"But your village's Anbu was pretty good, lasting this long. Just what you'd expect from a ninja trained by the greatest village in the Shinobi World."
The Sand squad captain was slightly surprised by the Anbu's strength. He had thought his side would have the advantage in a two-on-two fight against Konoha, especially since they had secretly poisoned the Anbu with their specially formulated poison.
But he had not expected Mamoru Uehara's side to be so strong. That Anbu had injured one of Jun's eyes before the poison even took effect.
Fortunately, they had ultimately proved a step ahead. Once the poison took effect in the Anbu's body, they had seized the opportunity to kill him. Otherwise, things would have become troublesome later.
"Jun, well done."
The captain of the four-man Sand squad lavishly praised his teammate for seizing the opportunity to land a killing blow.
Now that the Konoha Anbu was dead, only Mamoru Uehara remained, while their side still had two men, one seriously injured and the other lightly wounded. The situation had completely reversed.
A flicker of delight crossed the Sand captain Taku's eyes. At this rate, the two of them would soon finish off Mamoru Uehara, retrieve the intelligence, and withdraw quickly.
They were now deep in the heart of the Land of Fire, not far from Konoha. The longer they stayed, the greater the danger.
Still, he was a little annoyed. That idiot Kira had yet to finish his fight. They were only three brats, yet he was taking so long. Once this mission was over, he would have to report Kira's conduct to Lord Rasa.
Unfortunately, the Sand captain would never get to see Kira arrive.
Kōki, who had been secretly watching from the woods for a while, was initially shocked by the sudden turn of events, but he immediately realized that this was a good opportunity.
With their scheme successful, the Sand ninja were bound to let their guard slip a little, so he immediately told Katsuto and Yui, "I've only just healed you two. Stay hidden here for now. I'll go help Teacher Uehara."
Yui and Katsuto understood what mattered most. Of the three, Kōki was in the best condition. If Kōki went out to fight, the two of them could remain hidden and provide support when he needed it. They would also have the element of surprise.
"All right, Kōki. Be careful out there."
"Don't worry. I still have other trump cards," Kōki reassured them.
On the battlefield, Mamoru Uehara was in a bad position. Beset by two Sand ninja, he dodged left and right, his constant evasive movements making him look rather bedraggled.
But he had no choice. Facing the attacks of two Sand ninja, he had to be extremely careful. If a moment of carelessness exposed him to Sunagakure's specially formulated poison, his own death would be one thing, but Kōki and the others would not escape their clutches either.
At that thought, Mamoru Uehara grew even more focused, his movements more cautious.
"Hey, you from Konoha. Those three brats with you earlier were your subordinates, right? How tragic. So young, and a ninja like you brought them along on a mission with no chance of survival."
As the Sand captain Taku spoke, he attacked Mamoru Uehara ferociously.
"Do you think they'll hate you when they die?"
"Captain, I'd say they definitely will. Have you forgotten that Kira has some special tastes? Everyone who dies at his hands has a face full of resentment and unwillingness before they die." The other Sand ninja picked up where his captain left off, his tone carrying the same odd undertone.
"Oh, right, right. I forgot Kira is the interrogation master among the four of us. Torturing people is what he loves and does best. He may be weak, but he has all sorts of ways to torture someone."
Taku wore an apologetic expression, as though sorry for forgetting something important. Yet his words were utterly cruel.
"Captain, maybe Kira is torturing those three brats right now. I'd really love to hear their screams." Jun was all smiles, seemingly delighted at the thought of the Konoha brats being tortured by Kira.
"Ah, those poor Konoha brats. Having to suffer that pervert Kira's abuse before they die. I bet they'll be mangled and bloody all over by the time they're dead."
The two Sand ninja used their words to attack Mamoru Uehara's composure, while their attacks grew ever fiercer.
Mamoru Uehara's situation on the battlefield grew increasingly dire.
Suddenly, three kunai flew out of the woods to one side, shooting toward Jun in a triangular formation as Mamoru Uehara's attack forced him back.
Seeing three kunai appear before him, Jun instinctively turned sideways and bent at the waist, twisting himself into a rather awkward position to successfully dodge them.
Just as he was smugly thinking that an attack like this was child's play, one of the three kunai he had dodged suddenly turned into Kōki.
Having successfully closed in above the Sand ninja, Kōki raised his leg over his head and slammed it down at the ninja before him.
Beneath Kōki, the Sand ninja panicked at the sight of the kunai transforming into him. He tried to push off with his feet to put distance between them, but his body, twisted from dodging the kunai, could not make the movement he wanted.
He could only freeze in place and watch helplessly as Kōki's leg grew larger before his eyes.
"Heavenly Foot of Pain!"
The kick, packed with an enormous amount of chakra, struck the Sand ninja squarely. The force unleashed in that instant sent him flying, smashing through several trees in the nearby woods.
"Jun!" The Sand captain, still locked in combat with Mamoru Uehara, cried out in worry when he saw his teammate sent flying.
Once the dust blocking his view cleared, he saw his teammate lying motionless, his body contorted and his eyes rolled back, with blood gushing from his mouth.
He knew that his teammate was beyond saving in this condition. Seeing Kōki's sudden appearance, he also realized that Kira had probably met a grim fate.
Mamoru Uehara, who had still been worried about Kōki and the others, could not help looking delighted when Kōki suddenly appeared.
He had not been unmoved by what the Sand ninja had said. He simply knew he could not easily fall for the enemy's ploy.
But he had been worrying about Kōki and the others all along. Fortunately, they had not let him down.
However, seeing Kōki alone, Mamoru Uehara asked with some concern, "Kōki, where are Katsuto and Yui?"
"They're both fine, Teacher Uehara. They just suffered some injuries. I healed them, and they're hiding nearby."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yui and Katsuto appeared in the woods to one side. Seeing that the outcome of the battle was already clear, they leaped straight to Mamoru Uehara's side.
"Teacher, we're fine."
Seeing all three of them standing before him in one piece, Mamoru Uehara finally let out a breath of relief.
Just then, the Sand captain opposite them asked Kōki, "Brat, where's Kira? What did you do to him?"
Taku still clung to a sliver of hope. He still did not believe that three brats who were not even Jonin could defeat Kira, who was already a Jonin.
"Oh, you mean that Sand ninja with the nasty tastes? He's already gone."
"Gone?" Hearing Kōki's words, the Sand captain was first delighted, then a little bewildered.
"Yes, he went peacefully. You can ask him when you get to the Pure Land in a moment," Kōki replied teasingly.
Hearing Kōki's answer, the Sand captain immediately realized that this brat had played him. His face flushed red with rage, and he gritted his teeth, wishing he could tear Kōki apart alive.