Time was pressing; Chizhao had to get the scroll and go support Sai. If the Grass Ninja sealed off the entire building, all four of them would be trapped there.
“Hmph! As expected, you’ve come for the scroll. If you have the guts, come and get it yourself!”
No sooner had he spoken than the old man moved, darting through the narrow space like a ghost, his hands rapidly flashing.
Suddenly, countless Kunai, glinting with cold light, rained down on Chizhao like a dense downpour.
These Kunai streaked through the air in silver trajectories, moving at an astonishing speed, almost filling every inch of the room.
Facing this sudden attack, Chizhao was startled but not flustered. She knew that in this confined space, it was almost impossible to dodge such a dense barrage.
So, she decisively brandished the blade in her hand, her body weaving through the gaps between the Kunai like a swimming dragon.
The blade cut sharp arcs through the air, deflecting each Kunai that flew towards her.
Just as Chizhao was overwhelmed, the old man’s body suddenly surged forward. His right arm muscles instantly swelled, becoming as hard as steel.
With a deafening roar, he leaped up and lunged at Chizhao.
Chizhao felt a strong sense of danger. She reacted immediately, her body unfolding as she lightly leaped up like a swallow, evading the old man’s attack.
With a loud “bang!”, the old man slammed heavily into the spot where Chizhao had just been standing.
A deep pit was instantly created in the ground, and the surrounding floorboards shattered, sending debris flying and kicking up dust.
“Since that’s the case, I won’t hold back either.”
She pulled a Membrane Card from her card pack and threw it in front of her.
Body Flicker Technique!
Immediately after, two identical Chizhao appeared before the old man’s eyes.
Each wielded a short blade, and their agile figures rushed towards him.
Seeing this, the old man sneered, a look of disdain on his face. He scoffed contemptuously:
“Hmph! Just a mere Shadow Clone.”
Then he formed hand signs and shouted, “Water Release! Water Bullet!”
A powerful Water Release Chakra condensed around him.
He abruptly waved his hand, and the condensed water droplets shot forward like high-velocity projectiles, pressurized a hundredfold.
Watching four or five high-pressure water droplets rapidly shoot towards the two figures, the old man’s lips curved into a confident smile:
“Hmph! Die!”
But to his surprise, the water bullets passed straight through the figures, hitting the wall behind them.
Immediately, several deep holes appeared, and twisting cracks spread across the wall, as if the entire wall was about to collapse.
“What?! Why do they have no substance?!”
The old man’s eyes widened in shock, and a layer of cold sweat broke out on his back.
The sharp eyes behind the white fox mask gradually closed in on him. His mind went blank for a moment.
His thoughts, like tangled threads, swirled in his mind about everything he had just witnessed, restricting his movements.
One of the clones nimbly jumped behind him and struck him hard on the neck with the blunt side of the blade, the dull pain momentarily disarming him.
Immediately after, the other clone quickly followed.
Her figure flashed, appearing directly in front of the old man, and then she delivered a heavy punch to his face.
Saliva flew, and he became disoriented.
The two clones cooperated seamlessly, instantly putting him in a state of helplessness.
The old man seemed to struggle with taijutsu and was knocked out by Chizhao in a short while.
Looking at the old man lying motionless on the ground, she skillfully searched him for the scroll.
After a careful comparison, it was indeed the mission scroll they had been looking for.
To carry such an important scroll on him! If she hadn’t accidentally seen it, they probably wouldn’t have found any trace of the scroll even if they had turned the entire building upside down.
【Bad Deed Progress +10, Bad Deed Progress Overflow.】
【Bad Deed Progress +5】
A brand new tempered film appeared before her eyes. Chizhao took it and naturally tucked it into her card pack.
Then she pulled a glass bottle from her Pregnant, inside which a few flies rested quietly at the bottom. She walked to the broken window, gently unscrewed the cap, and they flew off, vibrating their wings in search of their direction.
These were insects that Aburame Torune had temporarily tamed on the way.
She recognized them at once; these were the insects that Shino Aburame had used when he helped search for Akamaru when she was a child—insects that could track objects by scent.
