The Choice to Advance or Retreat

The mountain roads are slippery.

The rocky mountain was bare, polished smooth as a mirror by the rain, making it slippery to walk on.

It was thanks to Katsuki and his group that they were able to brave the torrential rain and walk through the Yamanaka. Ordinary people would not have been able to stand firm at all; a single fall would have sent them tumbling down the mountain and costing them their lives.

The road surface was slippery, and the accumulated water on the mountain flowed down the undulating slopes. Where the water flowed gently, it was like a babbling brook, with only a thin layer of ripples flowing down the bluestone. Where the water flowed, it roared loudly. Looking around, a waterfall that was five or six meters wide plunged down from the cliff, with an extremely majestic momentum.

"Such a sight cannot be seen in the Land of Fire."

While traveling, everyone was inevitably drawn to the extraordinary scenery of this Land of Rain.

"This is a rare sight even in the Land of Rain. Only in places with steep mountains can you see this fleeting waterfall during the rainy season. Once the heavy rains stop, only clear springs and streams remain," Fugaku casually explained, subtly showing off his knowledge.

He had been on the front lines of the Land of Rain for a long time. He was promoted to Jonin because of his meritorious service in the Land of Rain. Since the day he became Jonin, he had never left the Land of Rain. The longer he stayed, the deeper his understanding of the Land of Rain became unconsciously.

"This weather is awful! It's soaking hot, and this lousy straw hat is utterly useless. I had to come out here just to suffer..."

Kamiya complained under his breath, his face showing resentment, making no attempt to hide his displeasure, or rather, his unwillingness to hide it.

Traveling under such conditions is truly a difficult task. Clothes are soaked, the road is slippery, the cold wind chills you to the bone, and the thick rain obscures your vision. All sorts of hardships are involved, and in short, it is extremely grueling!

It's only natural to feel dissatisfied.

However, ninjas, as the name suggests, are generally quite patient. Even if they have some grievances, they rarely show them, especially when it comes to their superiors.

Someone as recklessly bold as Kamiya is quite a rare breed.

Fugaku kept his head down and hurried on his way, seemingly oblivious to Kamiya's muttered complaints.

"Team leader!"

A loud shout broke the strange atmosphere, drawing everyone's attention to Katsuki. For the first time, the rapidly moving group stopped in their tracks, because Fugaku, at the very front of the group, turned around.

"Someone is catching up."

Wiping the rain from his face, Katsuki said in a deep voice.

Unable to use Mind's Eye of the Kagura during the movement, his perception range was significantly reduced, but it was still slightly larger than the maximum perception range of the other perception ninjas.

"Really? How could the Sand Ninja possibly catch up in this weather?"

Nawaki looked as if he'd seen a ghost, and seeing Katsuki's displeased expression, he hurriedly added, "Katsuki, I don't doubt your information. I'm just a little surprised; the Sand Ninja are really going all out."

"Four people are right behind us, a little over a kilometer away as the crow flies. Considering the rugged path here, the actual distance should be about two and a half kilometers." Katsuki held up two fingers and shook them. "As for their method of tracking us... forgive me, I can't figure it out right now."

In the Shinobi World, there are too many strange and unusual Secret Technique. They may have been passed down from the past, or they may be the flash of inspiration of a genius. This has led to the emergence of all kinds of Secret Technique. Moreover, due to the hostile relationship between the major ninja villages and the isolation of information, it is difficult to say what new moves the other side may have that they have never seen before.

"Damn it, they actually caught up. These Sand Ninja react faster than dogs." Kamiya scratched his head, his short silver hair lying limply on his scalp, feeling a little itchy. He gave Fugaku an awkward smile. He had just been complaining about traveling in the rain, and now a bunch of pursuers had appeared.

Karma comes fast!

Fugaku, however, had no interest in paying attention to Kamiya. In his mind, it was best if pursuers didn't appear. Even if Kamiya or anyone else complained the whole way, it didn't matter. Listening to someone nag was better than fighting to the death with the Sand Village ninja.

However, things in this world are often not as one wishes. The pursuers did not disappear according to his wishes and eventually caught up. Fortunately, Katsuki ability was outstanding, unparalleled in his life, and he grasped the movements of the Sand Ninja well in advance, giving him enough time to think.

The most pressing issue now is how to deal with the Sand Ninja's pursuers.

To fight or to retreat?

Both choices presented difficulties, making it hard to decide for the time being. Fugaku frowned deeply, his expression growing increasingly fierce.

"What are your plans? Should we fight here, or hurry on our way and shake off the Sand Ninja pursuers?"

This time, Fugaku did not make decisions unilaterally, but instead consulted everyone's opinions, which surprised them.

"Captain, have you lost your mind from being in the rain?" Kamiya's eyes widened as he blurted out, only realizing his mistake after the words left his mouth. Amidst the pitying gazes of the others, he hurriedly waved his hands, explaining, "No, I didn't mean that, Captain, I just... well..."

She stammered, trying to explain, but didn't know how, and her pretty face turned red with anxiety.

Throughout this journey, Fugaku had never consulted anyone; he made all the decisions, big and small, on his own. So it was unusual for him to seek advice like this. It wasn't surprising that Kamiya spoke recklessly as a result. He wasn't the only one who was surprised, but the others clearly had good self-control.

Fugaku ignored Kamiya and instead scanned the faces of Katsuki, Nawaki, Otome, and Hoshio.

"Fight! Even in this terrible weather, they're relentlessly pursuing us, making it difficult to shake them off. We might as well prepare for a battle." The Otome spoke, her voice clear and cold like a chilling spring. Her black hair was loose and covered her face, revealing only her exceptionally bright almond-shaped eyes.

"We are behind the Sand Ninja. If we leave the pursuers alone, we may be surrounded. I think it would be better to fight them now. The pursuers are coming so fast. Rather than saying that the Sand Ninja reacted quickly, I think it is more likely that one of the Sand Ninja groups just happened to run into us and caught up. As long as we can annihilate this Sand Ninja group, the Sand Ninja should not be able to catch up with us for a while."

"Of course, there are also great risks involved. The strength of this Sand Ninja force is uncertain. If they are easy targets, then there's no need to worry. But if they are tough opponents, it's not impossible for us to be caught off guard and end up in trouble."

Hoshio Ichiro spoke slowly, analyzing the situation clearly, and then added, "Of course, these are all just my own guesses, and whether they are true or not is another matter."

"I think that makes a lot of sense. That valley was a major thoroughfare. Apart from the people at the supply depot, there must have been many people passing through. They were just unlucky and ran into a Sand Ninja unit that caught up with them. It was just bad luck," someone else said, supporting Hoshio's theory.