Sarutobi Shōji was still resisting stubbornly.
He was completely wrapped in dense swarms of bees—so thick that even the raindrops falling from above were blocked. The surrounding trees had been gnawed clean by the insects; only the tree beneath his feet remained barely intact.
But his condition was terrible.
The earlier explosion had shaken his internal organs, and one moment of carelessness afterward had allowed a bee to sting him. Although he had taken an antidote in time, it only suppressed the poison inside his body.
If he couldn't break through this blockade of bees, he would be dragged to death right here.
And that was exactly Murakami Hana's plan.
He didn't possess any Technique capable of deciding victory in a single blow. Dragging the enemy down was the tactic he had always relied on.
"Bee Clone Technique!"
The bees rapidly gathered, forming one Murakami Hana clone after another, continuing their assault on Sarutobi Shōji and constantly draining his stamina and chakra.
Sarutobi Shōji's hands flew through hand seals so fast they were nearly smoking.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
One massive fireball after another slammed into Murakami Hana's clones. The shockwaves incinerated countless bees—but new ones immediately filled the gaps.
The power of Great Fireball was simply too low.
His chakra was rapidly depleting. His injuries were worsening. The poison inside his body was starting to break free of suppression.
"Damn it!!"
Sarutobi Shōji's hands moved again as he took a deep breath.
He had no choice left.
"Fire Release: Great Flame Technique!"
This was the only Technique that could break the deadlock. Only this Sarutobi clan–inherited technique could burn a hole through the swarm. The few times he had escaped the encirclement earlier were thanks to this very Technique.
Violent flames burst from his mouth, forcibly burning a path through the bee swarm.
But after using this technique, his chakra was completely depleted.
"I've only got a tiny bit of chakra left…"
"Shadow Clone Technique!"
"Bang!"
A cloud of smoke exploded outward. More than ten Sarutobi Shōjis escaped through the opening in the swarm, scattering in ten different directions.
All his companions were dead. Now, he only had to worry about himself.
The objective was simple.
Escape.
Murakami Hana emerged from within the swarm, his expression dark as he watched Sarutobi Shōji flee.
His bee manipulation had a limited range. He couldn't split up and pursue them all—once they exceeded his control radius, the bees would no longer respond.
He could only choose the one that looked most like the real body and chase it down.
"Don't even think about running!!"
Behind him, the forest had been reduced to charred stumps and a wide clearing. Flames still clung to the branches, but were quickly extinguished by the rain.
Aside from the sound of raindrops, there was only silence.
"Bang!"
A puff of smoke appeared, and a thick, broken tree trunk transformed into Sarutobi Shōji.
At the same time he used Shadow Clone Technique, he had also used Transformation Technique to hide his true body.
"Cough… cough…"
He coughed lightly, spitting up a trace of blood.
The poison was about to break free. His chakra was nearly gone. His trembling hand reached toward his ninja pouch.
Just then—
A fireball suddenly flew in from the distance, interrupting his movement. Sarutobi Shōji awkwardly dodged to the right.
But he had only avoided the first fireball.
More followed in rapid succession.
He grabbed a kunai and blocked frantically. The force behind each fireball was terrifying—every time he deflected one, he was pushed back a step.
While blocking, his eyes desperately searched for the attacker.
But all he could discern was a general direction. There wasn't a single figure in sight.
"Damn it…"
At this point, he was completely spent. Even defending himself was difficult. One moment of carelessness—
A fireball smashed into his shoulder, sending him flying.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Dragon Technique!"
At that moment, Hyuga Arin rapidly formed hand seals and charged forward, inhaling deeply before exhaling a massive fire dragon that surged toward Sarutobi Shōji.
"This is—"
Reflected in Sarutobi Shōji's pupils was the image of the blazing dragon.
"Konoha's Fire Release!!!"
"BOOM!!"
The fire dragon swallowed him whole.
This time, he had no strength left to resist.
Hyuga Arin looked at the notification before his eyes.
[Experience +12548]
"Tch, as expected of a jōnin. One alone gives over ten thousand experience."
He couldn't help but grin at the number.
That much experience was enough to raise three levels—and still max out a skill.
His chakra, however, was completely empty. He had nearly drained it dry in one burst.
He immediately spent five thousand experience to level up once. As his chakra refilled, he finally let out a breath of relief.
Walking forward, he looked at the corpse that had already turned to charcoal.
A jōnin didn't just drop one item.
This one dropped three—boss-tier loot.
[Skill: Shadow Clone Technique]
[Skill: Fire Release · Great Flame Technique]
[Sarutobi Bloodline: Increases Fire Attribute Damage]
"A bloodline drop."
Hyuga Arin immediately learned the two skills. As for the bloodline, it was equipment—he equipped it right away.
In the Naruto world, most bloodlines dropped in equipment form. Each person could equip only one, but they could be swapped freely. Kekkei Genkai, on the other hand, were more like skills.
Killing one jōnin—instant jackpot.
He heard faint whistling sounds as Murakami Hana rushed back from the distance. The shadow clone he had chased halfway had already dispersed into smoke.
He knew immediately that he had chased the wrong one.
This was already his second mistake.
When he returned, he saw Mu Yu standing beside the charred corpse.
"This is…?" Murakami Hana asked uncertainly, staring at the body.
"Obviously the ninja you failed to take down earlier," Hyuga Arin said casually. "I just picked up the scraps. He was already at his limit—one Fire Release finished him."
"This means our mission is successfully completed."
Murakami Hana finally relaxed. Who got the kill didn't matter. What mattered was that the mission was done.
"However, Rain Tree and Jiehua are dead," Hyuga Arin added with a look of regret.
They had died by his hand—but if he didn't say it, who would ever know?
And they'd given him plenty of experience before dying. Those details naturally stayed unspoken.
The smile vanished from Murakami Hana's face, replaced with a hint of sorrow.
"Take their bodies. We withdraw immediately."
…
Murakami Hana and Hyuga Arin each carried a corpse as they returned to the base.
"We're not going back to the Hidden Rain Hidden Village directly?" Hyuga Arin asked, genuinely curious. He had been looking forward to seeing Amegakure—after all, it was a famous landmark.
Future site of Jiraiya's death, no less.
How was that not a tourist attraction?
"It's not suitable for us to return to the Hidden Rain Hidden Village right now," Murakami Hana said with a complicated expression.
It wasn't that they couldn't go back.
It was that he couldn't.
"Someone else will send their bodies back."
Those who died outside but whose bodies were recovered would always be returned to the village for burial.
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