Chapter 62

The situation in the field, from Bai Shi's perspective, was far from clear.

Although it was a two-on-two confrontation, Aya had already lost her combat ability, and the remaining chakra in her body was barely enough to activate the Byakugan, let alone attempt to fight with the Gentle Fist technique.

The two Root shinobi he had taken out first were dead, but the two remaining, one of whom was the captain, was undoubtedly an upper-level jonin.

The other, who had made it into the Root, was certainly no ordinary shinobi.

It would be very difficult to kill them by taking advantage of their carelessness.

After what had just happened, their vigilance must have reached its peak.

The two Root shinobi, after their initial anger had cooled, had regained their composure. Despite their eyes being colder than ever, they were eager to kill Bai Shi, but they had to consider his unknown strength and could not act rashly.

The member beside the Root captain suddenly extended his palm, and a large number of black insects flew out from his sleeve, surrounding Bai Shi from all directions.

The Aburame clan, Bai Shi thought to himself.

Seeing the insects, Bai Shi knew which clan the opponent belonged to.

In Konoha, only the Aburame clan possessed such insect techniques.

This clan was allocated a forest in Konoha specifically for cultivating combat insects. These insects varied in type and characteristics, excelling in reconnaissance, defense, and offense.

It was said that there were even more specialized venomous insects, which would make things very troublesome if one were to come into contact with them.

Seeing the black cloud of insects approaching in irregular shapes from all directions, Bai Shi did not panic. His body vanished from the spot.

The insects circled the place where Bai Shi had disappeared, hovering in the air for a moment before rushing in the direction he had moved.

In Bai Shi's eyes, the insects' flight speed was relatively fast, but compared to his own speed, their movements were quite clumsy.

Therefore, evading the insect attack was not difficult.

However, his opponent was not just the Aburame clan shinobi; the captain was the strongest among the four.

Sure enough, he could see through Bai Shi's movements, drawing his ninjato from behind and forming a seal with one hand while holding the sword with the other.

Bai Shi's eyes narrowed slightly.

A faint breeze swept past from all around.

Bai Shi sidestepped the blade and swung his own ninjato at the captain.

The captain's eyes flashed with cold light as he parried the strike, causing the two ninjato to clash.

Bai Shi's ninjato gained a crack, and the sound produced by the captain's ninjato as it cut through the air was very strange.

The sound was like that of a stone scraping against glass, sharp and grating.

"Konoha-style Sword Technique: Vibration!"

Bai Shi's eyebrows furrowed, and he instinctively turned his head, but a cut still appeared on his face.

Not just his face, but his calf and arm were also slashed by the invisible blades.

Wind, Bai Shi thought as he retreated, reflecting on the situation.

Looking at his ninjato, he estimated that a few more hits would break it.

Seeing Bai Shi retreat, the captain tightened his grip on his ninjato and charged forward with fierce determination.

Bai Shi had no choice but to continue dodging, and he heard that strange sound again, the sharp, grating sound of a stone scraping against glass.

"Evaded?"

The captain's voice carried a note of surprise when he saw that Bai Shi had dodged the invisible air blades perfectly this time.

He was even more surprised internally.

Looking at Bai Shi's calm expression, he couldn't tell that this was a formidable opponent who had seen through his sword technique in just one attempt.

Such a person, who was also on good terms with the Uchiha, must be eliminated quickly to follow Danzo-sama's will, the captain thought.

"You are the first to see through my sword technique so quickly."

Though an enemy, the captain did not hesitate to praise Bai Shi's talent.

Bai Shi, however, was very humble. "It's nothing, I just have some understanding of wind-based sword techniques, and those air blades were triggered by sound, right? I've seen similar attacks before."

"Is that so?"

If one ignored the coldness in their voices, it seemed as if they were just having a casual conversation between friends, so relaxed and easy.

"Although it's a pity that the second attack was ineffective, it might be a good thing for you, as it means you won't die in as much pain."

