Kagura and his squad had barely broken through the encirclement, believing they had finally shaken off pursuit.
Fate, however, had other plans.
Before they could even catch their breath, the Grass shinobi caught up again.
Chaos erupted.
In the confusion, enemies surged forward like a tidal wave. The four-man squad was split apart, forced into separate directions, each fighting alone.
Kagura's heart pounded in alarm.
He wanted to regroup—but survival came first.
He turned east and ran.
Wind roared past his ears. Behind him, the clash of steel and the pounding footsteps of pursuers followed relentlessly.
Perhaps because Ten and Chi were the squad's strongest fighters, the majority of Grass shinobi focused on chasing them.
That left fewer on Kagura—
But four Grass shinobi still pursued him without mercy.
He ran while calculating.
Escape alone would not work.
Sooner or later, they would catch him.
Ahead lay a relatively open stretch of land.
Kagura stopped abruptly.
He turned.
Chakra surged within him.
"You're not getting away!" one of the Grass shinobi sneered as he charged.
Kagura formed hand seals swiftly.
"Water Release: Water Severing Wave!"
A razor-sharp stream of high-pressure water erupted from his mouth, slicing through the air like a blade.
The Grass shinobi scattered, barely avoiding the attack.
Kagura did not hesitate.
"Wood Release: Great Forest Technique!"
From his left arm burst countless wooden tendrils—serpentine vines that lashed outward with terrifying speed.
Two Grass shinobi were caught instantly, bound tightly as the wood constricted around them.
Kagura drew shuriken and flicked his wrist.
Two metallic flashes—
Two dull, wet impacts.
The bound shinobi collapsed, blood spreading beneath them.
But Kagura's Wood Release was not yet perfected.
After consecutive high-level techniques, his chakra reserves plummeted.
The remaining two Grass shinobi—stronger than the others—burst free from the weakening vines.
They attacked immediately.
Kagura dismissed the wood and drew a kunai, lunging forward.
Steel clashed.
Sparks flew.
Another Grass shinobi flanked him from the side, forcing Kagura into a two-on-one exchange.
Blades rang violently in the open clearing.
Each impact numbed his arms.
His breathing grew ragged.
Chakra drained like water through broken gates.
The enemy sensed weakness.
Their strikes grew sharper. Deadlier.
Then—
A mistake.
One of them slipped past his guard.
Steel bit into flesh.
Blood soaked his clothes.
Pain flared across his body.
Still, Kagura refused to fall.
He endured several more exchanges—but strength faded rapidly.
His legs trembled.
His vision blurred.
His heartbeat thundered in his ears.
He was running out of time.
With a final surge of desperate resolve, Kagura made a reckless choice.
He deliberately exposed an opening.
A blade cut into him—
White-hot agony exploded through his body.
But in that instant of overconfidence—
He drove his kunai into the attacker's chest.
The Grass shinobi staggered backward, collapsing.
Yet before Kagura could recover—
The last enemy kicked him violently.
He hit the ground hard, rolling across dirt and stone.
The world spun.
He tried to rise—
But his limbs refused to respond.
The final Grass shinobi leapt atop him, kunai raised.
Kagura raised both arms weakly in defense.
The blade descended.
It pierced.
Pain flooded every nerve.
The enemy pressed down, forcing the kunai deeper.
Kagura's arms trembled violently as he resisted with every ounce of remaining strength.
But blood loss was taking its toll.
His vision dimmed.
The world faded to gray.
His heartbeat grew faint.
"Am I… going to die?"
Cold crept into his body.
"No… I can't die… Not here…"
The will to live ignited like wildfire within him.
Even as darkness threatened to swallow him whole—
He forced his eyes open.
He refused to let them close.