Escape From Konoha

On the fourth day of the Miko's Coming of Age Ceremony, Ma Ji considered leaving the Kingdom of Ghosts.

This time is already early February. Before leaving the Kingdom of Ghosts, Ma Ji, as the envoy representative of Sunagakure Village, purchased a batch of unregulated military equipment from the Kingdom of Ghosts, as well as medical equipment for use by medical ninjas.

Needless to say, the former can be purchased from the Kingdom of Iron. After all, in terms of price and quality of low-end ninja tools, the ninja tools forged by the Kingdom of Iron are not inferior to those of the Kingdom of Demons. However, due to the distance between the two countries, If it is too far away, the transportation costs that Sunagakure has to bear will be much higher.

The latter is also a scarce equipment in Sunagakure. Although the abilities of medical ninjas are mostly related to the medical ninjutsu they master, the introduction of medical equipment can improve the safety and survival rate of the injured in the process of treating seriously injured people. Although the price is expensive, with the support of the Wind Country, Sunagakure does not have to worry about this small amount of money.

If the Kingdom of Wind wants to resist the military threat from the Kingdom of Ghosts, it can only rely on its own ninja villages, and it is impossible to place its hopes entirely on the allies.

In addition, the reason why Ma Ji chose to leave only a few days after the miko coming-of-age ceremony was because of the warning words Shikaku said to him that day.

The mysterious organization that targets tailed beasts is indeed a potential threat to Sunagakure. It's just that this threat, due to the previous military threat from the Demon Country, caused the senior officials of Sunagakure Village to relax their vigilance slightly.

After all, the military threat from the Kingdom of Oni is very close, but this mysterious organization has done nothing for two consecutive years. It is impossible for Sunagakure Village to focus on this matter. After all, their tailed beasts were not stolen like Kumogakure and Iwagakure, and they needed to be watched closely.

Coincidentally, the time when the Sunagakure envoys left the Kingdom of Oni was the same time when the Konoha envoys left the Kingdom of Oni.

However, Shikaku's purpose of staying in the Demon Country for a few more days is not to purchase armaments and medical equipment from the Demon Country, but to reward Shikamaru and others for their hard work in the past year, hoping that in these few days, They relax. Because in the days to come, Shikaku had a hunch that the ninja world would not be too peaceful.

I'm afraid the only day I can feel at ease is now.

Sunagakure and the Konoha envoys took the same train to leave the Kingdom of Demons and arrived at the platform of the border city of the Bear Kingdom, a subsidiary country of the Demon Kingdom.

"Mr. Shikaku, let's say goodbye here."

Maki and Shikaku held hands at the platform.

"Then, goodbye. By the way, remember to be careful on the road. It's okay. If anything happens, please keep in touch at any time."

Shikaku reminded him again.

If it were a reminder from an ordinary person, Shikaku wouldn't care too much.

But this time the person who reminded him was Shiraishi, and he believed that the other person was not the kind of person who made random mistakes.

There will definitely be a terrifying undercurrent in the darkness of the ninja world.

Ma Ji nodded, indicating that he understood, then turned around and led the envoys from Sand Hidden Village, left the platform, and returned to the direction of the Kingdom of Wind.

"Is it okay, them?"

Nara Suzaku, who came to Shikaku's side, asked softly.

"Who knows, but we have already warned you, and Sunagakure's team is not weak, so there shouldn't be any problems."

Although Konoha and Sunagakure are allies of each other, there are some sensitive matters involved, and as Konoha ninjas, it is inconvenient for them to get involved.

Moreover, Sunagakure probably wouldn't directly ask Konoha for help in this kind of matter.

Even if they do encounter an ambush, they will find a way to solve it themselves as soon as possible instead of asking for help from the Allies if something happens.

"Let's go back and report to Lord Hokage."

Shikaku moved his eyes away from the Sunagakure ninja, and everyone with Konoha's envoys turned around and left, heading towards the Land of Fire.

◎

"Damn it, these brats actually...ahem!"

The man with a fierce face began to flee in panic in the snowy wilderness.

Along the way, blood stains from wounds were scattered on the snow, guiding the pursuit of the 'hunters' behind them.

His left arm was in tatters and had marks of being torn by wild beasts. If he hadn't paid attention at the time, it was very likely that this piece of flesh on his arm would have been chewed off. By then, it will no longer be this neither light nor serious attitude.

Even so, his left arm became less flexible. There are great constraints on the use of seals and Ninjutsu.

But who would have thought that for a defector like him, Konoha would send such a powerful guy?

After reaching a rock, the man took a deep breath.

He pulled off the white straps on his trouser legs and wrapped them around his bleeding left arm.

Immediately afterwards, he took out the Bing Liang Pill from his ninja bag and popped it into his mouth without hesitation.

