Before long, the group rapidly approached the beach.
Kazeno waved a hand behind him. One ninja after another abandoned their boats and raced across the sea.
"Attack! Leave no survivors! Kill them all!" Kazeno shouted.
Several of the ninja exchanged glances, then unleashed ninjutsu at the two figures ahead.
The others stood by to watch. After all, they were only two women who knew no ninjutsu. There was no need to commit too much force.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
The raging Wind Release whipped up the sand, obscuring everyone's vision. Moments later, agonized screams rang out from within the swirling cloud.
"Aaargh!!!"
Everyone froze. Those were men's voices, not women's screams at all.
This is bad... Realizing something was wrong, Kazeno swiftly retreated. Some of the ninja who sensed danger quietly backed away as well.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh... The Wind Release dispersed, revealing a sight that left everyone dumbstruck.
Translucent orange-red chakra enveloped the two women.
The heads of the ninja who had charged in were caught in enormous claws of orange-red chakra. Before the others' horrified eyes, they burst, splattering tomato juice across the ground.
"Those two are ninja!" A masked man was the first to speak, staring fixedly at Yui and Nai.
Kazeno's pupils contracted, his gaze unfocused as he muttered, "This... this power... this power belongs to a tailed beast..."
He had once witnessed the Third Kazekage subdue a tailed beast in his village. The chakra he sensed now undoubtedly belonged to one.
He recalled the mission the Third Raikage had assigned them several hours earlier.
Find the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki in the Land of Whirlpools... He had wondered at the time why the Nine-Tails would appear in the Land of Whirlpools. He had not given it much thought, but now it seemed the Nine-Tails really was here.
Moreover,