"Then let's split up into pairs."
With that, Golden Tiger pulled Pelican along and headed straight ahead.
Red Boar scratched his head, then chose Clown, and the two headed to the right.
Only Didaze and Umu remained.
"Lord Didaze, let's go."
Umu looked quite happy as she stepped forward and spoke softly to Didaze.
"Let's go!"
Didaze didn't feel uncomfortable about it. Having a beautiful woman beside him was pretty nice, anyway.
He wasn't a eunuch. Even if he didn't intend to date her, there was nothing wrong with looking.
Still, he had to admit that Umu really did have a great figure.
"Lord Didaze, could you tell me about your time on the battlefield? I'm really curious!"
Umu gazed intently at Didaze. She had never been so curious about a man before.
She did admire strength somewhat-or rather, few ninja didn't-but it stemmed more from her curiosity about Didaze himself.
"That's a long story..."
Since they had to travel anyway, Didaze chatted with Umu along the way.
She seemed to be a little fangirl of his, and he had no intention of insisting on acting cold and aloof.
They chatted as they traveled, and Didaze told Umu almost everything about what had happened on the battlefield.
"Lord Didaze... you really made the greatest contribution in this battle!"
After hearing Didaze's account, Umu's eyes were filled with utter shock.
She knew Didaze wouldn't deceive her, because there was no need.
With such a glorious battle record, Didaze could even be called Iwagakure's strongest ninja apart from the Tsuchikage.
"Lord Didaze, I..."
"Earth Release: Rock Drop!"
Before Umu could finish, a voice suddenly rang out.
A tall man stood beside a man of average build.
The tall one was none other than Ōiwa!
The man of average build was someone they had never seen, but his forehead protector marked him as a missing-nin from Sunagakure.
"Who knows which village's Anbu it is this time."
Ōiwa spoke to the man beside him with a troubled look.
"They should still be Sunagakure's Anbu, but it doesn't matter. We'll leave this place in a while."
The man beside him was named Sakyū, an A-rank missing-nin from Sunagakure.
He had encountered Ōiwa once while being hunted down. Ōiwa had originally intended to kill him, but the Sunagakure pursuers behind him had forced Ōiwa to cooperate with him.
After they killed the pursuers, Sakyū also recognized the usefulness of a teammate, so he invited Ōiwa to work with him.
Ōiwa accepted the invitation, and just like that, a Sunagakure missing-nin and an Iwagakure missing-nin began operating together.
The two constantly scanned their surroundings, attacking immediately whenever unfamiliar chakra approached.
With two of them, they could essentially monitor the area around them around the clock.
The falling rocks had already reached Didaze and Umu. From Ōiwa's perspective, they could no longer dodge.
"This batch of Anbu is really weak. Wiped out just like that."
Ōiwa gave a contemptuous snort.
A perfectly ordinary Rock Drop was enough to kill these two Anbu. They really were useless.
Ōiwa didn't believe they could still dodge with the rocks already right in front of them.
And if they couldn't dodge, they would be crushed into pulp.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Looking at the rocks, Didaze immediately used Wind Release.
He would have to use Wind Release frequently in battle from now on. Only then could he raise his proficiency as quickly as possible.
If he never used it, then even if he trained until the end of time, he wouldn't be able to bring it up to the strength of his earth and fire chakra.
When Umu saw Didaze use Wind Release, she immediately used her own to support him, though she didn't know why he was using Wind Release instead of Explosion Release.
Although her Wind Release was only a fifth as powerful as Didaze's, it could still boost his a little.
The rocks were shattered outright by the Wind Release!
"Such powerful Wind Release!"
Ōiwa's brow furrowed deeply. He was now certain they were from Sunagakure.
Iwagakure wouldn't use Wind Release as its main means of attack, and Konoha wouldn't issue a mission to capture two missing-nin who weren't from its own village.
"Let me!"
Sakyū took out a puppet, coated it with a layer of lethal poison, and began manipulating chakra threads with both hands.
"Block this attack for me. I have a plan."
Sakyū spoke to Ōiwa.
"All right."
Ōiwa nodded.
"Earth Release: Earth Style Wall!"
Ōiwa immediately summoned an enormous Earth Style Wall to block the wave of Wind Release.
This was also partly because Didaze's Wind Release had weakened after destroying the rocks and then traveling some distance.
"Ready!"
Sakyū's voice came from behind him.
Ōiwa looked back. Sakyū's puppet had turned purplish-black!
"How much poison did you put on that thing?!"
A chill ran through Ōiwa as he looked at the puppet, which was even dripping poison onto the ground.
"About half my stock. These pursuers are pretty strong, after all."
After that brief reply, Sakyū threw the puppet straight out!
Yes, he simply threw it.
He showed no intention of controlling it at all.
"Wind Release: Decapitating Airwaves!"
Sakyū unleashed Wind Release, tearing the puppet apart, then used chakra threads to roughly control where the fragments would land.
Large quantities of poison began spraying through the air.
"Silver Rabbit, fall back!"
Didaze shouted to Umu behind him, then prepared to face the enemy himself.
Umu nodded and immediately retreated more than five hundred meters away.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!"
Didaze gathered a massive amount of chakra, and his powerful Wind Release blew the puppet and poison upward!
"What?!"
Sakyū's face filled with horror.
He had considered that the pursuers might do this, but he hadn't expected them to be able to blow back his puppet after he had scattered it so widely!
This Wind Release was several times more powerful than before. Had Sunagakure sent its next Kazekage?
"What do we do?"
As Ōiwa watched Didaze's powerful Wind Release, his gaze became utterly grave.
"You make a feint. I'll look for a chance to ambush him with my puppets."
Sakyū steadied himself and took out three more puppets.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Spears!"
Ōiwa immediately attacked Didaze with Earth Release!
"Wind Release: Wind Blade!"
Didaze brought three fingers together to form a center point, then released Wind Release from his fingers like sword energy!
"An A-rank ninjutsu!"
Ōiwa was horrified.
Ōiwa hurriedly jumped to dodge the Wind Blade, but how could Didaze let him off so easily?
"Multiple Wind Blades!"
Didaze slashed repeatedly, sending blades of wind sword energy hurtling toward him as though they cost nothing.
Ōiwa was slashed all over, his body covered in countless bloody cuts!