The Ink Birds Sai controlled were fast, but the Puppet Birds were no slouches either!
The flock of Puppet Birds followed close behind. They were more agile than the Ink Birds, and their speed advantage in the mountainous terrain began to show as the distance between the two sides gradually narrowed again.
"They're catching up again."
"Stick to the plan!"
"Tenten, give me the Explosive Tags." Shikamaru held out his hand.
The birds the two were riding quickly drew closer, and Tenten tossed Shikamaru a scroll.
"Are there enough?"
"Absolutely. There are at least a few hundred Explosive Tags left in there!"
"They're ready to use whenever you need them," Tenten assured him.
Had their situation not still been so dangerous, Shikamaru would have marveled at what a little rich girl Tenten was.
Being able to casually produce several hundred Explosive Tags was no small feat.
Not to mention, he knew without even guessing that Tenten definitely had more Explosive Tags on hand.
"Once-once we get into the valley, I'll take the left cliff, and you take the right. Watch for your chance to stick the Explosive Tags onto the spots we marked earlier."
"Got it."
As they spoke, the mountains ahead grew increasingly steep, and a gap between two peaks came into view in the sunlight!
This was the Valley Entrance Shikamaru had chosen.
The Ink Birds plunged into the valley. The cliffs on either side abruptly narrowed, forcing Sai to fold the birds' wings in somewhat and maintain an extremely precise angle as they flew through the Valley.
The birds' wings almost brushed the rocks as they passed, even leaving marks on several protruding sections of cliff.
Behind them, the first Puppet Bird charged into the valley right on their heels.
It was somewhat smaller than the Ink