Ninomiya Hao's expression turned grave. He paid no heed to the eight Cloud Ninja who had left, focusing all his attention on the thick-browed man before him.
He could not spare even a shred of strength to help Minato and Otoha out of their predicament. The pressure this thick-browed man exerted on him was simply too great. Not only was he injured and had already expended nearly half his chakra, but even at his peak, the outcome of a fight against this man would be uncertain. To be honest, his chances of losing were greater.
As for Minato and Otoha, they could only pray for their own luck.
"Come fight, you damned brute!"
With a roar, Ninomiya Hao charged forward.
Minato and Otoha leaped through the mountain forest, using the stars overhead to determine their direction as they raced south toward Konoha.
"Damn it, those bastards have caught up!"
As Otoha sprinted, he heard faint rumbling thunder by his ear. Looking back, he saw several flickering bolts of lightning in the pitch-black forest, swiftly pursuing them.
"This won't do. They'll catch us."
Otoha let out an unwilling growl, fury nearly bursting from his eyes. Yet he had no choice but to suppress the rage in his chest. If they allowed the Cloud Ninja behind them to catch up, they would not get far before being overtaken. They had to come up with a countermeasure.
Yet no matter how hard he racked his brain, he could not think of any way to drive back the enemy.
While battles between ninja certainly involved strategy, what they ultimately relied on was strength. Two against eight—even if they could win, it would inevitably take a great deal of time. They could not afford to delay for even a moment. They feared that if