"Huru!" Kaze kicked a Xue Ge away and exhaled. "Are you done yet!?"
"Huru!?"
Kaze called out again. To her surprise, as soon as she finished shouting, the two Xue Ges fighting fiercely both vanished in puffs of smoke.
Her blade cut through empty air, and a wave of nausea washed over Kaze. Recovering, she immediately tensed and watched her surroundings, ready to defend against attacks from any direction.
Yet the anticipated attack never came. Instead, a voice spoke behind her, calm but always carrying an inescapable hint of mockery to Kaze's ears.
"Huru can't speak anymore."
That voice-
Kaze spun around. Xue Ge had already landed, holding Huru's head in one hand and lifting his upper body along with it.
By then, Xue Ge's Strangling Line had already pierced straight through Huru's brain-a humanitarian act that reduced his suffering, at least.
The next moment, the Chakra Threads snapped tight, severing every tree around them at the waist. Countless massive trees toppled. Amid the swirling broad leaves of various colors, Kaze kept her eyes fixed on Xue Ge.
"I've already dealt with him. That makes two."
"So Honai was your doing too-"
Thinking of Honai, who had disappeared without explanation, and Huru, who had been killed right under her nose, Kaze felt frustration welling up inside. Anger rushed to her head, and she charged toward Xue Ge, hacking through the obstacles in her way.
Xue Ge tossed Huru aside as well, drew a Kunai, and met her head-on.
While Kaze fought fiercely with "Xue Ge," pressing her attack like a cat toying with a mouse, the real Xue Ge had already used the falling trees as cover to leave her vicinity and pursue Afui.
Without Huru's assistance, Kaze could not distinguish Xue Ge's real body from his clone. Xue Ge