After a great battle, Chino not only consumed a lot of pupil power and stamina, but also accidentally lost a large amount of blood that could have been retrieved, causing her condition to decline rapidly and her combat power to be greatly reduced.
"Huff huff..."
Slumped on the ground, Chino gasped heavily.
For someone her age, the loss of a large amount of blood was far more serious than most people imagined.
"You rest for a while."
After instructing Chino, Ryuzetsu looked up at the battlefield.
On the battlefield.
The ninjas of the Hidden Rock and Hidden Cloud had already begun to clean up the battlefield and treat the wounded. Everyone was busy with the tasks at hand, seemingly forgetting Yakushi Kabuto who had just escaped.
Obviously, they were scared out of their wits, giving up the idea of chasing Yakushi Kabuto, not even daring to send anyone to track him from a distance.
As for Kurotsuchi and the others.
Seeing Yakushi Kabuto retreat, the severely injured Kurotsuchi could no longer hold on, tilting her head and fainting.
Darui and Ameyuri Ringo were in slightly better condition, but they also lost their combat capabilities. Let alone chasing Yakushi Kabuto, even movement was problematic.
Seeing this situation, Ryuzetsu sighed and also gave up the idea of chasing Yakushi Kabuto.
Then, she glanced in the direction Yakushi Kabuto left, murmuring: "Is this the power of Sage Art?"
Yakushi Kabuto's strength was all-around, with no obvious weaknesses, so she had no confidence in defeating him.
In her opinion, probably only the Leader or 'B' taking action could defeat Yakushi Kabuto.
On the other side.
No matter how Sasuke shouted on the ground, Itachi on the clay bird turned a deaf ear, moving further away.
Sasuke was anxious and angry, but no matter how he accelerated sprinting on the ground, he could only barely keep up with the clay bird in the air.
Equally anxious were Kakashi and the others following Sasuke.
Currently, Jiraiya was missing, and the situation of the Hidden Rock and Hidden Cloud ninja armies led by Kurotsuchi and Darui was unclear. The overall situation was very unfavorable for the Ninja Village Alliance.
Just then, a large patch of golden sand suddenly attacked Kakashi and the others from the side.
Kakashi and the others were forced to stop, dodging the incoming golden sand one after another.
After scattering, everyone realized that another clay bird had appeared in the air. Sasori and Deidara stood on the back of the clay bird, and beside Sasori stood the Fourth Kazekage made into a human puppet.
The golden sand that attacked them just now was launched by the Fourth Kazekage!
Kakashi glanced at Sasuke who had already gone far, his heart sinking.
Sasuke, chasing Itachi, also noticed that Kakashi and the others behind him were intercepted by Sasori and Deidara, but he didn't stop; his eyes still only saw Itachi ahead.
A long time later, Sasuke still lost track of Itachi.
Standing on the crown of a large tree, he panted while observing the surroundings, looking for Itachi's figure.
At this moment, he regretted very much. If he had known Itachi would flee so resolutely, he shouldn't have spared pupil power just now; he should have directly activated 'Susanoo' and shot down the clay bird Itachi was riding on.
In the distant sky.
Menma, sitting cross-legged on the Nine-Faced Beast 'Vermilion Bird', frowned tightly: "Damn it, why did the sensing disappear again!"
Following the sensing, he rushed all the way from the Land of Hot Water to the Land of Rice Fields.
Along the way, he sensed the chakra of the other half of the Nine-Tails several times, but before he could lock onto the specific location, the sensing suddenly disappeared, making him very depressed.
Swish...
Just then, he faintly heard a sharp whistling sound. Looking up, he saw a huge purple arrow attacking towards him.
"!?"
Looking bewildered, Menma had no time to think carefully, instinctively jumping off the 'Vermilion Bird'.
Bang!
Just as he jumped off the 'Vermilion Bird', the 'Vermilion Bird' in the air was hit by that purple arrow, exploding directly into a puff of white smoke in the air. Then, the main body of the 'Vermilion Bird', a small Nine-Faced Beast, fell out of the white smoke.
Falling from the air, Menma turned over and looked in the direction the purple arrow came from. Immediately, his pupils contracted sharply.
It turned out that in the direction the purple arrow came from, a purple 'Susanoo' he was very familiar with was standing.
"Sasuke!?" Stunned for a moment, Menma thought to himself: "Damn it, must be sent by the village to hunt me down! That guy doesn't have much pupil power left, yet he dares to use the Mangekyo Sharingan recklessly. Does he think he's not dying fast enough?"
As Naruto's Heart Demon, Menma had fully accepted Naruto's memories, so he not only recognized Sasuke at a glance but even knew Sasuke's situation like the back of his hand.
Of course, he wasn't aware that Shinji had replenished half of Sasuke's pupil power.
Landing wretchedly on a tree branch, Menma's face was full of hostility: "Since you dare to trouble me, don't blame me for being heartless!"
Swish...
With a thought, Menma advanced instead of retreating, pouncing towards the direction of the purple 'Susanoo'.
Soon, Menma arrived in front of the 'Susanoo' and saw Sasuke standing under the 'Susanoo'.
Sasuke, with one hand on his hip, looked impatient: "Naruto, I don't have the energy to waste words with you right now. Get back to the village obediently!"
Regarding Naruto, Jiraiya had briefed the Hidden Leaf ninjas within the elite squad, so including Sasuke, the Hidden Leaf ninjas in the elite squad knew they also shouldered another task this time, which was to retrieve Naruto who was controlled by his Heart Demon and had defected privately.
Preparing to denounce Sasuke, Menma was choked by Sasuke's preemptive rebuke, instantly furious: "You bastard, dare to look down on me!"
Sasuke still looked impatient: "I don't care if you are influenced by a Heart Demon or something else. In short, I don't have the energy to deal with your affairs right now. You better be obedient and don't force me to act!"
What Menma found most unbearable was the arrogance of others. Sasuke's reprimand evoked memories of Naruto's childhood suffering cold looks from villagers, instantly igniting the anger in his heart. So he smirked savagely: "Then let me experience the strength of you, a Mangekyo Uchiha!"
With that, without any warning, Menma launched his biggest killer move, 'Great Spiralling Ring', smashing it towards Sasuke right from the start.
Sasuke was initially somewhat indifferent, but as the 'Great Spiralling Ring' in Menma's hand got closer, a warning sign suddenly rose in his heart. But it was too late to dodge, so he had to control 'Susanoo' to cross its arms, protecting in front of him.
Rumble...
A deafening roar quickly resonated throughout the entire forest.
Immediately following was a massive shockwave, venting frantically in all directions, leveling all trees along the way!
Those still lingering in the forest, whether the Akatsuki organization or the Ninja Village Alliance, were all attracted by this huge roar and looked over simultaneously.