coming in handy. The knowledge taught at the Ninja Academy was very broad, covering all sorts of aspects. Naturally, they had also learned concealment techniques for tracking enemies and monitoring targets.

Yashui regretted that he had only flipped through those lessons casually when he was self-studying, glancing over them once and never reviewing them again. Now, he was filled with regret; if he had only looked a few more times back then, he wouldn't have been reduced to this sorry state. Today, Yashui could only advance step by step, with extreme caution. Every time he hid, he had to scan the surroundings several times before continuing to move.

After Choza had transformed into his giant form, Hachiko and Xun were still fighting tirelessly.

Xun was cursing while she fought, mainly because Hachiko had spoken out of turn several times. It gave Xun the feeling that Hachiko was wishing death upon her.

This was also the reason why Xun had locked onto Hachiko from the very beginning and attacked her. Xun felt that Hachiko had a bad personality and wanted to kick her out of the group right then and there.

Hachiko was not the type of person who liked to shamelessly cling to those who disliked her. One could tell from the fact that she often sat in the corner of the last row in the classroom that she was actually quite a "proud" person. However, when it came to becoming a ninja, Hachiko did not want to give up.

Becoming a ninja was Hachiko's only path to upward mobility. Hachiko did not want to lose her future prospects and wealth because of her "pride." For this reason, Hachiko's counterattacks were also quite fierce.

By the time Yashui arrived at the scene, both of them were covered in wounds. Hachiko's injuries looked slightly more severe than Xun's, while Xun had several abrasions all over her body.

Both of them had exhausted a great deal of their stamina. Because of her childhood training, Xun was still able to keep her breathing steady. Hachiko, however, could not manage that; having grown up eating unhygienic food and drinking gutter oil, Hachiko's physique was much worse than Xun's. Fighting until this point, Hachiko vaguely felt that her stamina was failing.

Xun slowly approached, and by this time, Hachiko's ninja tools had all been used up. Empty-handed, she was no match for Xun. It seemed that Xun had already secured the victory.

"Bang!"

Yashui appeared behind Hachiko without a sound and delivered a sharp chop to her neck. Hachiko collapsed to the ground.

"Let's team up! The two of us will definitely be able to get the bells!" Yashui looked at the unconscious Hachiko and proposed a team-up to Xun.

Xun was utterly shocked by Yashui's actions. One had to remember that when Xun first provoked Hachiko, Yashui had been pleading on Hachiko's behalf! She had thought Yashui was a loyal and righteous fellow, but who knew that at the critical moment, his behavior would be just like hers—willing to sacrifice a partner for his own benefit!

"Since you think so too, then that's for the best. Kicking out the weakest of the three of us is a blessing for our future team." Xun put away her long staff. "Let's get this straight: regarding certain things, I dislike you even more than I dislike Hachiko."

"My level of dislike for you isn't low either." Yashui shook his head helplessly. "If it weren't for the fact that I can no longer resist Teacher Choza on my own, I wouldn't be asking for your help."

"Whatever." Xun didn't seem to have exhausted much stamina; it appeared she was still hiding some techniques. Xun didn't finish Hachiko off right away, perhaps just to see how much capability Yashui really had.