Just as Root and Jiraiya entered the waters of the Land of Whirlpools one after the other, Hozuki Sengetsu, dispatched by Karatachi Yagura to lead Kirigakure's Anbu reinforcements, happened to enter the Land of Whirlpools from another direction.
At this moment, if Araki, Orochimaru, and the others, who were locked in fierce battle on the sea near the border between the Land of Whirlpools and the Land of Water, were included as well, then this tiny Land of Whirlpools had somehow gathered more than two-thirds of the experts from both the Land of Water and the Land of Fire. It was practically honored by their presence.
Even when the Uzumaki Clan still existed, there had never been such a dense gathering of powerful people. It was impossible to say whether this was a blessing or a curse.
Perhaps the only comforting thing was that ninja battles generally did not cause too much damage to the earth veins. At the very least, even if they fought here, the Land of Whirlpools would not have to worry about being directly sunk like the islands in the neighboring world.
But before that, let us turn our attention back to the fleeing Six Ninja Swordsmen.
Because Suikazan Fuguki and Jinin Akebino were seriously injured, the sight of four people dragging two wounded companions along looked especially miserable.
"Yo! What happened here? I was gone for just a few days. How did you all become this pathetic?"
The mist ahead suddenly churned and converged, taking the form of a white-haired, sharp-toothed figure carrying twin blades on his back. He spoke with a faintly teasing tone.
It was Hozuki Sengetsu!
"Boss!"
The fleeing men immediately perked up, looking excitedly at Hozuki Sengetsu and the Kirigakure Anbu who emerged behind him one after another.
"Since you're here,