The four ninjas charged toward the Class 3 members from four directions. The students, who had barely practiced, were in a panic. Tenten, in particular, clung to Ryuji, trembling and unable to control her fear.
Neji reacted first. His hands formed a seal, and the meridians around his eyes activated.
"Byakugan!" he exclaimed.
"A brat from the Hyuga family? Should we let him go?" murmured one of the ninjas.
"We can't reveal our identities. Besides, he's just a branch member, it's fine to kill him!" his companion replied coldly.
Hearing this, Neji, who had remained calm until then, released an intense aura of killing intent.
"If you underestimate the branch family… then you'll die here!" he shouted, launching himself at two of the ninjas.
Rock Lee also jumped into the fight, but lacking real combat experience, he was soon overpowered by his opponent. The fourth ninja, meanwhile, headed directly toward Tenten.
Tenten was utterly terrified, trembling as she clung to Ryuji's arm. For Ryuji, who was already struggling with the weights on his hands and feet, moving was almost impossible.
Seeing the enemy ninja about to reach them, Ryuji gritted his teeth, lifted Tenten, and used all his strength to execute the Substitution Technique. They vanished in an instant, reappearing a few meters away.
The ninja sneered in disdain. "Are you flirting in the middle of this? Well, you'll soon be able to keep flirting in hell."
Realizing she was a burden, Tenten quickly let go of Ryuji and stepped away a little. "Don't worry about me, Ryuji-kun; I can fight too!"
Ryuji let out a bitter smile. Although he wasn't sure if Tenten could fight or not, he knew that with the extra weight he carried, he could barely move. Although he had managed to execute the Substitution Technique, real combat was another matter; any attempt to throw a punch would make him an easy target.
"Lee, help hold off this ninja!" Ryuji shouted, then looked at Tenten. "Tenten, help me take off these weights!"
"Alright, but I won't last long," Lee replied, facing the ninja in front of Ryuji, his body already covered in injuries.
Tenten quickly moved to remove the weights from Ryuji's hands and feet, leaving only one on his waist. This last one was heavier and was tightly secured with several knots that Guy had meticulously tied.
"Ryuji-kun, you've got half a minute, at most!" Rock Lee shouted with difficulty. Ryuji looked at his friend, who was growing more and more exhausted. Lee's green jumpsuit was in tatters, and he was barely standing.
The half-minute Lee had mentioned was undoubtedly the time he had left before the enemy finished him off. Ryuji, who had always seen Rock Lee as a carefree person, now understood his loyalty: he was willing to sacrifice his life for his friends.
Tenten also realized the gravity of the situation, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't untie the knot on the rope. Tears filled her eyes as she was on the verge of losing hope.
"A branch member will always be a branch member. Even if you die here, no one will care in the slightest. It's a pity you have the family seal because even if you die, your Byakugan will be destroyed with you," one of the ninjas mocked as he kicked Neji, who lay injured on the ground, his clothes soaked with blood and some wounds so deep that bone was visible.
Neji, with a strained smile, looked at Ryuji. "Ryuji-kun… don't forget our promise!"
Ryuji clenched his fists, feeling his nails dig into his flesh, letting the blood drip down, drop by drop.
"Forget any promises, kid," said one of the ninjas, approaching menacingly. "Because you're about to die, too."
The ninja moved toward Ryuji, but after a few steps, he suddenly felt something holding his feet. Looking down, he saw that it was Neji, barely clinging to life, who was holding him back with his last strength.
"I was going to let you live a few more minutes, but it seems you've forgotten that," the ninja murmured, frustrated.
Meanwhile, Tenten, desperate and with tears in her eyes, kept trying to untie the rope holding Ryuji immobile. Finding no other solution, she gritted her teeth and bit down hard on the rope.
"Tenten, what are you doing?!" Ryuji exclaimed, surprised.
"Shut up! This isn't the time to worry. I'm going to get this rope off, no matter what!"
The ninja sneered at the scene and kicked Neji even harder. "Are you still wasting time? These are your last moments."
After saying this, the ninja pulled out a handful of kunai, aiming coldly at Neji. But at that moment, a figure dressed in green suddenly appeared and delivered a powerful kick, sending him several meters back.
"Neji, are you alright?" shouted Rock Lee, rushing to his injured friend.
Neji slowly opened his eyes and, instead of gratitude, roared with frustration, "Why did you come here?! And you left Ryuji alone?!"
Lee immediately reacted, and as he turned his head, he saw the other two ninjas approaching Ryuji. He prepared to run back when a sharp pain in his waist knocked him to the ground, leaving him coughing up blood.
"Guy trained a good disciple, but it's a shame he's going to die soon," mocked the ninja as Lee fell to the ground, blood trickling from his mouth.
Lee barely showed pain on his face; instead, he offered a faint smile toward Ryuji. "Ryuji-kun, if we survive… teach me Kenjutsu sometime!"
At that moment, Ryuji felt a burning fury within him; he wanted to take down all four ninjas on the spot. But the weight at his waist still immobilized him. Forcing himself would be a death sentence.
Meanwhile, Tenten, more desperate than ever, continued biting at the rope with determination, ignoring the blood beginning to trickle from the corners of her lips.
Finally, with one last desperate tug, the knot gave way. Tenten's eyes lit up.
"It's untied!" she shouted.
The weight fell with a dull thud, raising a cloud of dust around Ryuji. Through the dust, his eyes shone with a mix of fury and determination as he looked at the four ninjas.
"Today, you're going to learn what happens when you mess with someone like me… Ryuji."
The four ninjas barely had time to react.
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