Hearing the voice from the depths of the cave, Kojuro froze in shock, then instinctively leaped backward, his hands swiftly launching several kunai wrapped with sizzling exploding tags toward the cave's depths!
Swish.
At that moment, a figure appeared at the cave's entrance, blocking his escape.
Almost simultaneously, another figure darted out from the cave's depths, dodging the kunai while unleashing several slashes imbued with chilling frost.
In an instant, the exploding tags tied to the kunai, already ignited, were sliced into pieces. The sparks were frozen by the icy aura, flickering briefly before extinguishing.
Trapped in the cave, Kojuro's face turned grim with panic.
Only then did he notice that the figure blocking the entrance was just an eleven- or twelve-year-old red-haired girl wearing glasses, her face still carrying traces of youth.
And the one who effortlessly sliced through his exploding tags was merely a slightly older black-haired boy with clear, sharp eyes.
"Damn it, more Hidden Leaf brats!"
Kojuro cursed under his breath, his mind racing for a strategy.
After the failed ambush in Star Valley, he no longer dared to underestimate these Hidden Leaf kids, especially since their earlier moves showed they were far from weak.
At that moment, the sound of steady footsteps echoed from the cave's depths.
Drawn by the sound, Kojuro looked over and saw a boy, about eleven or twelve, with striking features and piercing eyes, emerging from the shadows.
"This kid…"
Almost instinctively, Kojurosensed that this boy stepping out from the shadows was extraordinary!
Undoubtedly, the ones cornering Kojuro were none other than Shinji, Haku, and Karin.
"Damn it, where did I go wrong?" A thought flashed through Kojuro's mind, and he landed on a possibility. "Could it be… En Oyashiro, that bastard? Did he defect to the Hidden Leaf?"
With that thought, Kojuro abandoned any hope of luck, knowing he had to break out or be trapped here forever.
Feigning an attack toward Shinji, he suddenly pivoted and lunged at Karin, who was blocking the cave's entrance.
"Hmph!"
Karin let out a soft snort and met him head-on.
No longer the timid spy planted in the Hidden Leaf by the Hidden Grass Village, Karin had transformed through countless battles with the Akatsuki. Her mindset had shifted, and her once-lacking confidence now brimmed. Facing a Jonin-level rogue shinobi like Kojuro, she felt not an ounce of fear.
Boom.
Their fists collided in a fierce clash!
Seeing an eleven- or twelve-year-old girl like Karin choose to meet him in taijutsu, Kojuro's lips curled into a sneer, his ferocious face tinged with mockery.
Taijutsu was his greatest pride—
But before his sneer could fully form, an unbelievable surge of force, preceding the pain, coursed through his arm!
"What!?"
As his mockery turned to shock, the immense force sent him reeling backward, crashing into the cave wall like a cannonball.
Only then did the pain from his twisted arm register, and he passed out cold.
Haku stepped forward to check, confirming Kojuro was unconscious. While binding him, he said to Shinji, "Shinji, you won again!"
Shinji smiled. "These guys are all bark and no bite. They'd never pick you first—they always go for Karin!"
Karin blocking the exit was Shinji's strategy. The three had even made a private bet on whether the rogue shinobi would attack Haku inside the cave or Karin at the entrance.
Without exception, every rogue shinobi who took the bait chose the seemingly frail Karin as their breakthrough point—and that was their downfall.
Karin had played the part of the pig to eat the tiger this time.
As for why Karin's taijutsu had grown so strong, Shinji deliberately didn't pry. After all, setting aside his role as the Akatsuki leader, he was a member of the prestigious Uchiha clan and the top genius of the academy. It was only natural for him to have high standards.
After dragging the unconscious Kojuro deeper into the cave, Haku noticed him stirring awake. Kojuro was shocked to find seven or eight other bound captives—many of whom he recognized, some even stronger than him!
"How… how is this possible?!"
Kojuro's eyes widened, scanning the other captives.
The gagged captives either glared at him, closed their eyes in despair, or wore strange expressions, as if they, too, hadn't expected Kojuro, a well-known figure among the rogue shinobi in the Land of Hot Springs, to end up like them.
Outside the cave, the Jonin squad tasked with supervising and protecting Shinji's team hid behind a rocky outcrop.
Seeing Kojuro enter the cave and go silent, one squad member couldn't help but mutter, "How many is that now?"
Another replied, "The ninth?"
Yamato, the squad leader, stared with dead-fish eyes, his face full of disbelief.
He couldn't fathom why rogue shinobi kept walking into traps, nor could he understand what kind of trap Shinji, Haku, and Karin had set in the cave to silently subdue these not-so-weak rogues.
"Nine already?" The first squad member calculated, then gasped, "Counting the six rogue shinobi they handed over earlier, doesn't that mean Uchiha Shinji's team has racked up four or five hundred points?"
The other shook his head. "Probably more. That 'Kojuro' was worth over a hundred points! Add it up, and Uchiha Shinji's team likely has over six hundred points!"
Hearing his teammates' discussion, Yamato's expression grew even stranger.
Following Shinji's three-man team, he hadn't seen any of the inexperience, panic, or recklessness typical of academy students. Instead, he saw only composure, seasoned skill, and an indescribable eeriness!
Yamato thought to himself, Are these three really participating in an assessment? It feels more like they're on a spring outing!
A teammate suddenly whispered, "Someone's coming again!"
Yamato followed the sound and saw another furtive figure sneaking into the cave where Shinji's team was.
Speechless, Yamato muttered, "The tenth one…"