At Mujo's command, a sizable force of Hozuki Castle guards charged straight at the elite fighters.
Among the crowd, Naruto Uzumaki and the others became the targets of special "attention."
Their strength was only at the genin level.
Although they were all exceptionally gifted geniuses, geniuses who had yet to mature were still nothing but "weaklings."
At least the elite fighters could defend themselves against the Hozuki Castle guards' attacks.
Naruto Uzumaki and the others, however, could not hold them off and could only retreat rapidly, back to back.
More than forty elite fighters had come to their "rescue" this time.
Meanwhile, nearly a hundred guards had been lying in ambush at Hozuki Castle.
Most of them were at the jonin level, so it was no wonder Naruto Uzumaki and the others were utterly unable to fight back.
Who could have imagined that so many hidden experts lurked in the remote Hozuki Castle?
According to the original Naruto story, Hozuki Castle was a place in the Land of Grass specifically used to imprison rogue ninja from various lands.
In other words, Hozuki Castle Prison was an enforcement institution jointly established by the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
That made the strength of Hozuki Castle Prison's guards easy enough to understand.
Without a sufficiently powerful armed force, how could they keep so many formidable rogue ninja under control?
With Hozuki Castle's forces joining the fray, the situation on the battlefield was completely reversed.
The elite fighters were all too busy protecting themselves. How could they spare any time to attack Deidara?
As Kakashi Hatake fought fiercely against the Hozuki Castle guards, he saw Naruto Uzumaki and the others facing one peril after another and cried out anxiously:
"Lord Mujo, your duty is to imprison rogue ninja from the various nations."
"We have