Chapter 53: A Terrifying Show of Strength

A ninja must act like a venomous snake, hiding in the dark corners, waiting for the right moment to strike a fatal blow.

Ye Zi deliberately kept his emotions as calm as a gentle breeze, minimizing his presence. He patiently waited. The fact that the enemy immediately identified the locations of En and Kuroki showed that they had at least one sensory ninja. The fact that he wasn't included in this detection meant that the enemy didn't notice him due to distance. This was his chance.

As long as he could eliminate the strongest enemy, the leader…

With this in mind, Ye Zi cast a cold glance towards the hidden grass patch out of the light. He had been silently observing from the beginning and had easily spotted where Kanzaki was hiding.

The speed of the substitution jutsu seals was incredibly fast, likely due to long hours of specialized training. While this technique wasn't much help in combat, it was very useful for escape.

Ye Zi wouldn't look down on Kanzaki for focusing on substitution jutsu. In fact, if he had no better options, he might also focus on survival skills.

"You can't escape. Make the most of your last moments." Ye Zi thought silently, glancing at the indifferent Shicun.

After being detected, En and Kuroki stabilized themselves after an initial panic. However, they were attacked by three elite Chunin with near-Jonin strength.

The attackers were aggressive from the start, showing no concern for their chakra consumption, immediately using powerful Earth Release jutsu. After just a few exchanges, En and Kuroki felt immense pressure. Without their excellent teamwork, they would likely have been killed by the Earth Release jutsu during the second clash.

Despite the intense danger, En and Kuroki were clear-headed and perceptive, realizing that the enemy wanted to kill them as quickly as possible. They exchanged glances, communicating their thoughts through eye contact.

The brief exchange of glances was detected by the Iwa-nin, who assumed that En and Kuroki had quickly devised a strategy. Given their well-coordinated teamwork, it was easier to believe that they communicated via eye contact.

"Be cautious." the leader said with a slightly stern expression.

Then, Kuroki and En suddenly split up and darted in different directions. Knowing their enemies were too powerful, they immediately fled.

The leader's expression froze in disbelief. He watched as Kuroki and En ran away, his face darkening in anger. "Chase them!"

The other two, also angered, didn't need further discussion. They split into two directions, gathering chakra and rushing after Kuroki and En.

The leader chose to pursue the slightly stronger Kuroki. Unfortunately for Kuroki, despite his slightly superior strength, he was chased by two enemies. Smartly, Kuroki headed towards the area guarded by Kato Dan and the other two, while En headed towards the area where the Uchiha siblings were stationed.

En and Kuroki successfully drew most of the fire away, but Kanzaki was left in a difficult situation. He could only hope that Shicun would abandon him, but that was unlikely.

Shicun had two goals: to kill Ye Zi and to eliminate anyone in his path.

Mura could expertly hide his presence to avoid detection, but he couldn't maintain it for long. After more than ten minutes, his faint presence was detected, like a guiding light for Shicun.

As Shicun approached Mura's hiding spot, Mura suddenly burst out from the grass and fled in a random direction, which happened to be towards the area guarded by Ino-Shika-Cho.

"Don't you feel ashamed? The trash from Konoha." Shicun taunted.

Seeing Mura fleeing again, Shicun's forehead bulged with rage. Like a wild beast, he charged towards Mura.

Hearing Shicun's scornful words, Mura didn't even look back. If shame could ensure survival, he wouldn't mind feeling ashamed.

Watching his teammates flee after only a brief encounter, Ye Zi was disheartened and silently followed the two.

Ino-Shika-Cho, who had set many traps, had waited a long time without seeing the enemy. Choza, unable to hold back, yawned and complained about not bringing snacks, which made Shikaku smile wryly and Inoichi's expression darken.

Despite the rich wildlife and numerous sounds in the forest, none were as loud as the crunch of potato chips.

"Someone's coming!"

At that moment, the keen-eared Shikaku's heard a noise and alerted his teammates. They all looked towards the source and saw a person running in a panic. They recognized him as the Chunin Mura.

"Who's chasing him? Is it an enemy?" Inochi asked in a low voice, his expression serious. Anyone who could make a Chunin flee so desperately must be a formidable opponent.

"Should we reveal ourselves?" he asked, looking at Shikaku.

Shikaku sighed and nodded. he was confident in the traps he had set, and Mura's panic made it seem like the traps might take out Mura before they could even target the enemy.

