The air in the desert seemed to have solidified.
Under his mask, Sora's brows furrowed tightly, his brain operating at high speed.
Toroi, elite jonin, Magnet Release Kekkei Genkai.
The tall, thin man and the short, muscular bald man behind him had intense chakra fluctuations. They were definitely jonin level.
The last female ninja wearing glasses had a slightly weaker presence, probably a tokubetsu jonin. But she appeared in a squad of this composition, so she certainly couldn't be underestimated.
'The strength is completely unequal...' Sora felt heavy inside.
On his side, Captain Fox was a veteran jonin with rich experience. But with only him alone, he couldn't hold up everything.
Grey Wolf and Night Owl were both tokubetsu jonin, strong in actual combat. But against true jonin, they were absolutely no match.
Although Sora had many trump cards, his apparent strength was only at the tokubetsu jonin level.
The most crucial point was, the other side had a professional sensor ninja!
Sora glanced at that female Kumo-nin wearing glasses.
'No wonder they could discover us in advance... The lack of a professional sensor type ninja in our squad has always been our weakness. Night Owl's sensing is only slightly stronger than an ordinary ninja's. Dealing with a professional like this is simply not enough.'
He recalled the smoothness of the journey so far. It turned out they had already been targeted by the other side. His own unease and premonition were not unfounded.
Sora was not surprised by Kumo's arrival either.
The Land of Wind at this moment could be described as a hodgepodge of spies from the four great nations. The Land of Lightning was even more special. Its domestic environment was mostly steep mountains and harsh conditions, with scarce resources. The entire village, from top to bottom, exuded a style of bandits and robbers. Seizing resources, seizing Kekkei Genkai, seizing jinchuriki... it was almost their traditional skill.
Sora even suspected that Toroi's Magnet Release Kekkei Genkai might very well have been something Kumo snatched from some unfortunate Suna-nin and then passed down generation by generation.
After all, in the original story, they even dared to forcefully try to kidnap the Hyuga clan's eldest daughter, Hinata. What wouldn't they do?
Toroi's voice, carrying a teasing tone, broke the stalemate.
"What are you thinking, Konoha-nin? My patience is limited."
He shook the peculiar square shuriken in his hand. Electric sparks crackled on it.
Fox remained silent, giving no response. But Sora could sense the chakra around him beginning to slowly flow, like a leopard ready to pounce.
Next, Sora saw Fox's fingers behind his back quickly make several Anbu-specific hand signals.
'Disperse! Breakthrough! Abandon the target!'
The command was crystal clear.
Sora's heart tightened. He immediately understood Fox's intention.
A direct fight meant certain death. Handing over that Suna youth would absolutely not buy safety. Kumo's style had always been to take everything and leave nothing behind. They would never leave survivors to go back and report.
Moreover, based on Sora's knowledge, this Toroi had a self-centered, arrogant personality. Faced with this near-crushing situation, he would definitely not let the four of them leave.
The only way out was to take advantage of the enemy's underestimation, scatter and break through. Escape whoever could!
"Fine!"
Fox suddenly spoke. His voice remained calm, not revealing any trace of panic.
"You can have him! I hope you keep your promise!"
As he spoke, he made a hand signal to Grey Wolf.
Grey Wolf pretended to hesitate for a moment. Then he forcefully threw the unconscious Suna youth on his shoulder towards the empty ground to Toroi's left!
The moment the youth left his hands!
"Go!"
Fox shouted in a low voice!
The four of them, as if they had agreed beforehand, instantly shot out violently in four different directions! Their speed increased to the maximum, without any hesitation or looking back!
"Hmph! I was already prepared for this move of yours! Yumiko!"
Toroi seemed to have anticipated this. He didn't go to catch the flying youth. Instead, he snorted coldly.
That female Kumo-nin wearing glasses, Yumiko, rapidly formed hand seals with both hands.
"Secret Technique. Four-Sided Lock Formation!"
Hum!
An invisible wave instantly spread out with her as the center, like a giant spider web enveloping the surrounding space!
Sora, who was fleeing at high speed, immediately felt his body grow heavy, as if crashing into a layer of sticky glue. His speed involuntarily slowed down.
From the corner of his eye, he saw the figures of Fox, Grey Wolf, and Night Owl also noticeably stagnate. Their breakout momentum was interrupted!
'Bad! It's a large-scale barrier-type technique!'
Sora's heart sank. This Yumiko was clearly not just a sensor ninja. She actually knew this kind of barrier secret technique that could restrict enemies over a wide area.
With this, they were completely put on the defensive!
"Capture them! That kid seems interesting. I want him alive!"
Toroi gave a fierce laugh and finally gave the order. As Sora suspected, he had no intention of letting anyone go.
The battle erupted instantly!
Toroi did not choose the strategy of matching strengths and weaknesses. His own person transformed into a flash of lightning, charging straight at the strongest, Fox. The huge shield on his back had somehow been taken into his hands at some point, surrounded by lightning.
"Magnet Release. Shield Bash!"
Fox did not dare to be negligent. He instantly drew the special material short sword he had specifically prepared before coming to the Land of Wind. The blade was covered with condensed Wind attribute chakra, attempting to cut through the Magnet Release defense.
"Wind Release. Vacuum Blade!"
Boom!
Lightning and wind blades violently collided, stirring up a cloud of dust! The two instantly fought together, their speed dazzlingly fast.
On the other side, the tall, thin Kumo-nin jonin gave a weird laugh. With a wave of both hands, several shuriken flashing with electric light shot towards Grey Wolf from bizarre angles.
"Lightning Release. Lightning Fang Senbon!"
Grey Wolf roared angrily. His body rapidly dodged. The kunai in his hands precisely parried. But he was clearly suppressed by the dense Lightning Release attacks, forced to constantly retreat and evade.
The bald Kumo-nin roared wildly as he charged towards Night Owl. His attack style was wide-open and unrestrained. His fists and feet were wrapped with heavy Earth attribute chakra.
"Earth Release. Rock Fist Technique!"
Night Owl's figure was nimble, moving like a ghost between the gaps of the heavy attacks. But the bald Kumo-nin's strength and defense were extremely strong. Her containment efforts seemed exceptionally difficult.
And Sora's opponent was precisely that female sensor ninja wearing glasses, Yumiko.
'As expected, matched according to strength... This guy Toroi is truly arrogant. He chose the opponent that best showcases his martial prowess, not the most efficient distribution.'
Sora analyzed rapidly in his heart. This was fortunate amidst misfortune. If Toroi came to deal with him personally, or sent a jonin, the pressure would be much greater.
Yumiko adjusted her glasses. Her tone was flippant.
"Little brother, big sister will play with you. Don't worry, I'll be gentle."
Sora did not reply. He silently assumed a combat stance.
At the same time, his gaze quickly swept across the entire battlefield. Captain Fox had already engaged Toroi. Although Fox could hold on for a short while, Grey Wolf and Night Owl could not!
'Must end this quickly, then go support them. Otherwise, if Grey Wolf and Night Owl collapse first, it's all over.'
"Oh dear, little brother still has time to care about others?"
Yumiko seemed to have noticed Sora's distraction. She chuckled and formed hand seals. "Let big sister see your skills! Genjutsu. Fox Mind Technique!"
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