Just as Ruri finished that thought, the ninja from all the villages had almost reached him.
Ruri looked at the ninja who had arrived around him and shouted, "All of you, listen up! The Earth Scroll and Heaven Scroll you want are both in my hands. If you want them, hurry up and follow me to get them!"
After saying that, Ruri ran toward the finish at tremendous speed.
"What? That brat actually has two scrolls!"
"He already got the Earth Scroll that quickly!"
"That brat actually has two scrolls! Hurry, follow him..." As that ninja spoke, his squad charged in the direction Ruri had disappeared.
"That direction leads to the finish. Could that brat be setting some kind of trap for us?" a ninja from Iwagakure asked doubtfully.
"What are you scared of, you idiot? There's only one of him, and there are several of us. Hurry up and follow him! Otherwise, there won't be anything left for us!" One of his companions slapped him, then took the lead and charged in the direction Ruri had disappeared.
As Ruri raced toward the finish, he used his Byakugan to check behind him and discovered that many ninja were already following in his footsteps, heading toward the finish. A broad smile now covered his face.
It was almost afternoon by then. The sun was not as hot as it had been at noon, and there were still many patches of sunlight on the forest floor where the light shone through the leaves.
A figure was darting swiftly between the many trees in the forest. That figure moving at high speed between the trees was Ruri, and a large group of ninja was chasing after him.
"How strange. How is that brat running so fast? Did he eat something? Something that boosted