The mountain forests of the Land of Fire were silent.
More than a dozen figures moved through the woods at high speed, their movements completely soundless.
At the front of the group, Fourth Raikage A wore a grim expression, his bronze skin tight with tension.
Despite his burly physique, his movement through the forest was nearly soundless.
"Still haven't shaken them off?"
His voice was extremely low, yet filled with suppressed rage.
At the flank of the team, a sweating Sensory Ninja, while sprinting, rapidly formed hand seals. His face had grown pale from the constant consumption of chakra.
"No, Raikage-sama!"
"Konoha's Sensory Ninja have locked onto us. There may even be members of the Hyūga Clan among them…"
"Also, the pursuit force Konoha sent numbers over fifty. We can't put any distance between us…"
Sensory-type Ninja.
The Hyūga Clan.
This news made every Kumo shinobi's heart sink.
The Byakugan.
That reconnaissance dōjutsu, said to have no blind spots, was a nightmare for all infiltration squads.
Under that level of insight, their stealth techniques and chakra suppression became a joke.
"Damn it!" the Raikage roared, slamming his fist into a nearby tree trunk.
At the rear of the group, Mabui, who was heavily protected, looked pale.
The prolonged high-speed movement had taken its toll, but she grit her teeth and kept moving.
She knew she was the core of this assassination mission.
If anything happened to her, the Heavenly Transfer Technique, meant to instantly bring Kumo's main force to Konoha's doorstep, could not be deployed.
The entire plan would be completely ruined.
Raikage A glanced at Mabui's state, and the killing intent in his heart surged further.
If this continued, they would all be dragged to their deaths!
He suddenly stopped, eyes filled with madness. "B, take Mabui and the others and keep going."
"I'll stay behind and hold them off!"
Killer B, who was adjusting his breathing in his usual rap rhythm, immediately froze, eyes wide in shock. "Big bro! What the hell are you saying, you idiot, you moron!"
"Shut up!" A's roar shook the leaves. "That's an order!"
"This plan determines the future of the Land of Lightning. It must not fail."
"Mabui cannot be harmed!"
"If I, the Raikage, stay behind to delay them, the success rate is highest!"
"No!" A voice more resolute than his own cut in.
Doro, vice-captain of the mission, stood in front of him, along with three other shinobi. Their expressions were firm and unwavering.
"Raikage-sama, you cannot act recklessly!"
Doro looked straight into A's angry eyes, without fear.
"If you and B's identities are exposed, Konoha will go into full alert. We won't be facing just one pursuit squad anymore."
"Exactly!" another shinobi added urgently. "If the Fourth Hokage is alerted, the entire surprise attack plan will be ruined!"
Their words were like a bucket of cold water, dousing A's fury in an instant.
Yes, he could die—but the fact that the Raikage and the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki had infiltrated deep into the Land of Fire must never be exposed.
This didn't just concern the plan, it concerned the future of Kumogakure.
Seeing his hesitation, Doro stepped forward and knelt down heavily, his voice heavy with emotion. "Kumogakure has already lost one Raikage."
"The Third Raikage died of exhaustion, facing tens of thousands of enemies alone. That is a lifelong regret for every Kumo shinobi."
His voice was hoarse. His eyes were bloodshot. "We've failed once already. There cannot be a second time."
"We cannot stand by and watch the Fourth Raikage make the same mistake!"
"That's right!" the other three shouted in unison, dropping to one knee. Their eyes burned with unwavering determination.
"Please, you and B, take Mabui and continue forward!"
"Leave the rest to us!"
The four bowed their heads deeply, their posture resolute.
Looking at the four familiar faces before him, A's body trembled.
Anger, gratitude, unwillingness… all kinds of emotions surged through him, almost tearing him apart.
He clenched his fists tightly. The cracking of his joints echoed faintly, and he wanted to command them to move aside, using his authority as Raikage.
But he couldn't.
Because everything they said was right.
He and B must not be exposed.
He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his emotions and the surging Lightning Release chakra within him.
"Kumogakure will never forget your names."
"Neither will I."
"Please."
Doro looked up. A calm smile appeared on his face, as though he had already accepted his fate.
"Raikage-sama, we'll use Lightning Release: Clone Jutsu to create dozens of clones with identical chakra signatures and scatter them in all directions."
"Konoha's Sensory Ninja and the Hyūga's Byakugan will instantly be overwhelmed by the false targets."
"Unless they get close, they won't be able to tell who's real and who's fake."
"Even if they eliminate them one by one, it will take time."
"At that moment, please suppress your chakra to match ours. Maintain only the minimum level needed for movement."
He laid out his plan clearly and quickly.
"Though the Byakugan is powerful, if you mix with the clones, it'll create enough uncertainty to throw off their judgment."
"This is the most effective way to buy time for you!"
What a man, Doro.
Even when cornered, he could still make the calmest and most effective decisions.
A's eyes were bloodshot as he nodded heavily. "Good!"
With that, he no longer hesitated. He turned around and barked, "Let's go!"
Killer B glanced back at the four figures who would cover their retreat. He memorized their faces in silence, then picked up the exhausted Mabui and followed without a word.
The group immediately suppressed their presence, like wisps of smoke vanishing into the deeper darkness.
At the original location, the four of Doro slowly stood.
They exchanged glances and smiled.
Their expressions were fearless.
"Let's go," Doro said lightly, as if not heading into a life-or-death battle.
"For Kumogakure."
"For Raikage-sama!"
The next second, four massive chakra surges exploded!
Blinding lightning illuminated the forest like day.
Amid the crackling arcs, the four simultaneously formed hand seals.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Clone Jutsu!"
Dozens of clones, each with chakra signatures indistinguishable from their own, appeared and scattered in all directions with sharp bursts of sound.
At the same time.
Several kilometers behind them.
Hiashi was leading the pursuit squad as they moved swiftly through the forest.
Suddenly, a Sensory Ninja shouted, "Something's wrong! Hiashi! Dozens of chakra signatures just appeared ahead. Reinforcements!"
Hiashi didn't react immediately.
The veins around his eyes bulged as his Byakugan activated.
In his field of vision, thirteen chakra sources suddenly exploded, multiplying into dozens of identical ones scattering in all directions!
He shouted, instantly realizing the enemy's intent. "No! These aren't reinforcements!"
A Nara clan member next to him immediately followed up, "Those are Lightning Clones! They're using fake targets to cover their retreat!"
"So decisive… they're sacrificing themselves to buy time."
"Hiashi, we must split up. Even letting one escape could mean letting the real ones slip past!"
Using the lives of their own to buy escape time?
Hiashi's face was grim.
"Split up! Eliminate all the clones!"
"Everyone move! Don't let any of them get away!"
"Yes!"
At his command, dozens of Konoha shinobi responded in unison.
The squad instantly dispersed, forming dozens of pursuit teams that rushed toward the fleeing streaks of lightning.
Under the night sky, deep in the forest—
A silent slaughter was about to begin.
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)