This time, Qi held nothing back either.
Chakra unleashed to its maximum.
Only a few flashes later.
Their figures then vanished completely.
And after Qi left, the thick white fog above the scene and the frost path on the ground quickly faded away.
These few members of the Root gradually regained their vision and full mobility.
After escaping the explosion.
There was no sign of Qi Root anymore. The Root Jonin Lightning Release looked at the corpse of his Sensation subordinate on the ground with a grim expression.
"Chase them! You must find them!"
The Root Jonin turned his head, looked at the three subordinates approaching, and said in a cold voice.
Although the most important tracking tactic was gone, his Lightning Release technique had definitely hit Qi, and combined with the previous blows and the large amount of Chakra consumed, he could be 100% certain that this Mist Ninja brat had reached the end of his rope.
He didn't believe that under such circumstances, the brat could still run far, and that he wouldn't even need to lift a finger; any of his subordinates could easily kill the target. Therefore, he boldly ordered his men to split up and pursue Qi!
"Yes!"
The three Root Chunin responded in unison.
"Whoosh!"
"Swoosh"
Immediately afterwards.
The four of them were assigned to four different locations and gave chase at full speed!
That Root Jonin Lightning Release Root responsible for the eastern direction, which he believed was the most likely escape route for Kei!
Unfortunately, Qi did not flee eastward, but instead chose to flee southwestward!
And while Qi's condition was indeed very bad, it wasn't as dire as that Root Jonin had predicted, that he couldn't escape far.
Even with only that small amount of Chakra remaining, it was enough for Qi to create some distance. If the person chasing Qi was that Root Jonin, the probability of being captured or escaping was probably fifty-fifty.
However, even though he was only a Chunin, there was a huge difference in speed. In addition, his full sensory power could easily lock onto that Root Chunin.
Therefore, it took Qi less than half an hour to easily shake off the Root Chunin who was chasing after him Chunin the direction he had left.
'Phew, finally shook off those guys. Let's find a place to rest for a bit; I'm not in the right condition for any more frequent relocations!'
Having confirmed that the Root Chunin had completely lost track of them, they pursued him in a completely off-track location.
Qi also breathed a sigh of relief.
After relaxing, I realized that I was also in a terrible state. The Chakra depletion from two consecutive high-intensity battles goes without saying, and my injuries could only be described as being covered in wounds!
However, compared to that initial battle with the Cloud Ninja, it's still a different story.
This result is already quite good.
At least he could still retain a sliver of mobility, preventing him from falling into a coma due to severe injuries. Feeling the intense pain coursing through his body, Qi took a deep breath, slowly exhaled, and forcefully suppressed his pain. After determining his location, he...
He continued in the direction he had chosen, intending to find a small town nearby to rest for a while.
They should at least recover most of their injuries before setting off again.
'I hope Ao-sensei, Mei Terumi, Kisame can escape successfully too...'
As Qi gradually faded into the distance, he left behind only this barely audible sentence before it slowly dissipated into the wind.
A brutal and incredibly fierce chase!
It's still uncertain how many of the Mist Ninja who were sent to Konohagakure to participate in the Chunin Ninja Exams will be able to return to the Land of Water safely, but more than half have already perished!
Several hours later, Qi had shaken off the pursuers from the Root.
The Third Hokage, far away in Konohagakure, finally received the most detailed firsthand intelligence.
Upon seeing the information reported back by Jiraiya, the Third Hokage revealed a look of disbelief and anger, looking at Shimura Danzō, who had only arrived at the Hokage's office a little over an hour ago and was still in a leisurely manner.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, his expression icy cold, demanded, " Danzo, is this the result you wanted!? This blatant attack on the Kirigakure group—are you trying to provoke a war between Konoha and Kirigakure!? Do you still care about Konoha, or about me, your Hokage!?"
It wasn't just Hiruzen Sarutobi who couldn't suppress his anger for a moment.
Even Koharu Utatane and Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu opposite them, looked at Danzo with utter bewilderment and confusion.
They truly couldn't fathom why their old friend would do something so reckless. What good would this do for him, or for Konoha?!
War or peace—shouldn't this be a mandatory choice that doesn't require any consideration?
Why does it seem so strange and odd when it comes to this old friend of mine?
Standing to the side of the Third Hokage, Shikaku Nara, who was also attending this high-level meeting for the first time, appeared calm, but a faint glint of something unusual flickered deep in his eyes. Even with Shikaku's intelligence, he couldn't understand why his elder Shimura Danzō, was doing this.
There's absolutely no reason!
"Hmph, Hiruzen, I've said it before, everything I've done is for Konoha. It's fine if you don't understand, but you shouldn't doubt me. The Mist Ninja group had to die; only then could we further provoke Kirigakure. Peace? No, I've said it before, Hiruzen, the relationship between the Five Great Nations can never be peaceful. Leaving aside our hatred, the interests Konoha holds are enough to make the other four hostile. Rather than waiting for them to prepare for war, it's better for us to lead this war. Only when Konoha wins will true peace arrive! This is the right thing to do!"
Danzo slowly opened his eyes, his expression still cold and stern, and looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi in the leader's seat, speaking in a deep voice.
'And our Konoha can truly dominate the Shinobi World and reign supreme!'
Danzo kept this thought to himself and didn't say it aloud.
He knew that his three old friends across from him had no interest in things like dominating the Shinobi World, so it was better not to say anything at all. This was exactly Danzo the most and what he couldn't understand the most!
"!?"
Danzo's words were also completely incomprehensible to Hiruzen Sarutobi, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu.
What does it mean that only by winning a war can true peace be achieved?
Are you sure you're not joking?