Pursuit Battle

Earth Style: Rock Pillar Spear!

"Hiss!"

Water Style: Water Wave!

"Puff!"

Chiba and Yahiko took the lead, charging ahead and instantly unleashing both techniques toward the dark shadow not far away.

Without any reaction, the opposing Mist Ninja rogue was torn to shreds.

"Was this a Water Clone?"

Just then, an attack suddenly emerged from behind the group.

"Water Style: Water Stream Technique!"

"Bang!"

Nagato leaped out abruptly, blocking the attack with his shield.

Seeing the enemy reappear, Chiba, Yahiko, and Konan did not hesitate for a second, instantly unleashing several more ninjutsu in succession.

At this moment, they had just been replenished with plenty of chakra by Nagato before the battle, so everyone was firing at absolute full capacity.

"Bang!" "Bang! Bang!"

Amidst the water mist kicked up by the barrage of Water Style and Earth Style attacks, Chiba and his group lost track of the enemy once again.

The Mist Ninja rogue Jing Jiu hid behind a large tree, panting heavily, his face filled with disbelief.

He hadn't taken a group of children seriously at first, even mentally mapping out how he would torture them to death. Who could have guessed that these children were as strong as monsters? Not only could they unleash C-rank ninjutsu, but they could chain several of them together without appearing to have exhausted themselves at all.

A question couldn't help but sprout in his mind: were these really children? He had seen geniuses before, but when did geniuses start bunching together?

Without a doubt, Jing Jiu lost his nerve.

Carefully using a mirror to observe Chiba and the others for a moment, Jing Jiu decided to flee immediately.

However, just as Jing Jiu was trying to sneak away, Nagato spotted him again.

"Over there."

In an instant, the group closed in once more.

Although Nagato's Rinnegan had not yet been developed to a high level, even its basic observational abilities were far beyond what this guy could hide from.

"Damn it."

Jing Jiu hurriedly increased his speed, fleeing frantically.

His long life as a fugitive had made him accustomed to running for his life. Even if the combat power of both sides were similar, he wouldn't want to risk his life against anyone, let alone when the children before him clearly displayed combat prowess far superior to his own.

However, after running only a hundred meters, Jing Jiu suddenly realized something, and a cruel smile curled onto his lips.

"So they're just a bunch of rookies."

He had only been suspicious before, but now, observing their pursuit style, Jing Jiu instantly saw through their lack of experience.

No longer in a rush to flee, Jing Jiu began to casually set up simple traps, leading Chiba and the others in circles.

"Bang!"

A flash of fire exploded suddenly beside Chiba and the others, instantly blowing Yahiko and Chiba, who were in the lead, away.

"Chiba, Yahiko, are you alright?"

Chiba shook his head and climbed up, covered in dust and grime.

"I'm fine."

Although Jiraiya had taught them some methods for observing and setting traps, it was clear that the traps this guy set on the fly were not at a level they could quickly detect.

Nagato had spotted the first and second traps, but he hadn't expected a third.

While Nagato's observational skills were strong, they weren't strong enough to see through the small movements Jing Jiu made while using the large trees and his own body as cover.

Fortunately, to remain hidden, the guy had placed them in relatively secluded spots, and due to the rush, he had sacrificed the lethality of the traps; otherwise, they would have ended up in a much worse state than just being covered in dust.

Nagato looked at them and suddenly said, "How about I take the lead? I..."

"No need."

Chiba shook his head. "We agreed that I would lead the charge."

Yahiko shared the same sentiment as Chiba. "I'm not that fragile."

Soon, the group resumed their pursuit. At first, they were still occasionally injured by small traps, but it didn't take long for them to gradually adapt to the rhythm of the chase.

It could only be said that real combat was indeed the best teacher; in just a short while, they had achieved rapid growth.

Jing Jiu, fleeing frantically ahead, also gradually felt the pressure. By now, his crude little traps were finding it hard to be effective.

As a result, the distance of Chiba's pursuit grew closer and closer, to the point where some of their ninjutsu could even land hits on him from time to time.

"What kind of monsters are these brats? Won't their chakra ever run dry?"

Jing Jiu cursed incessantly while shoving several blue pills into his mouth; these were the Mist Ninja's unique chakra-replenishing supplements, similar to Konoha's military rations. After recovering a small amount of chakra, his speed surged once more.

And so, this great battle unexpectedly devolved into a war of attrition.

This was something Chiba and the others had not anticipated, but fortunately, Nagato was able to reach out and replenish their chakra from time to time while they were on the move, allowing them to keep going.

The group chased and fled, running frantically for over an hour until the sky began to darken.

At this moment, Jing Jiu was undoubtedly speechless; he clearly hadn't seen those children consume any medicine or auxiliary items, yet it was as if their chakra would never run dry.

His original plan had been to exhaust the children's chakra through a high-speed chase, but now it seemed he was the one about to be drained.

They were casting ninjutsu while running, so shouldn't their chakra consumption be higher than his?

Jing Jiu's eyes were filled with bewilderment.

This was simply unscientific; was there a shortcut to cultivating chakra? Even for a genius, they shouldn't possess such vast reserves at this age.

Finally, Jing Jiu, who had been fleeing in front, seemed to tire and came to a panting halt.

By now, the sky had turned completely dark, and the group quickly pursued him.

However, just as they accelerated toward him, a cruel smile suddenly appeared on Jing Jiu's face.

"Good, rookies are just rookies; you've already fallen into my trap. There is no way you can dodge an attack of this intensity."

As he spoke, Jing Jiu severed a nearly invisible black steel wire beside him.

"Hiss—" "Click-clack—"

In the dark forest, a series of friction sounds erupted from steel wires and mechanical triggers.