Given Haruto Saito's speed, it was difficult for him to catch up with Hyuga Domon!
However, Hyuga Domon was injured, and the more he moved, the worse his wounds would become.
Moreover, he would eventually have to stop—running indefinitely was impossible.
The Mist's Seven Ninja Swordsmen Regroup
In the battlefield deep within the forest, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist had gathered once more.
None of them were injured!
"Any news from the Ninja Hawk unit?" Momochi Sekigen asked. "Have they found any trace of the assassin?"
"No," the only female ninja among them shook her head.
"Hmph!" Momochi Sekigen snorted coldly. "Order the Ninja Hawk unit to split up and search! The search area is the entire Poison Punishment Forest!"
Haruto Saito's Pursuit
Haruto Saito was burrowing underground, carefully estimating the distance. Before long, he emerged from the ground, his body flickering like an afterimage as he leaped onto the towering treetops nearby!
This was the place where Momochi Sekigen and his group had fought Hyuga Domon!
Haruto Saito pushed aside some branches and looked outward. Soon, he spotted a tree about ten meters away, with multiple kunai embedded in it.
Among them, one kunai was stained with fresh blood!
If Haruto Saito remembered correctly, that blood belonged to Hyuga Domon—this was the very place where he had first been wounded, his arm slashed by a kunai.
Haruto Saito activated his full sensory awareness!
After confirming there were no Blue-Feathered Hawks nearby, he shot out from the treetops like a blur, snatched the bloodstained kunai, and disappeared again.
Night Falls
Time passed.
Night had fallen over the Poison Punishment Forest. The dark sky was draped in a thick shroud of night, with only a sickle-shaped moon hanging in the heavens.
The eerie calls of poisonous insects and birds echoed through the forest. It was as if these creatures could sense something terrible was about to unfold—they screeched and crawled through the underbrush in a restless frenzy.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Three figures darted swiftly through the forest, their movement stirring gusts of wind.
"Look ahead!" Tsunade suddenly warned in a low voice. She leaped onto a thick tree branch more than twenty meters high, gazing into the distance.
Jiraiya and Orochimaru followed closely behind, landing on the same branch.
The battlefield lay before them!
A massive portion of the forest had been ravaged—there were signs of flooding, burning, wind slashes, and lightning strikes. Enormous trees lay toppled, many of them completely shattered. The three of them could also see bodies scattered about.
"Let's take a look!"
The trio jumped down and rushed toward the nearest corpse.
It was a male ninja, about thirty years old. His body had already grown cold, with a massive torn wound across his back. Blood had pooled around him.
Jiraiya knelt beside the corpse, inspecting it. His expression darkened. "This is Hyuga Kinpaku! An elite Jonin of the Hyuga Clan!"
Jiraiya recognized him!
Even though the ninja had destroyed his own eyes before death, Jiraiya didn't need to see them to know he was from the Hyuga Clan!
"The Hyuga Clan… What happened to them here?" Tsunade's expression shifted.
The bodies were still here.
No one had retrieved them.
That meant the Hyuga Clan had lost the battle! Judging from the battlefield's scale and the complexity of the techniques used, it was clear that this wasn't just a small skirmish—both sides had involved multiple powerful fighters!
"Find more bodies!"
"I'll check that side!"
The three split up and began their search. Before long, they discovered three more corpses, all of them Hyuga ninja. Two were Jonin, and one was another elite Jonin!
They regrouped shortly after.
"There must be more bodies than this," Tsunade analyzed. "Some of them may have been completely obliterated during the battle…"
"They faced an incredibly powerful enemy," Jiraiya said gravely. "The Hyuga Clan is known for its defensive abilities and Taijutsu skills. Even if they encountered a superior foe, they should have been able to escape. But they all died… including two elite Jonin… That means…"
"The enemy was at least as strong as us," Orochimaru said coldly. "And not just one. Or… there was at least one person even stronger than us!"
Tsunade suddenly speculated, "Could it be the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist?"
"No," Jiraiya immediately shook his head. "If it was them, the battlefield wouldn't be this large. With their abilities, taking down two elite Hyuga Jonin plus several other Jonin wouldn't have been difficult—it could have been done swiftly. But the battle here was massive. That means the enemy was stronger than the Hyuga, but not as overwhelmingly powerful as the Seven Ninja Swordsmen."
Jiraiya's analysis was logical.
But he was wrong!
He had overlooked one crucial point: Did any of the Hyuga Clan members escape?
He hadn't accounted for Hyuga Domon—the man who had single-handedly stalled three members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen and still managed to escape!
If three of them hadn't been occupied, things would have unfolded exactly as Jiraiya predicted—the rest of the Hyuga ninja would have been slaughtered effortlessly.
"Tsunade, Haruto Saito is also in this forest," Jiraiya frowned. "He might… encounter those terrifying enemies!"
"Keep moving east! We need to find him!"
"Let's go!"
The trio burned the bodies of the fallen Hyuga ninja before setting off again, heading deeper into the Poison Punishment Forest.
Hyuga Domon's Desperate Situation
The night deepened.
Moving at high speed, the three kept advancing relentlessly.
"Chirp!"
A distinctive bird cry suddenly caught Jiraiya's attention!
He glanced to the side and saw a small bird diving above the treetops, soaring rapidly into the distance…
"That's a Blue-Feathered Hawk!" Jiraiya said sharply. "A tracking bird used by the Mist!"
"Ignore it," Tsunade replied without concern.
Even if they paid attention to it, it wouldn't change their course of action. Besides, her mindset was the same as Haruto Saito's earlier—the Blue-Feathered Hawk had issues with speed. It wasn't the most efficient intelligence-gathering tool.
A Fateful Encounter
9:00 PM.
At the heart of the Poison Punishment Forest, where the terrain was most treacherous—mountains, rivers, gorges, and two massive swamps stretched into the night.
In the dim rainforest, a stream flowed gently down a slope, carving a channel through the land. Lush vegetation flanked both sides of the water.
Rustling.
Near the stream, Hyuga Domon carefully washed his wounds. His Byakugan remained active, constantly scanning his surroundings. He had spotted the Blue-Feathered Hawk earlier, so he was being extra cautious!
"Damn it," he cursed, his face cold as he wrapped bandages around his arm and ribs.
He was filled with both hatred and fear.
He had come to hunt Haruto Saito, yet instead, he had run into the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. His entire unit was wiped out, and he barely escaped alive!
Just then—
He spotted a figure approaching from the west!
It was Haruto Saito!
Hyuga Domon's eyes gleamed. Finally, fate had brought him right to his target!