"Sure enough, it wasn't as simple as I thought."
That sense of danger had not disappeared, but under Sage Mode's heightened perception, he could roughly lock onto its location.
"They've even masked their scent. Looks like Konoha has done quite a bit of research on me."
Muzan could not help but become wary. He spoke softly to Karin Uzumaki behind him:
"Listen up, kid. Get out of here now. Once this is over, I'll come find you."
Although Karin Uzumaki was not his weakness, if Konoha captured her, it would inevitably cause some trouble. He needed to arrange an escape route in advance. Leaving on his own would not be difficult with his strength, but taking Karin Uzumaki with him would leave him constrained.
With such a perfect chance to escape right before her, Karin Uzumaki naturally turned and ran without looking back.
"This brat."
Unfortunately, now was not the time to teach her a lesson. Muzan looked up at the blinding sunlight. So they chose to make their move now? Too bad they did not know that he had found a temporary way to resist sunlight.
The instant he lowered his head, his lips curled into a crueler smile.
"I hope the Akatsuki hurry up."
Konoha's decision to capture him would definitely leave them with an opening for a while. This was a rare opportunity.
"Rustle..."
Just as he remained alert for their attack, he suddenly heard rustling from all around him. Muzan's eyes swiftly focused.
A small patch of black lines appeared beneath the trees, but the moment they neared Muzan, he used Body Flicker and left the area.
Yet the instant Muzan leaped away, he felt as though his body had been marked.
"Looks like Ino-Shika-Cho has all arrived."
He was not afraid of Inoichi Yamanaka's abilities.