Plans often fall short of reality. They hadn't expected Mura to run so far into their guarded area.

Chōza, eager for a fight, grinned. The long wait had left him itching for action.

Seeing Mura approaching the traps, Ino stepped out and shot kunai into several trees. He then loudly warned Mura, "Watch out for the traps. Follow the direction of my kunai!"

Desperate, Mura heard Shikaku's voice like it was heavenly music. Without hesitation, he followed the kunai, hoping to reach Ino and his team quickly.

Shicun also heard Shikaku's warning and sneered, thinking, "Three more people, and they're just kids. Konoha's ambush team is really weak this time."

Though Shicun thought this, he didn't underestimate them. His fighting style was to use full force even against a rabbit. He had no apparent weaknesses in his mindset; even if someone threatened him with his loved ones, he would attack without hesitation.

Although Shikaku directed Mura, he had also prepared. He signaled his teammates to get ready, then began forming hand seals, controlling his shadow to reach the last kunai's location. This was the farthest he shadow could reach. Even if the opponent were a Jonin, he believed his team could overcome them.

Soon, Mura, overjoyed, passed the last kunai and reached Shikaku. His first words were, "Let's run! The opponent is too strong."

Shikaku's mouth twitched, but hedidn't have time to respond to Mura. Disappointed by Shikaku's lack of immediate action, Mura wished to escape but retained his limits, not abandoning his team.

Seeing the enemy's formation, Shicun remained cautious. However, he didn't realize that these were the Ino-Shika-Cho's juniors. This oversight, despite his full vigilance before stepping on the last kunai, led him to miss the shadow hidden in the dark.

As Shicun leaped towards the tree branch, Ino's eyes narrowed. He formed the final seal with deadly precision. At the moment Shicun's feet landed, his shadow was perfectly positioned.

Shicun's feet landed on the shadow as Shikaku hoped. His body immediately became immobile. His expression changed as he realized what was happening and coldly muttered, "Nara Clan."

"Shadow Bind successful." Kneeling on the tree branch, Shikaku smiled and whispered, "Inoichi, reinforce the control. Chōza, finish him!"

"No problem!"

Chōza and Inoichi, who had worked together many times, began their attack even before Ino finished speaking.

Trusting Shikaku's shadow jutsu, Chōza jumped at Shicun without any defense. His arms inflated in mid-air as he shouted, "Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu, Big Bone!"

Hearing this name, Shikaku's forehead broke into a sweat. Meanwhile, Inoichi began forming hand seals to disrupt Shicun's senses. However, as the final seal was completed, Inoichi's face changed. He shouted "Chōza, come back!"

But it was too late.

Shicun watched Chōza leap towards him and smiled coldly. His arms pulled sharply, and Shikaku, who was controlling Shicun, grunted as his shadow was quickly retracted. His arms drooped, seeming injured.

"This power…!" Shikaku's expression changed, and he looked at Chōza in fear, "Come back!"

"It's too late, haha!"

Shicun laughed maniacally and, without dodging, punched Chōza's giant fist, which was wrapped in chakra.

Chōza felt immense pressure as Shicun's punch approached. Still, he had to follow through and braced himself for the impact.

When Shicun's fist hit Chōza's massive hand, the powerful force shattered Chōza's bones with a loud crack. Chōza screamed in pain and was sent flying as if hit by a speeding train.

Inoichi and Shikaku's faces changed. Shikaku, with injured arms, could only watch as Chōza was flung away. Inoichi quickly moved to catch Chōza, but underestimated the force and was slammed into a tree.

"Ugh." Inoichi coughed up blood, then checked Chōza, finding him unconscious.

"Shikaku, this enemy is too strong. We need to retreat." Inoichi said, struggling to lift Chōza.

"We can't escape." Shikaku said with a shake of his head, looking at Shicun with sadness.

Mura felt deep guilt for the predicament of Ino-Shika-Cho because of him. His desire to flee faded, but he could not leave his teammates behind.

Faced with such a powerful enemy, Mura did not want to stay and fight, knowing he would certainly die. However, at this moment, he could not abandon Ino-Shika-Cho.

Because Shikaku was concerned about Mura falling into a trap, he had sacrificed the best opportunity to warn him. As a result, without their greatest advantage, Shikaku's team was severely injured after just one encounter.

In this situation, Mura could not bring himself to abandon Ino-Shika-Cho…

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