Almost simultaneously, the ninja from the 'Raven' unit in the camp below suddenly looked up. His sharp gaze shot like a physical entity toward the hillside where Sora and the other three were hiding!
"We've been discovered!"
Grey Wolf growled in a low voice, instinctively tightening his grip on his kunai.
"Heh. Sneaky rats. You actually found your way here."
A cold, hoarse voice abruptly echoed through the mountain forest, yet its exact source could not be pinpointed.
The next moment, figures silently emerged from the shadows of the surrounding trees, vaguely encircling them.
Counting the ninjas rapidly assembling from the camp below and flanking them, there were a full twelve people!
They wore unified Kumogakure standard equipment, but their forehead protectors were worn in various ways. Their faces bore varying degrees of cold sternness and killing intent, their eyes sharp, firmly locked onto Sora and his three companions.
The leader was a tall, thin man with a ferocious scar on his face. His gaze swept slowly over Fox, Grey Wolf, Night Owl, and finally settled on Sora's face…
Or rather, on his Green Snake mask.
The corner of Scar-face's mouth slowly curled into a grin full of killing intent, and he spoke with a tone of excitement at having found prey.
"So it's you after all… Konoha's, 'Green Snake'."
'They're specifically after me?'
Sora felt a chill in his heart.
Fox asked in a grave voice, "What do you mean?"
"What do I mean?"
Scar-face sneered, but his gaze never left Sora.
"You are Green Snake from Konoha Anbu Squad C Five, correct? Over half a year ago, at the border of the Land of Wind, you killed our Kumogakure's Lord Toroi and his squad members."
"Lord Toroi was not only an elite jonin of the village, but also a master of Magnet Release deeply trusted by the Third Raikage! His death enraged the Raikage!"
He paused, his tone becoming even more icy.
"Although the specifics are unclear, the last intelligence transmitted back pointed to a Konoha Anbu wearing an animal mask. One of the distinguishing features was the Green Snake mask!"
Sora frowned. Thinking it over, he instantly understood the reason. Clearly, the four Kumogakure ninjas from back then had left behind some intelligence. The burly Toroi and the other two, Raiga and Ganko, were obviously not such meticulous people.
'It seems it was that sensor ninja, Yumiko. But it appears the information she left is incomplete. It doesn't contain any intelligence about my final transformation into the Azure Dragon.'
Even though the information was incomplete, only locking onto the mask codename, it was enough for Kumogakure to mark Sora as a key target.
Toroi's status in Kumogakure was clearly very high. This hatred was firmly pinned on his head.
Scar-face slowly drew the short sword from his back.
"The Raikage personally ordered, alive to see the person, dead to see the body! I never expected you to deliver yourself to our doorstep. Your life, I, 'Black Crow', will claim it!"
As he spoke, the eleven other ninjas of the 'Raven' unit simultaneously erupted with chakra. A powerful pressure pressed down like a physical force.
One elite jonin, five jonin, six special jonin!
This force was enough to surround and attack a Kage-level powerhouse!
Clearly, Kumogakure had mobilized a rather astonishing force to capture or kill 'Green Snake'. Sora and his team were simply extremely unlucky, coincidentally running straight into the Raven unit that had been ordered to come and surround 'Green Snake'.
Fox's expression beneath his mask was extremely grim. The disparity in strength was extreme. A direct confrontation meant certain death.
Almost instantly, he made the calmest and also the most brutal decision.
"Scatter! Evacuate separately! As per standard procedure, meet at the border outpost!"
Fox's voice, infused with chakra, reached the ears of his three teammates, decisive and unhesitating.
Immediately after, he sharply looked at Sora and roared in a tone nearing a shout, ensuring the surrounding Kumogakure ninjas could hear.
"Green Snake! The intelligence is critically important! You are responsible for taking it back to Konoha! You must deliver it to the Hokage! We will cover you!"
Before his words fully faded, Fox, with his single arm, violently flung out several smoke bombs and explosive tags, shooting them in different directions!
Boom! Bang!
Smoke and explosions instantly obscured vision, disrupting the encirclement the Kumogakure ninjas had just begun to form.
Grey Wolf and Night Owl did not hesitate for a moment. Though shocked inside by their captain's words that seemed to sell out a teammate, their long-term cooperative默契 allowed them to immediately execute the order. They rapidly shot out towards two directions not far apart!
Sora reacted with equal speed.
He instantly understood Fox's intention.
On one hand, it was truly to create chaos, maximally dispersing the enemy's forces, buying a sliver of chance for everyone.
On the other hand, Fox deliberately emphasized that the 'intelligence' was on him and that he was to 'take it back'. This was to leverage the fact that Kumogakure's primary target was his capture, to attract more and stronger pursuers to his side, thereby reducing the pressure on Grey Wolf and Night Owl!
This was an overt scheme. For Kumogakure, the importance of capturing or killing 'Green Snake' was clearly far greater than that of the three ordinary Anbu.
Moreover, the 'intelligence' was on 'Green Snake'.
Regarding this decision, Sora felt no dissatisfaction. On the contrary, he thought it was the most correct choice under the circumstances.
Fox was aware of the true extent of his strength and trump cards. As long as the entire Raven unit wasn't sent to pursue Sora, there would only be two outcomes.
Either Sora would escape, or he would kill all his pursuers!
And the Raven unit, unaware of Sora's true strength, obviously would not let Fox and the other two escape and would certainly dispatch part of their force to pursue them.
"Trying to run?!"
Black Crow snorted coldly and spoke quickly.
"You six, go after the other three rats. Dead or alive doesn't matter! The rest, with me! Target—Green Snake!"
He instantly assessed the situation. Just as Fox had anticipated, he locked his main target onto Sora.
Three jonin and three special jonin split off to pursue the directions in which Fox, Grey Wolf, and Night Owl had fled.
As for Black Crow himself, he personally led the remaining five—two jonin and three special jonin—like starving wolves locking onto prey, carrying with them a fierce killing intent, giving full chase in the direction Sora had disappeared!
A life-and-death race instantly unfolded within the forest.
Sora pushed his speed to the limit, his body low, weaving through the dense trees, using every bit of terrain to evade the line of sight and any possible long-range attacks from behind.
Observing the six figures following behind, his mind raced.
'Six people… one elite jonin, two jonin, three special jonin. They really think highly of me!'
'Right now, I'm not far from the coast of the Land of Lightning. The fastest route back to the Land of Fire is straight south, returning by sea.'
Behind him, the sound of breaking air continued. Black Crow and the five others were in close pursuit. However, Sora, aided by the wind element of the Azure Dragon Fruit, was not slow either. The distance between the two sides remained roughly constant.
Black Crow's voice, like a persistent parasitic worm, came through the trees.
"Green Snake! You can't escape! Surrender quietly, and you'll suffer less!"
Sora's eyes beneath the mask were icy cold, without the slightest fluctuation.
He took a deep breath. The power of the Azure Dragon Fruit within his body began to surge quietly, subtly enhancing his physical functions and perception.
This chase had only just begun.
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