Starved to Death in a Swamp

After doing all this, he held his breath, pressed close against the trunk of a large tree, and slowly climbed upward.

The rough bark scraped his palms, leaving tiny cuts, but he paid them no mind and focused solely on climbing.

Before long, he reached the middle of the trunk. Dense branches and leaves completely concealed him, making it impossible to spot him from the ground.

Just then, the Sunagakure ninja led by Baki reached the place where he had stopped earlier.

Baki crouched down and carefully examined the footprints on the ground, his brows furrowing slightly.

A Sunagakure ninja behind him stepped closer and said in a low voice, "Lord Baki, judging by the footprints, he should have run to the left. Should we pursue him now?"

Baki did not answer immediately. Instead, he reached out and lightly brushed the footprints on the ground.

His fingers gently pressed into the fallen leaves, feeling the depth of the prints. Then he shook his head and said coldly, "No. These footprints are too deliberate, and their depths are inconsistent. They were probably left behind on purpose to mislead us."

Kawaki Aoba hid among the branches, and his heart tightened when he heard Baki's words.

He had not expected Baki's powers of observation to be so sharp. The deception he had carefully arranged had been seen through at a glance.

"Then what should we do now, Lord Baki?"

Another Sunagakure ninja asked anxiously, his gaze constantly sweeping through the surrounding woods as he tried to find Kawaki Aoba's trail.

Baki rose to his feet, his sharp gaze sweeping across the surrounding trees. A cold smile curled across his lips. "That brat is fairly clever, using the forest to hide himself.

But does he think that will be enough to evade us? Pass