Night gradually devoured heaven and earth until not a trace of daylight remained. The faint, dim moon, having been obscured by clouds earlier, never showed itself again.
Mai flung out a withered leaf, leaping far over the towering trees.
By now, a long time had passed since she slipped out of the village. The numb caress of the cold wind made the exact duration unclear to her. Many things had happened along the way, and she only knew the destination couldn't be far.
The deep forests in the northern part of the country also had intermittent clearings. Mai's view suddenly opened up. She stepped on a thick branch, shot out of the jungle, landed on flat ground without stopping, adjusted her posture slightly, and immediately continued running.
Tap, tap, tap.
The surroundings were vast, lofty, and silent. The tangible darkness enveloped her and this wilderness on all sides. Only the sound of her own footsteps echoed quietly.
Her eyes looked ahead, but for a few moments, Mai's thoughts wandered, recalling Gensaku yielding of the path not long ago.
Her strict, rigid teacher would actually do such a thing. She had thought it would be extremely difficult.
And then those two detestable teenagers. In their noisy, incessant exchange of blows, every move contained a familiar sense of the past. Coordination that could be seen through at a glance, tacit understanding that could be seen through at a glance. Mai thought of her companions under the moonlight, and the years of her career carrying out missions together surged up… that life belonged to her initial days as a Ninja, when she naively received her forehead protector.
Now, opposite emotions flowed through her heart against the cold wind. She had accepted the team's camaraderie. The long night slowly became gentle.
"Let's pick up the pace a bit more." Mai looked up at the black cloth-like sky and said to herself.
Calculating the time since she received the letter note silently, she activated her Chakra.
Half a minute later, Mai's expression suddenly changed.
Following the abruptly additional footsteps, in this unshielded deep night, no matter how exquisitely the other party controlled them, they couldn't escape her perception.
'Are there still Ninja chasing me?' Mai's sweeping gaze locked firmly onto a certain area behind her, she had discovered the other party's figure, 'It can't be…'
Even considering the proximity to the border, this place was very close. Logically, she should have completely escaped the village's normal control range. This wasn't some actual pursuit of a fugitive, and the veteran bird squads should have given the later chasers 'misinformation'.
Mai's small face wrinkled into a bitter melon expression, 'Why were they so persistent in catching me?'
Wave after wave tonight almost gave her a sense of guilt for causing such a huge commotion and trouble for the village. She had only wanted to come and go lightly, to go outside once without attracting attention.
Three agile figures dashed across the wilderness. Probably knowing they had been detected, they instantly dispersed and charged forward together, using a surrounding tactic similar to the veteran Team Gensaku.
However, their movements were more sharp and efficient, completely without any messiness or hesitation.
"Arata and the others are really useless." Mai muttered, grumbling and shifting the blame onto them, even though just a moment ago she had been sentimentally reminiscing about comrade bonds.
Whoosh.
A strong gust of wind whistled past her ear. Mai attempted to use her speed to shake off the pursuing Ninja, after all, she wasn't familiar with them at all.
At the same time, unfamiliar or not, she opened her mouth, adopting a weak tone to confuse them, "Um, everyone, I…"
Shwoop!
A shrill sound cutting through the air severed the words she wanted to say. A conditioned reflex of crisis arose in her heart. Her footsteps halted abruptly.
A pitch-black, gleaming kunai, wrapped in a sense of oppression of power, suddenly stabbed into the ground half a meter away from Mai.
"…"
The hair in front of her forehead swayed slightly. Mai looked at the weapon deeply embedded in the soil, her mouth agape.
After a second of delay, she realized that this was a full-force attack.
The trembling tip of the kunai indicated her rapidly accelerating, palpitating heartbeat. Mai's body sank down. She didn't dare to be as casual as she was when dealing with previous pursuers. She became alert.
Swish.
Three tall men revealed themselves ahead. Taking advantage of her brief pause, they had already closed in, standing wordlessly.
"You are…" Mai paused. She saw the animal masks worn on the three men's faces.
'Anbu. This is bad. They actually alerted the Anbu.'
Mai gulped, knowing this would be difficult to resolve.
"Are you Hasegawa Mai?" The leading man said, looking her over. No expression could be observed. His tone was cold.
Mai retreated a small step. The image of the Anbu in the eyes of ordinary villagers wasn't exactly good or bad. They were just a mysterious group labeled as cold, taciturn, and specializing in carrying out confidential missions.
Glancing at the kunai stuck in the ground, if the Anbu made a move, they certainly wouldn't give people a friendly demeanor… But, Mai secretly circulated her Chakra. She looked over the white bear, raccoon, and fox masks before her, 'Why did the aura they give off feel so dangerous?'
