The battle had barely begun, and more than two people had already died, startling the pursuing Kusa ninjas.

Initially, they thought they were just dealing with a few petty thieves who had sneaked in.

"These aren't ordinary thieves..." one ninja whispered, staring at their fallen comrade. "They killed Yojiro? He was a jonin!"

Shocked by this turn of events, the Kusa ninjas' nature of bullying the weak and fearing the strong was immediately triggered.

Many of them stopped chasing or pretended to shout but were actually just stalling, doing the bare minimum. Cowards. Just as expected, Shin observed their reactions from afar.

Taking advantage of this, Konan spread her paper wings and lifted Kaori and two less agile teammates into the air, swiftly fleeing.

Shin, Nagato, Tanaka, and another Akatsuki chunin, Kazuya, stayed behind to delay the Kusa ninjas.

Shin suggested, "Let's retreat deeper into the forest, away from the open terrain. We can use the complex landscape to break up their pursuit, and then we'll take out the ones chasing us the hardest."

Kazuya, a bit fearful, hesitated. He was just an average chunin from a small village. Sweat trickled down his face as he glanced between the pursuing shadows and Shin's confident stance.

"Can we really pull this off? There are over twenty people chasing us right now."

And this was after Shin had killed some Kusa ninjas, scaring off a portion of the pursuers. Initially, there were even more chasing them.

He reassured him, "Don't worry. We still have Nagato."

Tanaka frowned slightly. "But Yahiko-sama said Nagato's power should never be used unless absolutely necessary. Once it's exposed, it'll be incredibly dangerous!"

He was genuinely loyal to Yahiko. He was even willing to sacrifice himself to keep Nagato's secret safe.

However, Shin interrupted him disdainfully, "Why are you so rigid? If you're worried about exposure, just kill all the witnesses."

"And if that's not enough, clean up the bodies too."

Your fear makes you weak, and your weakness makes you prey, he thought as he led them deeper into the forest.

Tanaka was left speechless. Blood drained from his face as he processed Shin's casual suggestion of mass murder.

This was such a typical Shin response.

What surprised him even more this time was that even Nagato spoke up to support him.

"I'll use my power when necessary. The timing is up to you, Shin."

Nagato still believed that everything happening tonight was his fault. Guilt is such a useful tool, Shin thought, watching Nagato's self-recrimination play across his face.

He had stubbornly followed them in secret, and by trying to save his blood relative, he had dragged everyone else into this mess. He had no idea this was all part of Shin's plan.

Instead, Nagato felt guilty toward him, thinking he had caused Shin to risk his life to save him. So he was willing to go against Yahiko's wishes to repay this debt.

Shin smiled faintly and nodded seriously, "Leave it to me." Now for the next phase.

---

The pursuing Kusa ninjas were frantically discussing their strategy.

One shouted angrily, "What are you doing? Why are you all hesitating? Hurry up and catch that brat from the Ame! If we don't exchange the Uzumaki girl soon, we're all going to be in big trouble!"

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The Kusa ninjas had captured Kaori in secret and were terrified that this would be exposed. It wasn't that they feared public outrage; rather, they were afraid the major villages would use this as an excuse to come and plunder them.

When the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed, aside from Konoha and the distant Suna, the other three Great Shinobi Villages had participated, either openly or in the shadows.

However, the spoils of war hadn't satisfied them, which was the root cause of the Uzumaki clan's tragic fate. The perpetrators hadn't gained enough, so they continued to hunt down the surviving Uzumaki descendants in secret.

Konoha, the ally that should have saved the Uzumaki clan, did nothing after taking Kushina.

The Kusa ninjas couldn't fight against the three great powers and couldn't seek Konoha's help, so they were forced to hide Kaori in secret. If this were exposed, it would spell disaster for them, so the Kusa ninja leaders were deeply anxious.

But their anxiety was useless.

Someone immediately snapped back at their leader, "Why are you yelling? If you're so great, why don't you go after that Ame ninja with the sword? We'll take care of the others!"

