"Eight Trigrams Explosive Vacuum Palm..."
The black-haired ninja no longer had the energy to complain about the name. Those were definitely explosive tags.
But whether so many explosive tags could kill or injure their pursuers remained to be seen.
The four-man squad he had been carrying out this mission with included an elite Jonin, but now he, a Chunin, was the only one left. The others' fates were unknown.
Tightening his grip on his Dual Blades, the black-haired ninja watched the dust kicked up by the explosions and waited anxiously for it to settle.
Once the dust cleared, the real battle would begin.
Not far away, Zou Hyuga moved through the smoke with his Byakugan activated, using his Gentle Fist to disable the Kumogakure ninja's chakra points before throwing them toward the hidden explosive tags.
Long before the black-haired ninja arrived, he and Oto Uchiha had spotted the incoming Cloud Ninja and made ample preparations.
Those preparations included the numerous explosive tags hidden in the nearby woods. They were concealed so well that practically only the perceptive abilities of a Byakugan or Sharingan could spot them.
As for the black-haired ninja, he would have to fend for himself.
Those explosive tags were also the reason he and Oto Uchiha always spent more on their missions than they earned.
But as long as they stayed safe, it was well worth it.
Boom, boom, boom!
The Cloud Ninja, deprived of chakra control after their chakra points were struck, landed amid a succession of explosions that wounded them. Just as they tried to get up and flee, they found themselves facing Oto Uchiha's crimson Sharingan.
Whoosh, whoosh!
Oto Uchiha attacked with the most basic Uchiha Throwing, using her Sharingan's perception to reap the Cloud Ninja's lives, then triggering explosive tags to detonate on their bodies in almost the same fashion.
Finishing off an enemy was extremely dangerous. Using explosive tags to do it reduced the risk considerably.
Before the dust had completely settled, Zou Hyuga and Oto Uchiha returned to the black-haired ninja's side.
"We should be able to break through in the confusion now," Zou Hyuga suggested, seizing the opportunity.
Although he had dealt with half the Cloud Ninja pursuers, the enemy might still have an ambush or reinforcements waiting. For all he knew, Kumogakure's Jinchūriki could be on the way.
His savings were enough to deal with these Cloud Ninja, but not a Jinchūriki.
The black-haired ninja nodded. He knew the pursuers' numbers and strength were far beyond what he and two Genin could handle.
Although these two Genin's combat abilities did defy common sense a little...
They had managed to turn the simplest explosive tags into something extraordinary.
And so the three began discussing an escape plan, preparing to split into two groups to bring the intelligence back.
Just then, a strong gust swept through, blowing away every last trace of dust and smoke and revealing the battlefield's true state.
"Do we really need to break through?"
The black-haired ninja's mouth twitched as he stared at the Kumogakure ninja sprawled across the ground ahead.
Black scorch marks marred every spot where they lay, clearly left by exploding tags.
In other words, these Cloud Ninja were already out of the fight, and the two Genin beside him were responsible for all of it.
"They must have accidentally triggered the explosive tags and gotten caught in the blasts."
Zou Hyuga stiffened a little, masking his embarrassment with a smile. Under the black-haired ninja's strange gaze, he and Oto Uchiha went over to the Cloud Ninja corpses to collect their spoils.
Whether kunai, shuriken, or ninjutsu scrolls, all of it could fetch a good price.
He hoped these spoils would cover the losses he had incurred by intervening. The explosive tags used to set the traps were expensive and had eaten up almost all the money he had saved lately.
He was no blue-haired female ninja who could make her own explosive tags.
The instant an explosive tag ignited, it wasn't art-it was his hard-earned money going up in flames.
Watching how practiced the two were at looting corpses, the black-haired ninja couldn't help grumbling to himself.
They don't do this all the time, do they? They're from Konoha's two great clans, with Kekkei Genkai to boot. Why do they seem so broke?