"Yes… I am." Mai said softly. Then, she hung an apologetic smile on her face, using her infallible skill for pleasing the neighbors in the village, "Are you sent by Shizune-sama? Ah, I'm really sorry for causing you trouble, but …"
However, the three Anbu seemed completely indifferent to what she wanted to say. They nodded to each other. The leading white bear slid his sword out from his waist, "Kill her."
Mai's breath hitched, 'What?'
The sword light slashed over with no room for reaction. Relying on anticipated defense, Mai barely blocked it with a kunai.
A violent sound rang out, cutting through the night.
The white light of the long sword flashed clearly in the dim light. Mai retreated repeatedly, a strong question in her eyes as she looked at the other party.
"Hey, you… Is the situation this serious? I can explain. No matter what, stop first…"
Apart from the gleaming masks and the silent eyes hidden beneath, she received no answer.
The other two 'Anbu' swiftly closed in from the flanks. The offensive was too fast, too urgent, and Mai was far from prepared to a corresponding degree.
Parrying one sword, twisting her body to dodge another, hurriedly blocking a side kick, the next fierce slash pressed down directly on her right hand. The immense force made the kunai unable to withstand it, and it flew out of her grasp.
From the very start, they were driven by the conviction of an extremely decisive, thunderous end. It was too strange. At the last possible moment, Mai used the Body Replacement Technique to avoid the three's seamless coordinated encirclement and kill, putting some distance between them.
"Is there some misunderstanding?!" In just a few seconds, she had expended a great deal of mental energy. Mai gasped for breath, but the cold, sharp sword radiance chased her life like it was rushing head-on.
Gritting her teeth, the other party simply had no desire to communicate.
"Water Release: Water Wall!"
A clear, flowing wall of water instantly rose in front of Mai, blocking the white bear's long sword and the weapons of the other two Anbu that stabbed closely after.
The Water Wall emitted a dull sound. The weapons chopping into it caused the Ninjutsu to ripple with trembling water currents.
The night sky suddenly lit up with a red light. A fire dragon, baring its claws and brandishing its teeth, appeared above, burning with raging flames. It roared and charged down headfirst.
The fierce flames brought a scorching temperature. With a boom, the thick water wall shattered like a bubble.
Forced to use a Ninjutsu, followed immediately by another Ninjutsu, the battle between both sides officially escalated in level.
Mai was thrown back over ten meters. In the latter half, she had to press her hand against the ground to offset the impact while sliding. She stared wide-eyed ahead. Sweat was already dripping down in the cold night, but she couldn't reach up to wipe it.
Several small fireballs were still burning on the grass. The heat waves mixed with the cold wind felt strange, but nothing felt stranger to Mai than what was happening now.
The three 'Anbu' walked over calmly through the dissipating smoke.
She scrutinized her opponents carefully, not letting go of a single detail from head to toe… But she couldn't see anything beyond their build and physique. The only thing certain was that their attacks were serious.
In other words, their opening 'Kill her' was serious. They truly intended to kill her.
'But why?' Many doubts and unease rose in Mai's mind, 'Even the Anbu had to follow basic rules when executing missions.'
Looking at it from a cynical, despicable angle, she had some fame within the village. She decided to sneak out tonight precisely because she knew her status as the Hokage's disciple wouldn't incur overly severe punishment.
"Are you really sent by Shizune-sama?" Mai's eyes gradually cooled. She looked directly at the man wearing the white bear mask and said.
No one answered.
Taking a breath, she pulled out a new kunai. Additionally, she placed her left hand on her forehead, slightly calming herself.
'Shizune-nee would absolutely never issue such an order. Furthermore, on the way here, there were also Sakura-nee and Gensaku-sensei. No matter what kind of pursuers, they wouldn't exhibit such killing intent.'
'Unless… the other party had come separately, taking another path entirely.'
'They had nothing to do with the Konoha's Ninja.'
The secret technique imprint hidden deep on her forehead suddenly unlocked. The Strength of a Hundred Seal!
Black patterns unfolded, crawling over half of her face. The opponents were strong, and she had already expended quite a bit of Chakra earlier. The lines falling beside her eyes seemed to cloak Mai in a cold, aloof temperament. She shed her soft exterior and acknowledged them as true enemies.
The three masked men paused slightly, as if assessing the infamous Forbidden Technique, the Strength of a Hundred Seal, that Mai had unleashed. But it was merely a momentary delay. They then continued raising their weapons that gleamed with a cold light.
