At this moment, in the Death Forest, over two hundred pursuing Ninja and more than a hundred Anbu had formed a huge net, closing in on Danzo and the Root who were trying to escape.
Ling's speed was extremely fast; even a Jonin had trouble keeping up with her, showing how strong Ling's determination to cut down Danzo was at this moment.
Ling disliked the low efficiency of the Yamanaka Clan's sensory Ninja among the Uchiha Jonin. She quickly formed hand signs and used the Bubble Technique and Telescope Technique.
A human head-sized colorful bubble floated beside her, reflecting the positions of various Ninja in the Death Forest and Danzo, who was rapidly breaking through.
Ling and the Uchiha Jonin were about three kilometers to Danzo's rear-left due to taking a detour.
The Hyuga Clan, who wanted to rescue Hyuga Hizashi, were almost as fast as them and were located to Danzo's rear-right.
Meanwhile, the Third Hokage had already notified Minato Namikaze, who was leading an Anbu team on an outdoor mission, to be vigilant in intercepting Danzo and his group, preventing them from crossing the Land of Fire's border.
The Third Hokage personally led several Jonin from the Nara Clan and the Yamanaka Clan in pursuit directly behind Danzo.
This was to rescue the hostage in Danzo's hands; otherwise, with the speed of over three hundred pursuing Ninja, they would quickly catch up to Danzo and eliminate all of them.
Ling only hung behind Danzo's group, outside their sensory range, but close enough to arrive in a short time.
Hyuga Hizashi, held hostage by Danzo, undoubtedly slowed down Danzo's escape, yet they couldn't leave him behind.
Hyuga Hizashi was currently using various methods to break through the Cursed Seal of Self-Inflicted Darkness that bound him. His current strength was only that of a Jonin, and it was extremely difficult for him to break through the Cursed Seal of Self-Inflicted Darkness that could later trap an Kage-level Sasuke.
"Lord Danzo, we are surrounded!"
Cold sweat rolled down the forehead of the Root Ninja responsible for sensing; prolonged sensing was also extremely exhausting.
"Hmph! Hiruzen, do you really want to put this old man to death? What a pity, you underestimate this old man too much!"
The cold, sharp light in Danzo's eyes made the Root Ninja dare not look directly at him. They lowered their heads and hurried on with all their might.
"Kuei Si, Ren Si, and S4, you three, along with your respective squads, inject the Zero Cell Extract and block the pursuit from behind. Cover our retreat."
Danzo had vigorously researched Hashirama cells all these years; how could he have no results? Although it was a one-time use item, it was enough to cover their retreat.
"Yes, Lord Danzo!" Kuei Si, Ren Si, and S4 and their squad members knelt on one knee. Although they still had a desire to live, prolonged brainwashing had made them willing to die without hesitation.
Kuei Si led three subordinates, each pulling out a syringe containing a glowing green liquid, full of vitality and life. They broke away from the team and headed to the rear-right.
Ren Si and S4 made the same movements, but one went to the direct rear and the other to the rear-left.
This so-called Zero Cell Extract was a Forbidden Technique made using Hashirama cells.
It could allow the injected Ninja to burn their lifespan to extract a large amount of Chakra and temporarily use Wood Release, instantly boosting their strength to a quasi-Kage level.
However, with rapid cell division and differentiation, they would exhaust their lifespan within a few hours, in exchange for powerful strength.
After death, their bodies would be like the Immortality after passing on the flame, like dried kindling. They would be true kindling because the power of the Hashirama cells would cause their bodies to lignify, in exchange for powerful resistance to damage and regeneration.
"Everyone, be on guard. Four Chakra signatures are approaching us."
Ling's Telescope Technique sacrificed clarity for a wide field of view, so she didn't know these four were bringing forbidden medicine to their deaths.
But unusual occurrences always signal trouble, so Ling could only warn everyone to be careful. However, the Jonin didn't pay attention.
There were nearly a hundred pursuing Ninja chasing from the rear-left, just like Ling. They didn't believe four Root Ninja could cause them any harm.
Even among the Uchiha Clan Jonin, except for Uchiha Ran, an Elite Jonin from the Dove Faction, and two regular Jonin, the other six were unconcerned and even sneered.
They thought Ling was just a child. Although her strength was decent, her experience was a weakness, and she was making a fuss over nothing, fearing four Root Ninja.
Ling naturally noticed their arrogance, but she didn't pay attention. Instead, she slowly reduced her speed, quietly retreating behind everyone. Oh, no, it should be called quietly protecting everyone in front of her.
Good advice is wasted on those destined to die. Ling forgave their ignorance and reflected that she shouldn't be so arrogant in the future.
As everyone rapidly approached, they soon saw four Root Ninja wearing Root raincoats and masks.
The four's eyes were cold and devoid of emotion. They uniformly pulled out syringes, directly inserting them into their hearts and injecting the Zero Cell Extract into their hearts.
"Thump-thump!" A drum-like heartbeat sounded in their ears, and a lava-like hot current flowed from their hearts throughout their bodies.
Cells rapidly proliferated, causing a large amount of Chakra to be extracted. Their Chakra was replaced by green Wood Release Chakra, allowing them to use powerful Wood Release at any time.
In Ling's perception, the life force of these four exploded, and then their Chakra surged wildly, quickly surpassing hers. Even the attribute of their Chakra changed into an unfamiliar Chakra full of vitality.
Ling felt that in that instant, the four of them had turned into torches, burning fiercely in the night sky, illuminating half the sky.
"Holy cow, is this the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Technique?! Did I come to the wrong set?"
Ling cautiously guarded against the four, while the accompanying Jonin, except for those with strong sensory abilities, rushed forward as if they had seen a mountain of gold.
Killing a rogue Ninja was considered a merit equivalent to killing an enemy village's Jonin during wartime. It could be exchanged for money, Ninjutsu, Forbidden Technique, and the like.
They ran while forming hand signs, preparing to unleash their signature Ninjutsu and harvest the four.
Other, more cautious Jonin slowed down. They also sensed a strong death threat, so they planned to test them with Kunai and Shuriken first.
A sky full of Shuriken was a deadly weapon in the hands of a Jonin; their speed and power were incredibly strong, and they were extremely precise. Some even had lightning or wind-attributed Chakra attached.
The Kunai had Exploding Tags tied behind them. Facing hundreds of Shuriken and Kunai, the four Root Ninja instantly vanished from their original spots, leaving only four deep pits on the ground where they had used the Body Flicker Technique.
"Such fast speed, such immense Chakra." The Uchiha Clan Jonin activated their Three-Tomoe Sharingan, intending to capture the four's figures, but could only catch afterimages.
Ling also felt that the speed of these four was comparable to her Body Flicker Technique used with a burst of monstrous strength; their speed indeed exceeded the Jonin level.
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