Seven figures streaked across the rooftops of Hachishi District, moving with incredible speed.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu."
With the Sand shinobi hot on their heels, Veigar, Kakashi, and Shōgetsu simultaneously unleashed the Shadow Clone Jutsu, scattering in multiple directions to mislead their pursuers.
In the chaos, the Sand ninja couldn't distinguish the real bodies from the clones.
Poof.
Poof, poof.
One clone down, then another...
Kazuhira continued to eliminate shadow clones one after another, but his misjudgment had already bought Veigar and the others enough time to escape.
Poof, poof, poof, poof, poof...
After dispelling another of Kakashi's clones, Kazuhira suddenly found all the remaining decoys along Hachishi District vanishing simultaneously—Veigar's real presence was now completely lost to him.
Meanwhile, in a forest park to the east of Hachishi District, Veigar, Kakashi, and Shōgetsu were each hidden among the treetops.
Their expressions showed no signs of panic, none of the fear expected from hunted fugitives. Instead, they radiated a calm, predatory stillness—as if they were the ones waiting for prey.
After a while, Kazuhira finally arrived at the park's perimeter with three Sand ninja in tow.
"They're here."
The moment Veigar sensed their presence, he opened his eyes and murmured quietly.
Flanking him on nearby branches, Kakashi and Shōgetsu immediately readied themselves for battle upon hearing the warning.
They hadn't fought the Sand shinobi at the entrance to Hachishi District because Shōgetsu had already discerned that the leader—Kazuhira—was a jōnin.
More importantly, the forest park ahead had already been thoroughly rigged with traps.
Staring into the woods, one of the three Sand shinobi behind Kazuhira—a chūnin named Masaru Hokutō—stepped forward and whispered:
"Kazuhira-sama, I believe they're hiding just ahead."
Shinobi with unique tracking abilities weren't uncommon in the shinobi world—and Masaru was one of them.
Kazuhira gave a silent nod. Though the forest seemed still, he remained on high alert, knowing it likely held hidden dangers.
Even with only brief contact, he could tell Shōgetsu was no ordinary genin—his strength likely rivaled or even exceeded that of Kazuhira's three subordinates.
And as for Veigar—Kazuhira had already witnessed the immense power behind his Wind Realese: Great Breakthrough.
"Maintain Formation Three."
With a firm command, Kazuhira led the way into the forest. Masaru followed closely behind, while the other two Sand ninja fanned out to either side.
Formation Three, also known as the Search Formation, placed one person at the front and three in a horizontal line behind—ideal for enemy tracking while minimizing ambush risk.
A hundred meters in... then eighty... sixty...
When Kazuhira closed to within thirty meters of their location—
Veigar struck.
"Wind Release: Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
He hurled two wind-chakra-infused shuriken, and his two clones each used Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu to multiply them. In an instant, fourteen razor-sharp wind shuriken tore through the gaps in the forest canopy, screaming toward Kazuhira.
Kazuhira, vigilant and seasoned, instantly sensed the incoming threat.
"Ambush! Watch out!"
He nimbly dodged the onslaught while shouting a warning to his teammates—then dashed straight toward Veigar's position.
Perching on a branch, Kazuhira spotted Veigar standing below, ready for battle. He immediately unleashed a powerful jutsu.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Bullet!"
Tup-tup-tup-tup-tup—!
Five consecutive Vacuum Bullets shot from his mouth toward Veigar.
But just then—another trap sprung.
Dozens of kunai shot out from both sides, aimed straight at Kazuhira on the branch.
On the ground, Veigar didn't dodge—he didn't even try. He took the attack head-on, and—
Poof!
The Veigar that was struck vanished in a puff of smoke.
Kazuhira had anticipated it—a shadow clone. Using the trees for cover, he had already dodged the trap.
"Detonate."
Just as Kazuhira thought he'd regained the upper hand, Kakashi and Shōgetsu's voices rang out in unison.
The kunai weren't ordinary—they were laced with explosive tags.
Boom!
Boom, boom—!
But Kazuhira wasn't a jōnin for nothing. In the instant the tags detonated, he flipped through the air, landing safely on the ground and out of the blast radius.
That was when—Veigar emerged from the trees to his left, a Phenomenal Evil Rasengan blazing in his palm.
At the same moment, Masaru Hokutō and the other two Sand ninja—who had also evaded the shuriken attack—closed in and surrounded the area.
To Kazuhira, Veigar's charge appeared sloppy and full of openings.
He twisted his body and lashed out with a sharp kick—Veigar flew backward, hurtling toward Masaru's position.
Seeing Veigar thrown straight at him, Masaru's eyes lit up.
A gift from the gods.
He drew a kunai and rushed forward, thrusting it clean into Veigar's heart from behind.
"Die…"
Masaru grinned, confident he'd just scored a clean kill. But then—
"Masaru! Get out of there!"
Kazuhira's voice cut through the clearing.
Masaru froze. And then realized—
The Veigar he'd struck down...
…was just another shadow clone.
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