Shinobi One fled frantically through the forest, blood continuously spilling from his wounds. He couldn't help but cast a glance over his shoulder. A full two Peak Jōnin and three Elite Jōnin were relentlessly pursuing him, clearly intent on exterminating him down to the last man.
"Damn it!" Shinobi One cursed furiously, unable to suppress another cough of blood.
Who exactly leaked the secret? he thought bitterly.
Originally, he also assumed they had been sold out by the Kimura and the other two clans, but their reactions at the time didn't seem faked. Furthermore, he trusted Uchiha Tō's judgment on the matter.
Then, if it wasn't the three defecting clans who sold them out, someone else must have leaked the intelligence.
First of all, it absolutely wasn't the Shadow Guards. They were suicide soldiers directly answering only to the Uchiha Patriarch. Besides, all the other Shadow Guards were already dead, and dead men were naturally cleared of suspicion.
Uchiha Tō was also impossible; he had absolutely no motive to do so. By the same logic, the two Peak Jōnin under his direct command were basically clear of suspicion as well.
So, after eliminating all the impossibilities, there was only one answer left...
"Uchiha Xuan."
That name surfaced in Shinobi One's mind.
Only he had the motive to sabotage this mission. But how on earth did he transmit the information? The five Shadow Guards had explicitly kept him under rotating surveillance, ensuring he never left their line of sight for more than thirty seconds at a time.
That was the part he simply couldn't wrap his head around.
But it didn't matter. He was absolutely convinced that Uchiha Xuan was the mole, and that was enough.
Moreover, he only just now realized that ever since the barrier was erected, he hadn't seen the boy once.
You bastard. You had better be dead from this battle. Otherwise, when I return, I will definitely make you regret ever being born into this world.
Pure fury burned in Shinobi One's eyes. His teeth ground together audibly, and his entire body trembled with rage.
Heavens, those were the lives of four Shadow Guards!
In all their years of executing missions, their heaviest loss had only been losing two brothers during clashes with the Senju, which was when the Shadow Guards were reduced from nine members down to seven.
But the casualties tonight were practically equivalent to the total annihilation of the Shadow Guard organization.
When the Patriarch found out, he would go completely insane.
However, his absolute priority right now was throwing off the pursuers behind him. Shinobi One glanced backward again.
He was still capable of prioritizing matters of life and death.
After a brief moment of thought, he suddenly whipped around.
Completely ignoring his bleeding wounds, the chakra throughout his entire body violently ignited. His hands blurred into seals.
"Forbidden Jutsu: Divine Fire Bomb!"
With a deafening boom, a raging inferno of chakra flames erupted from Shinobi One's body.
Looking exactly like an evil spirit sprinting out of hell, he violently slammed himself into the pursuing shinobi.
The pursuers hadn't expected him to pull a suicidal maneuver like this. Caught completely off guard, one of them was immediately bear-hugged.
A massive, apocalyptic explosion swallowed all the pursuing shinobi.
Billowing thick smoke soared into the sky, and the splashing flames ignited the surrounding ancient trees. Fires broke out in all directions simultaneously, sweeping across the forest with the momentum of a raging storm.
On the ground, the Peak Jōnin who had taken the attack head-on was emitting thick smoke, his body still burning with a layer of chakra flames, completely unconscious.
The other Peak Jōnin hastily condensed some clear water using Water Style and doused him, producing a sharp hissing sound...
This Water Style Peak Jōnin had also been caught in the blast and suffered a few burns, while the three Elite Jōnin were injured to varying degrees.
"Where is that Shadow Guard?" the Water Style Peak Jōnin asked aloud.
His cold eyes swept the surroundings, but aside from the burning forest, there was no sign of anyone else.
One of the Elite Jōnin said, "Judging by what just happened, he probably realized he couldn't escape and turned around to use a mutual-destruction Jutsu. He's likely been blown to pieces by now."
Chapter 85: The Mastermind Behind the Scenes (Part 2/2)
The Peak Jōnin thought for a moment.
A gust of wind brushed past, carrying a scorching heat. The surrounding trees began to crackle and pop as the fire intensified.
"Let's go!" the Peak Jōnin ordered.
Having one of the Elite Jōnin carry their critically injured, unconscious comrade, they leaped away into the distance.
The fire was spreading too quickly; if it grew any larger, it would become a serious problem for them as well.
The Shadow Guard had used a suicide Jutsu. Even if he were miraculously still alive, with those kinds of injuries, it would be impossible for him to walk out of this forest.
After the twelve-clan coalition pursuers left, a figure staggered out from behind a burning tree.
He was covered in severe burns, panting heavily. His black uniform was torn to shreds, and his mask had long since been burned away, revealing a deathly pale face disfigured by massive burns.
The "Divine Fire Bomb" he had used as a last resort worked by igniting his own chakra nodes and using his body as fuel to unleash a terrifying explosive force.
It was indeed a suicidal S-rank Ninjutsu.
He was currently critically injured and on the verge of death. The only reason he hadn't fallen unconscious was sheer willpower keeping him upright.
Staggering unsteadily through the spreading forest fire, Shinobi One's eyes grew hazy, his vision gradually blurring.
He bit down hard on the tip of his tongue. Instantly, crimson blood filled his mouth.
The piercing pain shocked his mind awake, and drawing strength from an unknown source, he dragged his feet forward, stumbling along.
Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks, looking forward in confusion.
Even though he was heavily injured, he was still a bona fide Peak Jōnin; his innate sensory abilities were still functioning.
The space in front of him rippled, slowly morphing into an inverted spatial vortex.
A blurry silhouette gradually emerged, stepping out to reveal a clear figure.
"You've got quite a stubborn life, don't you? To survive even that."
Those were the very first words the person spoke upon appearing.
But hearing them made Shinobi One's heart shatter with sheer terror and explode with volcanic rage.
"Uchiha Xuan!"
He practically tore his throat out roaring those four syllables.
The fury in his eyes could practically incinerate the boy.
Due to his violent emotional agitation, the wounds that had just begun to numb out burst open, spilling fresh blood.
"Oh my, oh my. Don't scream so hysterically. We aren't actually that close, you know," Xuan said, smiling playfully at Shinobi One.
He looked at the man as if pitying a pathetic, dying dog.
"You bastard...!"
Shinobi One roared, charging straight at him.
If he had only suspected Uchiha Xuan leaked the intel while he was fleeing, he could completely confirm it now.
Completely disregarding his fatal injuries, he forced himself forward.
He was so blinded by rage that he had forgotten the number one law of being a shinobi: always remain calm, no matter the situation.
Bang!
He was sent flying backward, slamming heavily into an ancient tree.
The entire tree shuddered.
He slid to the ground, collapsing into a crumpled heap.
He gritted his teeth, desperately trying to stand, but despite straining several times, his body refused to obey.
Xuan smilingly retracted his leg.
Tilting his head, he said, "You're injured even heavier than I imagined. By my calculations, you should have at least retained the strength of a standard Jōnin. I didn't expect you to be in this pathetic state. The only reason you aren't dead yet is probably because you're holding onto a single breath of pure spite."
As Xuan spoke, he walked forward, grabbed Shinobi One by the hair, and yanked the man's face up to meet his own.
The three tomoe in his Sharingan spun with a demonic allure as he asked coldly:
"Speak. Did Uchiha Tajima issue an order to assassinate me?"
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