A moment later, the bugs were recalled.
"Looks like… they're really gone," muttered one of the ANBU agents.
But just as their minds relaxed, believing the threat had passed, disaster struck.
"Torune! Be caref-?!"
Before the second could finish, a sharp spray of blood burst from his comrade's chest. The man staggered back several steps as though struck by a hammer.
"Fū!" Torune gasped in horror. Despite the combined detection abilities of the Yamanaka and Aburame clans, they'd both confirmed the area was clear, yet that strike had come from nowhere. A textbook assassination.
But as a hardened member of Root, trained in steel discipline, Torune didn't hesitate. His cheeks puffed, and he unleashed a cloud of black insects, his kikaichū, encasing them both in a writhing sphere of living armor.
Hundreds of meters away, Kirito steadied his M700 rifle and muttered, "That brown-haired one must be a Yamanaka. He sensed me the moment I pulled the trigger. Barely dodged a lethal shot."
Though the ambush failed to kill, it confirmed Kirito's theory: the enemy was formidable.
From this range, a clean kill wasn't guaranteed, but moving closer would be riskier. It was a trade-off between lethality and exposure.
Through his scope, he saw that the two ANBU were now completely concealed in a dense swarm of insects.
He clicked his tongue. "They've hunkered down… and they know I'm here now. Time to relocate."
…
Inside the insect dome, Torune supported the injured Yamanaka Fū, his voice tense. "That hit… where did it come from?! Even you barely avoided the heart!"
Fū coughed up blood, clutching the wound on his left chest. "Just a centimeter closer and I'd be dead… The attacker moved after the shot. I can't sense him anymore."
"What? You can't track him?" Torune's expression tightened. "He hid from a Yamanaka's detection?"
Still bleeding, Fū grabbed his partner's wrist. "Listen. The next time he fires, I'll get a read on him, just for a second."
"Got it. I'll scatter my kikaichū, if you can mark his location, I'll tag him with a swarm."
"No hesitation," Fū said grimly.
…
Before either could make the next move, a new storm erupted.
From all directions, volleys of arrows rained down!
"Clink! Clink!"
Torune whipped out his blade, cutting down what arrows made it past the insect barrier.
"There's more than one enemy?! And they're all within a hundred meters?!"
Fū was stunned. "Multiple targets, but none showed up in my detection net…"
"Boom! Boom!"
Explosions ripped through the area, tearing through their insect dome.
"Using explosive tags… to thin out my kikaichū?" Torune gritted his teeth.
"Torune! Multiple enemies incoming, close combat!"
"Frontline battle, huh? Fine by me!"
With a snarl, he stripped off his shirt and gloves. His exposed skin flushed a dark red-purple the moment it touched air. Aburame secret technique, Phosphorous Devourers: microscopic venomous bugs embedded in his skin. Touch him and the poison seeps straight into your cells.
He pulled back part of the swarm to shield the wounded Fū, while stepping forward to confront the attackers.
Charging toward him were a towering brute with a broadsword, a woman wielding chains, a dagger-wielding dwarf, and a hooded crossbowman providing cover from the rear.
"Seriously? This many?" Torune cursed and lunged forward, bare-handed.
"BAM!"
The giant brought his blade down with terrifying force, but Torune dodged with ease.
He reappeared beside the dagger-wielding dwarf and simply tapped his shoulder.
The dwarf's body spasmed, and collapsed. Purple veins spiderwebbed from the point of contact, spreading across his skin.
"Phosphorous Devourers," Torune muttered. "Once they're in your bloodstream, it's over."
"Whip!"
The chain-wielding woman lashed out, but Torune caught it midair. With a pull, he dragged her off balance.
Just as he moved to deliver a finishing blow, THUNK, a crossbow bolt whistled in from the side. Torune twisted away, narrowly dodging it.
"Persistent, huh…"
The brute charged again. Torune evaded with a spin, ready to land a punch laced with venom, but another bolt interrupted him.
"Tch. You think you can keep this up?"
He flipped and swept his leg toward the giant's chest. CRACK!
The brute grunted and stumbled, but didn't fall. Without missing a beat, he roared and raised his sword again.
"…Seriously?" Torune's expression darkened.
That kick should've broken bones. His taijutsu wasn't weak. For this guy to tank it…
"High durability… oversized weapon… and just slow enough not to be a real threat…" Torune's eyes flashed. "He's not meant to kill me. He's just buying time, blocking my movements so the others can land their hits."
At that moment, Torune spotted something chilling.
The dwarf he had poisoned, was getting back up.
A hooded medic appeared beside him, injecting something into the dwarf's arm. The purple stain on his shoulder visibly receded.
"What the hell…"
Tank. Controller. Assassin. Sniper. Dedicated battlefield medic. Not to mention, all of them cloaked in chakra-concealing techniques strong enough to bypass elite sensory skills.
"…These people aren't just mercenaries."
Torune's face turned grim.
"They're a professional… assassination syndicate."
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