She hadn’t expected to use them again after so many years.
Gazing at the bright moon in the night sky, Chizhao didn't dare to delay. She dragged the old man's body into the room.
With the scroll hidden in her bag, she quickly went downstairs to find Sai.
She hoped they could escape successfully before the Grass Ninja reinforcements arrived.
...
“Wood Release! Great Forest Technique!”
Under the bright moonlight, a masked Ninja’s arm suddenly transformed into dense wooden branches, intertwining like living things, easily knocking a group of Ninja to the ground.
Witnessing their comrades fall one after another, the remaining Grass Ninja’s morale plummeted, and their fighting spirit rapidly diminished as they took a few steps back.
Yamato’s forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat; the prolonged exertion made his breathing quicken.
“Have Chizhao and the others not found the scroll yet?”
“If we drag this out too long, the enemy will quickly notice something is wrong.”
Suddenly, a fly slowly passed by Yamato’s eyes.
His anxious heart relaxed for a moment, and he formed hand signs again to use Wood Release, kicking up thick dust from the ground.
When the remaining Grass Ninja dispersed the smoke and looked again, the man’s figure had already vanished into the darkness, disappearing from their sight.
“Damn it! He got away!”
“Captain! The enemy has already infiltrated the Ninja building! Please return quickly to assist!”
“What?!”
At the same time, downstairs in the archives, Aburame Torune and Fu Yamanaka were continuously searching for the confidential scroll.
The chaotic footsteps outside made Fu Yamanaka vigilant.
“Torune, wait a moment, there’s movement outside.”
Fu Yamanaka crouched down and quietly pushed open a crack in the door, peeking out.
He saw several Grass Ninja, who had originally been stationed there, rushing upstairs.
Aburame Torune asked, “Have they been exposed?”
Fu Yamanaka shook his head: “I’m not sure, the most important thing now is to find the scroll.”
Before he finished speaking, two black flies stumbled through the door crack, buzzing and circling in front of them as if expressing emotion.
Aburame Torune extended his hand, and a small fly landed steadily on his palm.
“It seems someone has already gotten the scroll.”
Fu Yamanaka’s expression relaxed slightly, his gaze intently observing outside the door through the crack:
“Once it’s safe outside, we’ll retreat.”
“Boom!”
With a loud bang, an explosion suddenly occurred on one side of the Grass Hidden Ninja building. A ink bird flapped its wings out of the thick smoke, soaring rapidly under the dim moonlight.
“Don’t even think about escaping!”
Takada formed hand signs, and several sharp wind blasts slashed towards the ink bird.
The ink bird couldn’t dodge in time; a pair of its wings were torn, turning into a pool of black ink that burst in the air.
Sai stumbled, falling from a great height, crashing heavily onto the eaves, sending shattered tiles flying.
The Grass Ninja quickly surrounded him. Takada, with a look of certain victory, slowly walked towards Sai.
“Keep him alive; we might be able to extract some useful information.”
Severely wounded, Sai crawled out from the broken tiles. He expressionlessly scanned the group of Grass Ninja before him when a fly suddenly entered his line of sight.
The scroll has been found.
His eyelids drooped for a moment. Given the current situation, he couldn’t possibly escape unscathed.
And he certainly couldn’t be captured alive by the enemy.
Therefore, facing death calmly was the correct choice for him now.
This was what he had learned in Root: sacrificing one’s life for a mission was an unshakeable creed for Anbu.
He resolutely took out an explosive tag from his backpack and held it before him, his voice calm through his mask.
“I am very sorry, but I cannot be captured by you.”
“What?! Are you going to commit suicide? Quick! Stop him!”
“Nature. Rapid River!”
A clear voice rang out from above, and an irresistible torrent of water descended from the sky, scattering the Grass Ninja surrounding Sai.
They struggled and cried out in the water, ultimately being swept off the rooftop by this powerful force.
The rooftop of the building immediately became a deluge of water, forming surging curtains of water.
Sai watched everything before him in astonishment, the explosive tag in his hand suddenly snatched away by an irresistible force.
“Don’t always choose to sacrifice yourself, you idiot!”