Indeed, I had noticed the target right away; few people out this far from major cities had much chakra at all. It was all just civilians and the occasional bandit or failed samurai, soone who had once unlocked their chakra but failed to do anything with it.
So soone with the chakra levels of a jōnin was like a lighthouse in the dark, impossible to miss.
Yet, Kakuzu and Karin had both missed him, not that one could bla them, we had never gotten within ten kilotres of the target.
To expect a non-sensor to pick up soone from that range was all but impossible.
Not unless the target did sothing terribly wrong and left all kinds of tracks around for soone to spot, but that was clearly not the case here.
The target was careful, staying hidden within the forest, near a lake and a stream that flowed right out into the sea, giving him all the water he would ever need while also providing an escape route.
Smart, careful, and skilled, that was the best way to describe the target, and unlucky.
It was truly terrible luck to have soone like Kakuzu pick your bounty; there was no escape from that old man.
"Co, Karin, we best not fall behind, we wouldn't want to miss all the fun." I urged as I followed behind where Kakuzu had disappeared to, allowing Karin to keep track. I knew the target's exact position. Kakuzu only had a rough location in his mind, so even at a slower pace and with him having a head start, it wouldn't be too late when we arrived.
The forest was thick, the ancient trees blocking out most of the sunlight, their leaves forming a dense canopy overhead. The air was heavy with the sll of damp earth and decaying leaves.
This was a perfect place to hide, a place where one could disappear without a trace, if one wasn't being hunted by the Akatsuki.
Karin struggled with keeping up, not just because of the pace, but also because she was still reaching out and trying to sense our target, and while she had a good grasp of a small area around her, going beyond that required her to focus.
And the about fifteen kilotres towards our target was still far beyond what she could handle for now, maybe one day, but right now, it was who was leading her towards the target, taking the more direct path.
"I see him!" she exclaid when he entered her range.
"Good," I said as I ca to a halt. We arrived before Kakuzu, which was only because he once again went off on his own, once again not following behind his trackers. Truly, that man had no patience, not to ntion that he didn't feel like working with others.
So much for hoping he would start working together… Well, he still had ti for that.
"Prepare yourself, Karin," I said, my gaze fixed on the small clearing ahead. "This is your first real battle. And while I am here, don't be careless."
She nodded, her expression a mixture of excitent and fear. She knew this was different from the colosseum. There were no rules here, no referees to stop the fight. It was kill or be killed.
In the clearing, a man was sitting by the edge of the lake, his back to us. He was of average height, with a lean, muscular build. His hair was short and spiky, a dark, almost black color. He wore a simple, dark-blue flak jacket over a long-sleeved white shirt, and a pair of black pants.
He looked like any other shinobi, but the way he held himself, the relaxed but ready posture, spoke of years of training and combat experience.
Suddenly, he tensed, his head snapping towards the trees. He had sensed us. Or rather, he had sensed Kakuzu, who was about as subtle as a rampaging bull.
I saw it then, a ripple in the air around the man. His chakra, once a calm, steady stream, surged like a tidal wave.
"Karin, you take him, kill, no rcy," I told her, as I went off to deal with Kakuzu, not wanting him to kill the target before Karin had a chance to fight him.
She might have wanted to protest, to argue against it, but she didn't. She knew this was her chance to prove herself, to show that she was more than just a child I had taken in.
With a deep breath, she leaped out of the trees, her hands flying through a series of seals. "Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!" she shouted, her voice filled with determination.
A massive dragon made of water erupted from the lake, its jaws wide open, its eyes glowing with a fierce blue light. It roared, a sound that echoed through the forest, and then it lunged towards the Kiri nin.
The man was fast. He was on his feet in a heartbeat, his hands already forming seals of his own. "Water Release: Water Wall!" he roared, a massive wall of water rising from the lake to block the dragon's attack.
The two jutsu collided, the force of the impact sending a shockwave through the clearing. The water from the dragon and the wall crashed together, creating a massive explosion of steam and spray.
