It had been about an hour, give or take!
No matter how late they were, they should have set out by now!
So, he should wait for them a little now, to avoid getting too badly separated.
With a soft tap, Chiba halted his rapid dash through the dense forest, landing on a rather thick branch. As he unconsciously glanced back, this thought crossed his mind.
According to last night's plan, since the two follow-up units might depart anywhere from half an hour to an hour after him, the bait, in order to avoid falling too far out of sync, Chiba had to rest for five to fifteen minutes after an hour, regardless of whether his operation had encountered obstacles or gone smoothly. That way, the bait and the main force would not become too badly separated.
Of course, depending on when the main force set out, the degree of separation would differ. The length of this stop was also up to Chiba, the bait, to decide. And since Chiba could not sense anything, had not been assigned a sensory ninja, and did not even have a single summoned beast, the two sides lacked even the most basic means of communication. This stop was little more than a form of reassurance. Whether it could truly shorten the gap between them remained uncertain.
Still, doing something was better than doing nothing.
Chiba understood his own situation. Last night, he had also learned quite a bit from Nara Shikaku about the attention he drew in enemy villages. Now, although the changes in his body had greatly improved his physical abilities and Chakra reserves, he was still far inferior to his Eight Gates Mode self. He had no confidence that he could handle every possible situation.
This stop was necessary as well.
Of