Within the damp primeval forest, moss grew everywhere. Rikusei's gaze deepened as he stared at the towering wooden tower standing at the center. "The destination is about ten kilometers away."
"These ten kilometers are fraught with danger. Besides worrying about ambushes from the other hidden villages, we also need to be wary of the many Tailed Beasts scattered along the way."
Naori looked up at the Puppet Flying Bird circling overhead, the bundled ponytail covering the back of her neck swaying slightly as she sensed the wildly surging, violent chakra within the forest.
Mao tightened her grip on Futsu-no-Mitama. Her solemn expression could not help but turn into a sigh. "The false information that was leaked beforehand deceived all of us. I never expected we'd have to fight Tailed Beasts."
"It's not as simple as elimination." Rikusei activated his Sharingan and surveyed the surroundings. "Some time has passed, yet the Tailed Beasts don't seem to have attacked on their own. It's as if they each have a fixed territory."
"You mean?"
"This survival exercise is meant to make us band together."
The three leaping through the forest reached a relatively open stretch. After answering Mao's question, Rikusei pulled a Smoke Bomb from his ninja tool pouch and gripped it in his hand.
The black tomoe in Naori's eyes slowly turned as she looked at the entirely red sphere in his hand. Agreeing, she said, "If scattered teams fight the Tailed Beasts and then encounter attacks from other hidden villages, they'll definitely be eliminated first."
"A collective battle against the Tailed Beasts... the scene will surely be quite spectacular."
The cold forest wind blew across Mao's face in the primeval woods, making her lower her eyes to gaze at the blade in her hand. Surging blood and fighting spirit instantly filled