The Mission's Key Target!

What unsettled Aoba even more was that Shouya seemed to know their every move.

Teacher Shinku suddenly spoke, his gaze fixed on Aoba.

Aoba paused, then recovered and smiled. "Nothing. I just think Shouya is a little tricky."

"Tricky?"

Teacher Shinku snorted. "He's more than tricky.

If you keep letting your guard down like you have these past two days, sooner or later he'll catch you off guard."

Asuma and Might Guy both looked uncomfortable.

Kakashi lowered his head and fell silent, seemingly lost in thought.

Aoba merely nodded and glanced again at the pile of junk in the corner.

His "sacrifice"

experiments had been going on for two days, but they had yet to produce any significant results.

He needed a way to increase his strength quickly, even if only for a short time.

"Teacher Shinku, what do we do next?"

Asuma broke the silence, urgency edging his voice.

"We'll keep working in the same groups, but be more careful."

Teacher Shinku continued, "Shouya likes to watch from the shadows. He won't strike lightly, but when he does, he'll go for the kill.

None of you four is to go anywhere alone."

"Understood."

Kakashi nodded, then turned to Aoba. "Aoba, were you really collecting all that stuff these past two days just to pass the time?"

Aoba's heart skipped a beat, but he kept smiling. "Of course. What else would I do with it? It's not like I can use that junk against Shouya."

Kakashi did not press him. He only gave Aoba a long look.

That look left Aoba uneasy, as if Kakashi had glimpsed part of his secret.

Over the next few hours, the four squad members patrolled the surrounding area under Teacher Shinku's lead.

The morning mist had not fully cleared, and the forest air was