The Konoha's Ninjas were moving at breakneck speed.
Leading them was Jiraiya. The five Ninjas behind him were also capable Jonin who could hold their own. Their elite strength placed them at team leader level, whether in the Anbu or regular forces.
Clearly,
After suffering a heavy loss against Sora earlier, Jiraiya was determined. He vowed to reclaim his lost honor.
One dead, one severely wounded…
That had stung Jiraiya's pride badly!
Remember,
Since the end of the Second Great Ninja War, Jiraiya hadn't suffered such a significant defeat!
Five Jonin!
Inuzuka, Aburame, Shimura…
All from great clans specializing in secret techniques!
This combat lineup could be considered Konoha's top-tier configuration, and is very powerful. The only drawback, if any, was the lack of a vision reconnaissance-type Jonin, such as…
A Hyuga with the Byakugan!
But Jiraiya could only think about that himself.
After all, he had just gotten the head of Hyuga Clan's branch family killed, and the whereabouts of those two Byakugan were still unclear. Trying to request Hyuga Clan for reinforcements now was truly wishful thinking.
"Everyone!"
"Be extremely careful!"
While advancing rapidly, Jiraiya reminded them with utmost seriousness: "Besides the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, the opponent might very well be that mysterious Ice Release User!"
"Remember!"
"If the enemy is a handsome young man, do not engage him recklessly. He is my opponent!"
Jiraiya was being very cautious.
Previously,
During the battle at Tengen Town, he had suffered greatly at Sora's hands. He absolutely could not repeat that mistake.
Everyone knew the gap between a Jonin and a Kage-level Ninja was large, but not so large that one could be instantly killed so easily!
Even if Jiraiya fought Hizashi, he couldn't possibly kill him with just two simple slashes!
The enemy was very troublesome!
Exquisite swordsmanship, and that bizarre speed!
That super high-speed movement was definitely no ordinary Body Flicker Technique. Jiraiya even suspected it might be some kind of Space-Time Ninjutsu similar to the Flying Thunder God Technique!
But if that were true…
Then it would be even more troublesome!
Jiraiya frowned, his head full of worries. He couldn't figure out how Kirigakure had produced such a problematic Ninja!
This time,
It was an S-Rank mission!
The Jonin from the great clans also showed solemn expressions.
"Yes."
"Jiraiya-sama!"
"We will also do our utmost!"
The Konoha's Jonin responded respectfully.
Soon,
The team spread out into a fan-shaped formation. Jiraiya took the lead, with the other Konoha's Jonin positioned on his left and right.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
There were no rookies in this team, so their travel speed was naturally astonishing, covering hundreds of meters in just a few seconds.
Faster!
Even faster!
The explosion earlier was so loud, and everyone knew Konoha's Ninjas must have clashed with experts from Kirigakure!
If they arrived late, they might only be collecting their comrades' bodies!
"Seven o'clock direction!"
"One kilometer!"
"The scent of a woman!"
Suddenly,
The Inuzuka Clan's Jonin sniffed the air, his expression extremely serious.
"The scent of a woman?"
The Shimura Clan's Jonin next to him was momentarily stunned, then directly cursed, "Inuzuka Tobi, did you leave your brains on some woman's bed? What time is this, and your dog nose is still sniffing out women?"
"Are you an idiot?"
The Inuzuka Clan's Jonin turned his head, glaring, "There isn't a village within thirty miles. It's not the patrol time for village's Ninjas either. Suddenly a woman appears deep in the mountains and forests. Don't you find that suspicious?"
"Stop arguing!"
Jiraiya suppressed the slight stir in his heart and looked at the Konoha's Ninjas beside him, "I'll go scout first. If it's not that Ice Release youth, we'll deal with it quickly. Don't waste time."
"Yes, Jiraiya-sama!"
As soon as the words fell,
Jiraiya used the Body Flicker Technique and vanished from the spot.
…
Meanwhile,
Yagura and Mei stood boldly in the middle of the road, as if waiting for the Konoha's Ninjas to come to them.
"Senpai!"
Mei felt uneasy, "Shouldn't we hide and wait for a chance to ambush? Standing in the middle of the road like this, we could easily become targets for the enemy!"
"You worry too much!"
Yagura stood with one hand behind his back, displaying a confident smile. "Konoha's Jiraiya is already tied up by Fuguki-senpai and the others. Good news should arrive soon. Without Jiraiya, the other Konoha's Ninjas are nothing but scarecrows before me…"
As he spoke,
Yagura kept his right hand behind his back, raising his left hand and turning it palm down. "I can suppress them effortlessly!"
"Really?"
Mei was still somewhat uneasy, feeling this was overconfident and very dangerous.
"Just rest assured!"
Yagura showed his confident smile again, "I will hold this position. Not a single Konoha's Ninja will get past me to interfere with Fuguki-senpai and Sora on the main battlefield."
"Even if it's a Jonin, come one, die one…"
Before he could finish,
Whoosh!
A burly figure abruptly appeared behind Yagura.
"What!!?"
Yagura, with his keen senses, instantly detected the powerful presence that had materialized.
Then-
He was sent flying like a cannonball, struck hard by an elbow.