Tian Yu released her grip without hesitation, allowing the puppet master to free fall towards the sand below.
The puppet master's face turned pale, completely losing the ability to think, already anticipating the gruesome scene of shattering upon impact with the sand.
At this moment, under the control of another puppet master, a giant beetle puppet flew swiftly from afar, catching the falling puppet master on its back, allowing him to sit down heavily and gasp for air, grateful for having narrowly escaped death.
Tian Yu paid no mind to this, or rather, she had anticipated this outcome.
Taking the opportunity to descend from the sky, she clasped her hands together, casting an indifferent gaze upon the Hidden Sand Ninjas on the sand below and the carriage being surrounded by them. A large amount of Chakra and Natural Energy began to converge.
A vast expanse of white light directly covered the sky.
Sound and images dissolved and disappeared into the white light.
Simultaneously, the sand on the ground undulated like waves under some powerful force.
Boom!
The clash of two formidable energies produced a violent explosion.
The air vibrated, an invisible shockwave repelled in all directions, though many Hidden Sand Ninjas rolled across the sand, they managed to cling to life.
Sand particles rained down from the sky.
A gentle breeze swept across the sand, bringing with it a pleasant sense of relief.
No matter how terrifying a storm, it will eventually return to silence after its rampage.
"Cough, cough!"
The sound of coughing came, as the carriage shattered, and a pale-faced, weakly breathing man tumbled out, struggling to stand, gasping heavily for air.
His chest was wrapped in bandages, and the wound, which was still healing, had reopened after performing a powerful Ninja Technique, soaking the bandages red.
With a face twisted in agony, he seemed to endure the pain of his internal injuries with great effort, while glaring skyward at Tian Yu with a resentful gaze, as if to resent her discovery of his weakness.
This man was none other than the Fourth Kazekage Rasa.
Suddenly, Rasa coughed up blood, kneeling on one knee in the sand, yet his chin stubbornly raised to meet Tian Yu's gaze in the sky, unwilling to show weakness as one of the Five Kage in front of an enemy.
After confirming the person was indeed Rasa, Tian Yu saw the Hidden Sand Ninjas surrounding and protecting Rasa again, while the two puppet masters assumed a formation, ready for battle.
After a moment of hesitation, Tian Yu flew high into the sky, heading toward the distance, disappearing from the Hidden Sand Ninjas' view.
The Hidden Sand Ninjas collectively breathed a sigh of relief.
Though they still had the strength to fight, they did not wish to be further entangled with the enemy in such a situation.
"Kazekage-sama, are you alright?"
A Hidden Sand Ninja came up, asking worriedly.
"I'm fine... Return to the village as soon as possible. To prevent any possible surprise attacks from them, we need to change our route back to the village."
Rasa gritted his teeth, speaking with all his might.
But inwardly, he was secretly pleased, thinking that now the Land of Demons would believe that he, the Kazekage, was currently heavily injured.
To deceive the enemy, one must first deceive one's own people. None of the Hidden Sand Ninjas here knew of his plan.
Only in this way could the act be convincing enough to trap the enemy into the carefully laid trap set by him.
No matter how cautious the enemy, they could not foresee his severe injury as a component of the surprise attack plan.
Moreover, this plan was devised in conjunction with Konoha.
The Land of Demons would never suspect this, nor know that the Hidden Sand had already grasped the true state of affairs at their rear. With Hyuga Ayane not at the front lines, it was a heaven-sent opportunity for the Hidden Sand.
To die in a trap akin to that which ensnared the Third Raikage is, in Rasa's opinion, a luxurious enough burial befitting a great nation for these renegade ninjas.
◎
The continuous retreat of the Hidden Sand brought great panic to the local residents of the northwestern region of the Land of Wind.
Before the outbreak of war with the Land of Demons, the people of the Land of Wind did not hold a pessimistic view of the war.
Even though the beginning was unfavorable, the ninjas of the Hidden Sand Village should quickly crush the ninja army of the Land of Demons in a decisive manner once they began to take things seriously.
Unfortunately, such things only existed within the fantasies of the residents in the northwestern region of the Land of Wind.
As the conflict in the war escalated, Hidden Sand Village continuously retreated, with Kazekage Rasa grievously injured and in critical condition during confrontations with renegade ninjas, already sent back to Hidden Sand Village to recover.
Such rumors were not unfounded. Due to deliberate propaganda by the Land of Demons, residents in the northwestern region of the Land of Wind lived in a state of constant fear.
Though they believed such news to be false, as how could a significant figure like one of the Five Kage be defeated by the ninja of a small country?
However, as time passed, with Kazekage Rasa disappearing from the front lines, Hidden Sand was relentlessly pursued by the Land of Demons, retreating to the edge of the northwestern region. Such news could not be fabricated.
If the retreat continued, the entire northwestern region would fall and be invaded by the Land of Demons.
Thus, the retreat of Hidden Sand naturally caused panic among the residents of the northwestern region of the Land of Wind.
The Land of Wind is a country with vast lands and sparse population, where most areas are not economically developed. Especially the northwestern region, one of the most impoverished areas in the Land of Wind.