The Dangerous Situation

Chiba scanned his surroundings in a daze, feeling that something was off, yet he could not put his finger on what it was.

Furrowing his brows tightly, Chiba couldn't help but feel puzzled; was it just his imagination?

Just as Chiba was lost in anxious thought, Izumi suddenly leaned in and forcefully smoothed out his tightly knitted brows.

"Hehe, don't always act like such a little adult. Smile more; why would a child have so many things to worry about every day?"

"Sister Izumi, I... I just feel like something is wrong."

Izumi smiled gently, soothing Chiba.

"Stop overthinking. Even if there really is trouble, Xia Mu will handle everything."

As she spoke, Izumi began to fiddle with Chiba's hair again.

"Come to think of it, Chiba is really cute. If Chiba were a girl, he would definitely grow up to be a great beauty."

In the past, whenever Izumi teased him like this, Chiba would have surely stood up in angry protest, but this time, he acted as if he hadn't heard her at all, showing no reaction whatsoever.

Thump! Thump!

Chiba could feel his heart beating faster and faster, and that lingering sense of oppression grew increasingly intense.

What exactly was wrong?

Without realizing it, Chiba's forehead was already covered in a fine layer of cold sweat.

"Chiba, what is wrong with you?"

Izumi anxiously stroked Chiba's forehead and called out to Xia Mu.

"Xia Mu, come quickly! Chiba is acting strange."

Xia Mu hurried over.

"Chiba, what's wrong?"

Xia Mu looked at Chiba in confusion, anxiously placing his hand on Chiba's forehead.

The people nearby were also startled by Chiba's abnormality; they stopped their conversations and looked at him with puzzled expressions.

Ignoring the curious gazes of the crowd, Chiba scanned his surroundings. Looking at the people who had fallen silent out of concern for him, he suddenly realized something, and his expression shifted instantly.

"I found it! The sound! It's the sound! The sound is wrong!"

"What do you mean the sound is wrong?"

"Brother Xia Mu, don't you think it's been too quiet since we started our journey?"

"Quiet?"

Xia Mu paused, looking suspiciously at the forest on both sides of the road.

The forest, which should have been filled with the chirping of insects and birds, had become deathly silent for no apparent reason.

Chiba was certainly no stranger to this scene; it had been exactly like this when Heichen and the others fought last time.

After a brief moment of shock, Xia Mu's expression also changed drastically.

"Stop! Everyone stop!"

The entire caravan came to a halt.

"What's wrong, Xia Mu? Did something happen?"

"Yeah, why did you make us stop so suddenly?"

Without offering much explanation, Xia Mu anxiously ordered everyone to turn back the way they came.

"Damn it, I should have noticed this sooner!"

Given Xia Mu's wealth of experience, such an oversight should not have happened, but the success so close at hand had caused him to lower his guard.

Moreover, Xia Mu had been busy these past few days preparing plans for their upcoming new home, while his mind was constantly occupied with the possibility of saving more children, which led to this lapse in judgment.

"Quick, move! Head back the way we came!"

While Chiba only felt fear out of a habitual familiarity with such scenes, Xia Mu undoubtedly understood the severity of the situation far better.

Animals have a much stronger ability to sense danger than humans; they always flee well in advance when a battle is about to break out. However, even a typical ninja skirmish would not cause such a large-scale silence.

Recalling the vast area of silence they had passed through along the way, Xia Mu couldn't help but feel a chill.

A terrifying possibility suddenly arose from the depths of Xia Mu's heart.

"Damn it. I hope it's not what I think it is."

Soon, the group began to retreat in a panic along the path they had traveled.

However, they hadn't gone far before they were forced to stop by a river they had passed earlier.

"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"

"Earth Style: Earth Wall!"

"Boom!"

Secret Technique: Rain of Thousand Needles!

Ultimate Technique: Poison Smoke!

Across the river that had been calm just moments ago, dozens of ninjas were locked in a fierce battle. Judging by the symbols on their headbands, they were squads of Rain Ninja and Rock Ninja.

"Kill!"

"Squelch!"

The ninjas from both sides collided in a frenzy of shouts, a cacophony of various ninjutsu, battle cries, and the sound of blades piercing flesh blending into one.

Ninjas fell one after another, while a dazzling array of ninjutsu and secret techniques whistled through the air, kicking up clouds of dust.

Yet, to Chiba and his group, these spectacular scenes evoked nothing but terror.

Cold sweat streamed down Xia Mu's forehead, soaking his collar in an instant.

"As, as I thought. We've stumbled into a ninja war zone."

Deeply aware of what this meant, Xia Mu's eyes were filled with bewilderment.

"How could this happen? I thought this area hadn't been touched by the war yet."

While Xia Mu was still stunned, Chiba shook him violently.

"Brother Xia Mu, now is not the time to think about that. What should we do?"

"What should we do..."

Forcing himself to calm down, Xia Mu looked around, finally gritting his teeth to make a decision.

"We'll head back the way we came. If we're lucky, we might just be on the edge of the battlefield, and perhaps we can escape it quickly by following our original route."

Soon, the group silently began to retrace their steps. However, compared to the high-spirited atmosphere they had earlier, nothing remained in the group now but a suffocating tension.