CH_56

Tōji had only been worried about Natchi for a second or two in his mind.

But as was often the case with Tōji, whatever unlucky thing he thought about tended to come true… As the two of them were quietly making their way through the woods, they spotted Natchi being chased along the riverbank by three Iwa chūnin!

It was the very same three Iwa chūnin who'd been watching from across the river earlier! Just as he'd suspected—these guys would jump at any chance to kick someone when they were down.

Natchi's overall ability might have been slightly below the standard of a Konoha chūnin, but his strength and agility were above average for one.

He was already in his "Cat Man" form, dashing diagonally from the riverbank toward the woods…

The shuriken thrown by the three chūnin behind him all missed… Natchi didn't even need to look back to dodge projectiles coming from behind.

But Natchi's escape route was likely to pass right by where Tōji and Neru were hiding…

"Hey, Natchi's going to lead those Iwa-nin right to us, isn't he." Neru's question—most people wouldn't have caught what she was really asking.

But Tōji knew. Neru was worried she'd get dragged into a fight… even if it was to save a teammate.

"If the three of us work together, do you think we'd stand a chance of taking down those three chūnin?" Tōji wasn't optimistic about their odds in this situation.

Tōji and the others only barely qualified as having chūnin-level ability. Their opponents, on the other hand, were proper chūnin—and didn't look like pushovers.

Plus, while Tōji and Neru had barely used any chakra, they weren't at full physical stamina. Natchi had been running for his life from three Iwa chūnin the whole way—his stamina definitely wasn't great. The enemy, meanwhile, had probably barely expended anything—their chakra and physical condition were likely near full.

Comparing the two sides, their disadvantage was obvious.

"We have a chance—but their chance is far greater than ours." Neru frowned slightly, her bright eyes narrowing as she locked onto Natchi and the three Iwa-nin.

Tōji and Neru had already stopped moving, suppressed their chakra, and without needing to be told, found positions that hid them well while also being good for a surprise attack.

The best they could do was "coordinate" and set up an ambush.

And they also served as each other's "oversight"—if either of them had been here alone, they'd both have chosen to turn a blind eye and pretend they hadn't seen anything.

At that moment, Natchi dodged left and right, weaving smoothly into the woods, flashing past a spot less than ten meters from where Tōji and Neru were hiding…

Five…

Four…

Three…

Two…

One!

Tōji, counting down the distance to the Iwa-nin in his head, threw several shuriken—and mixed in a kunai with a smoke bomb tied to it.

"Ambush!" One of the Iwa chūnin spotted the attack immediately.

The Iwa-nin, who already had shuriken in hand, each threw theirs, intercepting the incoming projectiles.

Hiss~ The smoke bomb went off with a soft sound, quickly spreading a cloud of pale purple smoke.

"Watch out!" The three Iwa chūnin had already stopped chasing Natchi, forming a defensive formation and staying alert—they didn't blindly leap out of the smoke.

Because they couldn't tell how many enemies there were or where they were hiding. It was safer to stay together under the smoke's cover and defend as a unit. After all, the smoke wasn't poisonous…

No—wait! It was poisonous! Even if only mildly…

"Fall back—this smoke has hallucinogenic properties!" One of the Iwa-nin, a slightly plump female chūnin, hurriedly whispered.

Natchi, who'd been fleeing just moments ago, now realized the situation had shifted—and quickly assessed his options…

Boom! None of the Iwa chūnin had noticed when Neru had thrown a kunai with an Exploding Tag tied to it right at their feet… The burliest of the three couldn't dodge in time!

"Ugh!" A pained grunt—he tried to hold it in, but couldn't help letting it out…