I'm Waiting for Teammates, What Are You Waiting For (New Book Seeking Collection, Seeking Recommendation)

Three figures clad in black bodysuits and animal masks darted into the rocky area like phantoms.

Their movements were clean and precise, without a single wasted motion—the hallmark style of Root.

The leader's single eye, visible beneath his mask, swept over the "hasty" tracks on the ground. Without a moment's hesitation, he signaled, and the trio continued their pursuit in a triangular formation.

The moment they stepped into the heart of the trap, Yusuke formed hand seals, remotely triggering the mechanism.

Yusuke formed hand seals, remotely triggering the mechanism.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

A series of explosions erupted in rapid succession! Fire and thick smoke instantly swallowed the Root squad! Shattered stone sprayed in every direction!

If the trap could injure the enemy, that was ideal, but its primary purpose was to create chaos and—

"Enemy attack!"

Alarm whistles immediately sounded from the direction of the enemy stronghold!

Clearly, the massive explosions had successfully drawn their attention.

"Fall back!" Yusuke signaled, and the three of them sprinted rapidly toward their pre-planned extraction route.

Within the smoke, Terai waved away the dust.

One of his subordinates beside him had been grazed by flying debris; though it was nothing serious, Terai's expression beneath his mask was grim.

"Sir, there are chakra signatures approaching rapidly from the stronghold, more than ten people," the Root sensory ninja reported urgently.

Terai stared fixedly in the direction where Yusuke and his team had vanished, then glanced at the stronghold enemies rapidly closing in.

"The plan has been completely disrupted."

Continuing to pursue Yusuke would inevitably lead to a collision with these alerted enemies, potentially exposing their identity as Root.

"Damn it!" Terai spat the words through gritted teeth.

He hadn't expected Yusuke to be so cunning, turning the tables and using the enemy to set a trap for them.

"Prioritize shaking off the stronghold enemies. The mission to eliminate Yusuke is suspended."

He cast a hateful glare toward the direction Yusuke had fled before leading his two subordinates in a swift retreat.

Sensing that there were no pursuers behind him and that the enemies were instead moving in a different direction, the cold smirk on Yusuke's face widened.

Sounds of a brief skirmish drifted from the distance; the dog-eat-dog fight had begun.

"Alright, the roles of hunter and prey have swapped. Now it's our turn to hunt," Yusuke said to his two teammates.

Inuzuka Go clapped his fist into his palm, looking at Yusuke with excitement: "Captain, you're amazing."

Hyuga Aya nodded slightly, gaining a new appreciation for Yusuke's ability to adapt on the fly.

The lingering echoes of the explosions and the brief sounds of combat were swallowed by the dense forest.

Yusuke signaled, and the three-man squad stopped immediately, lurking within the thick canopy and suppressing all traces of their presence.

Hyuga Aya's Byakugan remained locked in one direction.

"They've shaken off the stronghold enemies and are moving west."

Her voice was extremely low: "Their speed has slowed, but one person's chakra fluctuations are erratic; they must be heavily injured."

"Good."

Yusuke's eyes were cold: "Move in, keep a safe distance."

The three of them trailed behind the Root squad like ghosts, making no sound.

Just as Yusuke had anticipated, although Terai's squad had successfully escaped after being intercepted by the stronghold enemies, they had paid a price.

The sensory ninja's injury hampered their movement, and their overall speed and alertness had noticeably declined.

Yusuke was incredibly patient, like the most experienced hunter, waiting for the moment his prey let their guard down completely.

An hour later, Terai's squad stopped beside a relatively open stream.

The injured member needed to tend to his wounds, and the other two were clearly showing signs of fatigue.

Terai scanned the surroundings and issued an order: "Rest quickly and tend to your injuries."

The three took turns keeping watch, while Yusuke and his team waited patiently nearby.

Though Inuzuka Go was anxious, not understanding why his captain didn't just rush in and finish the three of them off, he had just witnessed Yusuke's command ability and could only suppress his impatience.

The hallmark of a python's hunt is that it strikes for the kill the moment its prey is at its most relaxed.

And that was exactly the moment Yusuke was waiting for.

