The Pursuit Begins
"Kreeee—!"
The two giant desert hawks screeched overhead, their cries taunting as they circled. Beside Yoru, his own summoned hawk, Shiro, trembled like a frightened quail.
*"Lord Yoru, the ones chasing us are Suna Tetsuaran and Rurigyoku—let me hold them off!"*
Shirakumo Yozora's eyes burned with the resolve of a dead man walking.
"Who? Are they strong?"
Yoru had never heard of them. As long as they weren't Kage-level, it shouldn't be a problem.
Yozora quickly explained:
These were Chiyo's son and daughter-in-law—the parents of the future Sasori of the Red Sand, and the very couple who would later be slain by Sakumo Hatake.
The reason for Yozora's panic?
Their strength was monstrous.
Suna Tetsuaran was a candidate for the Fourth Kazekage, his reputation and battle record far surpassing Rasa's. His wife, Rurigyoku, was nearly his equal. Together, their synergy boosted their combat power by an entire tier.
"Yozora, I don't abandon my men. We fight—even if it's to the last soldier."
Yoru's voice was ice, his gaze locked on the hawks above.
The Storm Descends
"KREEE—!"
The desert hawks spat twin cyclones, shredding toward Yoru's forces.
*"Combined Earth Style—DEFENSIVE FORMATION!"*
Ten earth-natured chunin slammed their hands down.
"Earth Style: Layered Rock Shield!"
A dome of stone erupted behind the squad, blocking most of the wind—but not all.
"Agh—!"
Two genin died instantly. Several others were wounded—the first casualties Yoru's unit had suffered.
Worse, the gap between them and the Sand pursuers was closing fast.
200+ shinobi, mostly puppeteers. Led by Tetsuaran and Rurigyoku. Reinforced by two S-rank summon beasts.
Against this force? Even the Uchiha contingent would struggle.
Yoru's troops were newly formed, scraped together from border patrol cannon fodder. Their only advantage? A surplus of explosive tags and soldier pills.
But no amount of gear could bridge the gap in raw power. Without a way to neutralize the hawks, their chances were bleak.
Retreat Into the Woods
"Into the forest—NOW!"
Yoru veered southeast, using the trees to:
Block the hawks' line of sight. Dampen their wind jutsu's effectiveness.
The moment they entered, his shadow clones sprang into action:
"Water Style: Hiding in Mist Technique!"
"Water Style: Hiding in Mist Technique!"
"Water Style:—"
The woods swallowed them in fog.
The Sand forces tried combined Wind Style to clear it—but only managed to flatten half a mile of trees before the mist rolled back thicker.
Yoru's Gluttony Technique kept his chakra reserves overflowing, allowing endless clone spam. The forest was his domain now.
Frustrated, the Sand sent scout teams into the mist.
BOOM—!
Explosive tags.
Yoru lurked in the fog, ready to butcher the survivors—until—
"KREEE!"
The hawks swooped low, their 60-meter wingspans scattering the mist like paper.
"Tch."
Yoru aborted the ambush, retreating deeper.
"We need to kill those damn birds."
Without eliminating them, no trap would work.
A Deadly Game
The hawks locked onto his killing intent, beaks glowing with chakra-infused wind.
"Oh shit—"
"SEISMIC PULSE!"
A clone sacrificed itself, blasting infrasound waves to divert the attack.
WHOOSH—CRACK!
The resulting cyclones vaporized 100 meters of forest, turning trees into splinters.
The hawks, realizing the deception, fired again—but Yoru had already Mist Teleported away.
"Smart bastards."
He suppressed his aura completely, not even daring to glance upward.
Leaving dozens of clones behind to harass the pursuers, his main body rejoined the fleeing troops.
The Sand army, now wary, resorted to brute-force clearing—buying Yoru's squad precious distance.
But the hawks?
They stayed glued to the skies, ensuring escape was impossible.