"Boom!"
In the blink of an eye, Veigar, who had been standing with his back to Masaru Hokutō, suddenly vanished with a puff, leaving behind seven or eight ignited explosive tags.
"Kaboom!"
"Boom, boom..."
The two Sand shinobi widened their eyes in alarm at the sudden explosion in front of Masaru Hokutō.
"Masaru—"
"Masaru, look out—!"
But in the very next moment, they had no time to worry about him.
Because the long-hidden duo, Kakashi and Shōgetsu, finally sprang into action. One wielded a short blade, the other a kunai, both rushing toward the two Sand shinobi who had just been distracted.
Just moments earlier, Kazuhira had called out—not only to warn Masaru, but also inadvertently to draw the attention of his two subordinates toward the unfolding trap.
"Clang! Clang!"
As the grievously injured Masaru, blasted apart and barely alive, collapsed to the ground, Kakashi and Shōgetsu clashed directly with the two Sand shinobi who had just drawn their kunai.
At that same moment, just as Kazuhira prepared to strike at Kakashi, the real Veigar charged in, blade in hand, giving him no time to assist his comrades.
"Ittō-ryū: Iaijutsu Slash!"
"Clang!"
The deliberate clang of Veigar's sword drew Kazuhira's attention, and he managed to intercept the powerful slash with his kunai.
Veigar, locking eyes with Kazuhira, could clearly see the fury erupting behind them.
Back when Kazuhira had kicked Veigar's shadow clone away, he'd noticed a slight shift in positioning—a subtle tell that something was off. That movement had been staged—Veigar had baited him into delivering that very kick.
The moment he saw Masaru thrust his kunai into the heart of what he thought was the real Veigar, Kazuhira realized the grim truth.
That wasn't the real Veigar.
It was a trap. A well-crafted deception laid out by Veigar from the start.
Masaru's brutal injuries—limbs torn and scattered—were, at least in part, Kazuhira's fault.
If he hadn't launched that kick, Masaru might not have ended up like this.
"RAH—!"
In close combat with Veigar, Kazuhira let out a furious roar. Yet behind his rage, he made a swift and sober judgment of the battlefield.
If he wanted to save his two subordinates, he had to eliminate Veigar immediately.
But of course—if he could think this far ahead, so could Veigar.
From the moment Shōgetsu had used his Sharingan to confirm Kazuhira's identity as a high-ranking Sand jōnin, Veigar, Shōgetsu, and Kakashi had been strategizing for this exact moment deep within the Forest Park.
Everything was unfolding exactly as planned.
Whether it was blowing up Masaru or taking down one of the other Sand shinobi, it was all part of their design.
Right now, Veigar's objective was simple: stall Kazuhira Shin.
Hold him off until Kakashi and Shōgetsu could eliminate the other two Sand shinobi. Then, the three of them would unite to take down Kazuhira together.
A surge of murderous aura erupted from Kazuhira like a suffocating mist, saturating the small forest clearing in moments.
"Clang!"
"Clang, clang, clang..."
As Kazuhira retaliated in a furious offensive, Veigar fought fiercely, retreating step by step—but never allowing Kazuhira the slightest chance to break away and aid his subordinates, who were still under Kakashi and Shōgetsu's relentless assault.
Despite Veigar's agility and willpower, it was clear: he was on the verge of being overwhelmed.
Fortunately, Kazuhira's specialty wasn't taijutsu—it was high-powered Wind Release ninjutsu.
And though Veigar was still young, his body—fortified through Body Enhancement Technique—was anything but weak. His raw strength rivaled that of a full-grown ninja.
Still, injuries were beginning to appear across his body. Yet as he battled, he gradually drew Kazuhira farther and farther away from the others.
Meanwhile, Kakashi and Shōgetsu held the upper hand through sheer skill.
Shōgetsu, empowered by his Sharingan, tracked every movement with near-perfect clarity. The moment an opening appeared, he would strike with lethal precision.
But the two Sand shinobi they faced—though still officially genin—had the strength of chūnin.
Due to the chaos in the Sand Village, the promotion exams had been suspended. Under normal circumstances, these two would have already risen in rank.
So even though they bore the title of genin, their strength told a different story.
This made finishing them off swiftly much harder than expected—and both Kakashi and Shōgetsu were growing anxious.
Yes, Veigar had said confidently that he wouldn't be killed by Kazuhira—but they knew his limits. He wouldn't last forever.
They had to finish these two off.
If not, and Veigar fell first, it would be the end of all three of them.
Ironically, their opponents had the opposite mindset.
They knew they were slightly outmatched—enough that taking out Kakashi and Shōgetsu directly was unlikely unless the perfect opportunity arose.
But they weren't worried.
Their captain was a jōnin.
As long as they could hold out until Kazuhira eliminated Veigar, victory was certain.
But at that critical moment, Shōgetsu—though growing increasingly impatient—made a bold and calculated decision.
He would abandon his current target and coordinate with Kakashi to take down the other Sand shinobi first.
As for what might happen as a result of this maneuver—he couldn't say.
But only two outcomes were possible:
The best-case scenario: they kill one enemy and then join forces to finish off the last.
The worst-case scenario: things spiral into chaos.
And yet, inaction was no longer an option.
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