Ryoma's squad, after the battle ended, inspected the supplies this Iwa-nin unit was transporting and discovered they were all essential wartime provisions, along with some large-scale weapons.
Iwagakure's intention was already self-evident.
However, in the very last vehicle of the convoy, there were only three scrolls.
The area around the vehicle was covered in ancient symbols that Ryoma and his three companions could not understand, lines and frames that seemed to be sealing something away, and the large word "Forbidden" on the scrolls themselves clearly indicated their importance.
Approaching the scrolls, Ryoma felt a sinister and indescribable aura rise directly into his heart.
It looked extremely imposing, as if the stakes were high.
Without time to think it over, Ryoma hurriedly summoned a snake and had it swallow the three scrolls whole.
He then followed Chōza and the others to quickly leave the area.
...
Shortly after Ryoma's four-man squad withdrew, a team of Iwa-nin rushed nonstop to the location where the battle had just occurred.
The leading man was very lean, with a long scar on his face that looked quite terrifying.
At this moment, the fury in the leading Iwa-nin's eyes was already uncontrollable, and he shouted angrily: "Two jōnin, eight chūnin, twelve genin, and they couldn't even hold out until we arrived to support them?! Did they run into the main force of Konoha in the Land of Grass?!!"
At that moment, a chūnin who had finished surveying the battlefield braced himself and reported the situation to the Iwa-nin jōnin, who was still fuming: "Captain Egawa, all members of the transport unit have been confirmed dead, including Jōnin Nishishibito and Jōnin Ishii Ichirō."
"Judging from the wounds, most of them were killed by bladed weapons. Even Jōnin Nishishibito was killed with a single blow; there isn't a single trace of battle on his body."
"Therefore, the enemy's squad may include a ninja with exceptionally powerful swordsmanship, one so fast that even Jōnin Nishishibito couldn't react and was instantly killed!"
Ryoma said, heh heh, it wasn't that he couldn't react, he stood there motionless and let me cut him~
Nishishibito said: "What the f*ck!!!"
The reporting chūnin, watching Egawa's face grow increasingly dark, continued: "Jōnin Ishii Ichirō and two other chūnin were killed by a ninja extremely skilled in taijutsu and ninjutsu integration. Others died from Fire Release and other attack methods."
"Our preliminary estimate is that the enemy unit is small, about four to six people. After the battle, they destroyed and burned all the supplies and are now rapidly withdrawing in the direction of the Land of Fire."
"Additionally..."
Jōnin Egawa, his face gloomy, spat out a single word: "Speak!"
"The 'secret weapon' being transported was also taken by the enemy, using unknown means."
Egawa felt his vision darken and his blood pressure spike violently, the kind about to break through the skyline.
At this moment, Egawa didn't dare to think; if he brought news like this back to the village about this secret operation, he might as well not return at all. He could just go find some corner, smash his head against a piece of tofu, and be done with it.
Egawa, gritting his teeth, said to the chūnin in front of him: "Report the situation here immediately to Lord Hiru in the rear unit. Request Lord Hiru to provide reinforcements as soon as possible."
Then he shouted to the other Iwa-nin around him: "The rest of you, with me. Pursue the enemy. They surely haven't gotten far yet. Recover the village's 'secret weapon'!"
With that, all the Iwa-nin immediately set out, rapidly chasing in the direction Ryoma and the others had just withdrawn.
Egawa had only one thought in his mind now: catch up to that enemy squad ahead and take back the goods!
Never mind some swordsmanship expert who can kill a jōnin instantly; even if Konoha's White Fang himself came today, this Egawa would rush over to see what the deal was!
The White Fang has a sword, and I have a sword too; why don't you ask that White Fang if he fears me?!!
My blade is not yet dull either!
Of course, if the White Fang actually came, then just pretend Egawa was farting just now.
Ryoma and the other three were still weaving through the forest, rapidly advancing towards the Land of Fire border. Several Flying Corps soldiers scouting above Ryoma were constantly transmitting information about the situation behind them.
