38 A Game of Cat and Mouse

Two years later.

In the forest outside Konoha, explosions echoed continuously.

Three figures swiftly maneuvered through the dense woods.

One of them was tall individual with dark skin, while the other two had regular builds.

All three appeared disheveled, their clothes torn, and everyone bore injuries, with panic evident on their faces.

Behind them, a golden beam suddenly shot towards them, narrowly missing one of them.

Though not directly hit by the beam, the resulting explosion sent all three flying.

Adjusting their posture in mid-air, the trio landed on their feet without hesitation, continuing to sprint forward.

"That... that guy is a monster!" gasped one of them, his right hand bleeding profusely.

"Silence!" commanded the tall individual in a cold tone.

"We can't escape like this," said the other, sounding somewhat desperate.

This statement dealt a significant blow to the entire team.

The tall ninja leading the group, with a determined mind, quickly made a decision.

"Let's split up and run!"

Upon hearing this, the trio leaped in three different directions without hesitation or doubt.

At that moment, a golden slash appeared out of nowhere, directly cutting in half the ninja who had run to the right.

Simultaneously, a golden beam shot towards the left, accurately hitting the thigh of the ninja attempting to escape in that direction.

"Ahhhh!" With a miserable cry, the wounded ninja fell to the ground, holding his injured leg.

Pupils constricted, the only one of the three leaders who hadn't been attacked knew that if he continued running, he would face a fatal assault.

Reluctantly, he stopped and landed next to his injured comrade, warily surveying his surroundings.

"Eh… if you manage to escape, I'll be very troubled!" a sneaky, lecherous voice echoed from not too far away.

Hearing the voice, the leading ninja, gripping a kunai, nervously looked towards the source but saw no one.

Silence returned to the surroundings, and with a kunai in hand, the leader felt like he was going crazy.

"You monster, come out and face me! Damn bastard!" Angry and on the verge of collapse, the tall ninja shouted in frustration, thinking of his three sacrificed comrades.

"Well, well, well! You seem so justified! Clearly, you came to assassinate me!" The voice resounded again, this time from behind.

The leading ninja, like an agitated cat, swiftly turned around, only to find nothing again.

"Hey, hey, hey! You looked wrong!" The voice echoed once more, this time from the side where his teammate had fallen.

Making a judgment, the leading ninja quickly glanced in that direction.

A transparent figure gradually manifested in the air. Their target for assassination, the monster from Konoha, Shimura Kizaru, appeared.

Stepping on the fallen ninja, hands in his pockets, the towering Kizaru, now reaching 190 cm in height, smiled as he looked at the ninja in front of him.

"You monster!" yelling, the leading ninja sparked with lightning, arrows of it shooting towards Kizaru at high speed.

With a kunai in hand, the leader cautiously approached where Kizaru was standing, seeing that he didn't react, seemingly unaware.

"Die!" yelling, the kunai in his hand stabbed into Kizaru's body. However, it passed through him as if encountering nothing but air.

Eyes widening, the leader, unable to comprehend, stared at Kizaru with an incredulous look.

Frozen in place, the kunai remained lodged in Kizaru's body as the leader, completely unable to accept the reality, succumbed to shock.

Facing the enemy's stunned and confused gaze, Kizaru slowly lowered his head, looking at the kunai lodged in his chest.

After a glance at the kunai, Kizaru looked back at the enemy.

Seeing the enemy's expression gradually turning desperate, the kind-hearted Kizaru made a move.

"Ah!"

Raising his hand to cover his chest, Kizaru theatrically tilted backward, falling onto the large tree behind him.

Sliding down against the tree trunk, Kizaru settled into a sitting position, holding his chest and gazing at the enemy.

"Ah! I'm dying!" declaring, Kizaru's head tilted to the side, and he closed his eyes.

The dropped kunai fell to the ground. Observing Kizaru seated on the ground, leaning with his eyes closed and head tilted, the leading ninja was utterly bewildered.

"You... you lunatic! Pervert! Monster! Are you playing with me? Damn bastard!"

Opening his eyes again, Kizaru stood up from the ground.

"Hey, hey, hey! I can sue you for defamation, you know!" Touching his head, Kizaru smiled and said.

Knowing that he wasn't a match and couldn't escape from the target, the leading ninja launched a suicidal attack, rushing towards Kizaru.

Facing the charging enemy, Kizaru didn't dodge or evade; he let the ninja pass through his body, slamming him violently into a large tree.

"Eh… Really troublesome!" Turning around to look at the enemy who crashed into the tree, Kizaru said with disdain.

"What do you want, you bastard?" Turning his back and leaning against the big tree, the leading ninja loudly questioned.

"Drop your weapon, come back with me, confess for leniency, resist for severity!" Kizaru said with a smile.

"Impossible!"

Knowing the trouble he'd face if captured alive by Konoha, the leading ninja outright refused.

After saying that, without hesitation, the leading ninja glanced at his fallen comrade and ruthlessly stabbed his own throat.

His actions were swift, but Kizaru was even faster!

His right foot emitted light as Kizaru kicked out a crescent shape, like a sharp laser, directly severing the ninja's right hand.

Without uttering a cry of pain, the ninja's eyes bloodshot as he stared at Kizaru.

"The game is over!" Smiling, Kizaru stepped forward, directly knocking out the handless enemy.

Putting the enemy down on the ground, Kizaru looked at the other fallen enemy.

Taking a step forward, lifting his right foot high, placing it on the face of the lying ninja, light particles continuously gathered on his shin, emitting a dazzling golden light.

With the glowing right foot suspended in mid-air, Kizaru, hands in his pockets, said nothing, looking into the distance.

"1, 2..."

"I surrender, don't kill me!" With a weaker mental fortitude, the ninja facing the illuminated sword hanging over his head couldn't endure anymore.

"3!"

"Ah!" Hearing three, the ninja let out a loud scream, frantically using his hands to cover his head.

Tears welled up in his eyes, and the lower half of his body also showed signs of liquid, the ninja's mental defense completely shattered.

Smelling an unpleasant odor, Kizaru shook his head in disgust, retracting his right leg while the enemy beneath him yelled and screamed.

"Here they come!"

Still gazing into the distance, six figures appeared in Kizaru's line of sight, each wearing an Anbu mask.

"Phew… You guys came just in time!" Facing six familiar Anbu members, Kizaru joked with a smile.

As he descended to the ground, surveying the surroundings and confirming two surviving enemies, the Anbu ninjas breathed a sigh of relief.

"We'll take care of it!" One of the Anbu ninjas with a fox-like mask stepped forward, addressing Kizaru.

"Then I'll leave it to you!" Speaking, Kizaru lifted his leg and walked towards the direction back to the village, distancing himself from this foul-smelling place.

"This kid is getting stronger!" Watching Kizaru's back, the Anbu with the fox-like face sighed with emotion.

"I heard that last month he defeated Sakumo senpai one-on-one!" Another Anbu ninja also praised.

"Get to work!"

After saying that, the Anbu with the fox-like face shifted his gaze away and walked up to the ninja with the severed arm, beginning to treat his injuries.