...
Ding, ding, ding…
The quiet night was thoroughly shattered by the disturbance. The clashing of metal and the occasional clash of Ninjutsu swept over this deserted place again and again.
Another loud explosion. Mai tumbled out from within it.
'This won't do.' Her kunai had fallen to the side. She had just wanted to pick it up when the sound of swiftly and densely cutting weapons came raining down from above.
She could only continue retreating. Dense clusters of hidden weapons filled the spot where she was originally standing. Before Mai could catch her breath, two swift figures lunged forward coldly like snakes.
Even after using the Strength of a Hundred Seal, which utilized strength accumulated daily, Mai gradually found herself at a disadvantage in the sustained battle.
Although the three masked men's actions gave Mai a strange feeling, their strength was genuinely that of experts. Moreover, their every move revealed they were practical, battle-hardened Jonin built upon countless experiences and skills.
Their power and speed were first-rate. Their coordination and transition were seamless. In the midst of one person's offensive, the next attack was already being prepared or on its way by the other two. Any weaknesses shown were subtly covered by their respective stances, preventing Mai from finding any opportunity to counterattack. She could only passively defend against the continuous cycle of assaults.
Mai herself had team experience coordinating with others. The maturity and skill the opponents displayed could only be greater than hers, not less. They had even formed something like a momentum within the exchange of blows, a persisting offensive style that allowed no respite for her.
Blocking two suddenly thrust long swords, the raccoon mask in the distance had already finished forming hand signs. Rampant lightning spread across the ground, approaching with great momentum.
Mai had the intention to change the situation under such suppression, but the relentless storm of Taijutsu and Ninjutsu was merciless, like lashes of a whip striking through the air. Failing to block a single blow, whether unwillingly or accidentally would result in being viciously struck and losing a layer of skin.
Thump.
Electric current wrapped around her heel. The moment she was paralyzed, her body couldn't keep up with her thoughts, slowing down. Mai received a kick and was sent flying back several meters.
Blood flowed down the corner of her mouth. Mai felt the loss of Chakra. The irreversible decline didn't shift according to her will. The thought emerged, 'Was I really going to lose?'
The boost from the Strength of a Hundred Seal grew weaker and weaker. Her hands and feet were also becoming sluggish. Mai staggered to her feet. Her clothes were long since tattered and covered in dust.
The stinging pain from the fine cuts and lacerations slowly made itself felt as her blood cooled.
Unleashing strong winds, her fists and feet made contact. A brand new kunai she had just taken out immediately covered in nicks and dents under fierce slashes and sweeps, before being knocked away.
Ding.
Who knows which number kunai this was, falling from her powerless grip.
Actually, Mai had encountered situations more difficult and more critical than this. There had been pain far more unbearable than this. She had overcome them all.
But for a Ninja, it was true that one couldn't always emerge unscathed every time. Silently encountered enemies, silent and fierce attacks. One against many, isolated and without aid. The enemies launching attacks again and again remained unchanged, forever silent, only focused on how to kill the opponent, like highly efficient machines.
Mai realized she didn't have the strength to draw a new kunai.
Thud.
She crossed her arms to block in front of her, instantly enduring who knows how many punches and kicks, before heavily collapsing to the ground.
A gleaming, snow-bright long sword, as if prearranged, was placed against her neck the moment she lay on her back. The tip pointed at her vulnerable blood vessel.
The Strength of a Hundred Seal's lines on her face had already disappeared. The black patterns had reached their limit, retracting to a tiny point beneath the bangs on her forehead, damp with sweat.
Mai looked up with effort at the figure above.
The man wearing the white bear mask looked down at the girl at his feet, whose toughness far exceeded their imagination.
Gripping the sword handle, he did not immediately deliver the attack for the first time.
Then, he also spoke his second sentence since the beginning.
"You've lost." His cold, still eyes moved slightly, "Any last words?"
The raccoon and fox behind him displayed extremely surprised expressions.
"…" Mai raised a trembling hand, forming a hand seal.
The white bear silently returned to his original demeanor, "Forget it."
Shaking his head, just as he was about to swing the sword down, a sudden change occurred.
A dazzling electric light abruptly illuminated the pitch-black twilight. The faces hidden beneath the three masks all changed. An extremely powerful Chakra approached from the distance as if teleporting. Their trained intuition for danger made them jump away with the fastest speed of their lives.
Ding!
The white bear moved a bit slower. He watched as a figure wrapped in lightning charged towards him. Then, instead of slashing his neck, it slashed his long sword in two.