Lock's body blurred into nothingness, reappearing a full kilometer away in the dense forest. He exhaled sharply, chest heaving. The secret teleportation tool he carried — a specialized kunai infused with space-time seals — had saved his life. Unlike his usual strike technique, this one didn't require a target. He could bend space itself and jump anywhere within range.
But the tool carried a weakness. If he was struck directly, even grazed, the space-time seal would destabilize and become unusable for a few moments. That meant he had to vanish before anyone could touch him.
As soon as he arrived at his new position, Lock drove a small inked tag into the ground — a scouting seal. Invisible to the naked eye, it expanded his awareness, giving him vision across a vast stretch of land. He could no longer hear the Raikage's forces, but through the seal's chakra imprint, he could still see their movements from afar as though he stood among them.
Back where he had fled, Raikage Ai roared, lightning bursting violently around his frame. "Where is he?! Find him!"
The sensory-nin strained, sweat dripping down his temple. "I… I can't sense him! Not a trace of chakra within range. It's like he vanished completely!"
The Cloud shinobi cursed, fists tightening. To be toyed with by a boy from Konoha was humiliation enough — but to lose him entirely was worse.
"It must be space–time ninjutsu," one of them muttered, face pale. "Nothing else explains it."
The others froze. Even for elite shinobi, such techniques were nearly mythical. Only a handful in the history of the world had ever mastered them.
"You mean that brat… has forbidden arts of space–time?"
The Raikage ground his teeth. The thought of a mere child slipping past his lightning armor made his blood boil. "I don't care what it is. We're not letting him go. Split the forces. Leave a few to move the base. The rest—hunt him down. Killer B, you're with me. Sarui too. The others, take Yukito. She can use the Two-Tails' senses to track him."
The order silenced any hesitation. They knew what it meant — without sensory abilities, they'd be hunting a ghost. But with a Jinchūriki, they stood a chance.
"Hurry! He can't have gone far. From Tango Country into Fire's border, there are only a few passes. We'll corner him."
Meanwhile, Lock crouched silently beneath the forest canopy, eyes narrowed as his seal showed him their formations. He couldn't hear their voices, but the motions and hand signals were clear enough. He understood their plan.
A small, wry smile tugged at his lips. If this were before, maybe you'd have a chance. But now…
The Raikage's rage, the sensor's straining effort, the division of forces — Lock saw it all, and yet he was calm. His chakra reserves were battered, with half remaining. But that no longer terrified him. With the space–time kunai in hand, he could leap again and again without draining his chakra at all.
No matter how fast you chase, he thought, hand tightening on the kunai's hilt, you'll never catch me.
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