Ma Lin had actually been silently trailing Zhu Tong and the others all along. As a ninja, tracking and concealment were her specialties. Moreover, the one person in Zhu Tong's team who could have easily sensed her had already died. But once Zhu Tong's group realized they were being followed and fixed their attention on Ma Lin, it became much harder for her to remain hidden. Before long, Pseudo-Gaara discovered her trail, and he immediately joined the others in surrounding her.
When Ma Lin saw the five of them deliberately—or seemingly inadvertently—forming a fan-shaped formation as they closed in on her position, she instantly realized that she had been exposed. She promptly withdrew, repeatedly trying to contact Yin Kuang and the others at the same time. Thus, beneath the pitch-black night sky, the six of them began a game of pursuit and escape. As Ma Lin retreated, anxiety gnawed at her heart. Since Zhu Tong's five-person team had locked onto her, it meant Yin Kuang's group had already escaped. But why could she not reach them?
Finally, after Ma Lin had fled north for some time, Yin Kuang responded. Yin Kuang said, "Ma Lin, how are things on your end?" Ma Lin said, "Zhu Tong's team has five people in total. They're right behind me. Things are bad. What about you?" Yin Kuang said, "...Thanks to your timely warning, we successfully withdrew. We also received intelligence that the Zhu Tong pursuing you may be a clone created by the Cherry Blossom Innate Technique, while the other Zhu Tong is very likely still at their main camp. So we're now ten kilometers away from the castle."
Ma Lin fell silent for a moment, then said, "I understand... I'll do everything I can to hold them back." Though Yin Kuang had not