"We're landing!"
Ren reminded Aoki as he dove after bursting through the barrage of attacks.
Aoki didn't speak, merely gripping Ren's clothes tightly with his left hand, while his right hand lowered to protect the intelligence.
Ren began to slow down during his dive, and by the time he was less than a meter from the ground, his speed had already decreased. He then gently landed with Aoki.
"Phew."
After landing, Aoki stumbled and nearly fell, but he quickly regained his balance and stood firm.
"Are you alright?"
Ren looked at his somewhat pale face and asked cautiously.
"I'm fine, let's go quickly, or those guys will catch up again."
Soon, Aoki's complexion returned to normal. He leaped onto a tree branch, turned, and urged Ren, "Let's go!"
Ren felt relieved seeing that the other party was indeed fine. He channeled his Chakra and quickly followed.
Before long, the two encountered the second layer of obstruction. As expected, there was a Border Line guarded by a number of Kumogakure Ninja. In Ren's perception, there were at least eighty, if not a hundred.
"This should be the final hurdle, I suppose."
A smile appeared on Ren's face as he began to form hand signs.
"Shadow Clone Technique!"
As Number One appeared before him, Ren didn't stop, using the Shadow Clone Technique once more to summon Number Two.
"Act."
Ren lowered his hands, looked at the Shadow Clones in front of him, and said in a deep voice.
The two Clones didn't waste any time. After exchanging a glance, they darted into the jungles on either side and vanished. Ren, meanwhile, turned to Aoki and nodded.
"Let's go!"
"Mm."
The next moment, the two also vanished from the spot, heading towards the Border Line.
Not long after, the Kumogakure Ninja from behind caught up, forming a pincer movement with the Kumogakure Ninja at the Border Line to capture the two.
"This way!"
As Ren led Aoki swiftly through the forest, he pushed his sensory abilities to the limit, constantly monitoring every move of the surrounding Kumogakure Ninja.
The area they were about to breach was guarded by only a few Chunin and a group of Genin, making it the most suitable place for a breakthrough.
"Boom!!"
Just then, a huge roar sounded, and Aoki instinctively turned his head to look.
He saw a pillar of water rising into the air from the distant Border Line, then falling down to form a waterfall, from which the tremendous roar originated.
Before Aoki could react, another roar immediately followed from the other side. This time, a roaring water dragon circled in the air before charging towards the Kumogakure Ninja on that side.
"Get ready, let's fly again."
Ren's wings reappeared. He flew behind Aoki, grabbed his collar, and began to ascend rapidly.
"Hiss… Next time, could you give me some warning when you do that?"
The sudden feeling of weightlessness startled Aoki. Once he adjusted, he turned his head, looking at Ren with a resentful expression.
"Cough, cough, cough. Time is short, don't mind these small details."
As Ren rapidly ascended, the Kumogakure Ninja at the Border Line also spotted the two. They had already received intelligence that the enemy could fly, so their attention to the sky was no less than to the ground.
Sure enough, it was another round of familiar Ninjutsu bombardment, but compared to the dense barrage led by Jonin earlier, dodging the attacks from these Chunin and Genin was incredibly easy for Ren.
Of course, it would be different if Jonin were leading the team. However, due to the earlier attacks by the two Clones, the remaining Jonin at the Border Line had been drawn away, indirectly causing an imbalance in defensive forces at each location. It was truly a case of one move affecting the whole body.
After Ren surged past the Border Line and plunged into the jungle, the remaining Chunin and Genin, apart from calling for support, dared not pursue. After all, with their meager strength, going after him would simply be rushing to their deaths.
"Hmm?"
Ren, who was moving at high speed through the forest, suddenly froze, a memory appearing in his mind. Looking at that Water Dragon Bullet, it was Number Two.
"Good fellow, quick reaction."
In the memory brought back by Number Two, the Ninja who had previously forced him to land with Ninjutsu bombardment, combined with those at the Border Line, four or five Jonin plus a group of Chunin, defeated Number Two in a short time.
It seemed they would continue to pursue. Although they had crossed the Border Line, they were still within the Land of Hot Springs, about half an hour's journey from the Land of Fire border.
As Ren expected, not long after, Number One's memory also came back. His encounter was similar, both were surrounded by a group of Chunin and Jonin.
And behind them, within Ren's fully open sensory range, a large group of pursuers appeared again. According to their Chakra signatures, they were all Chunin and Jonin. It seemed they were determined to keep the two of them.
"Hmm?"
Just as Ren was getting a headache, a Chakra signature from another team appeared in front of his sensory range. After a moment of confusion, Ren's eyes lit up, and he accelerated towards that team.
Before he even got close, it seemed there was also a sensory Ninja in that team. Upon realizing their presence, they quickly stood up and entered combat readiness, everyone drawing their weapons, their gaze fixed on the jungle in this direction.
When Ren and Aoki burst out of the jungle, Ren saw the Konoha headbands on their foreheads and immediately shouted, "Don't move, we're allies!"
"Hmm?"
The Konoha Ninja, who were about to attack, paused their movements, then collectively turned to look at a Jonin holding a long sword. It seemed he was the team leader.
"Allies?"
The captain took a step forward, his blade pointing at the two, and asked in a deep voice.
It was clear that if the two's answer didn't satisfy him, he would directly order the others to attack.
"I am Aoki, you must be the reception team sent by Lord Orochimaru, right?"
Seeing the other party's Konoha attire, Aoki also reacted and quickly began to explain. At the same time, he started to remove his disguise, and in a few breaths, he returned to his original appearance. Ren, standing by, was stunned.
Goodness, looking at the proficiency, by the time he took off his wig, the other person had already removed his disguise. So efficient.
"Aoki?"
The other party was stunned for a moment, then began to scrutinize the two. After a moment of silence, he continued to ask, "What was the mission duration?"
"Three days!"
Aoki did not hesitate, blurting it out directly. As soon as his voice fell, the other party's expression softened considerably, and he then raised his hand, signaling the others to lower their weapons.
"The mission is complete, and there are still many Kumogakure pursuers behind us. Let's leave quickly."
"Alright!"
The other party didn't waste time and readily agreed. After Aoki darted into the crowd, he noticed Ren standing still and couldn't help but remind him, "Let's go, Ren!"
"You go ahead. I still have something to take care of. I'll catch up later."
After Ren finished speaking, he spread his wings and, in the somewhat dazed gazes of the crowd, soared into the sky, disappearing from sight in the blink of an eye.
"Then let's go first."
The captain nodded to Aoki and said softly.
After all, their mission was to ensure the successful retreat of the intelligence agent. As for Ren, he was not included in this.
"Mm."
Aoki took one last look at the sky, then turned and left with the team.
As for Ren's safety, with his flying ability, if he was determined to leave, there were only a handful of people in the entire Ninja World who could stop him. So there was no need to worry at all.
Ren, at this moment, was soaring continuously at high altitude. Without the burden brought by others, he suddenly felt completely relaxed, flying through the air like a fish in water.
"Hmm… I found you."
A cold smile appeared at the corner of Ren's mouth as he looked at the Kumogakure Ninja below, who were as small as ants, a hint of killing intent in his eyes.
No one who is chased can be without a bit of resentment. Even a clay figure has a three-point temper, let alone a person.
A night of chase had left Ren with a belly full of pent-up frustration. Now that Aoki was safe, he could finally retaliate.