Judging from the direction of the flames, smoke, and the explosion—
It was clear that one of the explosive tag traps Uchiha Akira had set earlier had been triggered.
"Looks like those unlucky ones stepped into it first…"
Akira expanded his perception.
His sharpened hearing and enhanced sense of smell quickly painted a clear picture of the battlefield.
About seven hundred meters away, he could hear rapid breathing and the enemies' startled voices.
"Damn it! What happened?!"
"It's an explosive tag trap—we've been hit!"
"How is that possible? We didn't notice anything earlier!"
"The enemy must have deliberately lured us here!"
"Be careful! Don't fall into another ambush—retreat! Move!"
"…!"
From what he could tell, the enemies had indeed been caught in the trap.
Unfortunately—
Although they were injured, the damage wasn't severe.
They were still fully capable of moving.
At that moment, the six enemies had already begun retreating at full speed.
As for the one who had been about to enter Akira's trap—
He sensed something was wrong and turned back immediately.
"Jonin-level… just as expected."
Akira's gaze darkened slightly.
These elite Hidden Mist ninja displayed exceptional discipline and awareness.
If they had been weaker opponents—
They would have already been blown to pieces.
Of course, Akira had no intention of letting it end like this.
He revealed himself and immediately hurled a kunai toward the fleeing member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
The target was already over a hundred meters away—
Only faintly visible through gaps in the trees.
The kunai shot out—
Breaking through the air with a sharp, piercing whistle as it streaked toward the enemy's back.
"Hmph!"
The one chasing Akira was a middle-aged man with a beard.
Like the others, bandages were wrapped around his neck.
His weapon resembled a massive hammer—
The Blunt Blade: Kabutowari.
There was no doubt about his identity.
Jinpachi Munashi.
By the time he heard the incoming attack, it was already too late.
He couldn't dodge.
He couldn't block.
With a muffled grunt, his body jerked—
But he immediately stomped on a tree branch, using the momentum to accelerate his escape without even looking back.
In an instant, he disappeared into the dense forest.
Meanwhile—
Sarutobi Shun, Hyuga Koji, and Uzuki Sena were nearing exhaustion as they fled.
They were on the verge of being caught—
When suddenly, the explosion echoed from behind them.
All three were startled.
"That sounded like explosive tags… not just one."
"It was a full trap formation. When did you set that up?"
Sarutobi asked in surprise.
But Hyuga Koji and Uzuki Sena were just as confused.
They exchanged glances and shook their heads.
"We didn't set any traps."
"Not you?"
"Then who?"
Sarutobi frowned, deep in thought.
"Could it be… Uchiha Akira?"
Uzuki Sena suggested.
When Akira had been unconscious earlier, they had checked his ninja ID—
So they knew his name.
"Let me take a look."
Hyuga Koji activated his Byakugan and scanned the rear.
The moment he did—
His pupils shrank.
"The enemies are injured—they're retreating!"
"They must have triggered the traps!"
His words shocked the other two.
They exchanged another glance before turning back to him.
Sarutobi narrowed his eyes.
"You're sure?"
"I'm sure. He's about eight hundred meters southeast of us."
"And aside from us and him, there's no one else nearby."
"No one else could have set those traps."
Hyuga Koji's answer made Sarutobi fall silent.
Uzuki Sena spoke softly:
"So… he deliberately had us retreat while he stayed behind to deal with the enemy?"
"Hmph. Just playing the hero."
Sarutobi scoffed.
"Regardless… the enemies have been driven back."
"That was the Seven Ninja Swordsmen…"
Hyuga Koji said, still shaken.
He had already prepared himself to die.
To survive this—
He couldn't help but feel a trace of gratitude toward Akira.
"That kid just got lucky."
Sarutobi dismissed it coldly.
"So what do we do now?" Uzuki Sena asked.
Being hunted by the Seven Ninja Swordsmen had left her shaken.
Enemies like that were far beyond their ability to handle.
"We should regroup with Uchiha Akira first," Hyuga Koji suggested.
But Sarutobi immediately rejected the idea.
"They're injured now—this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"
"If we chase them down and kill them, we'll earn tremendous merit!"
"We might even become Jonin because of it!"
His eyes gleamed with excitement.
He was practically trembling with anticipation.
But the other two looked uneasy.
"That might be too risky…" Uzuki Sena said cautiously.
Hyuga Koji added:
"I agree that pursuing them while they're injured is our best chance."
"But we should regroup with Akira first."
"No need!"
"That guy just used us as bait!"
"Sacrificing teammates for personal gain—no matter how you look at it, that's selfish and irresponsible!"
"He didn't value our lives at all!"
Sarutobi snapped.
This time—
Hyuga Koji and Uzuki Sena fell silent.
Koji, as a member of the Hyuga clan, understood certain things all too well.
The Uchiha clan's reputation in the village had declined over the years.
Many in Konoha harbored prejudice against them.
Even Uzuki Sena, though not from a major clan, had heard the rumors.
They both understood—
Why Sarutobi Shun was targeting Akira like this.
But neither spoke.
They didn't want to be seen as siding with the Uchiha.