"Since you already have a plan, we'll follow your lead the whole way!"
Yuhi Shinku made his decision at once. He stopped insisting on his own approach and fully accepted Kawaki Aoba's leadership.
"I'll follow your lead too!"
Uchiha Wind nodded hurriedly. By now, he trusted Kawaki Aoba completely and had put all his doubts aside.
Kawaki Aoba nodded slightly, his words crisp and direct. "We leave now. Move at full speed, don't stop, and don't make any unnecessary noise along the way. Avoid patrols and reach the canyon as quickly as possible."
"Understood!"
The two answered in unison.
Without further delay, the three turned and raced down the desert passage behind the inn. Their steps were light and swift as they headed toward safety at full speed.
Behind them, the Sunagakure leader lay on the ground, watching their rapidly retreating figures with venom and resentment in his eyes. He gritted his teeth and roared, "Run! Even if you run to the ends of the earth, our Sunagakure reinforcements will catch you! Our squad will remember what you did today! We'll pay you back a hundredfold!"
Hearing the roar behind him, Kawaki Aoba did not look back. He merely paused for a fraction of a second and spoke calmly, his voice carrying clearly behind him. "You're welcome to hold a grudge, but you need the strength to take revenge first.
If you provoke Konoha again and gang up on our ninja, we won't let you off as easily as we did today."
With that, the three pressed on, picking up speed. Soon, they vanished beyond the endless yellow sands, leaving the battlefield far behind.
They raced onward at full speed, the wind howling past their ears as the yellow sand flashed beneath their feet. Barren stretches of rocky desert and