"Seventh one!"
Nearly half an hour later, fine beads of sweat ran down Yubi's face.
He leaned against a Rain shinobi, gripping the handle of his scalpel with one hand as the blade pierced the man's heart.
Not far from his feet lay another corpse.
A one-versus-two fight.
He had won.
To prevent the enemy from firing a signal flare, Yubi had continuously disrupted his movements, forcing close combat.
He'd ambushed and killed one first from the shadows, then relied on taijutsu to finish the second once the other became alert.
Even so, it had been dangerous.
Normally, he would never target a two-man patrol team—the risk of exposure was too high. One mistake could be fatal.
He had been waiting for lone targets.
But for some reason, Rain shinobi in the forest had suddenly begun moving in large numbers toward one direction.
Too many.
Yubi immediately understood—Sasori had been exposed.
He couldn't sit idle. Slowing the enemy even slightly would buy Sasori time.
Right now, they were in this together.
There was no room for self-preservation.
Pushing the corpse aside, Yubi looked toward the direction Sasori might have been exposed.
"There are around twenty to thirty shinobi in this outpost… They've probably already alerted nearby bases. We have to withdraw. The longer we stay, the more reinforcements will come. This is the front line of the Land of Rain—the density of their outposts is terrifying."
His heart sank.
He had just begun moving to regroup with Sasori when Arai appeared.
"Mission complete. Retreat."
"Yes."
The two sprinted through the forest, encountering Rain shinobi rushing from other directions.
But Araki showed the strength of an elite jonin, eliminating enemies swiftly without slowing down.
The enemy hadn't formed proper formations yet. This was the best time to withdraw.
As they neared the battlefield, Sasori appeared—covered in blood.
He seemed injured, but not seriously.
"Move."
Araki didn't waste words.
The trio immediately retreated from the forest.
No more stealth—only speed.
The faster they ran, the greater their chance of escape.
Rain shinobi pursued from both sides. Araki ordered the boys ahead and cut down the pursuers.
Yubi and Sasori also fought several Rain shinobi along the way.
In the end, thanks to Araki's strength and escape route, they returned safely to the Land of Wind.
Once the ground beneath their feet turned to sand, the Rain shinobi stopped chasing.
Sunagakure reinforcements soon arrived.
Safe at last, Yubi collapsed onto the ground, spread-eagle, gasping heavily.
This mission had been like dancing on the edge of a blade. One mistake and none of them would've returned.
Even an elite jonin like Araki could've died if the enemy gathered enough forces.
And fighting while retreating—without getting pinned down, was a completely different kind of pressure from assassination.
Araki looked tired. Sasori, though pale, remained expressionless. Several of his puppets had been destroyed.
Araki seemed to want to say something, but held back.
For shinobi, such battles were routine.
No matter what, both boys had completed the mission brilliantly—beyond expectations.
But their fighting styles were completely different.
Yubi was meticulous, using strategy to execute flawless plans. If Sasori hadn't been exposed, he could've kept hunting.
Sasori, on the other hand, simply relied on his overwhelming puppet mastery to eliminate targets, ignoring everything else.
That was Sasori's style.
Not ideal for this mission.
Sasori could fight like Yubi—perhaps even better, but personality made the difference.
Araki had planned for an hour-long mission. He hadn't expected it to end this quickly.
"Twenty-one," Sasori suddenly said, staring at Yubi.
"And you?"
"Counting those killed during the escape… ten," Yubi replied with a smile.
"I won," Sasori stated.
He had killed more than twice as many.
That Rain outpost was probably wiped out.
"Yubi is a medical ninja. He's different from you. Judging by mission performance, Sasori… I believe Yubi did better. If the mission had lasted longer, Yubi would've killed more. And in terms of serving the village, he could accomplish things you can't."
Arai gave his evaluation.
Sasori's gaze flickered—he clearly wasn't pleased.
Then, to everyone's surprise, Yubi burst out laughing on the ground.
"Hahaha… interesting… so interesting…"
"This feeling… completely different from before."
Everyone exchanged confused looks—even the reinforcements.
"This is just a small skirmish. I can't imagine how terrifying the battlefield must be when the war reaches its peak… when the strongest shinobi of each village clash."
Understanding dawned on them.
The Sunagakure shinobi stared at him like he was crazy.
Most people would be traumatized after facing death.
But this kid… wasn't afraid.
He sounded excited.
A little insane.
"Heh."
Araki laughed in relief. He'd worried the experience might leave psychological scars. Even veteran shinobi often suffered from battlefield trauma.
"Araki-sensei… let's continue."
Suddenly, Yubi sprang to his feet and smiled.
"Hm?"
Araki blinked in surprise.