Luring the Enemy

The battle ended, and the scent of blood permeated the humid air.

Having survived a life-or-death night raid, an invisible bond of shared survival formed among the squad members.

Inuzuka Go was still excitedly inspecting the enemies on the ground, while Hyuga Aya had already silently retracted her stance, her pure white eyes sweeping across the battlefield to confirm there were no hidden threats left.

"Captain, how should we handle these guys?"

Inuzuka Go kicked the enemy whose brain had been pierced by Yusuke and asked.

"Search them and see if there is any valuable intelligence."

Yusuke said, walking over to the heavily wounded enemy captain and the other captive who had been subdued by Hyuga Aya's pressure point strikes.

He crouched down, his hands covered in a faint glow of chakra.

"What... what are you doing?" The enemy captain trembled from blood loss and fear.

"Relax, feeling dizzy is normal."

Yusuke's gaze was cold as he pressed his hand against the man's forehead.

"Ninja Art: Mind Reading Technique!"

Fragmented memories flooded into Yusuke's mind.

A damp camp, Kumogakure headbands, simple defensive fortifications.

A moment later, Yusuke released his hand. The enemy captain's eyes rolled back as he passed out; it seemed he wouldn't survive this ordeal.

He approached the other captive and repeated the process.

"How is it?" Hyuga Aya's voice came. Although she disliked such methods, she knew it was the fastest way to obtain intelligence.

"Got a few possible locations for their strongholds."

Yusuke stood up, pulled out a field map, and quickly marked several points on it: "But they need to be verified."

Inuzuka Go leaned in to look: "None of them are far from us. Shall we go now?"

"Yes. Although the commotion from the earlier fight wasn't large, it's inevitable that others might notice." Yusuke nodded.

"Clean up the traces. We move out in two and a half minutes."

After clearing the scene, the three-man squad slipped back into the dense forest like ghosts.

For the next half day, they cautiously scouted three locations based on the coordinates Yusuke had obtained.

One was empty, containing only the remnants of a discarded campfire. However, the other two were small outposts, each guarded by about ten ninjas.

Judging by the mixed headbands, they appeared to be a temporarily assembled force.

Hyuga Aya's Byakugan ensured they completed their observations from a safe distance.

"Two strongholds, one abandoned site."

"The intelligence is partially accurate."

Yusuke made marks on the map.

"Captain, are we heading back to report, or are we going deeper?" Inuzuka Go rubbed his hands together, eager for more.

Yusuke did not answer immediately; his perception remained at a state of high alert.

Ever since they left the border of Konoha, that faint, lingering sense of being watched had never disappeared.

Before, the distance was great and the feeling was vague, but now, it was becoming increasingly clear.

Observing the enemy's movements and the current position of Yusuke's squad, Yusuke had a realization: they had been waiting, waiting for the right place to strike.

Now, at a distance neither too far nor too close to the first verified enemy stronghold, it was the perfect place to frame someone.

A cold sneer curled the corner of Yusuke's mouth: "They want to clear me out like small fry? Little do they know that high-end hunters often appear in the form of prey."

"We aren't going back."

Yusuke put away the map and looked at his two teammates: "We are being followed."

Inuzuka Go and Hyuga Aya became alert instantly, and Hyuga Aya immediately activated her Byakugan, looking toward the rear.

"How is it?" Yusuke asked.

"There are three of them, two kilometers away."

"Their chakra pathways are flowing actively. They are fast and approaching in a straight line."

Hyuga Aya's speech was slightly hurried as she replied: "Their stealth techniques are highly sophisticated; they are almost one with the environment."

"Are they enemies? When did they start following us?" Inuzuka Go asked in a low voice.

"They've been following us since we left the Land of Fire," Yusuke said coldly.

He carefully observed the reactions of the two; Inuzuka Go looked indignant, while Hyuga Aya's expression remained indifferent, no different from usual.

"Then what do we do? Speed up and shake them off?" Inuzuka Go asked.

"We can't shake them. They are professional trackers, and they're already very close."

Yusuke shook his head, a calculating glint flashing in his eyes.

He quickly issued his orders: "Listen, since they want to use someone else's blade to kill us, we'll just muddy the waters."

"If they can use this outpost as cover, then we can naturally use that same outpost against them."

"Captain, are you planning to..." Hyuga Aya seemed to have guessed Yusuke's intentions.

"Go, you're in charge of laying down tracks to create the illusion that we're circling the outpost to gather intelligence."

"Aya, report their distance from the outpost at all times."

"As for me, I'm going to prepare a big gift for them."

"A sufficiently warm 'welcome gift'."

Yusuke pulled explosive tags from his ninja tool pouch, his eyes cold.

He looked toward the direction of the enemy outpost, calculating the distance and the terrain.

"Move toward the outpost, and stop at that rocky area."

"But don't go too fast, or you'll arouse their suspicion."

Yusuke pointed to a spot on the map.

"We're going to fight them there?" Inuzuka Go was somewhat excited; clearly, this guy didn't understand Yusuke's plan.

In his muscle-filled brain, there was only the reckless thought of "charge in and fight."

"Not exactly."

"We're going to hit them fast and retreat. The goal is to alert the enemies at the outpost."

Yusuke selected the trap locations while simultaneously observing the reactions of his two teammates.

If either of them showed the slightest sign of abnormal behavior or left a secret signal, he wouldn't mind killing them on the spot.

"Alert the enemies?" Inuzuka Go was even more confused.

"Correct." Yusuke skillfully buried the explosive tags into the crevices of the rocks, connecting them with chakra threads as thin as hair.

"Aren't they trying to disguise themselves as enemies to attack us? We'll just give them a hand and lure the real enemies over."

"Let them fight like dogs?" Inuzuka Go finally understood Yusuke's intent.

Only Haimaru let out a dissatisfied bark in protest.

Yusuke's movements were extremely fast; the traps included not only explosive tags for the ground but also illusion-concealment nodes set in the shadows of the rocks.

Although crude, it was enough to cause a momentary misdirection during a high-speed pursuit.

"They've accelerated, one kilometer left," Hyuga Aya reported in real-time.

"Then we'll 'accelerate' too."

Yusuke finished setting the last trap and clapped his hands. "Go! Keep your distance, just enough so they can stay on our tails."

The three-man squad set off again, feigning a retreat toward the outpost, but keeping their speed perfectly controlled.

The pursuers behind them followed like shadows, the distance closing steadily.

Eight hundred meters, five hundred meters, three hundred meters...

Yusuke could clearly sense those three cold chakra signatures, carrying undisguised killing intent.

The leading chakra signature was particularly formidable, reaching the level of an elite jonin.

"One hundred meters, entering the rocky area," Hyuga Aya whispered sharply.

By now, they had bypassed the enemy outpost, leaving Yusuke's squad and the Root squad separated by the enemy's position.

"Hide, conceal your presence!" Yusuke ordered. He quickly formed hand seals, a low sneer on his lips.

"Stinking bugs from the gutter, are you ready to welcome my gift!"