Sunagakure suffered a crushing defeat and fled in collapse.
Baki and the other three stood outside.
Temari listened to the screams, watching one Suna ninja after another get shot down while trying to leap away. The despair in the moment before they fell made her unable to look directly.
But she didn't say a word because she knew that if she didn't interfere, she wouldn't die.
Beside her, Gaara had long since woken up and understood the situation.
After a glance, he spoke, "Return to the village."
Temari said, "But..."
So many Suna ninjas had died, save them, they are all from the same village...
"They brought it on themselves." Gaara said cold-bloodedly.
At that time, Gaara had told Temari about Hiromi's promise that "The ones being killed are not people of Sunagakure," and Temari should have told Kankuro and Baki as well, but that didn't mean the Suna ninjas could act recklessly in front of him.
They clearly could have retreated then, but instead, they launched a second wave of attack after A arrived, forcing themselves into a death trap.
Although many Suna ninjas would die this time, Gaara had not yet met Naruto, nor had he been brainwashed by Naruto's saint-like thinking, and he had no desire to become the Kazekage.
Even if someone spoiled the future and told him he would be the Fifth Kazekage, his thoughts would likely be...
"I'm to become the Kazekage? Sunagakure is my home? I will protect the villagers?"
"Bullshit!"
"When you were calling me a monster and hitting me all day, why didn't you think about the village needing my protection?"
Even the previous habit of following orders to do missions had become rebellious through this experience, he would no longer obey easily. Therefore, in his view, it didn't matter if everyone in the village died out.
Returning to the village was only to wait for Hiromi.
He turned and left.
Temari sighed.
Kankuro, however, breathed a sigh of relief. He had long wanted to stay away from this monster-like battlefield.
Baki's expression became extremely complex. Right now, he didn't know that Rasa was already dead.
But Gaara knew, because while transformed into Shukaku, he had caught a glimpse and saw the scene where Rasa tore off his face to reveal Orochimaru.
Having experienced so much darkness, his thoughts had also become dark, and he instantly guessed that his father, the Kazekage, had been killed by Orochimaru. He was very calm, with no other thoughts.
Temari knew nothing, but she was very uneasy. She could feel that after meeting Hiromi, although Gaara looked as indifferent as before and could even control One-Tail now—making him seem more like a normal person—the darkness within his heart had become even deeper.
She looked at Gaara's back, filled with worry.
—
After A left Hiromi, he still intended to kill a few important figures from Konoha. He was unwilling to flee in such a pathetic manner.
But after delaying for only a few seconds, he encountered Hiromi pursuing him from behind.
'How can he be so fast?' A was alarmed.
Soon, he noticed the thin layer of blue lightning on Hiromi's body.
'That layer of blue Chakra... is he using my Chakra to increase his speed?'
'He can turn absorbed Chakra to his own use?'
His heart jolted, and his expression became incredibly gloomy.
Hiromi was even more terrifying than he imagined, he could actually even absorb Chakra.
At this moment, A had lost a hand. Although the bleeding had stopped, his combat power was reduced by at least thirty percent. Fighting Hiromi now, a person who could absorb Chakra, his win rate would be terrifyingly low.
Thus, he was very decisive. He no longer thought about taking the opportunity to kill important Konoha figures, but instead turned immediately and headed fiercely toward the Land of Lightning, away from Konoha.
In the battle with Hiromi just now, he had suffered greatly.
Hell Stab was his old man's ultimate technique, and he used it poorly—compared to his own ultimate moves, of course. So, it could be said that at the beginning against Hiromi, he was just playing around. He didn't expect to actually lose his left hand in the process.
If he had been a bit more cautious...
Hiromi's power far exceeded his imagination.
Chakra absorption, Susanoo...
According to intelligence, Hiromi had a technique that condensed a type of extreme high-temperature white flame, which could rival Dust Release. However, because the condensation time was too long, A, knowing this technique, believed no one could keep up with him, and no one could oppose him.
After years of smooth sailing, he finally encountered Hiromi at this time and hit a brick wall.
However, with Konoha in such chaos and suffering heavy losses, Konoha would still be destroyed.
He thought so steadily, but seeing Hiromi chasing from behind, he gnashed his teeth.
He didn't expect Hiromi to still be in hot pursuit. They were already out of the village, and he still wasn't planning to let him go?
Fortunately, the thin layer of blue lightning on Hiromi's body finally exhausted itself. This allowed A to breathe a sigh of relief.
But immediately after, he saw golden flames erupting on Hiromi's body. This made him think of Iwagakure's intelligence and the situation of how Hiromi first appeared before him, his face became extremely unsightly.
Boom!
A heatwave surged violently, making him feel hot and uneasy.
Hiromi shot out, turning into a golden rocket, soaring into the clouds and disappearing.
A, left alone in the scorching air, had a dry mouth and a cold heart.
He could guess what Hiromi wanted to do. It was nothing more than trying to intercept him before he could rendezvous with Kumogakure's troops. Or resolve Kumogakure's army in advance?
Although one person destroying a village was arrogant, there was another piece of intelligence regarding Hiromi—he could instantly suppress Tailed Beasts.
Tailed Beasts were the military weapons in the village, existences comparable to him. But in front of Hiromi, Tailed Beasts were simply not combat forces. Kumogakure's years of investment in Jinchuriki would turn into bubbles.
However, there were still many strong ninjas in Kumogakure. It was just that the casualties were destined to be large enough to make his heart ache.
This made him instantly see the situation clearly—not only could he not afford not to go, but he also had to get there faster than Hiromi.
Immediately, A's speed increased. A blast of fierce wind swept past, heading straight for the Land of Lightning.