"That's..."
Hearing the alarm bell, Rasa quickly rushed over while still in the middle of working.
The Kazekage Building was a high-rise structure within the village, allowing one to see straight toward his home. However, that didn't necessarily mean the house was nearby.
From hearing the sound to arriving here, it had already taken Rasa nearly three minutes. The ninja following him were even slower, still chasing from behind.
Glancing toward his home, Rasa saw a tall figure cloaked in black with red clouds leap high into the air and land on the rooftop of his house.
The figure stood straight with a youthful appearance, and on his shoulder rested someone very familiar to Rasa.
"That's... Gaara! Damn it!" After recognizing who was slung over the figure's shoulder, Rasa's face darkened, flames of fury igniting in his eyes. He sped up again, shooting rapidly toward them.
Enemies had not only invaded the village but also directly targeted their Jinchuriki. Such an act clearly showed utter disregard for Sunagakure ninjas!
Unforgivable—that was the very first thought that shot through Rasa's mind.
Sasori lifted his head, glancing around. Because of his distraction, Saitama faced almost no interference and left directly.
The newly arriving enemies also turned their attention to Sasori, the only one still left behind.
"Hmph!" Sasori snorted in contempt, even though Rasa had already approached within dozens of meters.
"Stop him! Don't let him escape! Others, chase after the escaping enemy! Be careful—he has the Kazekage's young son!"
A ninja wearing an Animal Mask landed on the battlefield. He had arrived early but held back from the battle because his combat skills were limited.
Many ninjas assessed the situation and decided to stop focusing on surrounding Sasori. To them, this enemy who had yet to flee was already a trapped bird—his days numbered.
Swish! Swish! Swish! The tail of [Hiruko] swung continuously through the air, creating piercing sounds.
Feeling that Saitama had mostly escaped the encirclement, Sasori prepared to retreat.
Although he had once defeated an entire country alone, that country was merely a small nation without a formal Hidden Village, unlike one of the great five nations now before him.
Crunch! Thinking to himself, Sasori controlled his Puppet closely along the ground the moment Suna ninjas reacted. Rows of small openings appeared across the Puppet's surface.
Hiss! Hiss! Poisonous purple smoke jetted out, morphing into snakes that attacked in all directions.
"Watch out—it's poison!"
The Anbu ninja warned the newly arrived group, but too late. These fresh reinforcements hadn't adapted to Sasori's fighting style yet and were ambushed immediately.
"Ahhh..." A group of ninjas caught in the poisonous mist grabbed their throats, collapsed onto the ground, blood oozing from every orifice.
"Damn it!" Just as Rasa intended to pursue Saitama, a thick wave of poisonous fog engulfed him, making his expression even colder.
[Wind Release: Great Breakthrough]
Several alert ninjas quickly stepped back while forming several ninja seals with practiced speed, their chakra swirling visibly around them.
Whoosh!
The piercing wind blew through, dispersing the poison mist and revealing the group of ninjas who had been caught off guard and severely beaten. Most had already lost their fighting ability, collapsing onto the ground with blood dripping from their seven orifices—clearly beyond saving.
"Pursue them! Notify the troops to head toward the village entrance; we cannot allow them to leave the village!"
Rasa narrowed his eyes and spotted Sasori already dashing across rooftops. He left behind a single sentence before quickly giving chase.
Gaara was still in the enemy's hands. Judging from this situation, their target must be the Tailed Beast!
...
Tearing sound!
Saitama stepped lightly on the rooftop, leaving behind an almost imperceptible footprint. Twisting midair, he conjured the [Chidori] in his left hand and drove it straight into a Suna ninja's gut.
Although Sasori had given him a chance to escape, more and more arriving ninjas were continuously rushing at him.
However, these ninjas varied greatly in strength, none even capable of delaying Saitama for a second.
Gaara was slung over Saitama's shoulder like a sack, swaying with each step and drooling uncontrollably.
Right now, Saitama didn't have time for Gaara—at least as long as he stayed conscious and alive, that was good enough!
With every step, perhaps another Sand ninja fearlessly charged forward, desperately trying to stop Saitama.
The [Chidori] formed in his left hand kept emitting chakra continuously the moment it appeared—it needed a steady flow of chakra energy to keep its shape intact.
Saitama leapt between rooftops like an agile cat, trailing blue-white afterimages as he cut down enemy after enemy.
"Phew, almost there!" Saitama glanced sideways and saw the village entrance just within reach.
Another tearing sound! Again using the [Chidori] as a weapon, Saitama slashed down a charging Suna ninja with a knife-hand strike, narrowing his eyes as he took a deep breath.
Boom! Saitama slammed both feet down hard—the rooftop shattered, crashing through the building below and burying it under a pile of debris.
Immediately afterward, Saitama launched himself forward toward the distant village exit.
"Master!"
Just as he landed, Saitama sensed a hidden chakra presence hiding behind a rock, ready to attack—but then Yura's voice rang out.
"Ready yet?" Saitama stopped, handed Gaara off to Yura without breaking stride, then turned to face the advancing ninjas.
"What the hell?! You're actually a traitor!"
One sharp-eyed Suna ninja was the first to notice Yura standing beside Saitama, his face twisting unnaturally, reddening with rage.
"Yeah, everything is prepared," Yura replied calmly, catching Gaara without concern for the hostile reactions of the opposing ninjas, nodding toward Saitama.
