In the Hidden Rain Village, beneath a massive rock, a large group of Sand ninja had gathered.
"Why hasn't Lady Pakura returned yet?"
A Chūnin looked toward the direction where Pakura and the others had gone to pursue Kaede.
Someone beside him furrowed their brows and said, "They're only chasing a lone ninja. If they had caught up, the fight should have ended by now. If they didn't catch up, they wouldn't waste time chasing him. So why haven't they returned? Could they have been ambushed?"
"That's possible."
A Jōnin left behind with the group spoke in a low voice.
He stared in the direction where Pakura and the others had gone and said, "That young ninja might be a decoy. But with Lady Pakura and Moku's strength, even if they were ambushed, at least one of them should have come back to notify us."
Another Jōnin next to him frowned and replied, "our mission this time shouldn't have been noticed by Konoha. How could it be so coincidental that a decoy ninja appeared in such a location?"
"It's hard to say."
The first Jōnin spoke again, his voice heavy, "We can only wait for a bit longer. If there's no word in fifteen minutes, we'll go look for them."
The Jōnin and Chūnin around him all nodded slowly, their expressions grave.
This surprise attack was crucial!
It could determine the outcome of this war!
Now, they had encountered an unexpected situation. A mysterious ninja had spotted them, and Pakura and the others had chased after him, but still hadn't returned. No matter how you looked at it, this was bad news.
One minute...
Two minutes...
Time passed quietly.
Raindrops continued to fall, trickling down the rock cliffs.
The Sand ninja gathered beneath the rocks to avoid the rain, while others stood above to keep watch. A silent tension hung in the air as they waited.
Suddenly.
A ninja atop the rock scanned the surroundings and, after a brief flash of realization, jumped down, shouting, "Ninja spotted at seven o'clock, it's Jōnin Yuki!"
The oppressive atmosphere lifted instantly as all the Sand ninja turned their attention in that direction. Some immediately ran off, heading toward the seven o'clock position.
The lead Jōnin watched Yuki rushing toward them, a bad premonition creeping into his heart.
If Pakura and the others had dealt with that ninja, they should have returned together by now.
But now, only Yuki was returning!
Could it be true? Was that ninja actually a decoy who lured Pakura and the others into an ambush? Now Yuki had come back looking for reinforcements?
The other Sand ninja had also thought of this, and tension spread across their faces. This was a very serious situation!
All eyes were now focused on Yuki, who was rapidly approaching.
One thousand meters...
Nine hundred meters...
Eight hundred meters...
Yuki was closing in.
Among the Sand ninja, a sensory ninja who was watching Yuki suddenly froze, as if sensing something. When Yuki got within five hundred meters, his face changed drastically, and he shouted:
"Be careful!!"
"That's not Jōnin Yuki!"
His voice echoed across the area, and the Sand ninja's faces changed in unison.
It was then that the 'Yuki' rushing toward them, surrounded by white smoke, suddenly transformed into a young ninja with silver hair and torn clothing.
Immediately, the speed of the young ninja shot up, nearly three to four times faster, as he charged toward the Sand ninja.
"Fast!"
"Watch out!!"
"Teams Eight, Nine, and Ten, prepare your ninjutsu!"
Seeing this, one of the Sand Jōnin immediately shouted commands, and several ninja in the back quickly stepped forward, hands flying through hand seals.
As they formed their seals, Kaede's chakra surged within him. He immediately broke through the third gate, glowing silver, and then shattered the fourth gate, arcs of lightning weaving through his silver hair.
Whoosh!!!
His speed skyrocketed several times over.
under the horrified gaze of the Sand ninja, they could only see a silver streak of light flash across the battlefield, covering the final stretch of two hundred meters.
"Wind Release! Wind Blade Technique!"
More than ten Sand ninja shouted in unison.
The wind blades, created by the combined efforts of the group, instantly intertwined to form a vast net of wind blades, sweeping toward Kaede.
"..."
The Jōnin in charge observed the scene with a dark expression.
He wasn't too concerned about the ninja before him. After all, with over a hundred elite warriors, no matter how fast he was, he wouldn't be able to break through their massive wind jutsu blockade.
The real problem was...
The situation was dire!
An enemy disguised as Yuki had launched a surprise attack, while Pakura and the others, who had gone to pursue, had vanished without a trace. They were most likely in grave danger!
His thoughts flashes rapidly, but his command did not falter. As the three teams combined their wind jutsu to block Kaede's advance, he continued issuing orders.
"Teams Four and Five, secure the right flank. Teams Six and Seven, secure the left flank. Surround him and take him down!"
The Sand ninja village, proficient in Wind Release techniques, had no fear of speed-type ninja.
Wind beats lightning!
The slicing power of wind could tear through lightning defenses, and the range of wind jutsu could confine a speed-type ninja, trapping them in the center, creating a pincer formation.
"..."
Kaede remained eerily calm as he watched the wind blade net in front of him, with more wind blades closing in from both sides.
Indeed, Wind Release techniques countered typical speed-type ninja, but the key here was the word "typical." For someone with the defenses of the Third Raikage, or someone like him who could regenerate endlessly, wind jutsu was far less effective!
At that moment.
Looking down from above, one could see a silver streak charging straight at the scattered Sand ninja.
Ahead of that streak was the woven wind blade net, and from both sides, more Sand ninja were quickly forming hand seals, preparing to unleash the same technique to trap the silver light in the net.
"You think you can act as you please in front of our Sand ninja with your speed? You're overly confident… Your speed is your weakness!"
A cold glint flashed in the Sand Jōnin's eyes.
Being fast also meant it was harder to change directions!
If Kaede could make a sudden 180-degree turn right now, he could escape the range of the wind blade net. But that would be extremely difficult.
If he could only manage a 90-degree turn, he'd slam directly into the wind blade net coming from the sides. No matter what, there would be no escape!
Some of the Sand ninja were still alive, but they had already written their own deaths.
The other Sand ninja, seeing how the situation was rapidly evolving, began considering the unknown whereabouts of Pakura and the others.
But just then!
A completely unexpected scene unfolded.
Kaede, bathed in silver light, did not veer off course as the wind blade net approached. Instead, he charged straight into it!
"Huh?!"
"What?!"
The sight left all the Sand ninja dumbfounded.
Then they saw Kaede, glowing silver, charge directly through the wind blade net. His body seemed to be shredded into pieces by the net, blood spraying out, leaving a trail of crimson in the air.
A stunned silence.
Was this... suicide?!
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