The Forest of Death, at the Hidden Grass Village team's hideout.
The air smelled of damp earth and faint traces of blood.
The team's captain leaned against a tree trunk. The wound on his right arm still throbbed, but after draining Hua Li's chakra, he had recovered most of his strength.
He licked his lips, blood still lingering at the corners of his mouth, and rested with his eyes closed as he planned his next move.
We're short on supplies and points. We have to find another team to rob.
As he mulled it over, his gaze happened to sweep across the shadows of the trees opposite him-
A figure?
At some point, a figure had appeared among the shadows.
Silver-white hair glimmered in the moonlight. A fox mask concealed his expression, leaving only one eye visible through its opening, coldly watching those below.
He stood silently behind one of the captain's teammates, who was bent over Hua Li's arm, biting into it.
The teammate greedily sucked out her chakra, completely oblivious.
The captain's pupils abruptly contracted, and his heart sank.
His mouth opened, a hoarse voice squeezing out of his throat. "You... who are you?"
Before he finished speaking-
Shhk-
His teammate's body went rigid. A short blade stabbed through his back, piercing his heart with perfect precision.
Its tip emerged from his chest, blood dripping down the blade. The teammate did not even have time to scream.
His mouth worked soundlessly, his eyes widened, and his body crumpled to the ground, where he lay motionless.
Hua Li's arm slipped free of his mouth, leaving a deep bite mark behind. Blood seeped from the wound.
The captain's scalp prickled. He sprang to his feet, his fingers flying as he formed hand seals.
Chakra gathered in his palms-but just as