Earlier, Sasori had ordered him to set explosives at the outlet of the tunnel so they could collapse it after escaping, blocking Sunagakure from sending too many pursuers.
"You go ahead first; I'll cover for Sasori!" Saitama gestured to Yura while his right hand slowly reached into his clothing and touched his sword.
A few leading ninjas who arrived first had witnessed Saitama's power and didn't dare act recklessly, apparently waiting for more comrades to arrive.
His eyes narrowed slightly, and three tomoe markings appeared within his crimson irises.
"Could that be… the Sharingan?" A middle-aged ninja standing at the front tightly gripped a kunai across his chest. Seeing the enemy manifest the Kekkei Genkai famous throughout the Shinobi World, his pupils constricted deeply—fear rising from the bottom of his heart.
Could this be some kind of Konoha operation against Suna? Indeed, to the Five Great Nations, that agreement seemed no better than scrap paper!
"Prepare for battle!" He shouted, alerting his companions while crouching low, keeping his gaze locked on Saitama's movements.
Saitama stepped past several Suna ninjas in front of him and saw a figure wearing the same uniform who was quickly approaching from afar.
Tsk! A smirk stretched across his lips as he slowly drew the sword hanging at his waist, bright arcs of electric shock surging all over his body.
"Let me deal with you punks first!"
Saitama muttered under his breath, his Sharingan fixed on them, an icy arrogance in his gaze.
"Here he comes..." The Suna ninjas held their breath, muscles taut, watching Saitama prepare to strike.
All the way here, this enemy had used [Lightning Release] like slicing through melons and vegetables, cutting straight to the village entrance, leaving a deep impression on those who had been chasing him!
Swish! Saitama lowered his stance and pushed off the ground with his right leg, instantly vanishing from the Suna ninja's sight!
Crackle! When he reappeared, his blade had already slashed through a ninja's chest, sending him crashing to the ground.
"Attack together! The enemy is strong!" One ninja called out firmly, gripping a weapon resembling a curved blade.
"So what if we all attack together? You wanna die together? Fine by me." Saitama sneered mockingly, blue-white electric currents coiling around his right arm before vanishing again in a blur.
Clang! The curved blade shattered into two pieces. Saitama glared at the enemy before him while his sword traced across the opponent's throat, leaving behind only a thin red line.
The line gradually widened, and red liquid poured out slowly.
"You're still here?" Sasori arrived as well, instantly killing two attacking ninjas using his tail upon landing.
"I'm waiting for you. Let's go; Rasa has come!" Saitama shrugged casually, unconcerned about the tense atmosphere around him. Less than twenty meters ahead toward the village, Rasa was charging forward leading a group of ninjas.
Rasa had left his team far behind. If not for the two enemies continuously fleeing while releasing poison mist, he could've caught up with them within the village already.
But it's fine even now. Reaching the village outskirts offered ample space for combat without worrying about accidentally harming civilians!
From the start, he never considered the possibility of failure because he was the Kage of Sunagakure—the leader revered across the Shinobi World as among the most powerful warriors!
He refused to believe someone suddenly emerging from nowhere—a complete nobody—could possibly defeat him!
Saitama and Sasori joined forces and immediately turned around to flee outward without hesitation or lingering intentions to fight further.
Before leaving, Sasori also laid down another circle of poison mist at the entrance tunnel, which provided him the perfect narrow setting for spreading it efficiently!
Swish! In just a few seconds, the pair dashed dozens of meters through the tunnel. They soon spotted Yura already waiting outside the exit.
"Yura! Let's go now—game time!"
"Yura!" Sasori barked the moment he saw him.
"Yes sir!" Yura had long since decided to follow Sasori unconditionally and acted without hesitation. He immediately pulled out a lighter from the bombs he'd prepared earlier.
Hiss! The fuse turned into a fiery serpent in Saitama's eyes. Saitama picked up Gaara, who Yura had left aside momentarily, and walked forward without looking back.
"Let's go!" Sasori controlled his puppet and followed Saitama, calling out to Yura, who seemed still hesitating.
Boom! The three of them turned around together, and an explosion erupted instantly. The area near the tunnel exit for about ten meters was buried in dust, and the pursuers inside disappeared as well.
"Hurry up and get out of here! We need to reach the designated location. Destroying the tunnel only stops Sunagakure from sending numerous pursuers—the Fourth Kazekage will definitely chase us himself!"
Saitama carried Gaara on his shoulder. The latter appeared to have regained some mobility earlier; when he tried manipulating sand to attack, Saitama rewarded him with another punch, after which Gaara fell into a contemplative state.
For someone his age, Gaara may look cute—but he's not strong at all!
"Yeah." Brief and to the point, Sasori understood the urgency of their situation. Fighting against Rasa and his pursuers wasn't something desirable.
Yura did his best to keep up with their pace, completely lacking the qualifications to interject anything. Meanwhile, just trying to keep pace with them had already used up all his strength.
Three silhouettes moved farther and farther away from Sunagakure Village. This mission to capture the One-Tail seemed to be wrapping up perfectly…
BOOM! Pitch-black iron sand surged into the air like a shield, blocking the falling rocks above. Rasa maintained a grim expression, not uttering a word.
WHOOSH! More iron sand erupted from underground, continuously supplying him as he pressed forward, using his iron sand to clear the path ahead.
Right now, he couldn't care less about the status of his subordinates—the safety of Gaara and capturing the One-Tail were what mattered most.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>