"Temari... is there... someone else here?"
At Temari's "Wait," Kankuro did not act rashly. But not acting rashly did not prevent him from observing his surroundings.
Clearly, Kankuro was not some blindly obedient person with no mind of his own. He was also a qualified shinobi. At the very least, he did what he ought to at this stage.
He surveyed the area.
And after that survey, he discovered the same thing his sister had.
Behind his youngest brother stood several others in the same predicament.
"Don't move!"
Temari stopped his instinctive attempt to step forward, her eyelids slowly lowering.
"What is this?"
After hearing his sister's warning, Kankuro's gaze fell to the ground.
At that moment, amid the hazy mist, a small patch of sand had gathered on the seemingly solid ground to form a character.
Or rather, a code.
"Go! Retreat!"
At that moment, Temari abruptly raised her head and shot a startled look at Gaara, who hung his head as though unconscious. Then she leaped backward, reaching out to grab Kankuro and drag him away with her.
Caught completely off guard, Kankuro was hauled backward before he could say anything.
"Tap!"
And with that single step, the world before them suddenly brightened.
When their feet settled, they were already standing beneath sunlight.
"This is..."
The next second, both of them drew their Kunai.
This was... Konoha's main road?
Clearly, compared to ordinary Genin, the two possessed far greater shinobi instincts. The abrupt change in surroundings did not leave them stunned or confused. They immediately made the most correct and effective response.
At the same time, they instantly identified where they were.
At that moment, they stood in the middle of Konoha's main road. About a kilometer behind them, smoke rose from Konoha.
That single backward step had