The vast clouds of water vapor slowly dissipated.
A slender figure gradually emerged from the trees.
"Oh? You actually dodged that?"
His flippant voice drifted over, yet he seemed completely unconcerned that his attack had missed.
Not far away,
Shion and Hazama were panting heavily.
Their eyes wide with fear, they stared at the ground, which had been ravaged by the violent explosion, their faces still etched with lingering dread. A sheen of cold sweat had appeared on their foreheads.
Hazama swallowed and spoke in a trembling voice.
"Th-thank goodness you were here, Sakumo. Otherwise, things would've turned out badly."
Beside them, a figure in Anbu attire, but without a mask, stared coldly at the man who had just appeared.
"An Anbu from Konoha? For someone your age, you're pretty capable."
The slender Rain Ninja eyed Sakumo flippantly and chuckled.
Hazama and Shion both watched the man warily and spoke in low voices.
"Be careful, Sakumo. That guy's attacks are extremely strange. You can't sense them."
Sakumo nodded slightly, his eyes fixed warily on the Rain Ninja before him.
"You're behind all those recent assassinations, aren't you, Rain Ninja?"
The Rain Ninja smiled faintly and replied airily,
"You're right. But calling me a Rain Ninja is awfully rude. Whenever I kill Konoha Ninja, I always give them my name."
As he spoke, he grinned broadly and said eerily,
"Remember this: my name is Kinnara. Don't forget it."
As soon as the words left his mouth, he clapped his hands together.
"Secret Technique: Water Binding Sound Explosion!"
Sakumo, Hazama, and the others tensed at Kinnara's movements.
"Watch out!"
The three of them instantly leaped away from where they stood!
The puddles on the ground suddenly seemed to come alive, turning into enormous hands that sprang up and reached for them!
Boom!