Interceptor

Just as Haiga had guessed, the major ninja villages were essentially exploiting the situation by letting various forces cause trouble in small countries. They would then collect payment from the Daimyo of those small countries and also plunder the resources of these smaller forces through war, behaving much like Garou.

However, these Rogue Ninja and missing-nin were even more heinous, with many directly attacking civilians, and they deserved to die.

Shinnosuke didn't hesitate and immediately ordered an attack. Pakura, who was already impatient, manipulated the Scorch Release fireball and charged into the Haiga's forces.

The Sunagakure quickly followed, arriving like tigers among sheep.

These ordinary ninjas were no match for them. Their previous bravery vanished without a trace, and they scattered and fled like wild dogs, not even caring about their leader, Haiga.

Even if they are fast, some attacks cannot be dodged simply by trying.

"Scorch Release: Scorch Release: Overboil Kill!" Pakura's face was cold as several fireballs swirled around him and hurtled towards the enemies, instantly striking the unfortunate ones who had fallen behind.

Accompanied by several screams, the men, now reduced to charred remains, instantly died.

Upon seeing this horrifying sight, Haiga panicked even more and, without even turning his head, immediately sped away to escape into the distance.

Just as Pakura had guessed, his Dark Release actually had quite a few weaknesses. His meridians were now slightly swollen and painful, which was due to absorbing too much Ninjutsu just now.

However, one cannot show anything unusual in front of one's underlings. In reality, there are few good people on either side or among the opponents. It is common practice to run away as soon as things turn bad.

At this moment, the Sunagakure Village's primary target became this user of Dark Release. They only took down some small fry blocking their way before chasing after him, much to the dismay of Ryoma, who was watching from behind.

He estimated that not only would Sunagakure return soon, but their money and supplies would also be seized, so he was already considering abandoning his base and running away again.

Haiga's situation was not good. He knew that his Dark Release might be coveted, so he waited until the Fourth Shinobi World War before slowly rising from the black market. But he didn't expect to be targeted so quickly.

"Whoosh!" Pakura was fast, at least faster than this unorthodox guy. When the two were not far apart, a fireball of Scorch Release came whistling towards him. If he didn't take action, he would definitely turn into a mummy.

Haiga turned around with a ferocious expression, gathered his arms, and activated Dark Release to absorb chakra. The rapidly approaching red fireball was affected and shrank continuously, but it still did not disappear. With a sizzle, it hit his right palm and emitted a strong burnt smell.

"Ah..."

Haiga's arm was completely useless, and he screamed in pain on the spot. He had underestimated the power of the Kekkei Genkai. He had been absorbing ordinary Five Element Ninjutsu smoothly, but he could hardly stop the Scorch Release.

A smile appeared on Pakura's lips as he flashed to his side, ready to seize his prey.

But then a sudden change occurred; a strong gust of wind rushed towards them from the side, blowing her bangs even before it got close.

Turning her head, she saw that the air currents were visibly highly concentrated; if she were hit, she would definitely be injured. The timing of the attack was extremely precise, so she had no choice but to abandon Haiga and retreat temporarily.

When he saw Pakura angrily halt his attack, Haiga was somewhat taken aback. He didn't recall having any black market friends; who exactly was that...?

Before he could think any further, two dark figures rushed up behind him like lightning. Before Haiga could even turn around, a white light flashed in the corner of his eye, and a bolt of lightning easily struck him, causing a strong paralysis in his body.

"Uh..." Another person behind also started to move, first taking out a syringe-like prop, and then instantly stabbing it into Haiga's body. The cooperation between the teammate and the other was simply seamless.

Haiga quickly went limp, and then received another slap on the neck. The man behind him nimbly hoisted his unconscious body, and then he and his companion turned and ran.

From their appearance to their escape after achieving their goal, the group's abduction techniques were so practiced that they were clearly seasoned veterans, and this was definitely not their first time committing such a heinous act.

Pakura and the Sunagakure who caught up from behind were furious. Their eyes were fixed on the three people in front of them, who were wearing light yellow trench coats and similar masks. They were completely covered up and looked very mysterious.

"It looks like Konoha's Anbu. We have to chase after them, we can't let them get away!" Shinnosuke was also enraged. The duck that was almost in their hands had been snatched away. Did Sunagakure have no face left?

