"Shh!"
Saitama landed silently on the ground, followed closely by his two other teammates.
["Byakugan!"] Hyuga Dun behind them activated his Ninjutsu.
"It's clear. Keep moving," Hyuga Dun nodded, signaling that there was no danger ahead.
Swish! Swish!
The three of them had already passed through the Forest and arrived at this shrubland; they would reach the location Saitama mentioned soon.
Bam!
A distant boom sounded out, causing their bodies to tense up. Their footsteps instantly slowed, and they exchanged glances.
"Stay alert, be careful," Saitama said, covering his hand over his waist while slowly building up Chakra within his body in preparation for emergencies.
Moving at an unhurried pace through the area, the trio suddenly found themselves with an open view—their eyes fell upon a massive depression not far away, where many people were bustling about, working busily.
"We're here!" Saitama crouched low to the ground, staring toward the bay under construction in the distance, a flash of light gleaming in his eyes.
Hyuga Dun and Aburame Nagare naturally saw it too. Their rigid postures betrayed their tension.
"What's next?" Leaning close to Saitama, Hyuga Dun asked softly, just loud enough for the other two to hear.
"Let's go back! It's unwise to continue probing. We've confirmed the intelligence is accurate, so our mission is complete," Saitama said while observing the place, watching the patrolling Ninja stationed everywhere.
"Agreed. The mission is done."
Hyuga Dun nodded, lowering his head further. Being this close to the enemy camp was seriously nerve-wracking.
"Wait, my insects have vanished again—Hyuga Dun, three o'clock direction!" Aburame Nagare's tone turned grim, clearly disturbed.
["Byakugan!"] Hyuga Dun didn't dare be careless either, activating his Byakugan immediately in the indicated direction.
"The enemies are approaching—seven of them! Run!" After taking a look, Hyuga Dun's expression darkened, and he immediately half-crouched into a defensive stance.
"They've probably noticed us! Let's move!" No longer able to stay calm, Hyuga Dun signaled for them to retreat.
"We should go. It seems we've been discovered," Saitama agreed, unwilling to risk staying any longer, considering how close they were to the enemy's camp. If they sensed anything off, reinforcements would swarm in fast. Escape would become nearly impossible.
"Retreat!" Saitama waved his hand, got up, and immediately ran back along the way they had come. The other two were no slower—they sprinted off the moment Saitama gave the order.
"Hyuga Dun, use Byakugan to check the surroundings! Nagare, keep your insects on high alert!" While running, Saitama gave instructions to the two beside him.
"Understood!" Both knew this wasn't time for relaxation anymore. They responded solemnly.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Dashing through waist-high grass, the stalks whipped past him as Saitama activated his Chakra sensors, scanning the surroundings intently.
"This way—left!" Hyuga Dun shouted out when he saw enemy figures appearing directly ahead.
"Shh!"
Maintaining perfect coordination, the three-person squad veered sideways instantly.
"Shh!"
"Wait a second!" Saitama suddenly stopped, gazing at an ordinary-looking stone on the ground.
"Hold on!" The others also halted, looking at Saitama in confusion.
"What is this?" Kneeling down, Saitama picked up the stone that had emitted chakra within his perception.
"Chakra patterns?" As he moved closer to examine it, Saitama noticed dense, meticulously carved designs on its surface.
Of course, the other two people also noticed the stone in Saitama's hand and became solemn.
"This must be how they sensed us. Although I don't know exactly how it works, we'll need to be more careful and try to avoid triggering them," Saitama said, looking toward Hyuga Dun.
"I understand." Hyuga Dun glanced at the stone. Thanks to his Byakugan, the chakra inside it was clearly visible.
"Follow me!" Hyuga nodded, gesturing to the group.
"Keep moving forward. The insects behind me have returned with pheromone signals—someone's approaching from behind," Aburame Nagare pushed up his sunglasses; sunlight reflecting off the lenses momentarily flashed.
"Mm, Dun, you lead the way!" Saitama signaled to Hyuga Dun.
[Whoosh!] Saitama thought he heard a faint whistle near his ear—but the sound was still distant enough to mean the enemy wasn't close yet.
"Move out!" The three continued advancing. This time, Hyuga Dun carefully avoided those chakra-infused stones using his Byakugan. Though their pace slowed considerably, Aburame Nagare's insects no longer signaled anyone chasing them.
"Phew!" Wiping sweat from his forehead, Hyuga Dun looked toward the nearby forest.
"We should've lost them by now!" At this moment, he wasn't using his Byakugan anymore. Maintaining it drained a lot of his energy, so after clearly sensing they had escaped pursuit, Hyuga Dun deactivated his Byakugan.
"Keep up the pace, but stay alert," Saitama didn't detect any pursuers either, which indicated their enemies had lost track of them and given up chasing.
"Huh?" Saitama hadn't even had time to relax when his body suddenly tensed. According to his perception, several chakra signatures had appeared ahead—the exact number remained unclear.
"Prepare for battle!" Saitama signaled while speaking to the two beside him.
"What?" Hyuga Dun hadn't yet figured out what was happening.
"There are enemies lying in wait up ahead!" Saitama's eyes peered through the grass toward not-so-distant area, as if already seeing the enemies hidden there.
"How could this happen? Byakugan!" Unwilling to believe it, Hyuga Dun had thought they'd successfully lost their pursuers.
"Damn it!" His face darkened with tension. Using his Byakugan, he naturally saw much more clearly than Saitama the several enemies hiding in the nearby woods.
"There are seven enemies total, including two Jonin!" Hyuga Dun refrained from cursing further as he reported his observation to his teammates.
