Chapter 102: The Encounter

Vacuum Wave!

The ambusher wasn't an amateur either, with a sharp air blade, they severed Kurotsuchi's rock spear in two, quickly advancing for a surprise attack.

"Wind Release: Gale Palm!" The ambusher on the left threw a kunai, boosting its speed and piercing power with Wind Release. Its target? Karin.

Eliminating the medical-nin first—it was common knowledge. Especially when the medic had abilities as overpowered as Karin's.

Clang!

Suigetsu swung his massive sword to intercept, but the Wind-imbued kunai pierced straight through, leaving a circular hole in the blade.

"Karin, watch out!" Suigetsu shouted.

Karin, though, wasn't slow to react. While her combat ability wasn't her strength, her taijutsu was decent. She rolled out of the attack's path, but another ambusher moved in for the kill.

Kurotsuchi interrupted with perfect timing, sending a fissure through the ground beneath the ambusher's feet, swallowing them whole.

"Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere!" The first ambusher launched a compressed air bullet at the ground, shattering the earth and disrupting Kurotsuchi's Earth Release control.

Meanwhile, the ambusher who had been swallowed underground didn't resurface. Instead, they used Earth Release to sneak closer to Karin from behind.

"Kurotsuchi! Over there—he's closing in fast!" Karin's sensory abilities pinpointed the enemy's location with ease.

Quickly, she and Kurotsuchi stood back-to-back, making any sneak attack nearly impossible.

"He's about to surface!" Karin warned, a hint of tension in her voice.

"Earth Release: Rock Pillar Spears!" Kurotsuchi timed her jutsu perfectly, launching a stone spear toward the ambusher's chest. She was confident this attack would land.

If the enemy wanted to press the attack, it would mean certain death—stabbed through the heart.

Shhlick!

But instead, Karin's chest was grazed, a shallow wound forming. If not for her instinctive retreat, triggered by her Kagura's Mind Eye screaming in alarm, the spear would've pierced her heart too.

"Who are these people?! Resorting to suicide tactics for an attack?"

The ambusher's brutal, kamikaze-style approach left the three stunned. This wasn't like the usual ninja games—they weren't prepared for such ruthless methods, even on standard missions.

"Aren't these guys too hardcore? This one could've been from Kirigakure during the Blood Mist days," Suigetsu muttered, the first to recover.

"Wait—where's the other one?" Kurotsuchi suddenly snapped to attention.

Suigetsu shrugged, spreading his hands. "Gone. Took off."

"Considering his partner's dead, sticking around would've been suicide."

Karin nodded. "Yeah, he's retreating. His chakra is moving away fast."

"Who the hell were they?" Kurotsuchi frowned. "They didn't look like regular exam candidates."

"No idea," Suigetsu replied. "But for now, Karin, could you heal me?" He pointed to his chest wound.

Karin pulled out a roll of bandages. Suigetsu frowned. "Why not just let me bite you? It's way faster."

"Bite my ass!" Karin clocked Suigetsu across the head with her fist.

"Oi, you brute! Why is it Kurotsuchi gets to bite you, but I can't? We're teammates, right?" Suigetsu protested.

"That was an emergency, idiot! Do you see any emergencies now?!"

Letting someone bite her wasn't something Karin took lightly. It brought back painful memories of her past—ones she didn't like revisiting. Earlier had been an exception born of necessity.

After tending to Suigetsu, the group decided to relocate. This spot was compromised. They needed a safer place to regroup.

...

Meanwhile, at a hidden location in Konohagakure,

Deidara's clay clone arrived to meet a waiting duo: Hyūga Kazuto and Tsuki Rin.

(T/N: I hope you remember them, they're Deidara's agetns from the beginning. They attacked Deidara, and he spared their lives. I'll give you the names of the other team members, Shimura Kiyoto, Sarutobi Tendou, Hyuga Kazuto, Tsuki Rin. Tendou is dead. He didn't give up.)

"Long time no see," Deidara greeted casually.

"Deidara-sama!" Kazuto and Rin bowed respectfully.

Deidara got straight to business—this wasn't a social call. "What's the situation in Konoha? How many are ready to leave with us?"

Taking advantage of this second Konoha Crush plan, Deidara aimed to split the village. Just like the chaos in Kirigakure's past, there were always dissatisfied factions.

"Several," Rin answered. "Inuzuka, Aburame, Kurama, and my own Tsuki clan have reached out. Alongside them, numerous civilian shinobi are prepared to join us if given the chance."

"What about the others? Like the Ino-Shika-Cho trio?" Deidara asked. He wasn't familiar with Konoha's current political dynamics and didn't know how those clans were faring.

Rin was thorough. "The Ino-Shika-Cho alliance isn't likely to defect. They've aligned themselves with Jiraiya-sama and can still withstand Danzo's pressure."

Deidara nodded, turning his gaze to Kazuto, who had remained silent. The man looked worn, his expression heavy with exhaustion and guilt. Something significant had shaken him.

"Kazuto. What's the situation with the Hyūga?" Deidara asked. Kazuto had long harbored ambitions to unite the Branch Family and rebel.

At the mention of his clan, Kazuto's face twisted with anger and regret.

"Deidara-sama... I failed."

He recounted the events of that night in brief, his voice filled with sorrow.

"This!" Rin gasped. She had heard rumors about the Hyūga's turmoil but hadn't imagined the grim reality.

"Why didn't you just run?" she asked. "The Caged Bird Seal shouldn't activate if you're out of range, right?"

"It's not that simple," Kazuto shook his head. "If it were, someone would've escaped long ago. The Caged Bird Seal includes a long-range tracking mechanism. As long as the Main Family sustains its chakra flow, the seal's range expands indefinitely. No matter where you hide, they'll find you—and kill you.

"Once a year, the Main Family conducts a global search to eliminate any hidden Branch members. The only way we stood a chance was to act fast, striking before they could react.

"But I underestimated Danzo's greed." Kazuto's voice broke. "And my comrades paid the price for my mistake."

Deidara placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry. This isn't over yet."

"Danzo thinks he has the upper hand, but we'll give him a surprise he won't forget."

Kazuto nodded, some resolve returning to his eyes. The Branch Family's hope wasn't extinguished—not yet.

"By the way, who's that strong Wood Release user that suddenly showed up in Konoha?"

----------------

Pls Drop some Power Stones

Fanfic is finished on Patreon (241 chapters in total.) 

Patreon(.)com/Jixo (for only $4.50, read this entire fanfic)