Fifteen minutes later, silence returned to the valley. Every Mist Village ninja had been annihilated.
A figure appeared beside Aomei.
The newcomer was none other than Sano Nobuhisa.
Without wasting words, Sano looked at Aomei and said directly, "The Mist ninja are heading toward the outpost. I need you to follow them and monitor their movements."
"Just monitoring?" Aomei asked, turning his head to glance at Sano, his voice calm.
Sano hesitated briefly before adding, "No. If they reach the outpost ahead of us and launch an attack, you must delay them for as long as possible."
Hearing this request, Aomei frowned and replied, "If it's just me, that might not be enough."
This was entirely different from the Mist ninja's ambush two days ago. The number of enemies this time, as well as their overall strength, was far greater.
If he recklessly launched a disturbance, he could easily find himself in trouble. While he had the safety net of "Amaterasu," he had no desire to take unnecessary risks.
Realizing Aomei's hesitation, Sano quickly reassured him, "Of course, you won't be alone. The moment the Mist ninja began retreating, I sent two squads to shadow them. They should already be on their trail. You can direct them to assist you if necessary."
"Additionally, I will immediately organize a pursuit team and catch up with you as quickly as possible. You only need to buy us a little time."
"Is that so?"
After a brief pause, Aomei finally nodded in agreement.
Sano had made his position clear. If Aomei continued to decline, it would seem unreasonable.
Moreover, with backup, the danger level was significantly reduced.
Having made up his mind, Aomei stood up, flicked the blood off his blade, and sheathed it.
He then glanced at Sano and said, "Alright, I'll head out now!"
Without waiting for a response, Aomei formed a series of hand signs, performing a jutsu—Wind Release: Wings of Wind.
A pair of translucent blue chakra wings materialized on his back.
With a light flap, Aomei lifted off the ground and soared into the sky. After circling above to get his bearings, he flew in the direction the Mist ninja had retreated.
Watching Aomei's departing figure, Sano let out a small sigh of relief.
Wasting no time, he turned to organize a pursuit team and immediately set off after the Mist squad.
Time passed, minute by minute.
Meanwhile, although the Mist ninja were moving quickly, they couldn't match Aomei's speed in the air. With a general idea of their direction, he soon located them.
Before he could approach, a familiar chakra accompanied by mental energy surged into his mind.
The voice of Yamanaka Aoi echoed within his thoughts: "Aomei, you're here."
Indeed, the chakra's source was none other than Yamanaka Aoi, part of the pursuing squad.
"Where are you now?" Aomei asked through their mental link while scanning the ground with his Sharingan, searching for their position.
At that moment, a glint of light caught his eye, momentarily dazzling him and forcing him to close his eyes.
The flash was brief, disappearing as quickly as it had appeared.
Opening his eyes again, Aomei looked toward the source of the light and saw over thirty Leaf ninja.
These were undoubtedly the two squads Sano had mentioned. The flash had been sunlight reflected off a shiny object, likely a mirror or another polished surface.
Its purpose, of course, was to draw his attention.
Though the method was simple, it was highly effective and discreet. Apart from Aomei, who was in the air and caught in the reflection, the Mist ninja ahead remained entirely unaware.
Aomei shifted his gaze away from the squad and instructed Yamanaka Aoi through their mental link: "Keep following them. I'll move ahead to scout."
"Understood, Aomei. Please be careful!"
"Got it," Aomei replied before severing the chakra connection.
He then descended slightly, drawing closer to the Mist ninja's formation.
Noticing his approach, a ripple of unease spread through the Mist squad.
However, Aomei merely feinted an attack before ascending again.
After repeating this maneuver several times, the Mist ninja's pace visibly slowed.
But with a command from Yasuda Akikiku, the squad quickly regained their composure, ignoring Aomei's provocations and resuming their original speed.
Realizing further harassment would be futile, Aomei abandoned the effort. Flapping his wings, he soared higher, observing them for a while longer.
Finding the situation unremarkable, he performed a hand sign to connect with Yamanaka Aoi again, giving her some instructions before flying toward the outpost.
He intended to check if the other Mist squad from Flying Fish Town had arrived at Blackstone Outpost.
Though it was unlikely given the time, Aomei wanted to see for himself to ensure there were no surprises.
Since nothing urgent seemed likely to happen here, and his round trip wouldn't take long, he decided to deviate from Sano's instructions to monitor the Mist squad continuously.
Below, Yasuda Akikiku's expression darkened as he watched Aomei disappear into the distance.
Initially, he had considered launching a surprise attack on the outpost.
But Aomei's speed made it clear that he would reach the outpost first and deliver the information.
Without the element of surprise, an attack would likely result in a pincer movement between the outpost defenders and the Leaf reinforcements.
If that happened, retreating would become nearly impossible.
"Ah... what a pity," Yasuda muttered, withdrawing his gaze.
"It seems we have no choice but to proceed with the original plan and rendezvous with Captain Oosawa."
This meant sacrificing any chance of earning merit.
Instead, Yasuda would likely have to answer for the Mist ninja who had died in vain.
The thought alone soured his mood.
Meanwhile, after over ten minutes of flight, Aomei finally arrived at Blackstone Outpost.
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