Hit Back!

"Just because of a dream? Stop overthinking 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 such a dream, and the last time he had... At this thought, he instinctively reached for his right eye, but his fingers met only the shattered remains of his goggles.

Silence fell over the group once more. Naoki watched the flickering campfire, ruminating on the previous day's battle.

Perhaps it was the result of two souls merging, but he felt he could learn anything he set his mind to. Even the combat experience he had previously lacked was being filled in rapidly.

Yesterday's major battle alone had given him a brand-new perspective on combat. If this continued, he feared it wouldn't be long before killing a Jonin became as easy as slaughtering a chicken.

As Naoki pondered, Shi suddenly emerged from the shadows, his voice raspy as he spoke: "The traps I set have been triggered. Someone is approaching!"

Naoki sprang to his feet, his Sharingan activating instantly.

Hyuga Hiroshi also activated his Byakugan, peering into the distance.

"How many?" Naoki asked.

"A dozen or so."

Uchiha Zongye, now awake, asked: "What now? Do we run or..."

"We can't get tangled up with them." Naoki shook his head. "We have to leave immediately. If they latch onto us, we're in big trouble!"

The group agreed with Naoki's assessment. After extinguishing the campfire, they set off at once.

The sky was barely brightening, and the mist in the forest had yet to dissipate.

Naoki and his group had been fleeing through the dense forest for an entire night.

"Stop."

Uchiha Setsuna suddenly raised a hand, and everyone halted instantly.

Naoki panted, a sharp, stinging pain radiating from the wound on his abdomen, but he ignored it, his Sharingan scanning the surroundings vigilantly.

"What is it?"

Uchiha Setsuna didn't answer, merely looking toward Hyuga Hiroshi.

Hyuga Hiroshi understood, activating his Byakugan. His expression turned grim: "To the southeast, about thirty people... to the northwest, over twenty... directly behind us, a dozen more are closing in... We're surrounded."

"What?" Uchiha Zongxin's eyes widened. "How are they so fast?"

Naoki said slowly: "They probably anticipated our general escape route, which is why they could intercept us so accurately and quickly."

"In my opinion, there are pursuers not just to the east, west, and south; I suspect they've laid traps to the north as well..."

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

"Indeed." Itachi spoke up suddenly. "How are we supposed to deal with those guys now?"

The situation was critical. Kirigakure was biting at their heels, impossible to shake off, and now there was the risk of being caught in a pincer movement from the sides. They didn't even know when they might run into an interception on their northward flight.

The Kirigakure ninja were like a closing net, tightening from all directions.

Naoki realized that the first true test since arriving in this world had arrived.

Wasn't this the tempering he had been looking for?

"Hiro, tell me which direction has the fewest enemies!" Naoki suddenly asked.

As a genius of the Hyuga main house, Hyuga Hiroshi's Byakugan could see further than ordinary Hyuga ninja, making him Naoki's most reliable source of information.

Though he didn't understand what Naoki was planning, Hyuga Hiroshi pointed toward the direction they had just come from without hesitation.

"The enemies behind us are the weakest, and they are quite scattered. There's even a gap that hasn't fully closed yet."

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

"I think Kirigakure assumes we'll run for our lives; they never expected us to strike back... Since that's the case, we'll head back the way we came and catch them off guard!"

Uchiha Zongxin's eyes widened, thinking he had misheard.

"Naoki, have you lost your mind? We barely managed to escape; isn't going back just suicide?"

"Precisely because we've been running all night, they believe we will only continue to run." Naoki's voice was chillingly calm. "And the fact that they hold this belief is our best chance to escape... The most dangerous direction is often the safest."

Uchiha Setsuna looked at Naoki, his graying brows lifting slightly, but he remained silent.

Naoki said: "Hiro, take another detailed look at the enemy's position!"

Hyuga Hiroshi activated his Byakugan once more, observing carefully.

"The enemies behind us are indeed the weakest, and they are pursuing in such a rush that their formation is stretched thin, with the head and tail disconnected..."

"Then it's decided." Naoki made up his mind. "We aren't running anymore. We're killing our way back!"

"But..." Uchiha Zongxin tried to protest.

"Zongxin." Uchiha Zongye placed his remaining hand on his brother's shoulder. "Trust Naoki."

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

"Move!"

Naoki took the lead, charging back in the direction they had come from.

Seven figures slipped into the morning mist like ghosts, vanishing deep into the dense forest.

In the lead of the pursuit was a Kirigakure squad of thirteen, commanded by a middle-aged jonin with a hideous scar across his face.

"Faster! Pick up the pace!" the scarred jonin urged his subordinates. "Lord Yagura said there will be a heavy reward for capturing those Konoha scumbags!"

"Captain, aren't we pushing too far ahead?" a Kirigakure chunin asked, looking around with unease. "The rest of the team hasn't caught up yet..."

"What are you afraid of?" the scarred jonin scoffed disdainfully. "Those Konoha cowards have already lost their nerve; they're only focused on fleeing. They wouldn't dare turn back."

No sooner had he spoken than a massive fireball came flying toward them.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

The colossal fireball roared out from the depths of the forest, trailing scorching flames as it slammed head-on into the Kirigakure squad.

"Enemy attack!"

The scarred jonin's pupils constricted, but it was already too late to dodge.

The fireball exploded within the ranks, instantly engulfing three Kirigakure chunin who rolled on the ground, screaming in agony.

"How is this possible!"

Before the words had even left his lips, a blade of light tore through the flames.

Naoki's figure appeared before the scarred jonin like a phantom, his Two-Tomoe Sharingan glowing with an eerie red light in the reflection of the fire.

"Try to remember this in your next life!"

He swung his long blade horizontally. The scarred jonin blocked it in a panic with his kunai, but the immense force left his hand numb.

"Damn it!"

Only then did he realize that it wasn't just Naoki; Uchiha Setsuna, Uchiha Zongye, Shi, and the others had all appeared, surrounding them like tigers pouncing into a flock of sheep.

"It's those Konoha ninja! They've turned back to fight!"

"Captain! Where is the captain?"

"Ah!"

Cries of agony rose one after another.

Lightning flickered across Uchiha Setsuna's palms as he struck a Kirigakure jonin in the chest; the man's sternum collapsed, and he flew backward, snapping two trees before coming to a halt.

Shi's swordsmanship was as fast as lightning, each strike precisely slicing through an enemy's throat.

Although Uchiha Zongye had lost his left arm, the kunai in his right hand remained lethal. Coordinating with his younger brother, the pair joined forces to cut down two chunin.

Itachi stood at the edge of the battlefield, his young face taut as he formed hand seals.