No.
Where had he gotten so many ninja tools?
Why did it feel like even he, a Chunin, had fewer ninja tools than this guy?
Was this guy really a shinobi from the Land of Rain? For the first time, he began to question it.
Hyuga Akira kept his Byakugan active. Even in that black-and-white world, he could still make out some expressions.
He also saw the flash of doubt on Kusen's face.
Hyuga Akira jumped onto a tree and drove a kunai into it, an inscrutable smile on his face.
Only after setting all his traps did he jump back to his original tree.
As though he had noticed nothing, he waited with Kusen for the enemy to arrive.
Silence fell between them.
Akishima led his subordinates swiftly through the woods.
"Captain Akishima, will there be a fight when we get there?" the adolescent boy keeping close beside Akishima asked curiously.
Akishima glanced at him. He was a young man whom Shōzō, Amegakure's leader, thought highly of. The main purpose of this trip was to escort him safely out of Amegakure.
Amegakure was far from peaceful now, and Hanzo's threat was growing. Although Hanzo would not openly defy their leader without a righteous cause,
his subordinates had no such scruples, and fights frequently broke out between the two sides.
Hanzo had fewer men but more elites, while Shōzō's side had more men but fewer elites.
"There probably won't be any fighting." Akishima shook his head.
This was merely a handover. The other side's subordinates breaking the rules was nothing more than an excuse.
It was simply to make it easier for him to take these three away from the center of the conflict.
Besides, he could not think of any reason they would end up fighting.
The boy sighed and muttered, "This nonresistance policy is just awful."
Akishima pretended not to hear, but his heart grew heavy too.
Wary of the Three Great Shinobi Villages and afraid of clashing with them, Shōzō had simply chosen not to resist.
This behavior had disappointed quite a few people.
The enemy had come right to their doorstep, yet his first response was to offer no resistance. It truly left them speechless.
Even Akishima could not understand it.
Such behavior had already pushed quite a few people over to Hanzo.
Lord Shadow, just what are you trying to do? Akishima sighed inwardly as the wind whooshed past his ears.
The group was not particularly vigilant. If they encountered wandering ninja or the like, they would take the initiative to avoid them.
Not because they could not win, but because they feared those people might be Konoha shinobi in disguise.
The Three Great Shinobi Villages had yet to launch into full-scale fighting, but they would always send people out to gather intelligence on one another.
Under those circumstances, who knew whether the wandering ninja they encountered were genuine or fake?
Genuine ones were manageable, but if they were impostors, they might not be able to defeat shinobi from a Large Ninja Village.
Just as they were nearing their destination, Akishima's expression changed, and he hurriedly raised a hand to signal.
"Something's wrong. Take cover."
A trace of excitement appeared on the faces of the Genin behind him, but they still immediately obeyed, scattering to conceal themselves.
Akishima stopped on a branch and looked toward a nearby tree, where a kunai had been left brazenly embedded in a branch.
But there were no signs of fighting nearby. Where had the kunai come from?
While he was still warily surveying his surroundings,
"Help!!" someone suddenly screamed as he was hoisted upside down. Akishima immediately spotted the wire wrapped around his ankle.
"It's a trap!! Retreat!!" Akishima roared.
But the boy favored by the Rain Shadow charged toward his companion regardless.
"Retreat!!" Akishima bellowed, trying to bring him to his senses.
But the boy turned a deaf ear, until...
Boom!!!
Chapter 48: Ambushing the Replacements
A violent explosion erupted, engulfing the bound Genin.
The boy desperately trying to save his companion was blasted away. Akishima immediately rushed out of the trees and leaped toward him.
At that moment, Kusen also burst out of hiding, his hands rapidly forming hand seals.
"Water Release! Water Shuriken Technique!"
Several water shuriken formed out of thin air and hurtled toward Akishima.
Akishima immediately pulled the umbrella from his back and opened it. Twisting in midair, he kicked the boy toward safety while using the umbrella to block the water shuriken.
Clang! Clang!
The kunai in Kusen's hand slashed into the umbrella, cutting a gap in its canopy, while Akishima spun and drove Kusen back.
After their brief exchange, both returned to their original positions.
Akishima coldly eyed the forehead protector on Kusen's brow. "We're all Rain Ninja. Why are you attacking us?"
An icy smile appeared on Kusen's face as he tapped his forehead protector with a finger. "You're too much of an eyesore."
Seeing Kusen's icy smile, Akishima sighed helplessly. "Another factional dispute?"
These factional disputes had already left Amegakure showing faint signs of splitting apart. Now they were even openly ambushing and killing one another.
Shōzō had originally believed that this small town was not particularly dangerous, but reality showed that he had been wrong.
It was not quite fair to say Shōzō had been wrong. Previously, Kusen really would not have dared do something like this. He would even have obediently completed the handover before leaving.
