Wanna upload two chaps a day but...Nah , starting in the 90's the Chapters are like 2.5k-3k words long so hold on!
Chapter 61: Nohara Rin, Captured!
"The Mist shinobi split their forces. Two jonin should be dealing with Kakashi-taicho. The remaining Mist shinobi are still chasing us... Damn it, what's wrong with these Mist shinobi? Why are they pursuing us so relentlessly?"
Hyuga Akiba saw the twenty Mist shinobi in relentless pursuit behind them and felt somewhat desperate. The Mist shinobi were pursuing too closely, and their speed was faster than theirs. The distance between them was constantly shrinking.
"Something's wrong. Definitely wrong."
Uchiha Aika frowned tightly, muttering her analysis. "These Mist shinobi didn't join forces to attack Kakashi-taicho. Instead, they're relentlessly pursuing us. This isn't normal!"
By common sense, killing a jonin-level expert like Hatake Kakashi would bring far more value than killing the three of them. If Aika stood in the Mist's position, she would definitely focus all efforts on attacking Hatake Kakashi first.
But now the Mist shinobi had chosen to split their forces, sending only two jonin to deal with Hatake Kakashi while the main force continued pursuing the three of them.
"The Mist's target is one of us."
Aika stated the conclusion she'd reached after thinking.
Hearing this, Nohara Rin's pretty face paled, her expression full of confusion. She blurted out, "But what do we have that the Mist would value?"
"I don't know."
Aika shook her head with a grim expression. "Maybe my eyes, maybe Akiba... Anyway, following Kakashi-taicho's orders, it's my turn to hold the rear next. We should be able to tell their purpose from the Mist shinobi's reaction."
She suspected in her heart that perhaps the Mist shinobi were after her Sharingan.
Otherwise, they couldn't possibly be going after Hyuga Akiba and Nohara Rin, right? The former, though a Hyuga clan member, had the Caged Bird Seal making her Byakugan impossible to steal. The latter was just a medical ninja from civilian origins.
Calculating everything, she herself was most likely to be the Mist shinobi's prey.
"Aika, you..."
Nohara Rin turned to look at Uchiha Aika.
"No need to say anything. Let's do it this way! To put it bluntly, our squad might be completely wiped out this time!" Aika's words were harsh and completely inauspicious.
But they were an undeniable fact.
"Damn it! If only we could meet Ritsu-nii earlier!"
Akiba was very unwilling.
But saying anything now was pointless. Cruel reality wouldn't change because of her unwillingness. Uchiha Aika stayed behind, her eyes turning crimson with black tomoe spinning within. She held her short sword, assuming a battle-ready stance, waiting for the Mist shinobi to arrive for a desperate fight.
At the same time, the Mist shinobi also discovered their actions.
"Shinya-sama, the Konoha shinobi have split someone off to hold the rear again." Suiro reported the results he'd sensed.
"Who is it?"
"The Uchiha clan girl."
"Oh! An Uchiha girl. Let me see... You three deal with this Uchiha girl." After pondering for several seconds, Kirishima Shinya designated three ANBU members by their code names. Without exception, all were special jonin.
He didn't have many jonin around him—only Kamaha, Suiro, and Hiegusa. There was no need to further dilute his combat strength just to deal with a special jonin from the Uchiha clan.
Though the operation was proceeding smoothly without any unexpected situations, they still couldn't be careless because of it.
Moreover, dispatching three special jonin to deal with the Uchiha girl was already considering the Uchiha name.
The three masked ANBU members received their orders and departed. They headed straight for the battle-ready Uchiha Aika, while Kirishima Shinya led the others, guided by Suiro, continuing their relentless pursuit of Hyuga Akiba and Nohara Rin.
'The Mist's target isn't me,' Aika thought as she watched the three approaching Mist ANBU. While relieved, she was also extremely curious—what exactly were the Mist shinobi trying to do? Was their target Akiba? Or Rin?
She had no time to think about the answer.
Three special jonin from the Mist ANBU were attacking her. She had to summon all her spirit to respond, with no mental energy to spare thinking about this question.
On the other side, Akiba, seeing the Mist split their forces again, immediately realized that either she or Nohara Rin was the Mist's true target.
"Rin, the Mist shinobi are still chasing us."
Akiba looked at Nohara Rin beside her.
"So the Mist shinobi are coming after us!" Rin forced a bitter smile onto her face.
"The Mist shinobi are getting closer and closer. We... let's split up! Though doing this is just a dying struggle, every extra second we struggle gives us a bit more possibility of waiting for Ritsu-nii's support." Akiba made her suggestion.
"Alright, Akiba, let's go separate ways."
Rin agreed.
In the next second, she actively veered off course, heading west. By doing this, she was giving Akiba more possibility of survival, because continuing along Route Seven—the northeast direction—might encounter the Hyuga clan head, Hyuga Ritsu, coming to meet them.
But heading west, there was no one coming to meet them.
"Rin!"
Akiba instantly realized Rin's choice. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she didn't dare stop. Instead, she advanced at even greater speed.
But soon, she discovered the Mist shinobi had split their forces once again. Only two ANBU members came to pursue her, while the remaining fifteen Mist shinobi all chased Nohara Rin westward.
In that instant, she was shocked into forgetting to think.
The Mist's target was actually Nohara Rin? Why on earth?
Why?
Rin was also wondering why the Mist shinobi had targeted her. She didn't have the Byakugan to see very far, but the Mist shinobi had already caught up to about a hundred meters behind her. She only needed to look back to see them pursuing her.
And she did look back.
Then, while feeling despair, she was also filled with confusion. She truly couldn't understand why the Mist shinobi wanted her.
"No, I absolutely cannot fall into the Mist's hands."
Rin reached out to pull explosive tags from her ninja tool pouch. Rather than let herself be captured alive by the Mist, it was better to choose self-destruction. This way, not only would she suffer less, but regardless of the Mist's purpose, it would be difficult to achieve.
However, before she could build up her psychological resolve and inject chakra into the explosive tag, a figure burst from underground, delivering an uppercut directly to the girl's chin. She was knocked unconscious, her eyes rolling back. Her hands involuntarily released, and the explosive tag in her hand fluttered down lightly.
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