Every time Aoki falls silent like this, I know that something serious is happening.
Are we being watched?
"... One? No, two people..." Aoki finally murmured softly, his voice almost drowned out by the increasing gusts of wind.
However, every word that came out of Aoki's mouth felt like lightning striking.
Tension instantly surged in my chest.
My heart raced so fast, it felt like the whole world had vanished except for the four of us.
I stared sharply at Aoki, my voice barely a whisper, as if afraid that my loud voice would shatter this tense silence. "What do you mean? Is someone watching us?"
Aoki nodded, his head tilting slightly backward. "Yes... They are right behind us."
The atmosphere grew darker.
My heart felt constricted by a sudden creeping fear.
Tetsu, who initially looked confused, now had eyes filled with anxiety. "Are they... ninjas?" Tetsu asked, his voice trembling like a fragile twig, unable to contain the panic that was beginning to spread.
Hearing that question, the anxious feeling that had been hiding in my chest now burst forth.
No way! Could it really be them?
The Konoha Anbu who attacked us a few days ago, the swift and ruthless Kirigakure Anbu ninjas, who forced me to meet Aoki, Tetsu, and Ajisai?
They were also the ones who caused the wound on my shoulder and shook everything up.
Aoki kept staring ahead, but his eyes glanced back slightly, sharp and alert. "I think so..."
The feeling of anxiety took over me, and without realizing it, I bit my own lip, almost unable to suppress the tremors creeping through my body.
"How strong are they?" I asked in a low voice, my words nearly lost to the increasingly fierce wind.
Aoki took a deep breath, as if trying to calm himself, before finally answering in a deeper, heavier voice,
"I'm not sure, but... they feel like Jonin. Not only that..." Aoki's eyes narrowed even further, as if trying to see further. "I think they are Anbu."
Unconsciously, my eyes widened.
In an instant, my body froze in silence, as if time had slowed down.
In just a few seconds, my expression changed—not just shock, but a deep fear began to creep into me.
I knew, without needing to see more clearly, that they were the Anbu.
The ones who had ambushed me before, now lurking again in the darkness of this forest.
Every movement they made was so trained, silent, just shadows moving with precision among the dense trees.
"What should we do, boss?" Tetsu's voice trembled, growing more anxious.
I could feel the tension thickening in the air.
Tetsu's usually steady voice was now filled with a fear that was hard to hide.
Aoki took a deep breath, his usually calm face now looking more serious, heavier.
Aoki's sharp eyes scanned ahead, scanning every corner of the forest with extraordinary vigilance.
Where I saw Aoki pause for a moment, perhaps gathering his thoughts, then spoke with a tone of firm resolve that broke the night's silence, "We continue our journey slowly. If they keep following us and are still behind after ten minutes, it means they are indeed targeting us."
Aoki's gaze then shifted to me, as if searching for courage within me, before his voice sounded again, deeper, more resolute, "If that happens... I will hold them both off. Mei, you need to take Tetsu and Ajisai back to the village."
Aoki's words hit me like lightning.
I instantly fell silent for a moment, my mouth feeling dry.
My heart began to pound fiercely.
------------------------------
[Announcement: A New Novel Has Been Added!
The Puppet Maker in the World of Naruto
A man who is a scientist, researcher, and expert mechanic in robotics dies in a massive explosion that occurs in his laboratory while developing an advanced robot project. However, instead of experiencing death as he thought, the man awakens in another world—a strange place with vast stretches of desert.
There, the man is surrounded by people who can jump high, calling themselves ninjas. The confusion he initially felt grows as he realizes that this world is not unfamiliar to him. This is the world of Naruto! However, there is one thing that surprises him.
"Isn't this Sunagakure? Why am I not in Konoha? This poorest village... Oh my God, this is serious!"
Now, in the midst of a new life filled with danger and uncertainty, the scientist must find a way to survive in Sunagakure, a harsh place full of limitations. With his robotic knowledge, can the man change his fate in this ninja world, or will he fall along with the village?]
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