"Stop!"
At that moment, the trio led by Shikaku, who were still rushing toward the battlefield, suddenly showed anxious expressions.
According to Inoichi Yamanaka's sensory ninjutsu, Ryosuke and Otani had already engaged the three Sunagakure ninja. Ryosuke was fighting the Elite Jonin who served as the Kazekage's guard, while Otani had intercepted the two younger ninja from Sunagakure.
Suddenly, Inoichi, who was being carried on Choza's back, opened his eyes. His expression turned heavy, and a trace of grief appeared between his brows.
"What happened?" Shikaku asked immediately.
Both he and Choza stopped at once. Based on the distance Inoichi had reported earlier, they would reach the battlefield as soon as they crossed the grassland ahead. They were already very close.
When Shikaku saw Inoichi's expression clearly, a bad premonition rose in his heart.
"Senior Otani… is dead," Inoichi said quietly.
"What?!"
Shikaku and Choza's pupils shrank in shock.
Inoichi immediately closed his eyes again and focused his mind, continuing to use his sensory ninjutsu. Within the dark expanse of his mental perception, he could clearly sense multiple chakra signatures still present. However, Otani's chakra had completely disappeared.
He had been observing the battle the entire time through chakra sensing, but sensory ninjutsu could only transmit general movement and fluctuations. It could not show detailed visuals. He could only infer what had happened based on the sudden disappearance of Otani's chakra.
"And… Senior Ryosuke…"
Inoichi's voice trembled as he continued.
"He's gone too."
He had sensed Ryosuke's chakra being extinguished.
The Elite Jonin of Sunagakure had killed him.
"Retreat!" Shikaku shouted instantly.
Without hesitation, he turned and fled in the opposite direction.
Choza immediately followed, still carrying Inoichi on his back.
If the three Sunagakure ninja pursued them now, they would have no chance of surviving. The enemy not only had an Elite Jonin, but the fact that Otani had failed to kill those two younger ninja proved that they were far more dangerous than expected.
"I miscalculated," Shikaku thought grimly, a chill running down his spine.
He had believed that even if Ryosuke and Otani could not defeat the enemy, they could at least delay them long enough for reinforcements to arrive.
In his original judgment, the only real threat among the three enemies had been the Kazekage's guard. The other two had appeared to be merely protected juniors. He had assumed that the destruction of the supply squad and the deaths of the investigation team had been caused primarily by that Elite Jonin.
But now, that assumption was clearly wrong.
Those two Sunagakure youths were not simple at all.
Based on the chakra activity Inoichi had sensed, Otani had engaged them for a considerable amount of time. Yet despite that, he had still been killed.
Shikaku knew Otani's strength very well. Otani specialized in taijutsu and wielded a chakra blade, a weapon whose cutting power increased drastically when infused with chakra. Combined with his close-quarters combat skill, he was extremely lethal.
In Konoha, the person most famous for using a weapon of similar craftsmanship and principle was Sakumo Hatake, the legendary White Fang. His reputation alone had struck fear into countless enemies during the war.
A Jonin's suppressive power against Chunin and Genin was overwhelming.
Otani had the ability to kill multiple Chunin within minutes.
He was a veteran Jonin who had survived countless battles and earned the respect of his juniors.
According to my original judgment," Shikaku said as the three of them ran at full speed, his voice tense but controlled, "that Sunagakure Kage Guard should have prioritized protecting the two juniors while forcing a confrontation with Ryosuke and Otani.
That would have created an opportunity for the two brats to either escape or survive long enough for reinforcements. I had already considered the possibility that he might instead abandon their protection and engage Ryosuke directly. That scenario was within my calculations. What I failed to anticipate… was Otani's failure."
Now the situation had completely reversed.
They were no longer the hunters.
They were the ones fleeing for their lives.
Inoichi, still on Choza's back, hesitated briefly before speaking.
"Senior Otani… seems to have been killed by one of the Sunagakure boys."
"What?!" Shikaku's scalp went numb.
He almost refused to believe it.
That was impossible.
How could a child, barely ten years old, kill a Jonin?
The very idea defied logic.
Yet he also knew the reliability of Inoichi's clan techniques. The Yamanaka sensory methods were not something that could easily be mistaken.
If Inoichi said it…
Then it had to be true.
"It wasn't entirely by himself," Inoichi continued, his brows tightly furrowed. "The Sunagakure Jonin inflicted severe damage on Otani first and created the opening. The boy delivered the finishing blow. I couldn't determine exactly how he did it, but… it happened."
Shikaku swallowed hard.
"No matter how badly Otani was injured," he said, "it should never have been easy for a Genin or Chunin to land a killing strike on him."
Even wounded, a Jonin was still a Jonin.
Their combat instincts, reflexes, and durability far surpassed ordinary ninja.
Yet Otani had died.
Shikaku's thoughts raced.
Konoha and Sunagakure had been at war for years. Their intelligence network had never reported the existence of such a terrifying young ninja.
The only exceptional junior he knew of was Chiyo's grandson, who was said to possess rare puppetry talent.
Could it be him?
But even that did not fully explain what had happened.
Shikaku's expression darkened.
The mission itself no longer mattered. What mattered now was the information.
Konoha needed to know.
"They're not chasing us, are they?" Shikaku asked.
Inoichi closed his eyes briefly and performed another sensory scan.
"No," he replied after a moment. "They've stopped."
Shikaku released a slow breath.
"They don't know our numbers," Inoichi continued. "They don't know whether reinforcements include additional Jonin. Their mission was already accomplished. There's no reason for them to risk further pursuit."
Shikaku nodded slightly.
He had reached the same conclusion.
This was the Land of Grass, a foreign territory.
The Sunagakure squad would not act recklessly. But that caution only confirmed something else.
Those two boys were extremely important.
Important enough that the Elite Jonin had prioritized their safety over eliminating fleeing enemies.
Shikaku's expression hardened.
"We need to leave immediately," he said.
Meanwhile, back on the battlefield, Arai stood over Ryosuke's corpse.
He stared toward the distant horizon.
The faint sensation of chakra he had been tracking had vanished.
"They've retreated," he murmured.
His eyes narrowed.
The Konoha reinforcements had realized the situation and withdrawn.
A faint killing intent flickered in his gaze.
If he pursued now, he might still be able to catch them and wipe them out completely.
But after a moment, he dismissed the thought. His priority was not revenge.
It was protection.
Yuji.
Sasori.
They needed to leave the Land of Grass as quickly as possible. And find a secure place to recover.
...
STONES PLZZZ