Vacuum Wave!
The attackers were not amateurs; they sliced Kurotsuchi's Stone Pillar Spear into two with an air blade and swiftly charged forward.
"Wind Release: Gale Palm!" The attacker on the left threw a kunai, enhancing its speed and penetration with Wind Release, aiming directly at Karin.
Eliminating the medical ninja first was common sense, especially when the medical ninja's ability was so abnormal.
Clang!
Suigetsu swung his large sword to intercept, but the Wind Release-enhanced kunai pierced right through, leaving a round hole in the blade.
"Karin, watch out!" Suigetsu shouted.
However, Karin's reflexes were quick. Although she was a medical ninja with limited combat ability, her taijutsu was decent.
She rolled away from the attack, while the other attacker prepared for a finishing blow, only to be interrupted by Kurotsuchi. A crack appeared beneath his feet, swallowing him whole.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere!" The previous attacker launched a Vacuum Sphere at the ground, shattering it and nullifying Kurotsuchi's Earth Release control.
As for the one swallowed underground, he didn't climb out but instead used Earth Release to quickly approach Karin from behind.
"Kurotsuchi, he's there, closing in fast!" Karin easily sensed the attacker's position with her sensing ability.
She hurriedly stood with Kurotsuchi, making the attacker's ambush impossible.
"He's coming out!" Karin nervously warned.
"Earth Release: Stone Pillar Spear!" Kurotsuchi precisely timed her jutsu, the rising earth spear targeting the attacker's chest. She believed this ninjutsu had succeeded.
If the attacker continued his assault, he would surely be pierced through the heart and die.
Slash!
Karin's chest also received a wound; had it not been for her Kagura Mind's Eye alerting her frantically, she instinctively stepped back slightly, avoiding a fatal heart piercing.
Who were these people, launching such suicidal attacks?
The attacker's fierce tactics momentarily stunned the trio; this was nothing like the usual ninja games, nor even typical ninja missions.
"Huh? This guy wasn't from our Kirigakure, was he? His style seems so familiar," Suigetsu was the first to recover, having survived the Bloody Mist massacre.
"Damn, what about the other enemy?" Kurotsuchi finally reacted.
Suigetsu spread his hands helplessly, "He ran."
"After all, with his partner dead, staying would be futile."
"Yes, he's already far away," Karin nodded, sensing the enemy's chakra rapidly retreating.
"Who are these people? They don't look like exam candidates," Kurotsuchi frowned.
"I don't know," Suigetsu shook his head. "But before that, Karin, could you heal me first?"
Suigetsu pointed to his chest.
Karin took out bandages and approached, to Suigetsu's dissatisfaction. "Why not let me bite you? It heals much faster."
"Bite your head off!" Karin punched Suigetsu, exploding his head.
"Hey! You tomboy!"
"Why can Kurotsuchi bite, but I can't? Aren't we comrades?" Suigetsu shouted, annoyed.
"That was an emergency! Is it urgent now?!"
Being bitten reminded Karin of her tragic childhood memories, so she never mentioned it to others. Earlier, it was indeed an emergency; otherwise, she wouldn't have revealed this secret.
After bandaging Suigetsu, the trio decided to relocate, as the current spot was unsafe. While searching for a new hiding place, Deidara's Clay Clone arrived at a secluded location in Konoha.
A man and a woman were already waiting there—Hyūga Kanade and Moonlight Rin.
"Long time no see," Deidara greeted.
"Lord Deidara!" Hyūga Kanade and Moonlight Rin bowed respectfully.
Deidara wasted no time; this secret meeting was no occasion for idle chatter.
"What's the situation in Konoha? How many are willing to join us?" Taking advantage of the second Konoha collapse plan, Deidara intended to split Konoha Village. Since he was here, he might as well take advantage of the many ninjas living in hardship who wanted to defect, much like Kirigakure's situation before.
"Those who approached me proactively include the Inuzuka Clan, Aburame Clan, Kurama Clan, and my Moonlight Clan."
"In addition, many civilian ninjas would surely follow if given the chance," Moonlight Rin replied.
"What about the others, like the Ino-Shika-Chō trio?" Deidara, being an outsider, was unfamiliar with Konoha's political landscape and unaware of how these clans were faring.
But Moonlight Rin had done her homework, "The Ino-Shika-Chō trio probably won't defect for now."
"They are still around Lord Jiraiya and can withstand Danzo's pressure."
Deidara nodded, then looked at Hyūga Kanade, who had remained silent. The man seemed fatigued and gloomy, as if he had suffered a major setback.
"Kanade, how are things with the Hyūga Clan?" He recalled Kanade's desire to unite the branch family for rebellion.
Upon hearing this, Kanade's expression filled with anger and guilt. "Lord Deidara, it's my failure."
"I let the branch family sacrifice in vain." He briefly recounted the events of that night within the Hyūga Clan.
"This!" Moonlight Rin exclaimed, shocked by the truth behind the recent Hyūga turmoil.
"Didn't you consider just running away?"
"After all, once you leave a certain range, the Caged Bird curse mark won't activate, right?" Moonlight Rin asked.
"It's useless. If simply escaping could avoid the curse, someone from the Hyūga Clan would have done it long ago," Kanade shook his head.
Indeed, if merely distancing oneself could evade the Caged Bird, why wouldn't the branch family hide somewhere?
Just avoiding the main family for life would suffice.
"Why is that?"
"The Caged Bird curse includes a remote tracking function. As long as the main family continues outputting chakra, the curse's effective range expands, eventually finding and eradicating any hidden branch members."
"The main family even conducts annual global searches, ruthlessly eliminating any hidden branch members they find."
"So the key to our action that night was speed, moving before the main family could react and continuously output chakra."
"Unfortunately, I underestimated Danzo's greed," Kanade lamented painfully.
Deidara patted Kanade's shoulder. "Don't worry, there's still a chance to rectify things."
"Danzo clearly underestimated our strength. This time, we'll deliver a grand surprise."
Kanade nodded, slightly invigorated.
Indeed, the branch family still had a chance; they just needed to eliminate Danzo.
"By the way, who's the powerful Wood Release ninja that suddenly appeared in Konoha?"
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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