Under Anko's escort, Temari returned to Gaara and Kankuro. Chiba tossed her the Earth Scroll he had taken from the Amegakure team, saying it was interest on the fee for saving her life.
As Temari took the scroll, her fingers brushed Chiba's fingertips, and her whole body jolted.
Chiba chuckled without saying more, then turned and vanished into the depths of the dense forest with Anko.
Gaara stood there silently for a long time before speaking.
"Big sister, that person is dangerous."
"I know." Temari stuffed the scroll into her pouch, her voice slightly unsteady.
"You don't." Gaara's pale green pupils showed no emotional fluctuation. "I'm not talking about his strength. I mean he's dangerous in other ways."
It took Temari two seconds to understand what her brother meant, and the back of her neck immediately burned.
"Gaara, shut up!"
Kankuro covered his mouth with his uninjured hand and snickered from the side, only to be kicked flat onto the ground by Temari.
Chiba led Anko swiftly through the dense forest, his spiritual power fully unleashed, taking in every movement within a three-kilometer radius.
The first day in the Forest of Death was nearing dusk. Most teams had begun looking for safe places to spend the night, and the frequency of battles was dropping.
"Boss, has that Wind Release fusion in your body stabilized now?"
"It's stable. Faster than expected. The compatibility of the stuff the system gives really is high."
Chiba leaped onto the horizontal branch of a giant tree and looked down over the forest floor below, directing his spiritual power northward.
Orochimaru's chakra signature was still there. Its position had not changed much, and he was still maintaining a tracking distance of roughly two hundred meters behind Team 7.
"That snake still hasn't made a move."
Anko