Chương 231: 230
Haruto and his team, led by Shisui, had been making steady progress through the Forest of Death. The dangers surrounding them hadn't posed much of a challenge so far. They had already taken down two more teams with minimal effort, relying on their tactics and flawless teamwork. They now had 3 earth scrolls not including their own.
Haruto's enhanced chakra sensitivity had proven invaluable, allowing them to navigate the dense forest, avoid ambushes, and set their own traps without breaking a sweat.
But Haruto never let his guard down. His senses constantly scanned their surroundings, alert for any disturbance in the flow of chakra around them. As they sprinted through the trees, he felt it—a familiar twinge that made his pulse quicken.
A bird whistle.
Shisui immediately stopped, dropping low into a crouch, Daichi following without missing a beat. Haruto quickly signed to them using their team's silent communication system: "Another team, incoming."
Shisui's eyes sharpened, his Sharingan spinning into focus as he scanned the area. Haruto felt the team approaching fast and sensed they had come to a sudden stop just outside of view. Haruto narrowed his gaze, honing in on the chakra signatures—there were three, no, four—but one was now moving toward them alone.
Out of the shadows stepped Aika, her unsettling smile plastered across her face. She moved with an eerie, almost leisurely grace, like she was on a casual stroll and not in the middle of a life-or-death exam. Haruto felt a chill crawl up his spine. Every instinct screamed for him to stay on guard.
Shisui stood, his eyes never leaving her, while Daichi remained crouched, ready to move at a moment's notice.
Aika stopped a few feet away from them, her hands held open as if in a gesture of peace, but Haruto wasn't fooled. He stayed alert, muscles tense. Her smile was all wrong—too wide, too practiced, like she was enjoying a private joke only she understood.
"Any chance you'd be willing to trade?" she asked, her voice smooth, almost playful. She held up an Earth scroll for them to see. "We've got a couple Earth scrolls. You wouldn't happen to have a Heaven scroll, would you?"
Haruto exchanged a glance with Shisui, unsure of how to respond. Something about Rika's demeanor made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He waited for Shisui to make the call.
"We also have an Earth scroll," Shisui said evenly, his expression unreadable.
Aika sighed dramatically, her smile never faltering as she tilted her head slightly. "Is that so? Then how about this—we work together. Combine our forces until we get what we need. Seems like a fair deal, doesn't it?"
Shisui glanced back at Haruto and Daichi, silently asking for their input. Daichi, ever sharp, quickly signed their team's silent signal: "Crazy vibes. Don't trust."
Haruto couldn't shake the unease that had been gnawing at him since Aika had appeared, and it only deepened when he saw Daichi's signal. Shisui, after a brief pause, turned back to Aika with a calm but firm reply, "We prefer to work alone."
Aika's smile faltered for just a moment before she sighed dramatically. Her head tilted slightly, her expression falling into something like mild disappointment. "This is what I hate about boys," she said, her voice dripping with mock exasperation. "My looks mean nothing to you, do they? Men are so much more gullible."
Before Haruto could even process her words, Aika flicked her wrist. A shuriken flew through the air, aimed low at his feet. Haruto's reflexes kicked in, but he froze when the blade didn't aim directly at him—it buried itself into the ground just in front of him.
There was something wrapped around it.
Haruto's stomach churned as he crouched down to retrieve the object. His breath caught in his throat when he realized what it was—not just a piece of paper, but a photo. His eyes widened as he picked it up.
It was a photo of Obaa-chan and him as a three year old, she had always carried it with her.
His mind went blank, a ringing filling his ears as blood roared through him. His vision tunneled. He didn't even notice Aika's eyes locked onto him, her twisted smile widening as she watched his reaction.
"I promise you," Aika said softly, her voice cutting through the haze like a knife, "she only cried a little."
Haruto's world snapped into red.
He wasn't thinking anymore. His mind was consumed by a single, burning thought. He didn't care about the exam, didn't care about the rules. Everything else faded away except for the rage boiling inside him, white-hot and uncontrollable.
His muscles tensed, his chakra flared wildly, surging with pure fury. I'm going to slice this bitch in half.
Before Shisui or Daichi could react, Haruto lunged at Aika, his eyes blazing with fury. Aika's smile never faltered. She had anticipated this reaction. With a quick, mocking glance over her shoulder, she leapt into the trees, darting away with Haruto hot on her heels.
"Haruto!" Shisui's voice cut through the trees, but Haruto didn't hear him. He was already gone.
As Haruto chased after Aika, blinded by rage, he failed to notice the trap that had been set. Another ninja team had slipped in behind them. The once calm clearing was now filled with five enemies—Aika's team and an additional group that had been lying in wait. Their plan had worked, and now Shisui and Daichi were surrounded.
With Haruto gone, Shisui and Daichi found themselves in a five-versus-two battle. Shisui's Sharingan flickered dangerously as he and Daichi prepared for the fight of their lives.
Meanwhile, Haruto was focused on one thing—Aika. He chased her relentlessly, his heart pounding, his rage fueling his every step. She moved swiftly through the trees, but Haruto didn't care how far she led him. All he could think about was one thing—revenge.
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