Ryoma knew the enemy had already caught up, and they were fast, getting closer and closer.
Kurenai's speed was still a bit slower than the others. To ensure her safety, Chōza was at the rear of the formation, ready to hold the enemy off. Meanwhile, Ryoma, using his Flying Corps' characteristic of "fly high, see far," was observing the surrounding situation, choosing a suitable evacuation route for them.
Suddenly, Ryoma stopped, changed direction, and set off again. Asuma and the other two, following behind, changed course with Ryoma without hesitation.
And not long after Ryoma and his team had just left that new direction, Egawa and three Iwa-nin chūnin appeared right there!
Egawa, frustrated and exasperated, spat on the ground and said to a chūnin beside him: "Sense their position again. We'll still intercept and block them. I don't believe it; how can these guys be this lucky every single time?!"
Egawa realized that Ryoma's group of four wasn't actually faster than them, but for some reason, every time they were about to catch up, Ryoma and the others would immediately change direction, as if they had opened some heavenly eye.
The result was that when Egawa decided to split up with another jōnin, each leading a team to intercept Ryoma's squad from different directions, Ryoma and his team, as if they were cheating, changed their advance direction again just minutes before encountering them.
They even perfectly avoided the position where the other jōnin was!
This was seriously damn eerie.
"Could it be we've run into Konoha's Hyūga clan," Egawa couldn't help but think.
The time intervals between Ryoma's group changing direction were also getting shorter and shorter, proving that the Iwa-nin were gradually closing in, surrounding them.
Ryoma's expression grew increasingly grave. The enemy was faster than them and had numerical superiority. If they were surrounded, the situation would be extremely disadvantageous.
Chōza, at the rear of the formation, noticed Ryoma's expression and called out to him: "What's the situation, Ryoma?"
Ryoma answered quickly: "Not good. The enemy's numbers are even larger than before, and they're faster than us. I'm trying to figure out a way to break out of their encirclement!"
Chōza nodded silently. Watching Kurenai, who was already starting to fall behind, and Asuma, who was beginning to struggle, he made up his mind and said to Ryoma: "Ryoma, remember what I told you? Delivering the intelligence from this mission back to Konoha is the top priority!"
Hearing the firm determination in Chōza's voice, Ryoma seemed to understand something.
Before Ryoma could speak, Chōza cut him off.
"Ryoma, try to find a weak point in their encirclement. I'll hold off as many enemies as I can to cover your breakout. Just running frantically like this won't work. We're slower than them; they'll catch us sooner or later!"
Asuma, seeing this, immediately shouted loudly to Chōza: "Chōza-sensei, if someone's staying behind, it should be me. You're the strongest; you should take Kurenai and leave here quickly."
Kurenai understood in her heart that it was her slower speed that made it impossible to shake off the enemies behind, and now her teacher and teammates were considering sacrificing themselves to help her escape.
This was absolutely not something a strong kunoichi could allow!
Kurenai lifted her head resolutely and said to Chōza: "Chōza-sensei, I'm the slowest. I'll be the one to hold them off!"
Chōza barked back angrily: "All of you, shut up! You foolish students. Protecting my students is my duty as a teacher. At your current strength, staying behind to hold them off wouldn't achieve any substantial result! Ryoma is the squad leader now. Both of you must follow his orders!"
In his heart, Chōza had already prepared himself to hold the rear for his students.
He was not only their teacher but also their senior and the captain of this squad. Protecting Konoha's future was a responsibility he absolutely had to fulfill!
At that moment, Ryoma suddenly stopped walking. He looked up with a wry smile at Egawa, who stood before them panting and with a fierce expression, and said to Chōza: "Chōza-sensei, no need to argue. Looks like we'll all be 'holding the rear' together."
As soon as he finished speaking, ninja wearing Iwa forehead protectors appeared one after another around Ryoma and his three companions.
All of them stood in the trees, murderous intent written on their faces, staring down at Ryoma's group.
They had completely surrounded the entire Squad Six.
---
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