Seeing Uchiha Akira silently heading toward the forest ahead on the left, the three behind him frowned.
"Hey!"
Uzuki Sena couldn't help but call out.
Sarutobi Shun, meanwhile, complained openly:
"This guy… I only agreed to team up with him because he seemed strong, and our captain is already dead."
"Who would've thought he'd be this reckless…"
"He's going to get all of us killed."
Hyuga Koji remained silent, his expression calm, revealing nothing.
Just as Sarutobi finished speaking, Akira's voice drifted back from ahead.
"If you want to complain, wait until you're alive and back in the village."
"If you don't want to die, then hurry up and follow."
Hearing this, Uzuki Sena, Hyuga Koji, and Sarutobi Shun exchanged puzzled glances.
"Did he notice something?"
Hyuga Koji muttered.
"Hmph. I think he's just putting on an act."
Sarutobi replied disdainfully.
But at that moment, Hyuga Koji had already activated his Byakugan and begun scanning the surroundings.
Two or three seconds later—
When he looked toward the direction Akira had been watching, his expression changed drastically.
Seeing his reaction, Uzuki Sena and Sarutobi Shun both felt a chill run down their spines.
"What is it?" Uzuki asked quickly.
"About a kilometer ahead… several people are heading toward us."
"They look like… the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist."
"The Seven Ninja Swordsmen?!"
Uzuki Sena and Sarutobi Shun's faces changed instantly.
Those were elite shinobi of the Hidden Mist.
Each one possessed Jonin-level strength—enough to defeat all of them alone.
Recently, they had been deployed across the battlefield, hunting down Konoha units.
Ruthless and merciless—
They especially targeted inexperienced ninja, leaving no survivors.
Anyone who encountered them and didn't flee immediately was as good as dead.
"We need to retreat."
Hyuga Koji's voice was low and urgent.
"That guy… already knew enemies were coming?"
Sarutobi frowned, disbelief in his voice.
No one answered.
Uzuki Sena and Hyuga Koji had already turned, following Akira's retreating figure.
"…Damn it. How did he do that?"
Though unwilling to admit it, Sarutobi quickly followed.
One kilometer away—
The first generation of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen advanced at high speed.
A man with spiky yellow hair, wearing an ANBU mask and bandages around his neck, spoke:
"Oh? They've noticed us."
"Looks like they have a sensory-type ninja."
This was Kushimaru Kuriarare, wielder of the Longsword: Nuibari.
Hearing this, the hulking Fuguki Suikazan, carrying Samehada, grinned, revealing rows of sharp teeth.
"To deal with a bunch of brats, we had to come personally… hmph."
"If they still manage to escape, that would be our disgrace."
Jinin Akebino, the one-eyed swordsman, snorted coldly:
"The squad sent to attack their medical unit never returned."
"That's why we came to check. And sure enough… there are enemies."
"After killing our people, they think they can just walk away? Not a chance."
As he spoke, he casually swung his explosive blade.
The others remained silent.
Together, they accelerated—
Chasing rapidly in the direction Akira and the others were fleeing.
Uchiha Akira felt slightly annoyed.
He hadn't expected to run into opponents of this level at a time like this.
Earlier, he had only sensed overwhelming chakra—far beyond anything he could currently handle.
But he hadn't known who they were.
Now, with Hyuga Koji identifying them…
There was even less reason to fight.
"They're speeding up."
Hyuga Koji and Uzuki Sena quickly caught up to Akira, the former warning instinctively.
After witnessing Akira's earlier combat, it was clear his strength surpassed all three of them.
Naturally, Koji had begun to treat him as their leader.
Akira glanced at him.
"If we're unlucky and they catch up…"
"Then everyone fends for themselves."
His words stunned Uzuki Sena, Hyuga Koji, and Sarutobi Shun.
"You Uchiha really are something."
"Abandoning your comrades—and you say it so casually?"
Sarutobi scoffed.
"This isn't the time to argue," Uzuki Sena said quickly.
"Escaping is what matters."
Sarutobi snorted, but said nothing more.
Akira, however, turned to Uzuki and asked:
"You're a medical ninja, right?"
When he woke earlier, his wounds had already been treated.
And all the other medical ninja were dead—
So it was most likely her.
"Yes."
Uzuki nodded.
"Then you can follow me."
"The other two… good luck."
Akira didn't waste words.
Facing pursuit from the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, he had no intention of dragging along dead weight.
He still had things to accomplish—
He couldn't afford to die here.
"…What?"
Uzuki Sena hesitated, glancing at Sarutobi Shun and Hyuga Koji.
"If you're unwilling, then stay with them."
Akira suddenly accelerated.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen were fast.
The distance had already shrunk from one kilometer to less than eight hundred meters.
At this rate, they would be caught sooner or later.
"Hey! You really plan to abandon us?! Damn it!"
"You Uchiha bastard!"
Sarutobi cursed angrily.
Then he glanced toward the forest on the right and said:
"If he won't take us, we split up!"
"Hmph! When we get back to Konoha, you'll answer for this!"
"Someone who abandons comrades isn't fit to be a ninja!"
With that, he turned and ran toward the right—
Calling for Uzuki Sena and Hyuga Koji to follow.
As members of the same squad, despite their hesitation—
The two ultimately followed him.