The captain let his ninjato hang naturally by his side, giving up the fight.

Bai Shi was slightly stunned, and then the wounds inflicted by the air blades suddenly spurted blood, and he fell to the ground, weak and powerless.

"Truly a pity. If a young shinobi like you had followed Danzo-sama, you would surely have been heavily favored. But the path you chose, you must endure the pain and stick to it."

The captain sheathed his ninjato behind his back and sighed regretfully.

"You made a grave mistake by challenging me in swordsmanship. In Konoha, the only one who can surpass me in swordsmanship is White Fang."

Bai Shi's young age and strength made the captain very regretful.

Moreover, he was a rare medical ninja. If he could join the Root, their great cause might be completed sooner.

To bring Konoha into a new era.

An era ruled by the Root.

"Bai Shi-kun!?"

Seeing Bai Shi fall to the ground, Aya's face changed in shock, and she ran over to him.

The captain did not stop her.

With such injuries, no one could possibly survive.

Once his air blades cut into an enemy, his chakra would remain in the enemy's body for a while before being activated, attacking from the inside and completely destroying the enemy.

However, this move consumed a lot of chakra, so it was only used against strong opponents.

And Bai Shi, in his view, was worthy of this move.

"Don't grieve for your friend's passing, little girl of the Hyuga clan. At least in the mission report, you will be heroes. Of course, in the form of bravely fighting the Sand shinobi and dying from exhaustion."

This might be the greatest mercy.

It was the darkness the Root carried.

The captain approached Aya, his killing intent reaching its peak.

This time, he would not be careless.

He only needed to recover the Uchiha's Sharingan and secretly dispose of the three bodies to complete the mission.

"Captain! Be careful!?"

The Aburame clan shinobi seemed to sense something and shouted anxiously to the captain.

"Hmm?"

The captain tilted his head slightly, looking at his subordinate with confusion.

Then he felt a chill at the base of his neck.

A black shadow appeared before him and then flew past.

A cut.

Blood spurted out.

The captain could not scream, only clutching his deeply wounded throat, which bled profusely, as he convulsed on the ground.

Bai Shi, panting heavily, approached the captain, his body covered in blood, and stared at him with a wary eye.

When the strange air currents entered his body, Bai Shi had sensed them with natural energy and used it to protect his vital organs. When the air blades detonated, his injuries were much less severe than expected.

Bai Shi squatted down, pulled out a kunai from his tool pouch, and thrust it into the captain's chest, mercilessly ending his life.

"I don't like being a hero. I'll let you have that title."

Then, Bai Shi looked at the last Root shinobi with a cold eye.

The other was completely intimidated by Bai Shi's aura, his hand controlling the insect cloud trembling as he swallowed nervously.

Aya, seeing that Bai Shi was unharmed, breathed a sigh of relief.

Because Bai Shi had not revealed his plan to fake his death, Aya had thought he was really killed.

Bai Shi is still so good at deceiving people, Aya thought to herself.

The massive blood loss had been truly terrifying, and in such a situation, no one could possibly survive.

But Bai Shi was still alive and well.

Now, only one enemy remained.

Aya also glared at the last Root shinobi with a fierce look.

"Go."

Bai Shi suddenly said.

This statement surprised not only Aya but also the Root shinobi.

"Let me... go?"

The other seemed to doubt that Bai Shi would say such a thing.

"I am injured now and have no confidence in taking you down. And you don't want to die here, do you? So, why don't we call it a draw? After all, you still need to report to your superiors, don't you?"

Bai Shi tried to reason.

Aya was stunned, seeming to understand something, and silently agreed with Bai Shi's plan.

The Root shinobi was even more puzzled. If Bai Shi were really very weak, he should have taken a more aggressive stance.

But Bai Shi openly admitted his severe injuries, making the Root shinobi hesitate.

To be honest, he wanted to avenge his fallen comrades, but the pressure from Bai Shi was too great.

