Strike Back!

"Just because of a dream? Don't overthink it. Get some rest. We'll definitely make it back!"

Hyuga Hiroshi shook his head slightly.

He wanted to say that this wasn't the first time he'd had a dream like that. The last time he'd had one... At the thought, he instinctively reached for his right eye, only to touch his cracked goggles.

Silence fell over them again. Naoki watched the campfire flicker and relived the previous day's battle.

Perhaps it was because his two souls had merged, but he felt that he could learn anything almost as soon as he tried. Even his relative lack of combat experience could be made up for in a short time.

A single great battle yesterday had already given him a whole new understanding of combat. If this continued, it probably wouldn't be long before he could kill an elite jonin as easily as a chicken...

Just as Naoki was pondering this, Shi suddenly emerged from the darkness. His voice was hoarse as he said, "One of the traps I set has been triggered. Someone's approaching!"

Naoki shot to his feet, his Sharingan activating at once.

Hyuga Hiroshi activated his Byakugan and peered into the distance as well.

"How many?" Naoki asked.

"More than ten, I think."

Uchiha Zongye had woken up by now, too. "What do we do? Keep moving, or..."

"We can't get bogged down fighting them." Naoki shook his head. "We need to leave as soon as possible. If they pin us down, we'll be in trouble!"

Everyone agreed with Naoki. After putting out the campfire, they immediately set off.

Dawn was breaking, but the mist still hadn't cleared from the forest.

Naoki and the others had been fleeing through the woods all night.

"Stop."

Uchiha Setsuna suddenly raised a hand, and everyone halted at once.

Naoki panted, sharp pangs coming from the wound in his abdomen, but he ignored them and warily swept his gaze around with his Sharingan.

"What is it?"

Uchiha Setsuna didn't answer. He simply looked at Hyuga Hiroshi.

Hyuga Hiroshi understood and activated his Byakugan. His expression immediately turned grim. "About thirty to the southeast... more than twenty to the northwest... and over ten closing in from behind... We're surrounded."

"What?" Uchiha Zongxin's eyes widened. "How did they get here so fast?"

Naoki spoke slowly. "Maybe they'd already figured out roughly where we'd flee, so they managed to block us off so quickly and accurately."

"In my opinion, they've got pursuers in more than just the east, west, and south. They've probably laid traps to the north as well..."

"Huh?" Uchiha Zongxin scratched his head. "That's not good news."

"Yeah," Itachi suddenly said. "How are we supposed to deal with them now?"

The situation was already dire. The Kirigakure Ninja were right on their heels, and they couldn't shake them no matter what. Now there was a risk of being pincered from both sides, and they had no idea when they might run into enemies blocking their escape to the north.

The Kirigakure Ninja closing in from every direction were like a tightening net, squeezing them ever closer.

Naoki realized that his first real trial in this world had arrived.

Wasn't this exactly the kind of test he'd wanted?

"Hiroshi, tell me which direction has the fewest enemies!" Naoki suddenly said.

As a genius of the Hyuga Main Family, Hyuga Hiroshi's Byakugan could see farther than those of ordinary Hyuga Ninja. That made him Naoki's most trusted source of information.

Although he didn't understand what Naoki meant, Hyuga Hiroshi pointed without hesitation in the direction they had come from.

"The enemies behind us are the weakest right now, and they're spread out. There's even a gap where their encirclement hasn't fully closed."

Naoki rubbed the hilt of his sword, considered it for a moment, then drew the long blade and pointed south.

"I think the Kirigakure believe we'll keep running for our lives. They never expected us to turn around and fight our way back... In that case, we'll retrace our steps and catch them off guard!"

Uchiha Zongxin's eyes widened. He thought he'd misheard.

"Naoki, have you gone crazy? We barely managed to escape. If we go back now, won't we be walking to our deaths?"

"Because we've been running all night, they'll assume that all we can do is flee." Naoki's voice was chillingly calm. "And that assumption is our best chance to escape... The most dangerous direction is often the safest."

Uchiha Setsuna looked at Naoki, his grizzled brows lifting slightly, but he said nothing.

Naoki said, "Hiroshi, take another careful look at the enemy's positions!"

Hyuga Hiroshi activated his Byakugan again and examined the area closely.

"The enemies behind us really are the weakest. They're also pursuing us the fastest, so their line has stretched out, with the front and rear separated..."

"Then it's settled." Naoki made up his mind. "We're done running. We're fighting our way back!"

"But..." Uchiha Zongxin started to say.

"Zongxin." Uchiha Zongye put his remaining right hand on his younger brother's shoulder. "Trust Naoki."

Itachi stood quietly to one side, his dark eyes fixed on Naoki's back.

"Move!"

Naoki charged toward the direction they had come from, taking the lead.

Seven figures slipped into the morning mist like ghosts and vanished into the depths of the forest.

At the very front of the pursuit was a thirteen-man Kirigakure squad led by a middle-aged elite jonin with a vicious scar across his face.

"Faster! Pick up the pace!" the scar-faced elite jonin urged his subordinates. "Lord Yagura said there'd be a hefty reward for capturing those Konoha scum!"

"Captain, aren't we going a little too fast?" A Kirigakure Chunin looked around uneasily. "The others haven't caught up yet..."

"What are you afraid of?" The scar-faced elite jonin snorted contemptuously. "Those Konoha cowards are scared out of their wits. They're too busy running for their lives to even think of turning back!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a huge fireball came flying toward them.

Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!

A huge fireball roared out of the forest, its blazing tail streaming behind it as it hurtled toward the Kirigakure squad.

"Enemy attack!"

The scar-faced elite jonin's pupils contracted, but it was already too late to dodge.

The fireball exploded in the middle of the squad. Three Kirigakure Chunin were swallowed by the flames and rolled across the ground, screaming.

"How is this possible?!"

Before he could finish speaking, a blade flashed through the flames.

Naoki appeared in front of the scar-faced elite jonin like a ghost, his Two-Tomoe Sharingan glowing an eerie red in the firelight.

"Try to remember this in your next life!"

His long blade swept across. The scar-faced elite jonin hurriedly blocked with a Kunai, but the tremendous force left his hand numb.

"Damn it!"

Only then did he see that Naoki wasn't alone. Uchiha Setsuna, Uchiha Zongye, Shi, and the others had all appeared around him, pouncing like tigers among a flock of sheep.

"It's those Konoha Ninja! They've come back to attack us!"

"Captain! Where's the captain?"

"Ah!"

Screams rang out one after another.

Lightning crackled across Uchiha Setsuna's hands. He slammed a palm into the chest of a Kirigakure elite jonin, caving in the man's breastbone and sending him flying. He crashed through two trees before coming to a stop.

Shi's swordsmanship was as swift as lightning, every slash precisely opening an enemy's throat.

Although Uchiha Zongye had lost his left arm, the Kunai in his right hand was still deadly. Fighting alongside his younger brother, he killed two Chunin.

Itachi stood at the edge of the battlefield, his small face tense as he formed Hand Seals.