Chapter 84: "Familiar Face"
Crack.
A crisp sound of bone snapping echoed in the air.
Standing behind Kurokaku, Baishi had severed his spinal cord with a single hand chop. Deprived of its support, Kurokaku's body collapsed limply to the ground.
It was only after this that Rei's warning reached him—but it was far too late.
Suddenly, a whistling sound of something cutting through the air reached Baishi's ears. He tilted his head slightly, narrowly dodging a kunai.
But then, something caught his attention—a faintly visible steel wire trailing behind the kunai.
"Hmm?" Baishi frowned and instinctively retreated.
More kunai soon followed, some flying toward him with alarming speed. Baishi evaded or deflected them one by one, avoiding over ten attacks in mere seconds.
However, Baishi quickly realized he had fallen into a trap—an intricate web of steel wires, cleverly strung together.
To make matters worse, several explosive tags were attached to the web, faintly glowing as they prepared to ignite.
As the explosive tags began to light up, Baishi remained calm and composed, even taking a moment to glance toward the Mist ninja responsible.
"Not bad," his eyes seemed to convey.
Seeing his reaction, Ren, the Mist ninja, grew colder and quickly formed hand seals. "Detonate!"
A deafening explosion rang out, and roaring flames engulfed Baishi entirely. The shockwave toppled nearby trees like twigs.
"Did we get him?" Ren muttered, her confidence shaken despite the destructive scene before her.
The memory of Baishi's eerie gaze still lingered in her mind, making her uneasy.
"Ren, behind you!" Rei's warning voice suddenly pierced the air.
"What?" Ren barely managed to respond before a chill crept up her spine.
In her vision, a figure rapidly approached. Against the fiery backdrop, the figure appeared like a vengeful demon, emerging from the depths of hell.
Ren tried to move, but before she could fully react, Baishi's hand clamped around her neck.
Crack.
With a slight exertion, Baishi snapped her neck, leaving her lifeless in his grasp.
Letting her body fall to the ground, Baishi turned his attention to Rei, the one who had been issuing warnings and attempting to ensnare him in genjutsu throughout the skirmish.
Although Rei had continuously launched attacks, Baishi's Level VI Mental Resistance rendered her illusions entirely ineffective.
She might have possessed hidden talents or advanced techniques, but Baishi couldn't risk allowing her to interfere. The battle ahead could be fierce, and there was no room for carelessness.
Even if the chances of failure were slim, Baishi refused to gamble his life on it.
Resolving to eliminate Rei, Baishi pushed off the ground with incredible force, vanishing in a blur.
Rei, sensing danger, immediately hurled several shuriken in Baishi's direction. However, Baishi skillfully dodged each projectile, closing the gap between them in a matter of seconds.
Just as Baishi prepared to strike, he noticed the panic in Rei's eyes dissipate, replaced by a look of steely resolve—almost as if she had accepted her fate.
A surge of danger washed over Baishi. "This is bad," he thought, quickly activating the Flying Thunder God Technique.
The next moment, Rei's body exploded in a bloody detonation, sending chunks of flesh and bone flying across a three-meter radius.
Baishi reappeared on a tree branch marked with a teleportation seal.
His expression darkened as he observed the chaos below.
His mood soured further when he noticed the last surviving Mist ninja throwing explosive tags into the remains of Rei's bloodied body.
It was clear that the Mist ninja had deduced Baishi's strategy. Earlier, Baishi had used the Flying Thunder God Technique to avoid the initial blast of the explosive tags, exploiting his Heat Resistance to survive the aftermath. The dramatic reappearance from the flames had caught Ren off guard, allowing him to kill her.
However, the remaining Mist ninja had already guessed his plan and was now preemptively attacking, betting on the chance that Baishi might emerge again.
But this time, Baishi hadn't fallen for it.
The Mist ninja soon realized where Baishi was and looked up, locking eyes with him. Baishi broke the silence first.
"Kisame Hoshigaki?"
Indeed, Baishi suspected the Mist ninja below was none other than Kisame Hoshigaki.
The reason was simple—the ninja's chakra levels were immense. Even though Baishi's Chakra level exceeded 100 points, this individual's reserves surpassed his own.
Coupled with the Mist Anbu identity and distinctive golden eyes, there were few others who could fit the description.
As Baishi called out his name, Kisame's pupils shrank, and he swallowed the words he was about to say. Instead, he asked, "You're 'Tree,' aren't you? How do you know my name? Who told you?"
How could this guy recognize me? Kisame wondered, his thoughts racing. Even in the Mist Village, very few people should know about my current status. Could it be…there's a traitor in the village?
For a moment, Kisame's mind was in turmoil.
But even if they were "acquainted," Baishi felt no need to hold back.
Without hesitation, Baishi activated the Flying Thunder God Technique and teleported to the location where Kurokaku had fallen, marked by one of his kunai.
Amid the smoldering flames, Baishi launched himself at Kisame with all his might, his speed reaching its peak.
Despite his doubts, Kisame's focus was razor-sharp. The moment Baishi disappeared, Kisame's sharp instincts tracked him to his previous position.
Clearly, Kisame understood the mechanics of the Flying Thunder God Technique well.
After all, the current ninja war had brought Minato Namikaze to prominence. The Flying Thunder God Technique had become a widely studied ability, and Baishi, with his connection to the technique, had been identified as a high-priority target for the Mist Village.
Recognizing Baishi, Kisame immediately raised his guard to the highest level.
As Baishi closed the distance, Kisame locked his gaze on him, ready to counter.
(End of Chapter)