Turning away and putting those thoughts aside, the black-haired ninja decided to do something useful.
Such as summoning a Summoning Beast to relay the intelligence to the village. He had been too busy running for his life earlier to make plans to summon one.
Just then, while no one was paying attention...
The fingers of the Cloud Ninja captain lying near the black-haired ninja suddenly twitched. Then he climbed off the ground and grabbed the massive sword nearby.
Thanks to the special training he had undergone in his village, his body was tougher than his companions'. Injuries from explosive tags that would have killed them had merely left him gravely wounded, still barely able to move.
He had originally intended to play dead and wait for an opportunity to alert the other units to come over.
But those two ninja were far too ruthless in their looting. Even the dead who had been blasted by explosive tags were getting kunai driven straight through their hearts.
He would rather die fighting than suffer such a humiliating death at the point of a kunai.
Perhaps he could even take one of them down with him.
Gritting his teeth, the Cloud Ninja captain crept silently toward the black-haired ninja. His objective was simple: kill the man he had been pursuing all this time.
The black-haired ninja was currently engrossed in performing the Summoning Technique. Several failures had left him irritable, and he crouched there, muttering curses.
He hadn't noticed the Cloud Ninja captain sneaking up behind him at all.
As he drew close, a triumphant smile spread across the Cloud Ninja captain's face. He suddenly accelerated and charged.
But just then, an explosive tag drifted lightly in front of him, its faint glow beginning to brighten. He tried to dodge, only to discover that he couldn't.
Looking up, the Cloud Ninja captain saw the faint smiles on Zou Hyuga's and Oto Uchiha's faces.
So he had never fooled them at all. They were definitely no ordinary Genin.
Sensing the explosion behind him, the black-haired ninja, that poor excuse for a man, bit his finger and slammed his hand against the ground again. As the smoke dispersed, a monkey appeared before him.
The black-haired ninja glanced back at the explosion and the Cloud Ninja captain lying stiff on the ground.
"What exactly happened just now?" the black-haired ninja asked, bewildered.
"Maybe the explosive tag didn't burn properly."
Having finished gathering the spoils, Zou Hyuga walked over and offered an explanation, revealing the hands he had deliberately injured.
Beside him, Oto Uchiha put on a worried expression.
The black-haired ninja noticed Zou Hyuga's bloodied, mangled hands, and his expression immediately darkened. A ninja's hands were incredibly important.
Once their hands were injured, not only would forming hand seals be difficult, even holding a kunai would become a struggle.
This Hyuga Genin had made such a sacrifice to protect him. He was so moved that it hurt.
Zou Hyuga also put on a suitably dejected expression. If he came away without a single injury and someone suspected he wasn't really Genin-level, what would he do?
If he got promoted to Chunin, wouldn't that mean he could no longer take those D-rank missions?
Just then, Zou Hyuga noticed the monkey in front of the black-haired ninja, and a flicker of confusion crossed his eyes.
As far as he knew, anyone in Konoha who had a Summoning Beast was no ordinary person, and only one family had monkeys as their summons.
Could it be...?
Zou Hyuga approached the black-haired ninja and quietly asked, "May I ask your name?"
The black-haired ninja took a cigarette from inside his clothes, lit it, and gave his name with a self-deprecating air. "Asuma. Asuma Sarutobi."
"Asuma Sarutobi..."
Zou Hyuga froze, then staggered back a few steps as though about to topple over and covered his face.
A cigarette, black hair, a monkey... there's no mistake.
The man before him was Asuma Sarutobi, the current Hokage's second son.
Ever since his rebirth, Zou Hyuga had been cautious, avoiding any dealings with Konoha's important figures. He had never expected to get caught up with one on a C-rank mission.
Showing what he could do in front of Asuma meant he would be mentioned to the Third Hokage.
How much extra danger is this going to bring me?
What if I get noticed and promoted to Chunin?
I knew it. I should never have risked taking a C-rank mission.
Before you continue