The two groups chased each other in the central part of the Land of Rivers. The Konoha Anbu squad quickly rushed into a forest, with the Sunagakure following closely behind. The sounds of Ninjutsu bombardment could be heard from the forest from time to time. The various small animals inside were thrown into chaos by these uninvited guests, and the scene was quite lively.

"Whoosh..." Three Konoha Anbu rushed out of the small forest, each of them looking somewhat disheveled. The Sunagakure Village had many skilled fighters, and since they were also carrying others, their speed was inevitably slower.

The situation was turning bad. They hadn't managed to shake off the enemy even with the complex terrain, and now they were in an area of uneven hills with a wide field of vision. If they continued to run, they would likely be caught.

Despite these considerations, they remained unmoved, already prepared to sacrifice lives to complete the mission.

"Where do you think you're going!" Pakura followed closely, and after catching up, he unleashed a Wind Release. Although the power was not strong, the range was large, directly disrupting the escape rhythm of the three Konoha members.

Shinnosuke Kazuma seized the opportunity to close in instantly, while two Konoha Anbu turned around, ready to sacrifice themselves to block the enemy so their teammates could escape.

Just as the two sides were about to collide, a large number of Kunai suddenly appeared in the sky, attacking directly in the middle of the two sides, interrupting the Sunagakure's actions once again.

Who is it?

When the Sunagakure members saw the attack, they thought Konoha reinforcements had arrived, but the Konoha Anbu carrying Haiga continued running without looking back.

Such behavior was extremely disrespectful, so a faster Kunai flew over and stuck in the ground in front of him, blocking his path. The words "Flying Thunder God Technique" on it seemed rather unusual.

Upon seeing the spell, the man finally stopped. He figured that if he hadn't been smart enough to try and bypass it, the other party would have definitely taught him a lesson.

After their actions were interrupted, everyone on the field immediately looked in the direction of the attack.

At the top of a small hill, Shuichi sat on a large rock, one knee bent and resting on his right hand, a blade of grass dangling from his mouth as he swayed from side to side, seemingly oblivious to the tense atmosphere. The group of experts below appeared insignificant to him.

"You're Danzo's men, aren't you? You guys really have no respect for us. Our teammates from the village are here and you're still running around with your heads down, as if you're in a hurry to be reborn?" Shuichi complained to the Root ninja carrying Haiga.

Although this person was only concerned with the mission, he also knew that running away would be a slap in the face to Shuichi, so he stopped and spoke up, "So it's Lord Shuichi. We received orders from Danzo to bring this person back. Now that you've arrived, it's just in time. After we take care of these Sunagakure, we can return together."

When the Sunagakure members looked up, their expressions quickly changed drastically. How could the Purple Aurora suddenly appear in this place? The opponent was a top-level expert who had become famous in the Shinobi World in recent years, and the thought of his various achievements was chilling.

Shinnosuke, the team leader, instantly broke out in a cold sweat. He had two or three promising juniors in his team, and if they encountered Takeda Shuichi today, they would probably be finished. The future of Sunagakure would suffer a fatal blow.

Suppressing his anxiety, he quickly came up with a quick idea and said, "Lord Shuichi, it's all a misunderstanding. Our two villages are allies now. Just now, your men forcibly abducted our mission target without identifying themselves."

"Now that there are no casualties, we are willing to abandon the mission. May we leave?"

"Captain! We might as well fight him to the death, why show weakness?" Pakura said somewhat unconvinced. She believed that so many elites could easily fight Konoha to a standstill.

Baki, standing to the side, remained silent. His teacher, Tosha, had died at the hands of Purple Aurora. Shinnosuke had been friends with Tosha for many years, but a ninja cannot be blinded by hatred and must always make the right decisions.

Shuichi twirled Kunai in his hand. With a quick glance, he noticed that the Sunagakure squad was of very high quality. If they were wiped out, Sunagakure would suffer a complete collapse for more than a decade.

"But there's no need. It's peacetime now. Besides, even if these people are strong, their strength is limited. I can take care of them whenever I want in the future."

Thinking of this, he smiled slightly at those below, "You're right, we're allies now. However, whatever the reason, the Konoha Ninja were indeed being chased by you just now."

"They're all terrified now, you should at least pay them compensation for their emotional distress before you leave!"

Shinnosuke breathed a sigh of relief. The worst-case scenario hadn't happened. He was just afraid that Shuichi would attack without saying a word, in which case they would definitely be doomed.

What are your conditions?