Jiraiya and his team weren't blindly chasing the Sunagakure ninja—they had a plan.
Wrapped around Orochimaru's right wrist was a small snake, one of the countless summoning snakes. While some excelled in combat, others specialized in tracking. The snake coiled on Orochimaru's wrist belonged to the latter category, capable of detecting the faint scent left in the air by the retreating Sunagakure ninja.
"The rain is too heavy now," the tracking snake hissed. "The scent in the air is fading fast. I can no longer track it accurately."
Orochimaru glanced at the snake, which continued, "I believe they headed in that direction. I can still pick up traces of their scent, but the rain will wash it away soon. I'm sorry—I can only help you this far."
The snake raised its tail and pointed to a direction, its tone apologetic. Compared to Manda, this snake was far more agreeable.
"You've done enough," Jiraiya nodded. He gestured to the Anbu behind him, leading them in pursuit. With a puff of white smoke, the snake returned to Ryūchidō.
"Captain, the ground here is soaked, and there aren't any footprints. I think we've gone the wrong way," an Anbu member remarked after some time.
"Keep moving," Jiraiya said firmly. "If the tracking summon was right, the Sunagakure ninja must be in this direction. The lack of footprints is actually a good sign. If they did retreat this way and erased their tracks, it shows they're in bad shape and afraid of being followed."
He paused, then added, "We'll keep tracking for three more hours. If we still don't find them, we'll retreat."
Even if they were wrong about the direction, it was too late to change course. But Jiraiya wasn't willing to chase too far—there was always the risk that reinforcements from Sunagakure had been sent to meet the retreating team.
"Your reasoning is sound, Captain. I agree," Yūhi Mitsune spoke, her voice cold and steady.
"I trust my summon's abilities," Orochimaru said with confidence. "The Sunagakure ninja are definitely ahead of us."
After over an hour, the group entered a dense forest.
"Prepare for combat. The enemy is close," Jiraiya ordered.
Moments later, through the Eye of Insight, they detected eight distinct chakra signatures moving swiftly through the woods. Among the Sunagakure team were two jōnin and six chūnin, two of whom had reached the level of elite chūnin. Three members of the group bore visible injuries.
Without a doubt, this was the same Sunagakure squad that had ambushed Konoha's intelligence teams. According to information, the attacking team had originally consisted of fifteen members: four jōnin and eight elite chūnin. With their numbers now halved, it was clear that wiping out Konoha's intelligence squads had come at a steep price.
As for why no Sunagakure corpses were found in the canyon earlier, it was likely that the survivors had sealed their comrades' bodies into storage scrolls.
"Captain Kōno, can we rest for a moment? Shigi and the others are reaching their limit," an elite chūnin said, his voice strained as he addressed one of the jōnin leading the group.
The injured members of their team were clearly struggling to keep up.
"Hold on a bit longer," Kōno ordered. "We went to great lengths to wipe out Konoha's intelligence team, but one of them escaped. By now, Konoha's reinforcements have likely caught up. We'll rest once we're out of this forest."
"But Captain Kōno, the rain is pouring so hard. We've erased all traces of our movements—surely Konoha's team can't track us now?" another jōnin, Fujimura, suggested.
"It's not that simple," Kōno said gravely. "You don't understand how dangerous Konoha can be. They have many secret techniques—we can't let our guard down. Just endure a little longer."
Despite their exhaustion, the Sunagakure team pressed on.
"Two jōnin, two elite chūnin, and four regular chūnin," Jiraiya analyzed aloud. "One elite chūnin and two chūnin are injured and in poor condition. When we attack, I'll handle both jōnin immediately. The rest of you coordinate to eliminate the others as quickly as possible."
"Captain," Yūhi Mitsune interjected, hesitating. "I know your strength is formidable, but taking on two jōnin at once will be taxing. Let me handle one of them instead. That way, you can focus on eliminating the other quickly. If we take down even one jōnin, it'll shift the entire battle in our favor."
"I'll take one of the jōnin as well," Orochimaru volunteered, his voice calm and collected.
Jiraiya glanced at his teammates, surprised by their willingness to take on the more dangerous roles. After a moment of thought, he nodded.
"Fine. Orochimaru, you'll take one of the jōnin. Mitsune, you'll lead the others to eliminate the chūnin. Make sure no one escapes."
Orochimaru's assignment wasn't just about lightening the load—it was a test. He was in the middle of his jōnin evaluation, and defeating a Sunagakure jōnin would be a significant achievement. If successful, Jiraiya could recommend him for an Anbu squad leader position with confidence. Orochimaru's support would be invaluable for Jiraiya's future plans.
"Yes, Captain," Mitsune replied without further argument.
With their plan set, Jiraiya signaled the team to move. His body blurred into action, leaving behind only afterimages as he surged ahead. In mere moments, he had outpaced Orochimaru and the others, closing in on the Sunagakure team.
Thanks to his incredible physical conditioning and mastery of the Body Flicker Technique, his speed was almost inhuman.
"Enemy incoming!"
Kōno's sharp instincts caught Jiraiya's approach. With a shout, he hurled a barrage of shuriken toward the incoming threat.
To Jiraiya's enhanced senses, bolstered by the Eye of Insight, the shuriken seemed to move as slowly as crawling turtles. He dodged effortlessly, and the Lightning Flame Blade in his hand lit up with blinding brilliance.
With unmatched precision, he drove the blade toward Kōno's chest.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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