You Know, Death Doesn't Solve Problems

Boom—

Of course, Tamaki had no idea whether Sumashi was dead. He was just using words to distract Gari.

He hoped his Shadow Clone could use Headhunter Jutsu to trap Gari, and then Sakumo could step in and finish him with a quick slash.

Unfortunately, the Shadow Clone's Headhunter Jutsu didn't have the effect Tamaki wanted.

Gari broke free in no time.

Explosion Release was a classic high-attack bloodline, with tremendous destructive power. Ordinary restraining Ninjutsu couldn't hold him; it would probably take Sealing Jutsu to do the job.

"Tamaki, don't waste too much time. If you can't finish him off after trying, run. The mission comes first. There are more pursuers behind us, close to twenty of them."

"The one we're facing is Gari, a ninja with the Explosion Release bloodline. He's fast and hits hard."

"Then, Sensei, I'll go in. With Life Return, I should be able to withstand him."

"All right."

"Three gates, open!"

He had closed the Eight Gates Released Formation and the Gate of Spirit he had opened against Sumashi on the way here, and now he reopened them.

As for the price of opening three gates, Life Return, which had grown increasingly complete as it was improved, had already healed the damage. The cost was that he had considerably fewer Military Rations Pills left.

Gari was a fast close-combat ninja. A graze meant injury, and a direct hit meant death. Give him an opening, and he could even kill a Kage Level fighter.

But Tamaki happened to have the ability to heal himself rapidly. As long as he made sure to block Gari's Landmine Fist, everything else was manageable. He also had some ideas about the Landmine Fist.

Sakumo, meanwhile, vanished from where he stood, making noises around the area from time to time to distract Gari.

"I'm being underestimated, huh?"

"Explosion Release: Impact."

Gari laughed in anger, slapped both hands against the ground, and charged at Tamaki in an instant.

Bang—

A dull thud rang out as their bodies collided.

The moment they collided, Tamaki clamped both hands tightly around Gari's wrists, preventing him from pulling away immediately.

Whoosh—

A flash of white light streaked past, striking Gari's left shoulder.

At the last moment, the guy had forcibly twisted aside to avoid it!

Sakumo pulled away immediately after his strike missed.

Tamaki also prepared to disengage, but Gari turned the tables and grabbed his left wrist with his right hand, holding him in place.

"My turn."

"Explosion Release: Landmine Fist."

Unable to form Hand Seals, Tamaki instantly began gathering Chakra in his right hand.

Though there wasn't enough time for the Rasengan to fully form, it was enough to block the Explosion Release. He only had to make it explode before it touched his body.

"Rasengan."

Boom—

The tremendous impact sent both of them flying.

"Explosion Release: Landmine Fist."

The first thing Gari did after landing wasn't to steady himself. Instead, he forced himself to endure his internal injuries and fired a Landmine Fist into the ground.

He knew Hatake Sakumo was still on the battlefield, and that guy certainly wouldn't pass up the opportunity.

Besides, the Landmine Fist's explosion could also kick up dust and smoke, blocking the enemy's vision and buying Gari time to recover.

Sure enough, Hatake Sakumo didn't appear beside Gari. Instead, he came to Tamaki's side, blood at the corner of his mouth. He had been caught in the Landmine Fist's blast.

In fact, if he hadn't been on an intelligence mission, Sakumo could have used his speed to harass and maneuver around them, picking off those ninja one by one, even with Gari there.

He wasn't completely helpless against Gari either. After all, he was Kage Level.

But with an intelligence mission and several students to look after, he didn't have enough time to bring his strength into play.

Now that Tamaki was confronting the enemy head-on, Sakumo could bring more of his strength to bear.

"Sensei, are you all right?"

"I'm fine. I just failed to seize that chance to finish him off."

"It doesn't matter. I'm sure I'm in better shape than he is."

As he spoke, Tamaki's twisted right arm began to recover.

The Shinobi World's version of Life Return was repairing his body. As long as Tamaki had Chakra and didn't suffer a serious injury to his head or torso, he was now almost impossible to kill.

"Lord Gari."

Sumashi, wearing an Iwa Forehead Protector, arrived with an elite Chunin.

