A great battle was about to break out.
Hiruko regretted being overly confident earlier and not notifying Sasori, Deidara, Itachi, and Juzo Biwa for support in time.
Because besides these enemies in front of him, Jiraiya and Orochimaru were also nearby. Once surrounded, it would be big trouble.
Hiruko instructed: "Ranmaru, send out the signal!"
Ranmaru immediately took out a signal flare and shot it into the sky.
Whoosh...
Instantly, a signal flare dragged a conspicuous tail flame, shooting high into the sky!
Kakashi exclaimed: "Not good!"
Swish...
Before his voice fell, a purple arrow flew out, hitting the signal flare about to explode dead on!
Boom!
Accompanied by a roar, there was no dazzling signal firework in the sky, only a flash of fire passing in an instant.
Undoubtedly, the moment Ranmaru fired the signal flare, Sasuke unhesitatingly activated 'Susanoo' and shot down that unexploded signal flare.
"Tch!"
Watching the signal flare being destroyed, Hiruko spat lightly.
Yakushi Kabuto spoke at the right time: "As long as you hand over the Nine-Tails to me, I can help you evacuate!"
Hiruko glared at Yakushi Kabuto: "Who do you think you are, worthy of negotiating conditions with me!"
Yakushi Kabuto smiled and shifted his gaze to Ranmaru beside Hiruko: "Ranmaru, as far as I know, Hiruko has always coveted your Hogan. Right now you are in perfect condition and don't have the Nine-Tails on you. As long as you flee, no one here will stop you. As for Hiruko who covets your Hogan, you can rest assured, he can't leave!"
Undoubtedly, Yakushi Kabuto was sowing discord, trying to divide Hiruko and Ranmaru.
"Shut up!"
Hiruko was furious, his face extremely ugly after Yakushi Kabuto exposed his thoughts in public.
Hesitation flashed in Ranmaru's eyes.
He knew Yakushi Kabuto's sinister intentions. This kind of alienation wasn't clever, but it worked on him and Hiruko.
Because just as Yakushi Kabuto said, he and Hiruko were harmonious in appearance but divided in heart.
On the Hidden Leaf side, seeing Yakushi Kabuto shake the tacit understanding between Hiruko and Ranmaru with just one sentence, everyone couldn't help but secretly admire him.
If Ranmaru really abandoned Hiruko and left, leaving only the injured Hiruko as the target, their chances of retrieving the Nine-Tails would be even greater.
Just as the atmosphere became delicate, two figures descended from the sky and landed on the field.
Seeing this, the momentum of the three confronting parties stagnated simultaneously.
The newcomers were none other than Karin and Haku dressed as Akatsuki members.
"'B'... 'C'?"
Hiruko's face became even uglier.
The situation was already unfavorable, and now these two big troubles arrived. That familiar sense of powerlessness before completing the ritual seemed to return at this moment.
Ranmaru suppressed his thoughts.
He did waver for a moment just now, but with the arrival of 'B' and 'C', he realized that once he abandoned Hiruko and fled, the organization would never let him go.
The Hidden Leaf crowd opposite had even more varied expressions.
Kakashi's heart sank. 'B' and 'C' were Akatsuki experts not inferior to Hiruko and Ranmaru; this battle would be hard to fight.
Yakumo and Sasuke were full of surprise, their eyes filled with conflict and confusion.
They completely didn't expect that the ones appearing would be their colleagues 'B' and 'C'. As Akatsuki's 'D' and 'E', the two of them were somewhat at a loss for a moment.
Whoosh...
Just then, Yakushi Kabuto, one of the other parties in the confrontation, fled instantly without looking back after seeing 'B' appear.
As if encountering a natural enemy!
Hiruko glanced at 'B', thinking to himself: "What's going on?!"
In his opinion, Yakushi Kabuto, who dared to intercept him and Ranmaru alone, was definitely a daring person. Yet unexpectedly, the opponent fled so decisively and simply after seeing 'B', not even daring to utter a harsh word.
The Hidden Leaf crowd was also puzzled.
After several exchanges, they continuously raised the threat level of Yakushi Kabuto. By now, Yakushi Kabuto was already a top-level powerhouse in their hearts not inferior to Orochimaru. So seeing Yakushi Kabuto flee so decisively, even somewhat panic-stricken, after seeing 'B', the expressions on their faces couldn't help but be a bit strange.
Let alone Hiruko, Kakashi, and the others, even Karin herself was surprised, a look of surprise appearing on her face under the mask.
Obviously, even Karin herself didn't realize what a terrifying impression she left in Yakushi Kabuto's heart!
The interlude of Yakushi Kabuto fleeing was soon forgotten by everyone on the battlefield.
At this time, Haku slowly turned around and signaled Hiruko and Ranmaru to evacuate first.
Hiruko was stunned for a moment, too lazy to delve into the intentions of 'B' and 'C', and immediately activated 'Swift Release' to flee the battlefield.
Ranmaru followed silently.
Although he wavered just now and had thoughts of abandoning Hiruko, he ultimately didn't put them into action. It was just that he also knew Hiruko's Mangekyo Sharingan had extraordinary perception in terms of emotions, so he was somewhat anxious, worried that his thoughts just now were exposed.
Seeing Hiruko and Ranmaru flee, Kakashi immediately wanted to pursue.
Karin flashed and blocked in front of Kakashi. She didn't speak, just shook her head at Kakashi, hinting for him not to act rashly.
If it were other enemies, Yakumo and Sasuke would have attacked long ago, but facing their own colleagues, they could only suppress the restlessness in their hearts.
Because they knew clearly that there was only one explanation for 'B' and 'C' appearing here, and that was the Leader's order.
Kakashi was calm as always. While observing 'B' and 'C', he assessed the strength of both sides.
If it were before, he would have dared to test them. After all, although 'B' and 'C' were strong, their side's Yakumo and Sasuke were not weak either.
But considering Yakushi Kabuto's strange behavior just now, and Sasuke's intricate connection with the Akatsuki organization, he dared not act rashly for a while.
Karin and Haku didn't intercept Kakashi and the others for long.
Both Hiruko and Ranmaru possessed 'Swift Release'. If they fled freely, they could disappear without a trace in just a few minutes. So after intercepting Kakashi and the others for a few minutes, she and Haku also chose to retreat.
Seeing 'B' and 'C' choosing not to fight, but retreating after covering Hiruko and Ranmaru's escape, Kakashi was thoughtful.
In Yakumo's inner world.
Ido put her hands on her hips: "Hmph, the Leader favors 'B' too much, always letting her execute missions, making it seem like we are afraid of her!"
Even the unruly Ido had to admit that it was precisely the appearance of 'B' and 'C' that forcibly suppressed a great battle that was bound to happen.
Such deterrence made her envy endlessly, hence the complaint just now...