(Neji's team's POV)
Neji, Lee, and Tenten were dirty and tired, that much was evident. Neji's Byakugan was a great help in this kind of environment of hunting and being hunted, but it was also why Neji was the most tired among them.
Even so, the group knew this was their last chance.
-As I said before, the team consists of 3 members. The guy with blue hair and glasses has the most chakra. With the sword on his back, he can create chakra constructs, so be careful not to get too close to him.- Neji, hidden by the dense foliage of the trees, lowered his voice and began to explain again, mainly because he knew that Lee, the idiot, would have forgotten this information a long time ago.
To the side, Lee and Tenten waved briefly.
-The other two, one is a swordsman, he carries a katana at his waist and is very fast, he probably specializes in using Shunshin, his blade is also covered in chakra, so one cut can easily split a thick tree in two, watch out for him.- Neji continued. -The last one has a chakra very similar to that white-haired guy from Sound, his chakra almost seems to flow like water, he's probably a specialist in water release.
-Okay, Neji, we understand.- Tenten sighed. -In that case, how are we going to attack?
Neji was quiet for a moment as he spoke. -Lee and I focus on pure Taijutsu, in this case the guy with the Katana has the advantage, so we'll leave him to you, Tenten.
Tenten gave a proud, yet tired smile. - Leave it to me.
-And me?!- Lee asked excitedly.
-We don't know enough about the other two, but I'll leave the blue-haired guy to you, Lee. Even if he uses some chakra constructs, you're fast enough to dodge. At this point, you'd better take the weights off your legs quickly, we don't have the luxury of going easy on our opponents.- Neji explained, emphasizing the last part.
Lee scratched his head in embarrassment, he really was wearing weights. For a moment, he wanted to refuse, after all, this wasn't a life-or-death situation or a chance to prove his ninja skills, so he felt he shouldn't take them off.
But seeing the tired faces of Neji and Tenten, he paused for a moment and nodded.
-Guy-sensei, don't blame me, this time I have to protect my friends!- Lee's eyes burned intensely, he was ready to give it his all.
Neji sighed and said. -Let's try to finish this quickly, Lee. That guy is very fast, and Tenten probably won't be able to do anything to him except delay.
-Okay! Don't worry, Tenten! I'll finish quickly and help you!- Lee gave Tenten a thumbs-up, his teeth gleaming.
A bead of sweat trickled down Tenten's forehead and she gave a stiff smile. -Well, I'm counting on you, Lee.
//-//
(Chojuro Team's POV)
On the other side, Team Chojuro approached calmly, of course, but they still maintained a high degree of vigilance.
Suddenly, the brown-haired man narrowed his eyes slightly, it was indeed the man with chakra as fluid as water that Neji had spoken of.
Without changing his expression, he spoke. -Chojuro, Taro, I'm sensing three targets five hundred meters above the trees.
Taro's expression didn't change, but Chojuro swallowed hard, even so, neither of them stopped running, only maintaining their fluid movement, something only the blood mist can do. There, ninjas have bonds thinner than water and hearts colder than ice.
Death, or something like that, is just the everyday occurrence in the blood mist.
Fortunately, the Mizukage put an end to that, but the current ninjas are still accustomed to that period, so the coldness is evident in every ninja of the mist.
Even Chojuro, the least cold among them, manages to remain calm when the enemies knock on the door, although he is somewhat internally distressed and has even begun to sweat. This is because the boy went through graduation after the end of the blood mist, or the exam where he would have to kill someone who grew up with him would have left him as cold as the ninjas beside him.
Chojuro is very grateful to Mizukage Mei for this.
-Muzashi-san, Taro-san, what should we do?- Chojuro asked, swallowing hard again.
Neither Muzashi nor Taro cared about Chojuro's weak tone, they were used to it. Even so, they didn't understand why the Mizukage liked this boy so much that she assigned them both to protect him and even gave him Hiramekarei.
Even so, there was a reason Mei had chosen the pair, whether it was their strength or their loyalty, they were top-notch, so she felt confident sending them.
Whether it was Muzashi or Taro, both wanted to reciprocate the woman's trust.
-Taro, you continue moving forward. I'll leave a clone and turn around.- Muzashi said.
The pair nodded, and Muzashi did exactly as he was told. He waited for a puddle of water to pass by, extremely quickly, he entered the water and created a water clone.
But as he prepared to sneak up behind them, his eyes widened. Muzashi used moisture as a means to spread his chakra and sense enemies, but at that moment, he felt the opposing team was rapidly advancing toward them!
Running out of the puddle, he quickly rejoined Chojuro and Taro. The pair looked confused, but he quickly explained. -They seem to have a sensor too, they're advancing towards us.
The trio grew apprehensive. Muzashi released the clone, regaining some chakra, ready for battle.