Steadying his mind, Aoyama wasted no time. He raised his hands to form seals, activating the Chakra Absorption Technique to extract chakra from the Mist Ninja in front of him.
At that moment, Harada Isamu was already weakened by severe blood loss, his breathing unsteady and faint. If delayed further, the man might die, rendering chakra extraction impossible.
Aoyama naturally wouldn't allow such waste.
Despite his swift actions, the chakra he managed to obtain from Harada was far less than expected.
The reasons were twofold: firstly, Harada's injuries were too severe. His physical and spiritual energy had significantly diminished alongside the loss of blood. Secondly, over two hours of prior combat had consumed a significant amount of his chakra.
While Aoyama had no control over the latter, he could adjust for the former in future encounters. Perhaps next time, he could hold back a bit, avoiding critical damage that would hasten the target's demise.
With these thoughts in mind, Aoyama withdrew his hand. Observing that the extracted chakra barely added up to 3,000 units, he shook his head in mild disappointment.
With a thud, Harada's lifeless body slumped to the ground. Aoyama turned to the other two Mist Ninja lying nearby and repeated the process with the Chakra Absorption Technique.
Before long, the chakra, physical energy, and spiritual energy of the other two ninjas were also drained dry.
Aoyama carefully gauged the results. From these three Mist Ninja, he had gained approximately 15,000 units of chakra. While it fell short of expectations, it was still a decent haul.
Shaking his head again, he pushed these thoughts aside. Ignoring the corpses on the ground, he raised his hands, formed seals, and activated the Wind Release: Wings of Wind, lifting himself into the air to seek his next targets.
Three Minutes Later
Aoyama located another Mist Ninja squad.
This team was larger, consisting of four mid-level Mist Ninja and two lower-level ones. They were being pursued by a Leaf Ninja squad as they fled.
Aoyama's eyes gleamed as he made his move.
Unsurprisingly, the Mist Ninja squad was swiftly subdued. After directing the Leaf Ninja squad to retreat, Aoyama began draining chakra from the subdued Mist Ninja.
With the Chakra Absorption Technique at level 6, he could absorb 2,000 units of chakra per second, with a 100% conversion rate into his own reserves.
In less than a minute, all six Mist Ninja were drained completely, yielding a total of 35,000 units of chakra.
Adding this to the earlier haul of 18,000 units and his original reserves, Aoyama now carried a staggering 100,000 units of chakra.
This was roughly his current limit.
Satisfied, Aoyama decided against pursuing additional targets.
Moreover, the fleeing Mist Ninja had largely escaped by now. Despite their disorderly retreat, ninja had a vast array of escape techniques, making further pursuit inefficient.
Besides, he had a new mission to attend to.
Not long ago, Aoi Yamanaka had relayed a message: Sano Nobuhisa had ordered him to follow the Mist Ninja's main forces and confirm whether they were genuinely retreating or preparing a surprise counterattack.
This task was not unfamiliar to Aoyama. During the Mist Ninja's previous failed offensive, it was he who had tracked them back to Flying Fish Town.
This time was no different.
For Aoyama, who mastered a flight-based jutsu, the mission posed no real danger, so he accepted it without hesitation.
After ensuring his gear was in order—replenishing his kunai, shuriken, and other tools—Aoyama formed seals, activating Wind Release: Wings of Wind.
With a light flap of the azure chakra wings that appeared behind him, Aoyama soared into the night sky, heading east toward the Mist Ninja's anchored ships.
Seconds Later
Aoyama hovered above the targeted area.
Under the increasingly bright moonlight, he observed the Mist Ninja's fleet still anchored below, with many ninja continuing to gather there.
Clearly, the Mist Ninja retreating from the battlefield hadn't immediately reached the ships; they were still in transit, requiring more time.
Had Aoyama chosen to lower his altitude and launch a series of Fire Release techniques, he could have inflicted significant casualties.
Yet, he refrained from doing so.
It wasn't due to any inherent danger—his current level 5 Wind Release: Wings of Wind afforded him exceptional speed and maneuverability. Even if he launched an attack, the Mist Ninja would struggle to counter him effectively.
The real reason was simple: Aoyama didn't see the point.
Such an action would waste chakra without offering him any tangible benefits. Aoyama had no intention of engaging in such fruitless efforts.
Thus, he remained suspended in the air, silently observing the Mist Ninja fleet.
Over Ten Minutes Later
The Mist Ninja had fully assembled, and their fleet began to move.
Interestingly, it seemed Aoyama's prolonged presence above had not gone unnoticed by the Mist Ninja below.
Initially, they appeared tense, but upon seeing him take no further action, they gradually relaxed—at least outwardly.
Aoyama suspected this so-called relaxation was merely a façade. Most likely, the Mist Ninja were still on high alert, ready to counter an unexpected attack.
Not that it mattered.
Aoyama had no intention of descending, rendering their vigilance meaningless.
An Hour Later
The Mist Ninja fleet had sailed a considerable distance from Black Stone Base.
By now, Aoyama was nearly certain they were genuinely retreating, with no intention of doubling back.
Still, his mission required him to confirm their final destination. No matter how certain he was, he couldn't leave prematurely.
However, reaching Flying Fish Town at the fleet's current speed would take several more hours.
Aoyama had no desire to waste time shadowing them at a snail's pace.
After some thought, he temporarily distanced himself from the fleet and descended to the ocean's surface.
Crossing his hands into the Ram seal, he activated the Shadow Clone Technique.
With a puff of chakra smoke, nine shadow clones materialized.
Aoyama addressed one of them directly. "You'll handle the task of monitoring the Mist Ninja fleet."
The clone nodded succinctly and immediately formed seals to activate Wind Release: Wings of Wind, flying off in the direction of the retreating fleet.
Turning to the remaining eight clones, Aoyama said, "Alright, let's go!"
Nodding in unison, the clones followed Aoyama as he led them toward a rocky shore he remembered.
There, they would train until the surveillance clone returned with updates, ensuring no time was wasted.
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