But now he had Hyuga Akira by his side.
After being led astray by this guy, Kusen was now committed to following this path to the bitter end.
(Hyuga Akira: What the hell does that have to do with me?)
"I respect Lord Hanzo too, but splitting the village like this will make even Lord Hanzo a sinner," Akishima said, trying his best to calm his anger.
He did not want to fight this meaningless battle, even though they had already lost a man.
"Lord Hanzo is never wrong!" Kusen cut Akishima off decisively, his hands rapidly forming seals.
Dragon-Ox-Rabbit.
"Water Release: Wild Water Wave!"
Kusen spat a stream of water from his mouth, sending it surging toward Akishima in the distance.
The water struck Akishima, but his body turned into a log.
Substitution Technique.
Kusen suddenly looked up. The damaged umbrella was floating in midair.
At some point, Akishima had slipped onto the tree behind him and was forming the Bird seal.
That seal was...
"Ninja Art: Rain Shower Senbon!"
Senbon fell from the umbrella one after another. Kusen could only move swiftly to dodge, but the senbon followed him down as though guided.
He rolled and moved across the ground, putting a considerable distance between them before finally escaping the barrage.
Akishima had no intention of holding back now and swiftly charged toward Kusen.
Elsewhere, the Rain Ninja boy landed directly on the ground. Just as he was about to scramble up, a sharp kunai silently came to rest against his neck.
"I suggest you don't make any movements I might misunderstand," Hyuga Akira said softly, standing behind him with the kunai in hand.
He kept his tone as gentle as possible to avoid provoking any extreme reaction from the boy.
The boy swallowed, completely unable to understand how his opponent had slipped behind him.
The sharp edge of the weapon against his neck made goosebumps rise on his skin.
He dared not move, but he still dared to challenge him aloud. "We're all from Amegakure. Why are you attacking us? Have you betrayed the village?"
Hyuga Akira watched the distant battle, having no intention of taking the boy's life just yet. Hearing his words, he kindly explained, "We haven't betrayed anyone. This is just a factional dispute. I'm sure you know about the struggle between the Rain Shadow and Lord Hanzo."
The boy asked in disbelief, "You'd kill us just for that?"
Hyuga Akira did not look away, but he had enough leisure to answer. "Of course. One village can't have two leaders. When two leaders appear, one has to disappear. Otherwise, they'll only keep dividing Amegakure."
Although whether Amegakure split apart had nothing to do with him, the longer Amegakure held out in the future war, the longer the war would last.
The boy stubbornly retorted, "You won't succeed."
Hyuga Akira was a little surprised now. Finally turning his gaze to the boy before him, he asked in puzzlement, "Where does your confidence come from?"
"Is it him?" He pointed off to the side with his other hand.
An Amegakure Genin was wrapped from head to toe in wire, with a shuriken embedded in his neck. He had clearly lost his life.
That was the boy's last companion.
Now one of his companions had been blown up, while the other had fallen into a trap and been killed by a shuriken.
Only he and Akishima remained, but Akishima was fighting the enemy, while he himself was being held hostage.
They had lost.
It was an utter defeat. The boy's face was filled with frustration. "Then what are you doing? Why don't you just kill me? Are you planning to use me to threaten Chunin Akishima? That won't work."
As he spoke, he actually thrust himself toward the kunai.
Seeing what he intended, Hyuga Akira simply drew the kunai across his neck.
"What a hassle." Hyuga Akira sighed helplessly. He had not spared the boy to use him as leverage, but as a pretext.
That way, he did not need to help Kusen.
Since the boy was seeking death himself, he had no intention of stopping him and simply sent him on his way.
Fortunately, Kusen had no attention to spare for him now. He hurriedly dragged the boy's corpse aside and hid it.
He glanced at the experience notifications before him.
[Experience 356][Experience 345][Experience 654]
This last boy seemed like he should have been fairly capable. Unfortunately, he had never gotten a chance to show it before losing his life.
Hyuga Akira hid in the shadows and continued secretly watching the battle.
The kunai in Kusen's hand slashed through Akishima's body as though passing through empty space, but his opponent's punch struck his face and sent him flying.
He adjusted his posture in midair and landed steadily on a tree.
Just then, figures of Akishima appeared on the surrounding trees, on the ground, and on the rocks.
"Waterfall Clone Technique."
Kusen stared gravely at the countless Akishimas.
This was another fairly classic Amegakure technique. After using it, the real body hid underground, relying on illusory clones to confuse the opponent.
When there was no need to attack, the user stayed underground. When an attack was needed, they emerged and struck in sync with a clone, making it seem as though the clones could deliver physical attacks.
It could be called a ninjutsu with its deception maxed out.
Before you continue