Naruto: Road to Death

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As Yuta slipped into the shadows of the forest, his mind worked at full speed. The hunter following him was no ordinary ninja; his chakra control was precise, disciplined, and gave him away as someone with experience. Yuta took a deep breath, trying to focus his senses. His training had taught him to trust his intuition, but he also knew he had to be careful. This enemy was not to be underestimated.

The forest around him was covered in a light mist, making visibility difficult. Yuta used the advantage of the darkness to his advantage, moving nimbly through the trees. Every step was calculated, his chakra kept to a minimum to avoid detection. He couldn't afford a direct confrontation at the moment, not until he knew more about his pursuer.

After a few minutes of moving stealthily, he found a clearing in the trees. The open ground made him hesitate. It might be a trap, but it was also an opportunity to confront the hunter on his own terms. If he could draw him into the clearing, he would have a better position to analyze his movements.

"I have no other choice," he said quietly, positioning himself on top of a thick, dark branch, observing every movement around him.

Just a few seconds later, the hooded figure emerged from the mist. His walk was calm but sure, as if he knew Yuta was nearby. The hood hid his face, but from his posture and the way he controlled his chakra, Yuta knew this was no ordinary ninja. He could feel the pressure of the chakra emanating from this person, a heavy energy, charged with intent.

"I know you're there, Yuta," the figure said in a firm, resonant voice that cut through the silence of the forest. "There's no point in you continuing to run away."

Yuta felt a chill. That voice... he had heard it before. But he couldn't identify it with certainty. Staying in his hidden position, he waited. He had to buy time to observe and decide his next move.

"You have taken something that does not belong to you," the hooded man continued, taking a step towards the center of the clearing. "The scrolls you carry contain knowledge beyond your understanding. Give them back to me and we will not have to solve this the hard way."

Yuta gritted his teeth. The scrolls he had found were not only dangerous, but also a key to a power he was only just beginning to understand. He could not hand them over, not without first discovering the truth behind them. But how to face someone who evidently knew more than him about the contents of those scrolls?

"Who are you?" Yuta asked from his hiding place, his voice cold and controlled.

The hooded man raised his head slightly, as if considering revealing his identity.

"I am someone who knows the true danger of what you have in your hands," he answered, not yet revealing his face. "If you activate those seals wrong, you will unleash something you cannot control. It is not a matter you can ignore."

Yuta frowned. The tone of the hooded man's voice was not threatening, but it was full of warning. However, there was no way to know if what he said was true or simply a strategy to manipulate him. There was something disturbing in the calm with which he spoke, as if he already knew the outcome of the situation.

"If they are so dangerous, why do you want them?" Yuta pressed.

The hooded man let out a slight laugh, a dry and cutting sound.

"Some secrets must be kept buried. My duty is to make sure that no one, especially someone as inexperienced as you, plays with forces they do not understand."

Yuta felt the pressure of the situation increasing. Despite the exhaustion that still affected him, he knew that he could not run away anymore. This hunter would not let him escape so easily. It was time to make a decision.

With a quick movement, Yuta came down from his hiding place, landing in the clearing, in front of the hooded man. His eyes, now full of determination, fixed on his opponent.

"I'm not going to hand over the scrolls to you," he said firmly, channeling the little chakra he had left into his hands.

The hooded man let out an almost disappointed sigh, and at that moment, he dropped the hood that covered his face. The revelation left Yuta speechless. In front of him, stood a man he vaguely recognized, but whose presence was completely disconcerting. It was someone he had seen in the records of history, a fuinjutsu master who was believed to have disappeared decades ago.

"My name is Ren," the man said, his gaze piercing. "And I came here to correct a mistake from the past."

Before Yuta could react, Ren cast a quick, precise hand seal, and a chakra barrier emerged from the ground, enclosing them both in a pulsating energy field. The air grew thick, and Yuta felt the weight of the technique fall upon him.

"Now," Ren said, his eyes shining with a cold intensity, "you will have to to prove that you really deserve to get out of here alive.