"It's impossible to go around now—they might have additional reinforcements closing in. We'll break through!" Saitama told the other two.
"But there are seven of them!" Hyuga Dun's face turned grim.
"I'll handle the two Jonin. You two take care of the remaining five. Up to it?" Saitama glanced at his teammates, gauging their reactions.
"You're fighting both Jonin? You sure about that?"
"Although Hyuga Dun knew Saitama was strong and that Saitama had previously defeated him, facing two jonin at once still made him uneasy.
'You just deal with the others. Make it quick,' Saitama ordered, not waiting for a reply.
'Got it!' Aburame Nagare rarely spoke. His insects had already warned him about Saitama's danger, so he felt confident letting Saitama handle two jonin alone. As long as they eliminated their opponents quickly and went to assist Saitama, there shouldn't be an issue.
'Then we're good!' Hyuga Dun gritted his teeth. At this moment, he could only choose to trust Saitama.
SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!
The three of them no longer concealed their presence and rapidly approached the forest. Soon, enemy figures came into view.
'Heh, no more hiding, you rats!' As soon as Saitama's team appeared, the enemies noticed them. One thin jonin mocked them.
These enemies had been tracking Saitama's group using unique methods but lost the trail shortly after. Therefore, they blocked the path ahead in the woods, knowing Konoha ninja would have to pass through here to return.
'Hmph!' Hyuga Dun stopped moving and snorted coldly, glaring at the enemy squad with his white eyes.
'Quick battle!' Without wasting words, Saitama charged forward instantly as the enemies hesitated.
The speaking jonin was taken aback, seeing Saitama rushing directly toward him, fury flashing in his eyes.
'Foolish brat looking for death!'
Swoosh! Saitama moved extremely fast, while the other two followed closely on either side.
'Kill them!' The enemies roared, several ninjas fearlessly swinging their weapons at Saitama's team.
Swoosh! Approaching within about ten meters, Saitama tensed his right calf and launched forward with a sharp 'snap.'
Currents surged along his blade, crackling ominously, raising tension all around.
As the two jonin rushed toward him, Saitama's Sharingan tomoe started spinning, electricity coursing down his legs, stimulating even greater speed.
'Die!' Targeting the one who had spoken earlier, Saitama slashed with his sword.
In the blink of an eye, he closed the ten-meter distance. Before the murderous gleam faded from the enemy's eyes, Saitama's blade reached his neck.
'What?!' Full of disbelief, the enemy had barely formed that thought before the blade sliced across his throat.
Pfsssh! Stepping toward another jonin, behind him, a freshly severed head thudded onto the ground.
Only seconds into the fight, one enemy jonin had already fallen. Expressionless, Saitama intensified the currents over his body and slashed again.
Clang! This blow was blocked, yet horror filled the face behind the kunai.
'Who are you?!' The enemy stared at the still-bleeding corpse, pupils contracting.
'Konoha ninja!' Saitama smirked slightly, his blood-red Sharingan fixed on the enemy.
'P-please—!' After Saitama struck down one jonin, the enemy lost all fighting will, trying to beg for mercy. Suddenly, Saitama swiftly swung his blade once more. Thunderous power shattered the kunai, cutting through his throat and extinguishing his life force.
[Eight Trigrams: Thirty-Six Palms!]
Elsewhere, Hyuga Dun activated the Ultimate Art of the Gentle Fist, sealing the chakra points of three ninja.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!" The enemies lost their ability to move. Hyuga Dun instantly struck several more palms, ending their lives.
As a Jonin, dealing with a few Chunin was effortless for him.
"Ahhh!" One enemy was wrapped in Nagare's insects, his screams coming from within as countless bugs gnawed at him.
The last enemy watched helplessly as his companions were eliminated in an instant, unable to hide the fear on his face any longer.
"No! Don't kill me!" He lost his fighting spirit and turned to flee, but hadn't run far before a swarm of bugs enveloped his feet. Soon he too was wrapped into a human-shaped bug cocoon, continuous screams echoing out.
Hyuga Dun glanced with slight surprise at Saitama, who had defeated his opponents so quickly. His face turned complex, eyes showing clear shock.
"Amazing how strong he is!" Hyuga Dun looked at his own opponents—three Chunin—and felt disheartened, tightening his fists.
"I actually went looking for trouble with someone like this before. How arrogant I was." Thinking about his earlier challenge against Saitama brought bitterness to his heart.
"Let's go now that it's finished! There might still be pursuers behind us!" Saitama said, sheathing his sword and returning it to his waist.
"All right!" Hyuga Dun quickly adjusted his mindset.
"My insects are exhausted too and need rest!" Aburame Nagare nodded. Though it seemed like he had defeated two Chunin quickly, only he himself knew just how much chakra he had used up in that fight.
"Move out!" Saitama hopped over the bodies and dashed into the forest.
...
"Swish! Swish!"
Soon after Saitama and the others left, several figures landed where the previous battle had taken place.
"The Konoha ninja have escaped. Intelligence has been compromised!" Looking at the two Jonin bodies on the ground, this ninja muttered softly.
"Damn it!" Another ninja glared at the insect-mangled bodies lying there. Standing beside one, he barely recognized his friend by his clothing. Seeing the unrecognizable corpse of his companion, fury showed clearly on his face.
"Enough, recover the bodies and return." The leading ninja instructed the others. Leaving these comrades' remains here couldn't be an option.
"Yes!" Several ninjas swiftly pulled out scrolls and sealed the bodies inside them before leaving the area once more.
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