Finally, he held a kunai in his right hand, pressed his back against the rock wall, and his breath and breath completely fell silent, and his whole person fell into a state of 'nothing'.

The blood stains on the snow were misleading, leading to another rock not far away.

In short, first lure a 'hunter' to the bait, kill the opponent, and then quickly evacuate, giving Konoha's pursuing troops a clue.

Who will take the bait first? Is it that nine-tailed brat? The man leaned his back against the wall, his mouth slightly cracked, revealing a ferocious smile.

As a former Jounin of Konoha, he naturally knew about the Nine-Tailed Jinchuuriki.

I heard he was a careless fool.

Although his strength is good, due to his lack of vigilance, he is easily attacked by others.

If the other party is really coming, then maybe you can use the other party as a hostage to get yourself out of danger. There was even a negotiated price with Konoha's senior officials.

Just when he was fantasizing like this, a creepy aura behind him made his body freeze instantly.

Without any hesitation, he flashed his body forward, turned around simultaneously, and looked at the rock wall where his back was originally leaning.

A human face appeared there quietly, staring directly at him.

Immediately afterwards, the whole person walked out of the rock. Tianzang pressed his neck and said casually:

"It seems that the vigilance is a little stronger than what the intelligence said. It would be better if it was a step later."

If he had taken one step too late, the battle just now would have ended immediately.

However, it was expected that the Jonin would be so alert.

"Asshole, don't underestimate people, I am the same after all -"

The man couldn't speak any more.

He looked down at his feet, and at some point, two hands suddenly emerged from the ground, grabbing his ankles and pulling his legs, making his body unable to move.

"Rasengan!"

The man turned his head to look, but saw nothing. The sky and the earth spun for a while, and his body was hit by a heavy bombardment, and he flew past.

It rolled on the ground for more than ten meters before stopping.

The clothes on the back were torn to pieces, and the horribly tempered back muscles also had horrific spiral scars on them, as if blood and flesh had been twisted together with force.

"cough!"

The man lying motionless on the ground just opened his weak eyes and unconsciously spit out a mouthful of blood.

So fast! This is the only thought in his mind now.

It was so fast that he, the jounin, didn't even react before he was knocked away.

Naruto, who was not far away, took a gentle breath after using the Rasengan to fly the man away.

A chakra needle emitting orange light was inserted into his back, stimulating his body and causing his chakra to enter a more active chakra activity state than usual.

His speed and reflexes have been significantly improved.

Coupled with the physical skills accumulated in daily life, it resulted in the unexpected sneak attack just now.

After doing all this, the chakra needle behind Naruto flew out, and under the pull of Lei Dun, fell into the hands of Huonoko who was chasing him.

Sai also jumped down from the back of the big ink bird above. The four people from Class 7 surrounded the man who was beaten to the ground motionless by Naruto. The victory or defeat was decided.

Although the man was seriously injured by the Rasengan's attack, he did not die. He just stared at the four people surrounding him with a look of unwillingness, a look of sadness in his eyes.

"Captain Yamato, what should we do next?"

Naruto asked, scratching his head.

"Didn't you say that such a dangerous guy should be executed on the spot?"

Tenzo glanced at Naruto.

Just now, as long as Naruto slightly added some chakra to the Rasengan to increase its power, he could definitely kill the defecting Jonin immediately.

Naruto choked.

"I……"

"Ah, I really can't stand it. As a ninja, to make a mistake on something like this is not a ninja game in a ninja school."

The one who spoke was Huo Yezi, the youngest in the team.

The chakra needle in her hand flew out immediately as Naruto hesitated, and instantly sank into the man's neck.

The man didn't react at all. He just slowly closed his eyes and lost his breath on the snow.

"Honoko..."

Naruto looked at Huonoko blankly.

I didn't expect that the other party would kill the person so decisively.

"What are you doing, idiot senior?"

Hanoko raised her eyes and responded to Naruto with an unhappy attitude.

"Why are you……"

"I am destined to become an elite ninja of ANBU, so I will not procrastinate on such a trivial matter. And I am dealing with a traitorous ninja. It doesn't matter what method I use, as long as I can definitely kill the opponent."

Hanoko put her hands on her hips, raised her head, and stared at Naruto with stoic eyes.

Although he knew this was a fact, Naruto still felt a little uncomfortable when he saw that Hinoko, who looked childish, could get used to this kind of thing.

You must know that at Huo Yezi's age, it is absolutely impossible for him to execute a living life so simply. It requires a lot of psychological awareness.

"Forget it, this mission ends here."

Tenzo stopped the communication between Naruto and Huonoko and came to squat next to the man's body.

Take out a scroll and seal the body in the scroll before it rots. After returning to Konoha Village, it will be handed over to Konoha ANBU's autopsy department for disposal.

Under Tenzo's call, the other three people returned to the direction of Konoha Village without any objection.

