The Hunt Begins!

Deep in the mysterious Forest of Death, Hayato stood silently on the branch of a towering ancient tree, as alert as a hunting leopard.

He lightly tested the branch beneath his feet and smiled faintly. "Pretty sturdy."

The Forest of Death was steeped in an unnerving, eerie stillness. It was as if the forest swallowed even the sound of the wind, leaving only silence.

The quiet was like that of a graveyard, sending a chill through anyone who felt it.

Hayato's sharp gaze swept over every inch of the surrounding land.

In this vast, boundless forest, finding an opponent who was hiding was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

But he knew that wherever people had been, they always left traces. So he watched patiently, trying to pick out his opponent's trail from the slightest clues.

I remember five people ran in this direction. How come I haven't seen a single sign of anyone after all this time? Hayato wondered.

He recalled how, when he first entered the forest, he had deliberately stayed at the back so he could record the routes the others took.

Yet now he felt as if he were lost in a fog, unable to find his targets.

Just as he focused on searching, a sense of danger crept toward him.

In the dense woods fifty meters away, a ninja with two inverted-triangle markings on his cheeks—Inuzuka Kaku—stared intently at Hayato alongside his Ninja Dog partner, Jiro.

Man and dog both stared intently at Hayato's position.

"Lucky me. And it's just a kid." Inuzuka Kaku wore a cold smile, greed gleaming in his eyes.

He carefully closed the distance to Hayato, preparing to launch a Sucker Punch.

At last, when he reached a patch of dense woods ten meters from Hayato, he swiftly formed Hand Seals and performed the Beast Mimicry Ninja Art.

His Ninja Dog partner, Jiro, instantly transformed into a human, and together they launched a fierce attack on Hayato.

"Passing Fang!"

Two attacks, like Twisters, hurtled toward Hayato with the force of thunder and lightning.

But just as the attacks were about to land, Hayato used the Flying Thunder God Technique and evaded Inuzuka Kaku's assault.

With a single flash, Hayato appeared some distance away. He raised an eyebrow, a faint smile on his lips. "A ninja from the Inuzuka Clan, huh? Interesting."

After his ambush failed, Inuzuka Kaku steadied himself on all fours. The two Inuzuka Kaku clones stared fixedly at Hayato.

That was fast. Was it the Body Flicker Jutsu, or some other trick?

But he didn't show any hesitation. He charged straight at Hayato, ready to give him a righteous two-on-one beating.

Inuzuka Kaku swung his claws, attacking Hayato at a speed like a raging storm.

Hayato deftly blocked the first wave of attacks with his Kunai. But soon, the Inuzuka Kaku who had been Jiro joined the fight as well. The man and dog worked together seamlessly, putting Hayato under some pressure.

"This is a bit of a pain," Hayato muttered, but he didn't panic. He relied on his exceptional reflexes to nimbly dodge their attacks.

He leapt backward in a three-and-a-half somersault, putting some distance between himself and Inuzuka Kaku. In midair, he drew three shuriken and threw them at his opponent.

Inuzuka Kaku quickly retreated a step, dodging the shuriken.

Hayato didn't let up. He moved his hands and performed a ninjutsu.

"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"

Three fire dragons surged toward Inuzuka Kaku like a raging tide, instantly engulfing the surroundings in flames.

Amid the dragons' fierce assault, Inuzuka Kaku used his agility to skillfully avoid the flames.

The fire exploded around them, billowing thick smoke. Seizing the opportunity, he asked Jiro, "Jiro, can you find him?"

Jiro, transformed into Inuzuka Kaku, nodded.

"Good. This Smokescreen can cover us. Let's use that move next."

Inuzuka Kaku and Jiro transformed into a giant brown-gray wolf with two heads and one body.

"Inuzuka Style: Man-Beast Mix Transformation—Two-Headed Wolf!"

"Fang Wolf Fang!"

Tracking Hayato's position through the air, the Two-Headed Wolf spun rapidly, forming a massive Twister. It dispersed the black smoke from the flames and sped straight toward Hayato.

"Wow, he doesn't even get dizzy? That's some impressive balance," Hayato remarked when he saw the attack coming.

But he didn't panic. He used the Flying Thunder God Technique again and dodged the attack.

He wasn't worried about being outpaced.

"Damn it, we failed again! How can this guy be so fast?" Inuzuka Kaku complained in frustration. "There's no choice. We'll have to retreat."

It wasn't wise to keep forcing an attack when he knew he couldn't beat his opponent.

The Two-Headed Wolf turned and ran, putting distance between itself and Hayato.

"You think you can run just because you can't win? Not that easy." Hayato wore a cold smile.

He flashed forward and gave chase.

The Two-Headed Wolf ran ahead, with Hayato hot on its heels.

"What? How can he be so fast?"

Before long, Hayato caught up with Inuzuka Kaku and blocked his path.

Inuzuka Kaku tried to reason with him. "You don't need to chase me relentlessly. I can't beat you, but you can't do anything to me either. Why not spend your time somewhere more worthwhile?"

To be honest, he regretted picking a fight with Hayato. He couldn't win, and he couldn't get away.

"Can't do anything to you? You're mistaken." Hayato smiled calmly and flicked a finger. A Kunai shot toward Inuzuka Kaku like an arrow loosed from a bow.

The Two-Headed Wolf raised its right paw without hesitation, trying to Knock Off the oncoming Kunai.

In that split second, Hayato's figure appeared strangely beside the Kunai, then sprang into the air.

"What!" The Two-Headed Wolf's four eyes widened, filled with disbelief and terror.

"Flying Thunder God: Second Stage!"

"Rasengan!"

The blue-and-white chakra sphere slammed into the Two-Headed Wolf's back. The tremendous force made it seem as if the wolf were carrying a mountain. Its whole body bent sharply downward, almost touching the ground.

At the same time, the Rasengan disrupted the Two-Headed Wolf's chakra flow. With a poof, a cloud of smoke dispersed.

The Two-Headed Wolf had reverted to Inuzuka Kaku and Jiro. They collapsed helplessly onto the ground and fell into a deep unconsciousness.

After landing steadily, Hayato walked over to Inuzuka Kaku and Jiro.

He searched Inuzuka Kaku carefully and soon found a scroll in his bag.

"Pretty lucky. It's the Wind Scroll." Hayato smiled.

But this scroll wasn't Hayato's true target.

He glanced at Jiro lying on the ground and considered it for a moment. Then he hoisted Jiro over his shoulder and vanished from the spot like a bolt of lightning.

He got to take the food and the loot.

Inuzuka Kaku slowly came to. He rubbed his aching head, his eyes full of confusion.

But when he realized Jiro wasn't beside him, he panicked at once. "Jiro!"

Meanwhile, in another patch of dense woods, Jiro also began to wake from unconsciousness.

It slowly opened its heavy eyelids and looked around in a daze.

When it realized the person standing before it was Hayato, not Inuzuka Kaku, it bared its teeth and faced him aggressively.

"Finally awake." Hayato smiled as he watched Jiro come to. Then, in the space between one blink and the next—

Whoosh!

"Sharingan!"

A humanlike look of astonishment appeared on Jiro's face.

Then its eyes changed too, becoming Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

Hayato slowly rose to his feet, a faint smile on his face. "The hunt begins!"