"Hey, don't say that. I couldn't have escaped without you." The lead Shinobi looked thoroughly pleased with himself, his eyes narrowed to slits.
Seeing him grinning so happily, his subordinates couldn't help getting excited too.
"All right, stop flattering me. Any more praise and it'll go to my head." He waved a hand. "Hurry back to camp and rescue Sanji and Xuan Zhe. Then everyone gets a bonus."
"Thanks, boss!" his subordinates answered in unison.
"Don't mention it." The lead Shinobi waved, and the group broke into a run, charging ahead.
He laughed as he ran. "Hahaha, we really hit the jackpot this time. That bonus is in the bag!"
In a patch of woods just ten meters away, a pair of icy eyes stared fixedly at them.
A man in black stood in the shadows of the trees, his brows tightly knitted as he watched the lead Shinobi get carried away with his triumph. He muttered, "I didn't expect them to slip out of the valley so easily... From the looks of it, they're a good deal stronger than us. We'll have to be careful this time."
Huh?
He suddenly froze-the lead Shinobi had stopped and turned to look back.
The man in black sucked in a breath. "Good heavens, we only just escaped death. Why are they running back again? What the hell is going on?"
He gritted his teeth, a vicious gleam flashing in his eyes. "Want to go back? Not a chance."
He turned and roared at his subordinates, "Listen up, all of you! Get ready!"
The Shinobi at their head had a carrying voice and answered at once, "We're already ready."
The man in black nodded firmly, then pulled something from inside his clothes. It looked like a signal tube.
"Throw this into the camp