Perhaps because he felt a little unhappy, Naruto was alone at the back of the team and was in a low mood.

——Why, are you still worried about what happened just now?

The voice of his father Minato rang in his mind.

Maybe it was because they had been honest with each other, so Minato would not deliberately hide his existence in front of Naruto.

--Um. Huonoko is too young.

Naruto nodded and also communicated with Minato from his heart.

He recognized Huo Yezi's strength, but after getting along with him during this period, he felt that there was actually a huge generation gap between him and Huo Yezi.

——At this person's age, if he can become an ANBU candidate, he must have experienced even the darkest things.

Minato said in an affirmative tone.

Generally speaking, the age of twelve is almost the right time to graduate from a ninja school, and then through many years of accumulation, become a chuunin.

This is the normal ninja graduation and promotion process.

But Huo Yezi was obviously not among them.

Her professional ability is very strong, so strong that many chuunin may not have the calm and calm psychological quality like her.

The fact that the other party can become an ANBU candidate at this age is definitely not due to luck or any accidental factors.

——Is ANBU such an existence?

——Yes, dealing with defecting ninjas is also an important responsibility of ANBU. Because defecting ninjas are more dangerous than ordinary enemies, such existences will generally not be left to ninjas other than ANBU to intervene. ANBU is extremely professional when it comes to handling this kind of thing.

As an ANBU candidate who could become a full member of the ANBU at any time, Hanoko must have dealt with many similar matters before joining Team 7.

Minato had experience as a Hokage, so he naturally had this information at his fingertips.

——So, Naruto, you don’t have to worry about this kind of thing. Rebellious ninjas are very dangerous to the village, especially those at the Jonin level. Unless they are special personnel, the orders from above will be straightforward execution and will not be taken back for trial.

——No, I just regret. When I killed that person just now, I hesitated in my heart. If I had been more decisive, I wouldn't have had to take action.

Naruto was upset about this.

Minato just remained silent about this.

Konoha's current protection of Naruto is too deliberate.

In the past, Kushina had never been so overly protective.

This may also be related to the fact that Naruto does not yet have the ability to protect himself.

But whether Naruto himself wants it or not, he is now Konoha's jinchūriki.

The Jinchuuriki is one of the most important weapons in the Ninja Village.

A weapon that is not sharp enough and even requires the Ninja Village to provide protection is itself a waste of resources. This will not only fail to provide a guarantee for the survival of the village, but will also become a huge burden in the development process of the village.

Fortunately, the current Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, deliberately opened a gap in this regard to allow Naruto to have more contact with the outside world. The various tasks provided to Team 7 this year also focused on actual combat. Instead of treating Naruto as a flower in a greenhouse, just irrigating him hard and not letting him go through the hardships of wind and rain outside.

Otherwise, if this continues, even as a jinchuriki, Naruto will become a 'waste' under Konoha's heavy protection.

——Then, let’s wait until the next mission to show this kind of determination. The Rasengan ninjutsu is a Muji ninjutsu developed by me in order to kill the enemy as quickly as possible. In the battle between ninjas, excessive compassion will put yourself in crisis.

This mission only dealt with an ordinary jounin, and Minato believed that the problem would not exceed his control.

But if they were dealing with ninjas of the same level, today's battle would definitely put Naruto and others into a tough fight.

——I know, Dad.

Perhaps thinking of something, Naruto quickened his pace and quickly caught up with the three Tenzos in front.

◎

The junction of the three countries: the Country of Wind, the Country of Bears, and the Country of Birds.

As you step into the Kingdom of Wind, what lies in front of the Sunagakure ninja is an endless sea of ​​sand.

Boundless sand, blown by the strong wind, flew all over the sky, forming a spectacular scene of vastness and desolation.

This is the most common desolation phenomenon in the Kingdom of Wind.

Sunagakure Village is rooted in such a desolate environment, living a hard life for decades.

Therefore, the Sunagakure ninja developed the perseverance and perseverance in the face of difficulties.

The Sunagakure envoys who returned from the Kingdom of Demons ran leisurely on the desert.

At this speed, as long as we don't encounter a very large sandstorm, we can safely reach Sunagakure Village in about twenty-four hours.

Not far away is a desert sandy land crisscrossed by many sand dunes. These sand dunes are large and small and intertwined on the boundless desert. At a glance, the land ahead is full of undulations and the terrain is quite complex.

Moreover, what was blown over by the dust was not only sand with extremely small particles, but also slightly larger sandstone.

If these sandstones are accidentally hit on the face, it will feel hard and painful.

But everyone in Sunagakure didn't care.

For people from other countries, encountering such a thing may be very unfamiliar. But for the Sunagakure ninjas who live in the desert all year round, this level will not pose any hindrance to them.

Leading the team at the front was Sunagakure Jonin Maki.