Indeed, calling it a draw would be beneficial for both sides.

He wanted to confirm again: "You really mean to let me go?"

"Yes, I'm injured now, and at most, we would end up in a mutual destruction. I have decades of life left to enjoy, and I don't want to die young. So, a peaceful resolution is the best outcome."

The Root shinobi calmed down, taking a deep breath.

He began to retreat, seeing that Bai Shi did not react, and Aya stood obediently by, taking no action.

After retreating about ten meters, the Root shinobi believed Bai Shi's words and used the Body Flicker Technique to leave.

About three to five seconds after he left, Bai Shi suddenly collapsed, gasping for breath, his face contorted in pain, and his skin pale.

The captain's sword technique had inflicted severe injuries on him.

If he didn't have natural energy, he would have been a dead man already.

"Are you okay?"

Aya hurried over to support Bai Shi, her face full of concern.

"I'm fine, but it will take some time for my chakra to recover, and I can't use medical ninjutsu during this period."

Bai Shi panted, managing a weak smile.

Aya nodded and was about to help Bai Shi get up.

Footsteps came from behind.

It was the Root shinobi returning.

Seeing Bai Shi's extremely weak state, he immediately understood everything.

"So, it was a trick just now? You're a devious brat, almost fooling me. If I hadn't come back, you might have escaped."

Aya's body stiffened.

Bai Shi's pale face broke out in a cold sweat.

"Ha, are you really not afraid of me? I killed your captain, you know."

Bai Shi tried to salvage the situation.

"You've probably never told the truth since you were born. Sorry, but because of your character, I don't trust a single word you say."

The Root shinobi looked at Bai Shi with a penetrating gaze.

"Hey, that's a bit harsh, I—"

Bai Shi tried to use words to guide the Root shinobi into a dead end, resolving the current crisis.

But the other was very confident in his guess and was filled with distrust for every word Bai Shi said.

"Bug Sphere!"

The black insect cloud rushed over, moving very fast.

Bai Shi roughly pushed Aya to the side, and when it was his turn, he barely managed to dodge, rolling on the ground.

He ignored the insects and quickly charged at the Root shinobi.

The Root shinobi would not let Bai Shi have his way and released more black insects from his sleeve, forming a thick barrier in front of him.

The Root shinobi had already imagined Bai Shi being surrounded and devoured by the insects.

His heart was filled with a dark desire for brutal revenge.

The sound of footsteps came from behind.

The Root shinobi turned his head, and a ninjato quickly slashed across his neck.

Blood spurted out, and the already damaged ninjato finally snapped in half.

The broken, blood-stained blade fell and stuck into the ground.

The sound of the blade hitting the ground coincided with the Root shinobi's body collapsing.

He stared at Bai Shi with a look of resentment and frustration, his mouth opening as if to say, "You lied again."

Bai Shi, still panting, squatted down, closed the Root shinobi's eyes, and sighed.

"Sorry, I am a despicable person. You're right, every word I said to you was a lie. But the reason you fell into the trap was because you believed your own judgment was the most correct."

Aya, watching this, had a look of uncertainty on her face.

Should she call Bai Shi despicable or terrifying?

His injuries were indeed severe, but not to the point where he couldn't fight.

He had set up a deception trap because he couldn't be sure of a 100% kill, making the enemy judge and verify on their own, and then come to what they believed was the correct conclusion.

If you didn't trust the enemy, then trust your own verified judgment.

But in the end, it was still a trap carefully designed by Bai Shi.

Aya had never seen a battle between ninjas conducted in such a way.

If Ryū's battles were simple and brutal, then Bai Shi's battles were deceptive.

Neither elegant nor beautiful, they were filled with malice and deceit.

I actually believed in such a person, I must be beyond saving, Aya lamented to herself.

Bai Shi lay on the ground, completely exhausted.

"What a terrible day. Root, I'll remember you..."

Murmuring these words, Bai Shi finally closed his eyes, wanting to rest for a while.