High-Speed Pursuit

"Because I haven't scouted any other targets recently, my bugs still remember this scent," Aburame Shihei added. "The target is probably still the Chunin squad. Should we go over?"

Namikaze Minato immediately said, "This is a good opportunity, but don't attack once you get close. Let's see if we can spot the enemy's Jonin force."

Hyuga Akiha activated her Byakugan, and the group protected her in the center as they quickly approached their first target.

"We see them!" After advancing a short distance, Hyuga Akiha spoke up, "There are four of them... Their chakra reflexes are strong; it can't be Chunin- Genin team."

"Stop!" Everyone stopped after hearing Namikaze Minato's voice, realizing that the layout of Sunagakure had changed.

"Judging from the Sunagakure Squad you encountered, Shuichi-kun, they were likely carrying those Smoke Bombs, and their captain had become Jonin."

"Can you see if the enemy has any Signal flares?" Namikaze Minato asked Hyuga Akiha.

"Not now. That object is too small. It needs to be at least 200 meters away to be barely identifiable."

This is a bit troublesome. There's a high probability that the Jonin team has reconnaissance ninjas. Even if they are strong enough to overwhelm the enemy now, they might not be able to stop the enemy from sending signals.

"Alright then, our mission was to counterattack anyway. If we attack this team directly, we might alert them. So let's use this Sunagakure as a base and see if there are any other enemies nearby."

Namikaze Minato's use of the Byakugan is similar to Shuichi's: first, he maintains a safe distance to scout the enemy's situation, and then strikes when the opportunity arises.

The entire team immediately sprang into action. The Sunagakure's movement speed was not fast, so they easily followed from a distance while exploring in one direction.

"Woof woof woof..." Kibamaru, who was running alongside, suddenly barked.

"We've found something!" Inuzuka Tsume immediately communicated with his dog, "There's something with a scent similar to sandworms around 3 o'clock. It's very likely another Sunagakure team."

"Hmm..." Namikaze Minato pondered, "Taking care of two elite teams from Sunagakure is a success. Now the enemy's search efforts have increased significantly, and being too greedy might lead to encirclement."

"If nothing unexpected happens, these two Sunagakure Squad will be supporting each other, so take out the team in front as quickly as possible, and then engage the other one."

"If new discoveries are made, we'll see what happens. Now prepare for battle."

Upon hearing the order, everyone began to gather chakra to prepare their Ninjutsu, and then they sped up and rushed towards the enemy.

A few hundred meters away, the four-person team from Sunagakure was moving forward at a moderate pace.

The recent offensive strategy was neither particularly good nor bad. Several teams achieved good results, killing many Konoha ninjas, including several Jonin.

However, their own teams were soon defeated by Konoha, and judging from the battle marks, they were completely powerless to fight back. Only a few Chunin corpses could be found, and several Jonin did not return to the base, so they must have been completely killed.

"Liang, sense your surroundings." Following orders from higher-ups, the Sunagakure captain instructed the team's Sensory Ninjas to conduct reconnaissance every so often.

"Yes!" The female ninja immediately clasped her hands together, but in less than a few seconds, her expression changed drastically. "It's bad, Captain! There are multiple streams of chakra behind us, chasing us at an extremely fast speed."

"What? The Konoha Ninja have crossed the Southern Sichuan Ridge so quickly?" The Sunagakure captain's expression changed as well.

Remembering how his previous squad, led by two Jonin, had been utterly routed, he immediately realized that danger was imminent. Konoha Ninja who dared to launch such an attack in the Sunagakure- controlled area must be a top-tier expert.

"Send the signal immediately!"

The Chunin next to him immediately took out Signal flare and fired it into the sky, while the Jonin immediately bit his finger, shouting, "Summoning Jutsu!"

A brown bird, about half a meter tall, appeared on his shoulder. "Get rid of me, Hawk Ten."

The bird seemed to understand something; upon hearing his voice, it soared into the sky with astonishing speed.

As it ascended to a high altitude, it flew in another direction while continuously emitting loud cries.

"Bah, bah..."

"The enemy has spotted us. The only woman among them is Sensory Ninja." Hyuga Akiha immediately reported the situation after seeing the enemy's movements. "They've summoned a Ninja Beast, a communication bird, which is extremely fast."

Before long, the group saw a small dot rising from ahead, moving much faster than a typical ninja could run.

When everyone looked over, Shuichi immediately replied, "There's no way around it, the distance is too far, and my Super Beast Imitation Drawing can't catch up with it at all."

Namikaze Minato's expression remained unchanged. This situation was expected; it would be too difficult to eliminate the enemy Jonin silently. Sunagakure was not stupid.

Hyuga Akiha said, "The enemy's speed has increased as well; it will take us quite some time to catch up."

Although the Konoha Squad's overall quality surpasses that of the Sunagakure, it's not to the point of overwhelming them. Both teams have Chunin, so catching up as a whole won't be too quick.

"Shuichi-kun, currently only the two of us in the team have a clear speed advantage." As the team leader, Namikaze Minato immediately made a decision, "If I accelerate to catch up alone and the enemies scatter and flee, I'm not confident I can stop them all."

"Now that you're here, I'll take care of the Jonin, and you try to keep the other three behind. That way, we can take care of this team as quickly as possible and then deal with enemy reinforcements."

"I'm fine with it," Shuichi immediately replied.

He considers himself a top-tier "tool," but his exceptional talent shines like Fire Fly in the night, leaving him with few opportunities to showcase it. "Sigh, being too outstanding is a problem."

On the rugged roads of the Land of Rivers, you can see several figures chasing each other, one after the other.

Soon, two figures rushed out from the rear of the group at an incredible speed; from the side, their afterimages appeared much longer.

"Two enemy soldiers are accelerating towards us at incredible speed." Cold sweat beaded on the forehead of the Sunagakure ninja, Ryou. The pressure of scouting and running simultaneously was immense. "We're about to be caught!"

The Sunagakure captain knew there was no time to hesitate, or everyone would be doomed. He gritted his teeth and said, "I'll hold them off for a moment. You all scatter and escape now."

"Team leader..."

"Execute the order!" the Sunagakure captain shouted, then slowed his pace.

The other three knew that waiting any longer would be irresponsible towards their teammates' lives, so they immediately sped up their escape, splitting up in three different directions to make it difficult for the Konoha Ninja to track them down.

"Shuichi-kun, I'll give you a ride, be careful." Namikaze Minato quickly threw a Kunai, while placing a hand on Shuichi's shoulder.

The two vanished from their spot in the next instant. Whoosh!

Shuichi felt a blur before his eyes and landed on a tree trunk, just like a scene transition in a game.

The Kunai trident-shaped, with runes covering the handle inscribed with spells. Not far from them was a Sunagakure who had turned to face them.

"What is this? They appeared right next to that Kunai?" The Sunagakure captain thought in shock, the enemy's pursuit speed was terrifying.

"It's not the Sword of Ninja Love yet, is it?" Shuichi thought to himself after experiencing the Flying Thunder God Technique firsthand, not having time to savor the feeling. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

As soon as the two Shadow Clones appeared, they chased after the Sunagakure in two other directions, while the main body immediately activated, passing right past the enemy.

"Damn it, don't look down on me!"

The Sunagakure Jonin drew his long sword and charged at Shuichi with a ferocious expression, but before he could move, another Kunai landed in his path.

"Whoosh!"

"Bite!"

Namikaze Minato appeared out of Kunai blocking the blow. "Your opponent is me."