"Now, move!" Yusuke whispered.

At the very moment the three Root members were at their most relaxed, three figures shot out from different directions like arrows released from a bow!

Yusuke's target was clear, aimed directly at the elite jonin-level captain, Terai.

Inuzuka Go and Haimaru lunged at the injured Root member, intending to reduce the enemy's numbers as quickly as possible.

Hyuga Aya's Byakugan locked onto the final enemy, her opening stance for the Gentle Fist already set.

The battle erupted in an instant!

"Enemy attack!"

Terai's reaction was astonishingly fast; he had sensed Yusuke the moment he appeared.

"Clang!"

Yusuke's greatsword collided fiercely with Terai's short blade, sending sparks flying.

The recoil from the clashing weapons left Terai momentarily stunned; the force behind his opponent's strike was not particularly strong.

That makes sense, he thought, this guy Ji is just a Chunin after all.

"Hold your ground, I'll come help you all once I finish him off," Terai shouted to encourage his teammates.

Yusuke deliberately restrained his strength, his sword techniques appearing somewhat conservative.

The chakra and taijutsu he displayed did not exceed the level of a Chunin, yet he always managed to dodge the enemy's attacks at the critical moment.

Yusuke fought while retreating, drawing Terai away from the main battlefield.

In reality, most of Yusuke's attention was focused on his teammates.

This was a test for his allies; his vigilance kept him wary of any potential moles who might launch a sneak attack from behind, ensuring he wouldn't capsize in the gutter.

Terai's blade work was ruthless and tricky, carrying the efficiency and lethality unique to a Root captain.

He soon noticed Yusuke's "struggle" and intensified his offensive.

"Is that all a piece of trash who betrayed Root has to offer?"

Terai's voice, muffled by his mask, was cold and bone-chilling, attempting to disrupt Yusuke's composure.

Yusuke parried a diagonal slash, his arm trembling slightly as he feigned heavy breathing.

On the other side, the bold and unrestrained combat style belonging to Inuzuka Go was on full display.

"Beast Human Clone!"

He and Haimaru transformed into two intersecting figures, frantically surrounding and attacking the injured Root ninja.

Man and dog coordinated perfectly, launching cross-attacks and kicking wildly at the cripple's only good leg.

The enemy's resistance was tenacious, but his injuries severely hampered his movements; his footing became unstable, and he stumbled, exposing a fatal opening.

Damn it, the injured Root member screamed internally, desperately searching for a way to recover.

But Inuzuka Go clearly didn't give him that chance.

"Gatsuga!"

Go's eyes lit up, and he and Haimaru instantly transformed into two high-speed rotating chakra whirlwinds, colliding with the enemy in a cross-pattern.

A series of cracks echoed as bones shattered.

"Pfft!"

The Root ninja spat out a mouthful of blood and crashed into a small tree, snapping it in half. He kicked at the ground a few times, trying to stand, but it was ultimately futile as he lost consciousness completely.

The battle on Hyuga Aya's side was even more direct; her Byakugan observed every flow of the enemy's chakra points.

She had already formulated a plan while charging toward her opponent.

"Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"

A massive Eight Trigrams formation seemed to manifest on the ground as her palms rained down like droplets, precisely sealing the enemy's meridians.

Although the Root ninja was not weak, he was still a cut below a genius of the Hyuga branch family, not to mention he had been caught in a surprise attack.

The Root ninja struggled to hold on, attempting to survive this wave of attacks before launching a counter-kill.

Seeing that the sixty-four palms were about to conclude, he curled his lips into a dragon-king-like smirk.

It's my turn now, he thought viciously, preparing to strike back hard the moment her attack stalled.

But the next moment.

"Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms!"

Dense palm shadows struck again, and in his panic, he was quickly struck in his vital points, his chakra solidified, and he collapsed to the ground.

Throughout the entire process, Inuzuka Go and Hyuga Aya did not hesitate for a second; their goals were clear, and they were determined to eliminate the enemies as quickly as possible.

Seeing this, Yusuke's internal doubts dissipated.

He glanced at Terai and said in a flat tone, "I was waiting for my teammates. What were you waiting for?"