Off to the side, Rorin, who was fighting Chōjūrō, briefly glanced at the battle involving Ino–Shika–Chō. Although the three of them had just worked together to take down one ninja from the Village Hidden in the Mist, that was only because the enemy had been momentarily scattered. Having learned from their fallen comrade, the remaining eight enemies had grouped tightly together, forcing Nara Shikamaru and the others into a tough fight.
Snapping back to the present, Rorin looked at Chōjūrō in front of him and couldn't help but sigh inwardly. As expected, relying solely on taijutsu to defeat him was far too difficult.
Not wanting the Village Hidden in the Mist to discover that he was a descendant of the Kaguya clan, Rorin hadn't been fighting at full strength.
There was another reason as well. He was determined to seize Ao's Byakugan, but he had no information on Ao's whereabouts. Chōjūrō, however, was the best possible person to get close to Ao.
Rorin silently communicated with the system.
"System, do you have anything that can hypnotize someone? I want Chōjūrō to become my eyes within the Village Hidden in the Mist."
"Sorry, host, I really don't have anything like that."
"I see… Damn it. If only I had Shisui's Sharingan. Then I could control him with Kotoamatsukami."
"While there's no hypnosis product, there is a new type of eavesdropping device. Want to take a look?"
"An eavesdropping device? I guess that'll do. What kind is it? Is it easy to detect?"
"It's a nanoscale biological bug. It can parasitize living organisms without being noticed. As long as the host shows signs of life, the device will remain active."
"That powerful? You should've said so earlier. Give me one—I'll plant it on Chōjūrō. Then maybe I'll be able to track Ao's movements later."
"Understood, host."
A faint flash of light passed, and a tiny insect—almost invisible to the naked eye—appeared in Rorin's palm.
Feeling the bug in his hand, Rorin grinned and charged at Chōjūrō once more.
Chōjūrō watched him approach, his expression serious. At this point, he already found Rorin extremely troublesome.
Can I beat him? Chōjūrō wasn't yet fully proficient with the ninja blade in his hand, and he lacked confidence in winning this fight.
So he focused on evasion, dodging Rorin's attacks while waiting for an opening—planning to use the dual blades Hiramekarei for a decisive strike.
This left Rorin frustrated. Chōjūrō refused to clash head-on, and there was nothing he could do about it. Chōjūrō wasn't weak—if he only focused on dodging, Rorin couldn't even get close enough to touch him.
But if he couldn't get close, he couldn't plant the bug. They couldn't drag this out any longer—Ino–Shika–Chō might not hold on much longer. With that, Rorin made up his mind.
Eight Gates—Gate of Life, open!
The moment he opened the Gate of Life, Rorin's speed more than tripled. Chōjūrō hesitated for just a split second, and Rorin vanished like a phantom, reappearing behind him. With a swift chop aimed at Chōjūrō's neck, the instant his hand made contact, the insect bug silently burrowed into Chōjūrō's skin.
Success! Rorin steadied himself, then turned his attention back to the battlefield.
Two ninjas from the Village Hidden in the Mist were attacking Akimichi Chōji from both sides. Although he hadn't suffered any fatal wounds, using the Expansion Jutsu had turned him into a massive target, drawing concentrated attacks and leaving him covered in minor injuries.
Behind Chōji's massive frame, Nara Shikamaru and Yamanaka Ino were doing everything they could to deal with isolated enemies.
Just as Shikamaru let out a small sigh of relief, a rogue ninja suddenly appeared behind him by some unknown method, kunai in hand, thrusting viciously toward his back with a triumphant grin.
"Shikamaru! Watch your back!" Rorin shouted urgently.
Shikamaru was startled. Just as he realized he couldn't dodge in time and was about to be injured—
Wind Release: Scythe Weasel!
A gust of wind swept in, blowing the rogue ninja away and saving Shikamaru. Temari landed lightly, holding her iron fan with one hand, her back to him as she spoke coolly.
"Are you getting dumber? You didn't even notice an enemy behind you, idiot."
Having narrowly escaped death, Shikamaru clicked his tongue. "Thanks."
Gaara and Kankurō also joined the battle. Seeing the Sand trio enter the fight, Rorin finally relaxed slightly and focused on dealing with Chōjūrō.
With Gaara and the others' arrival, the situation shifted dramatically. Two rogue ninjas were eliminated cleanly, and the remaining ones, realizing they were outmatched, scattered. They had no real ties to each other—just mercenaries hired for an assassination mission. Now that success was impossible, there was no reason to throw away their lives.
The last two ninjas from the Village Hidden in the Mist looked panicked and retreated a few steps, glancing toward Chōjūrō as they waited for his orders.
After being struck by Rorin's sneak attack, Chōjūrō slowly rose from the ground, rubbing his neck with one hand. Looking at his remaining comrades, he shook his head, already deciding to withdraw, gripping Hiramekarei tightly.
"Retreat!" he ordered.
The two Mist ninjas sighed in relief and quickly withdrew alongside him.
Seeing the enemy retreat, Gaara prepared to give chase, but Rorin raised a hand to stop him.
As everyone looked at him in confusion, Rorin explained, "Our mission is to protect the daimyo. We don't know if more enemies are coming—this could be a diversion."
As he spoke, he clenched his fists tightly, his face full of unwillingness.
Hearing this, Gaara nodded slightly and gave up the pursuit.
Rorin let out a breath of relief internally. Good thing… if they had actually killed Chōjūrō, all the effort I put into planting that bug would've gone to waste.
...
After the battle ended, as everyone rested, Rorin walked over to Nara Shikamaru and said apologetically,
"Sorry, Shikamaru. I acted recklessly earlier and put you all in danger."
Shikamaru paused, then waved it off.
"The mission's not over yet. Let's just get through tonight first."
Akimichi Chōji and Yamanaka Ino remained silent nearby. At first, they had been quite displeased with Rorin's impulsiveness, but after Shikamaru told them about Rorin's "past," they stopped dwelling on it.
After Chōjūrō's group's attack, no more enemies appeared.
In the distance, the sun rose, and the long night finally came to an end.
Inside the daimyo's residence, the daimyo let out a long breath.
"It's over…" he murmured.