Under normal circumstances, Uchiha Iwa and the others would not have left so directly. After all, they could not confirm with absolute certainty that Haruto Saito was dead; they could only infer that he had fallen in battle.
However, their current situation did not allow them to stay. Sneaking back into the Dense Fog Forest to search was unrealistic, and waiting here to see if Haruto Saito would emerge was fraught with danger.
Protecting Uchiha Mikoto remained the top priority for the two elite Uchiha jonin, and now, both were seriously injured. They had to leave as soon as possible.
The night was dim, with the moon shining faintly and stars scattered sparsely. The Dense Fog Forest was shrouded in darkness, reverberating with constant booming sounds.
Hyūga Kyōki fought fiercely against two opponents at once, yet he still maintained the upper hand with a clear advantage. He was simply too strong. Whether in terms of speed, strength, or reaction time, he far outclassed Saki. If not for his lack of long-range and area-of-effect attacks, he would have already secured victory!
This was precisely the limitation of Hyūga ninjas in combat.
It was not that they lacked fighting ability or offensive skills, but rather that their attack methods were almost entirely close-combat Taijutsu. This made their fighting style restrictive. If it had been a one-on-one close-quarters battle, Saki would have already perished by his hands.
But there were no "ifs" in battle!
Saki was indeed no match for Hyūga Kyōki, but he had an ally supporting him. With their coordinated efforts, even when forced into close combat, they managed to fight two against one. This was the only reason Saki had not yet been swiftly defeated and killed.
"Wind Release: Twisting Fang Technique!"
"Eight Trigrams Palm: Heavenly Rotation!"
A massive spiral wind sphere, several meters in diameter, shot forth and collided with the whirling chakra shield of the Gentle Fist technique. The terrifying shockwave swept outward, demolishing trees and carving deep fissures into the ground.
Saki panted heavily, his face pale, his eyes bloodshot and filled with fatigue.
He was exhausted, having burned through too much chakra. He was reaching his limit.
Even before engaging Hyūga Kyōki, Saki had already spent a long time chasing down Uchiha Iwa, depleting a significant amount of chakra in the process.
A hundred meters away, Haruto Saito crouched atop a towering tree, concealed within the foliage, observing the battle intently.
The thick fog still enveloped his surroundings, keeping him hidden from the conflict taking place beyond.
The jonin assisting Saki in battle was named "Sagosu." Over forty years old, he had a burly, bear-like frame, exuding an aura of raw power and ferocity.
But now, he too was exhausted, gasping for breath, his reddened eyes locked onto Hyūga Kyōki.
Two against one!
Yet they were still losing!
Hyūga Kyōki's expression remained icy as he moved swiftly through the forest, dodging incoming kunai with agile leaps, leaving behind afterimages before closing the distance to Saki.
Saki wielded a katana in his right hand and a kunai in his left, spinning his body as he launched a frenzied attack. Or rather, he was desperately trying to block Hyūga Kyōki's assault. Kyōki's fists and kicks blurred into motion, his superior reflexes and body control allowing him to narrowly evade the blades each time while simultaneously deflecting them.
"Wind Release: Lotus Storm Technique!"
Sagosu charged forward once again, rapidly flinging more than ten wind blades—each the size of a palm—that arced through the air toward Hyūga Kyōki. This was their established strategy: whenever Saki engaged Kyōki in close combat, Sagosu would provide covering attacks.
"Gentle Fist Art: Mountain Breaker Palm!" Hyūga Kyōki suddenly shifted his stance, transforming his fingers into fists, both hands bursting with brilliant green chakra as he struck forward.
Saki hastily crossed his blades to defend.
Boom!
Saki was sent flying, and in that instant, Hyūga Kyōki twisted his body, leaving behind an afterimage as he dodged the incoming wind blades from behind. The next moment, he reappeared atop a tree, launching himself downward in a direct attack on Sagosu.
It all happened too fast—Sagosu found himself directly in Kyōki's path.
There was no time for hand seals!
Momentum carried Sagosu forward, making it impossible to retreat in time. His only choice was to raise his sword and strike wildly at Hyūga Kyōki, hoping Saki would return to assist.
But Saki had been blasted away…
Hyūga Kyōki's hands moved with blinding speed. Within moments, they exchanged over ten moves before Kyōki abruptly changed tactics, whipping his sleeve around Sagosu's sword and flinging it aside.
Sagosu's sword slipped from his grasp, his face contorting in shock. He tried to retreat but was struck by searing pain in his ribs. His body went rigid and numb.
Kyōki had sealed his chakra points!
Saki, who had been rushing back to aid Sagosu, suddenly froze, his eyes filled with fear.
Hyūga Kyōki turned to look at Saki, his expression as cold as ever. His lips curled slightly before he twisted his body, his long leg whipping out like a steel lash.
Thud!
With a dull impact, Sagosu was struck in the head. He collapsed like a felled tree, blood streaming from his seven orifices. Though his eyes remained open, he was already dead.
Saki's pupils shrank violently. Hyūga Kyōki was too strong—he hadn't even shown signs of fatigue yet. And now, with his support gone, Saki was left to fight alone…
Regret crept into his mind. Why had he meddled in this today? This wasn't even his original mission in the Land of Fire.
"If you surrender, I will take you back to Konoha alive. You might have a chance to live," Kyōki said coldly.
"Hah!" Saki's lips twitched. He would never believe such a claim.
He took several steps back, turned, and ran!
If he couldn't win, he would escape!
This was enemy territory for Saki, and his fight against Hyūga Kyōki was unrelated to his actual mission. There was no reason for him to risk his life, so he ran without hesitation!
Kyōki's foot exploded against the ground, launching him forward like a cannonball in pursuit of Saki.
From atop a distant tree, Haruto Saito muttered, "What an intense fight. This guy is ridiculously strong." Then, he leaped down and followed them.
A thought crossed his mind—what if Saki was killed outright, and Hyūga Kyōki remained at full strength? What then?
…
Saki pushed himself to his absolute limits, his speed accelerating to the max.
But Kyōki was still faster, steadily closing the gap.
"Damn it! Why is this happening? Damn it!" Saki gritted his teeth as the wind roared behind him, his sense of impending doom growing stronger. His chakra reserves were almost gone—he lacked the energy to unleash powerful area attacks to slow Kyōki down.
If Kyōki caught up, he would die.
"Why do you keep pushing me?!" Saki suddenly screamed.
Kyōki gave no response, his cold gaze locked onto Saki's retreating figure.
"Damn bastard! If I die, we die together!" Saki roared, his aura turning wild as he spun to face Kyōki. At the same moment, his left hand brushed over a pouch at his lower back.
They clashed.
Saki fought like a madman, abandoning defense in favor of reckless attacks. This was a battle of life and death.
But even this desperate strategy was futile.
Then Kyōki noticed it—the pouch contained explosive tags.
Boom!
Saki erupted into a massive fireball, flames consuming everything within a radius of dozens of meters, with Kyōki at the center of the explosion…