Karin didn't wait for the smoke to clear. She didn't rely on her eyes, she could 'see' what was happening just fine within the mist and water. "Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!" she called out, and a dozen copies of her appeared, all of them taking advantage of her large chakra reserves to use ninjutsu.
Wisely avoiding getting in close to a far more experienced foe, and while fighting a ninjutsu specialist in taijutsu would be better than letting them remain within their specialization, Karin herself wasn't a taijutsu master.
While she wasn't bad, she still preferred ninjutsu, because they were cooler. A childish reason, but she did have the talent for it, so the reason wasn't important, as long as she did what she was good at.
The Kiri nin was clearly surprised by the sheer number of clones, but he didn't panic. He moved with a fluid grace that spoke of years of training, his hands a blur as he ford seals. "Water Release: Five Feeding Sharks!" he shouted, and five sharks made of water erupted from the lake, their teeth bared, their eyes glowing with a predatory light.
"Give her a chance," I said as I dashed in front of Kakuzu. The old man didn't look pleased, the threads on his face tightening as he glared at .
"She will get herself killed," he grumbled, but he stopped, not making any move to attack. "This is a waste of my money."
"Firstly, Karin isn't your money, and secondly, do you honestly think that that piece of trash can kill her while within my sight? If he could, I would have failed my job raising her," I said, my tone firm.
He wanted to argue, he really did, but he knew I was right. He might not have liked it, but he had to admit that I was stronger than him, and that as long as I was here, Karin was safe.
He was a greedy bastard, but he wasn't a fool. "Fine, as long as she doesn't ruin the corpse, that is my money she is playing with."
I didn't bother answering him, instead I turned back towards Karin, while my Byakugan ensured my gaze never left her, even if I would take a second longer to react to sothing happening behind , and it was best not to increase the chance of sothing going wrong.
Back in the clearing, Karin and her clones were in a hard fight. The sharks were fast and powerful, and unlike anything Karin had seen before, even I had to admit it was an impressive ninjutsu.
Still, that didn't an Karin was helpless; she might be shocked and surprised, but when it ca to the sheer amount of ninjutsu they knew, Karin was far ahead. And even after using the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu, she still had plenty of chakra to use.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!" one of her clones cried, and a dozen small fireballs shot out, their flas illuminating the misty clearing. The fireballs were small, but they were fast and nurous, and they exploded on contact with one of the sharks, creating a cloud of steam that once again filled the clearing.
Another clone raised defensive Earth walls, and others used Water Release or Lightning Release techniques, and even while they were nothing special or powerful on their own, when they were all used together, they were a storm of ninjutsu that would make any regular jōnin struggle.
And this Kiri nin was no different; he wasn't bad, being from a large village, and one that had few shinobi, but of a higher level, but they were mostly assassins, people who preferred to kill in the dark or in the mists.
Sothing that was rather useless against Karin, given her passive sensing range was more than enough to cover the entire battlefield, making traps using chakra all but impossible. And any other traps that had been prepared around his hideout were quickly destroyed by the rain of ninjutsu, so he was forced to fight a battle of attrition, sothing that was just not in his favour.
He had no choice but to use more powerful ninjutsu, which burned through his chakra faster than he would have liked.
"He's running out of chakra," Kakuzu said, his eyes narrowed. He could see it too, the way the Kiri nin's movents were becoming slower, the way his jutsu were becoming weaker.
"He is," I agreed, a small smile playing on my lips. Karin was doing well, and I couldn't have been more proud of her. She was using her head, her skills, and her chakra reserves to their fullest potential.
The fight wasn't over yet, but the tide had turned. The Kiri nin was on the defensive, his attacks becoming more and more desperate. He knew he was outmatched, and he was looking for a way to escape.
But there was no escape. Not from here. Not from us.
But who could bla him? He had clearly noticed Kakuzu and ; he could put two and two together. A child this strong? And two adults? It was easy to realize that Karin was a student, that we were stronger than her, and that they were allowing him to be used as a tool.
He realized that even if he won, he would still lose, so he could either try to win and take Karin as a hostage, but that was dangerous and risky. So he wanted to escape, as that was his only chance to survive.
But could he?
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