The left and right arms of Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage of Sunagakure, were at the front of the team and took the lead in running away with a serious face.

Not only to highlight his identity as the captain of this team, but also because of his strong strength. He has fought against the ninjas of the Demon Country several times in the past and has never died on the battlefield. He has extremely strong combat experience. Even if he encounters any dangerous situation, he can react immediately and then quickly adjust his team to counterattack.

"I always feel like Teacher Markie is a little too nervous."

Kankuro, who was at the back, glanced at Maki in front and couldn't help but murmur.

"Don't be careless, Kankuro. Konoha will not remind us specifically at this time, something must have happened."

Temari glared at Kankuro.

"However, we didn't encounter any danger on the way here. And with our strength, no matter who comes, they will be defeated."

Kankuro tugged at the strap on his shoulder.

Behind him were three scrolls about forty to fifty centimeters in length.

His beloved puppets are stored inside. If someone really comes to attack, he must stage a cruel puppet drama for them and end their lives!

"You're all jounin, don't be so irritable. It's because of this that I don't trust you."

Temari showed her eldest sister's dignity and said with a straight face.

At this moment, Temari glanced at Gaara on the other side from the corner of her eyes, suddenly raised her head and looked at the sky, and asked: "Gaara, what's wrong with you?"

"There is someone in the sky."

Gaara stared at the sky and said suddenly.

After Gaara said these words, the person next to him suddenly looked up into the sky, and saw a small black dot in the center of the sun, slowly sinking, and the black dot became larger and larger.

A giant white dragon.

"That is--"

A sand ninja immediately took out a telescope and began to observe the sky above.

On the head of the white dragon, a human figure stood majestically.

Blonde hair, black red cloud coat.

Seeing this scene, the Sand Ninja's expression immediately changed.

Before he could speak, the white dragon that was sinking rapidly in the sky suddenly opened its huge mouth.

Boom!

The white peregrine-shaped bird was ready to go in the dragon's mouth.

As an invisible ripple spread across the sky, the white peregrine falcon rushed towards the Sunagakure ninja on the sand like an arrow from a string.

"Spread out!"

Marky shouted.

Ma Ji, who knew Deidara's intelligence, knew that this was a powerful bomb.

Human flesh and blood cannot be resisted directly.

Everyone dispersed according to the order. They were all elite ninjas of Sunagakure. As Maki shouted, they dispersed in all directions.

boom!

The moment they dispersed, the white peregrine falcon fell to the sand.

The explosion came as promised.

The flash of sparks born from the explosion and the shock wave generated by the explosion were like thunder on the ground, setting off a terrifying sandstorm. Even the prepared Sunagakure ninjas were still affected and rolled in the storm.

"Gaara!"

Kankuro hid behind a summoned puppet.

It was a Sanshu fish that was larger than an adult. It had a shield on its back to block the incoming shock wave.

After that, Kankuro immediately looked towards Gaara.

Knowing the enemy's purpose, it is likely Gaara who is the First Jinchūriki of Sunagakure.

"Don't worry, I'm fine."

Gaara patted the sand on his body, stood up slowly from the sand, and responded in a low voice. Regardless of whether Kankuro heard it or not, his green pupils looked sternly at Deidara who was standing on top of the white dragon in the sky. Sweeping it away with an extremely murderous aura.

Obviously the opponent's surprise attack aroused the ferocity in his body.

"That's a nice look. It looks like it's completely irritated him. Hmm."

Looking into Gaara's murderous eyes, Deidara smiled slightly and nodded slightly.

"So, what's going to happen this time?"

After saying that, the white dragon's long and thick tail flapped, and its mouth opened wide again. As the air roared, a white peregrine falcon that was faster than before ejected from the dragon's mouth.

However, Gaara, who was on guard, faced the sky with his palms empty.

The surrounding sand flowed rapidly, like an erupting volcano, spewing sand into the sky. A huge hand of sand covering the sky was formed in the blink of an eye under Gaara's command.

boom!

The flash and shock wave of the explosion caused the huge hands of sand to collapse in the sky, causing a rain of sand.

But Deidara's flying bomb was also successfully stopped by Gaara.

"Can even a bomb of this magnitude be defended head-on? It seems that he is not a Jinchuuriki who can only use the power of the tailed beast in his body. Hmm."

It's really tricky.

The brief confrontation made Deidara understand that the Gaara he was dealing with now was by no means a simple ninja.

Among the ninjas he has fought so far, his strength ranks at the forefront.

"The chance of winning with induced bombs is slim. C3 level bombs must be used."

However, the explosive power of C3 bombs is too powerful.

Deidara was worried about blowing up Gaara all at once, causing the tailed beast to die along with the Jinchuriki.

The fact that the Jinchūriki must be kept alive is a bigger constraint than imagined when it comes to actual fighting.

This was Deidara's most direct feeling at this time.