"Huff—huff—"
Kiba Inuzuka panted heavily, his legs pumping as he sprinted madly through the forest.
"Woof, woof—"
Akamaru, who had been running alongside him, suddenly stopped and barked loudly toward one side.
Kiba Inuzuka and the others hurriedly skidded to a stop, drawing their kunai and warily facing that direction.
"Damn, what an annoying dog!"
A lazy voice came from behind the bushes, immediately making them even more tense.
With rustling footsteps, a ninja squad pushed through the bushes and strode out. One look at the forehead protectors on their heads told them that they were from Sunagakure.
The Sunagakure ninja in the lead swept his gaze over Kiba Inuzuka and the others, then sneered disdainfully. "You really are a sorry sight."
"You have no bounties on your heads, and there aren't any Kekkei Genkai ninja in your group. You're not even worth killing."
"I have no interest in killing you, but you can't expect us to come all this way for nothing."
"Hand over all the valuables you're carrying, and I'll let you pass."
"Damn it!" Kiba Inuzuka clenched his teeth, humiliated beyond measure, yet he did not dare lash out.
Ever since Konoha had fallen apart, every ninja from the village had become like a stray dog, bullied wherever they went.
It was not as if they had never considered fighting their way back into the village, but it was now occupied by those monsters known as Satori. Ordinary ninja could not even get close.
As for everyone joining forces to wipe out the monsters, that was nothing more than wishful thinking.
There was no Hokage in the village now, and even Lord Kazuma was nowhere to be found.
Leaders like the Daimyo and the nobles had indeed sent people to gather everyone together and make plans to