Damned Konoha Ninja!

"Impossible..."

The Sunagakure ninja's eyes widened in disbelief.

But he had no time to react further. The Wind Blade slashed into him, spraying blood.

The Sunagakure ninja staggered backward, a wound deep enough to expose bone opening across his chest. Blood quickly soaked the front of his clothes.

His eyes gradually lost focus, and his body slowly toppled, hitting the ground in a cloud of dust.

Kawaki Aoba stood where he was, panting slightly, his kunai still clenched tightly in his hand.

His gaze swept over the fallen Sunagakure ninja. Only after confirming that his opponent was no longer a threat did he slowly put away his weapon.

There was no joy of victory on his face, only a trace of gravity.

"One down."

He muttered to himself and looked into the distance, extending his perception once more.

The other members of the Sunagakure squad were still five kilometers away. Their chakra signatures showed no noticeable change; clearly, they had yet to discover what had happened here.

He had not used too much chakra, but the fight had made him realize that the Sunagakure squad was no pushover.

This ninja was only one member of the squad. The others might be stronger, or even possess more troublesome ninjutsu.

He crouched and carefully examined the Sunagakure ninja's body, hoping to find useful clues.

Besides a few basic weapons, the ninja's tool pouch contained a sealed scroll bearing Sunagakure's emblem.

Kawaki Aoba frowned and carefully tucked the scroll away, intending to bring it back to Yuhi Shinku.

"Looks like this mission isn't so simple."

He murmured to himself, a complicated look flickering in his eyes.

He stood, straightened his clothes, and set off toward the Sunagakure squad again.

The wind among the trees grew colder. Sunlight filtered through the canopy, falling across