The leader, caught off guard by the retort, turned red with anger but said nothing.

Just moments ago, the Ame ninja with the sword had killed a jonin from their village, someone on par with their current commander.

If Shin could kill that jonin, he could certainly kill them too. The thought made their movements more hesitant, their pursuit more cautious.

So despite their bickering, no one really wanted to test Shin's blade. Several Kusa jonin glanced at each other during the chase, but no one spoke up.

Eventually, one of them couldn't stand the tense silence anymore and said, "I'll deal with the kid. You all go and catch the others quickly!"

Hearing this, the others sighed in relief.

The Kusa ninjas who were pursuing Nagato moved with agility, even with a hint of smugness. They had no idea they were choosing the more dangerous target.

If Shin had seen this, he would have given them a thumbs-up for their bravery.

Soon, in the complex terrain of the forest, he faced off against the jonin from Kusa who had chosen to confront him.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

The Kusa ninja immediately revealed the source of his confidence. He specialized in Wind Release and excelled at controlling distance in battle, giving him an advantage against opponents skilled in taijutsu or swordsmanship.

Distance won't save you tonight, Shin thought coldly.

The violent winds tore through the trees, kicking up leaves and dust, leaving chaos in their wake. Branches cracked and splintered, creating a deadly storm of wooden shrapnel.

He leapt from tree to tree, dodging the first gust, only to be met by a barrage of wind blades. His movements were precise, each dodge calculated to look more desperate than it was.

"Wind Style: Art of the Gust Blade!"

The Kusa ninja was determined not to let Shin close in. The wind blades sliced through everything in their path, leaving deep gouges in tree trunks and carving furrows in the earth.

But Shin wasn't in a hurry. He pretended to be pushed back, continuing to nimbly move through the forest, searching for the right terrain for battle. Each desperate dodge was actually leading them exactly where he wanted.

He wasn't just trying to kill one or two Kusa ninjas. He wanted to work with Nagato to eliminate all the pursuers tonight. The sound of distant combat told him the others were being drawn into position as well.

The self-assured Kusa ninjas had no idea what kind of danger they were chasing.

Shin's careful movements were misunderstood by his opponent as helpless desperation. Every time the wind blades carved through a tree where he had been moments before, the jonin's confidence grew.

"Hmph, that's all you've got!"

The Kusa ninja sneered, unsure whether he was mocking Shin or his frightened comrades.

Ninjas were fast, and in no time, the chase led them deep into the forest. As Shin had predicted, the pursuing Kusa ninjas began to lose cohesion in the complicated terrain.

The weaker, younger Kusa ninjas fell far behind.

Before long, he found the battlefield he'd been seeking.

"That waterfall. Nagato, use your power there!"

As he gave the command, he charged back toward the Kusa ninja who had been pursuing him. His sudden change from retreat to attack caught the jonin off guard.

The Kusa ninja had no idea that Shin had made up his mind to kill. He continued to follow his routine, forming hand seals and casting jutsu.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

The wind tore through the air with even greater force near the waterfall, the natural moisture making it more cutting, more deadly.

He thought Shin would once again dodge clumsily, only to be kept at bay and toyed with from a distance. The jonin's hands were already moving to form the seals for his next attack.

But to his shock, this time, Shin didn't dodge. He charged straight into the windstorm without blinking!

"What?!"

In disbelief, the Kusa ninja watched as Shin, his clothes torn and his body covered in cuts, pushed through the wind as if nothing had happened. He moved towards his enemy, sword in one hand. With his free hand, he raised his wrist to his mouth and bit down. Blood dripped from the fresh wound, mixing with the spray from the waterfall.

This familiar action caused the Kusa ninja to snap out of his shock, and he shouted in horror.

"How is this possible?! Are you from the Uzuma—"

He wanted to ask: "Are you from the Uzumaki clan too?!"

But he never finished his question. Because by then, Shin's blade had already reached his throat. One down. The rest will follow soon enough.