"Looks like we can't take Gari down."

"Not necessarily. If I could force Sumashi to play dead once, I can do it a second time."

"Lord Gari."

"Lord Sumashi."

Not far away, another group of Iwa ninja appeared. The main force that Sakumo and Gari had left behind had caught up.

"Looks like we need to think about running. The intelligence comes first."

"That's our only choice."

While Tamaki and Sakumo quietly discussed their options, something was happening on the other side as well.

"Lord Gari, let me try to hold them up."

After briefly asking Gari's permission, a ninja stepped forward.

He was a spy Konoha had planted in Iwagakure.

Neither Gari nor Sumashi stopped him.

A medical-nin was treating their injuries. If Sakumo and Tamaki turned and ran, they would stop the treatment and give chase at once.

If they didn't leave, they would let this guy stall for time. He was a Konoha spy anyway, so it was a good thing if he could be of use.

But when Sakumo saw him step forward, he stopped what he was doing.

By now, Tamaki had finished healing himself and had begun treating Sakumo.

So Sakumo didn't mind stalling either. Even if they were going to flee, he needed to recover as much as possible.

The ninja came very close before speaking, making sure Gari and the others couldn't hear him.

"White Fang, tell me, what exactly is a ninja?"

"I can't answer that, but the village will send people after you from now on, won't it?"

"Yeah. I can't go back to either side now."

"But if I die today, Kyoko and Sukesuke should have an easier time, right?"

"You?!"

"Consider this my last lingering attachment to Konoha. One Explosive Tag should be enough to help you escape, right? If you still can't get away, there's nothing more I can do."

Then an Explosive Tag could be seen on the Konoha spy's chest.

Sakumo immediately grabbed Tamaki and turned to leave. But before he went, he slashed the Iwa ninja's neck, making it all look like Sakumo's scheme.

The Konoha spy could no longer speak, but Sakumo still saw gratitude in his eyes. What a contradictory fellow.

Gari and Sumashi immediately got to their feet, ready to pursue the two.

But just as they reached the Konoha spy, the Explosive Tag exploded!

Boom—

After the explosion, an earthen fortress gradually dispersed, revealing the figures inside.

It was an Earth Release that Sumashi and Gari had used together, barely managing to protect the Iwa ninja following behind them.

"Damn that White Fang!"

"After them!"

But Gari knew full well that they probably wouldn't catch up. Both White Fang and that kid were fast.

The intelligence was gone, the spy was gone, and they hadn't managed to keep a single one of the four enemies behind!

The thought made his face darken.

He would certainly be disciplined when he returned to the village.

So he hoped to have something to show for it before they neared the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Grass, and he had two days to do it!

For Sakumo and Tamaki on the other side, this battle had truly begun like a tiger and ended like a snake.

The Explosion Release bloodline, the Eight Gates Released Formation, White Fang's short blade.

All of them had appeared, and the clash could hardly be called anything but fierce.

Yet despite such a fierce confrontation, only a few Chunin had died.

Still, the outcome was fairly normal. After all, this wasn't a head-on battle on the battlefield. There was no need to stay and fight to the death. Who knew whether those Iwa ninja had anything else up their sleeves further back?

As things stood, the curtain had fallen on this confrontation.

If Gari behind them dared show himself alone again, even if they couldn't keep him there, they would certainly give him a memory he would never forget.

The next two days were an intense running battle.

Gari caught up to Sakumo several times, but the ninja he brought weren't fast enough, and Sakumo and Tamaki joined forces to add a few scars to his collection.

The last time, the guy actually used Explosion Release to bring a group of Chunin along and caught up again.

Sakumo took Kurenai and Asuma to deal with Sumashi and the Chunin.

This time, Tamaki fought Gari alone and took his left arm for good.

That battle thoroughly crippled the pursuers. Sumashi was finished off, and Sakumo cut down the Chunin one by one until only five remained.

Under those circumstances, Gari erupted as well, forcibly extracting Chakra and unleashing Landmine Fist again and again.

He forced Sakumo and Tamaki to abandon the idea of finishing them all off. After all, their mission was to escort the intelligence.

After that, there were no more pursuers.

Soon, the group arrived at Konoha's frontline headquarters.