Chapter 59: The Truth
Watching his arms, which were now charred and completely numb, the wolf-masked Root ninja's face twitched uncontrollably. "Is this really just a Hidden Hot Water shinobi? Not a high-ranking Jonin from a major village specializing in Lightning Style?" He couldn't accept that a ninja from the Hidden Hot Water Village possessed this much power, enough to cripple both his arms.
An injury of this severity, without immediate medical attention, would result in permanent damage, drastically reducing his combat effectiveness. Although it was partly due to his own lack of defensive ninjutsu, he believed that few, if any, standard defensive techniques could have blocked an attack of that magnitude.
"If that guy can fire off another one of those, I'm taking my men and leaving, no questions asked. The enemy's strength was severely underestimated; he's clearly beyond our capabilities. Even if we fail the mission, Lord Danzo won't blame us..."
Just as the thought of retreat entered his mind, he heard voices. He struggled to look up.
"The captain isn't dead!"
"He's charging the captain, but he's not as fast as before!"
A figure was rushing towards him through the darkness.
"Kill him!" the wolf-masked Jonin roared in anger. This Hidden Hot Water Jonin's determination to kill him was absolute. Even after unleashing such a massive jutsu to break the stalemate, he wasn't running; he was coming to finish the job. This was a ninja with an iron will and decisive ruthlessness.
Is this the kind of opponent you've been dealing with, Saiki? The Root Jonin suddenly felt a new respect for his supposed comrade. Facing a ninja like Watanabe Musashi, Saiki's caution was, perhaps, justified.
SHLICK!
The wolf-masked Jonin's eyes bulged. He looked down at the blade tip protruding from his chest.
"Who... are you killing?" a low, panting voice whispered right next to his ear.
He finally understood. "A... Shadow Clone?" he forced out, the pain in his chest excruciating.
"Heh..." Watanabe Musashi chuckled softly, offering no answer. He yanked his ninja blade free. The Root Jonin's life force gushed out, pulled from his body with the steel. He died with a question still burning in his mind.
The Hidden Hot Water Village... is a tiny, insignificant village, barely ten years old. It's one thing for it to have a powerful Jonin like Watanabe Musashi. But why... why does he also know the Second Hokage's Shadow Clone Jutsu?
Over the decades, some Konoha shinobi had died in battle or been captured, inevitably leaking the village's secret jutsu. But it should have been limited to the Five Great Nations, or perhaps medium-sized powers like the Hidden Rain. How did the Hidden Hot Water get their hands on it? The Root captain would never know the answer.
The Shadow Clone Jutsu was incredibly effective, creating a solid duplicate that was indistinguishable from the real person. Its main drawback was its massive chakra cost. Unless one was a monster with unnaturally large reserves, it was rarely used. It also required immense concentration to control. For Watanabe Musashi, whose chakra was already severely depleted, using it was an all-or-nothing gamble.
But it had paid off.
Feeling his own chakra reserves now completely empty, Watanabe Musashi knew this was the most he could do. He was powerless against the remaining three elite Chunin. He flicked the blood from his blade, sheathed it, and immediately fled in the opposite direction.
But he didn't know... someone was waiting for him.
"He actually let him escape. What a waste," Saiki murmured, his eyes cold as he gritted his teeth. He hadn't seen, or perhaps hadn't considered, that the wolf-masked Jonin was already dead. The battle had been brief, but the explosions were so violent he could feel their power even from miles away. He'd assumed Watanabe Musashi must be at his limit.
With that thought, Saiki moved, leaping through the trees toward the figure fleeing in the distance.
WHOOSH!
The wind screamed past Watanabe Musashi's ears as he ran. He scanned his surroundings, paranoid about an ambush now that he lacked Kael's "Explosive Fly" reconnaissance. The three Root ninja were still on his tail, and as time wore on, he sensed more pursuers joining them. He was exhausted and couldn't shake them.
Are they all chasing me? ... Does that mean I was their real target?
He wracked his brain but couldn't think of any reason why Konoha's Root would deploy a squad just to assassinate him.
Fortunately, he had seen Tanabe Kaze and Toneri escape in the chaos. They were safe, which was a small relief. He popped a military food pill into his mouth, trying to replenish his stamina. His chakra was slowly recovering, but it would be a long time before he was back at full strength.
As he was trying to formulate an escape plan, he spotted a figure in the darkness ahead. Moonlight filtered through the leaves, dappling the person's form. A powerful chakra signature was building—the person was preparing a major jutsu.
"Crap!" Watanabe frowned and instantly changed direction, veering to his right.
But the next moment, a familiar and dreadful sensation came from the ground beneath him.
"Earth Style: Fissure!"
The ground trembled and split apart, breaking his stride. A web of cracks spread out, forcing him to focus all his attention on not falling in.
This jutsu again! And from the scale of it, it's another Jonin! But... why does this chakra feel so... familiar...
A strange feeling washed over him, but the dire situation left him no time to think. Just as he cleared the fractured earth, a new attack came. Sharp, cold spikes of rock shot up from the ground.
"Earth Style: Earth Spear!"
He pushed off his toes, leaping into the air, the feeling of wrongness intensifying. This combination of jutsus... it's so familiar!
Then, as if a switch had been flicked, he understood. His face paled. In mid-air, he ripped his ninja blade from its sheath and held it diagonally across his chest.
The next second, a giant, rock-encased fist slammed into the blade.
BAM!
The sword bent like a fully drawn bow before crashing into his chest.
Pfft!
Watanabe Musashi was blasted backward, coughing up a spray of blood. He crumpled to the ground, his body convulsing from the internal injuries. He dug his fingers into the dirt, desperately trying to stand, his eyes locked on the figure slowly walking toward him out of the darkness.
A deep, agonizing pain, sharper than any wound, lanced through Watanabe Musashi's heart. A traitor. The Hidden Hot Water Village had a traitor.
"Saiki!" he rasped, his voice filled with bitterness. "I never... never... thought it would be you."