The situation changed abruptly; just now, there might have been a chance to kill the Sand Ninja named Goto, but now, whether they can even escape is a question.
The Sand Ninja pack was like tigers, and Kimura Taku was also a tiger, but he was already severely wounded, while Uchiha Suien was, at most, a wolf.
The gap was too wide, and it was hard to deal with! Inoyue, hidden in the shadows, held her breath, her face grim, her small face crumpled with worry.
"That guy with the broken arm, do as you please; as for the Uchiha, I want him alive!" The Sand Ninja named Goto had a look of certainty, having long since disregarded the two.
They were like half-dry mud in a field, letting him knead them as he pleased.
With a wave of his single hand, somewhat like a great general commanding his troops, the Sand Ninja behind him charged forward, and Goto was even more high-spirited.
However, just as the Sand Ninja were about to act, from the opposite side, which was behind Kimura Taku and Uchiha Suien, a kunai flew out, embedding itself in front of the Sand Ninja, causing their charge to halt, and they looked suspiciously at the forest opposite.
"You guys are truly in a sorry state!" A mature male voice rang out, a very distinctive, magnetic voice that was hard to forget once heard.
As the voice sounded, a man emerged from the forest, tall, wearing a Konoha forehead protector, with long white hair reaching his waist.
He had red markings beneath his eyes, wore a green flak jacket, wooden clogs, and armor-like equipment on both hands.
"Jiraiya-sama!" Kimura Taku's hoarse voice was filled with surprise and deep respect.
Who was Jiraiya? The immensely famous One of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha, a standard Kage-level individual.
Even just walking out with a squint ed smile, he could give people an inexplicable pressure.
The reputation of the Sannin was too great; there was no Ninja in any Ninja village who didn't know the Sannin's prestige.
Everyone felt the urge to retreat, and several Sand Ninja turned to look at Goto, hoping he would issue the retreat order.
Because the Sannin, they truly couldn't afford to provoke him on their own.
"Hmm! ...Chiyo, that old woman, didn't come?" Jiraiya scanned the area and let out a cold laugh, as if with Chiyo, who could rival him, not present, this pack of wolves in front of him were just lambs to be slaughtered.
Goto was unwilling; the Sharingan he had almost obtained was now flying away, but his unwillingness was useless; he truly couldn't afford to provoke Jiraiya.
If he didn't retreat, he would definitely die.
Even if he retreated, he wasn't sure he could escape.
"Retreat!" The life-loving Goto finally issued the command the Sand Ninja wanted to hear.
The Sand Ninja were a quick-reacting team; as soon as the order was given, they acted immediately.
"Want to leave? Can you?" Jiraiya sneered, and everyone's souls nearly left their bodies, their speed many times faster than usual.
...
Swish, swish, swish! That was the sound when they arrived, and it was the same sound when they fled; the Sand Ninja's speed was top-notch.
"Let's go quickly!" With a puff of smoke, Jiraiya disappeared, and in his place was Inoyue.
Jiraiya was actually Inoyue in disguise.
Uchiha Suien was a Genin and hadn't seen Jiraiya many times, so it was normal for him not to realize.
Kimura Taku was a Jonin and was quite familiar with Jiraiya, at least more familiar than a Genin, but he also didn't realize.
After Inoyue released her Transformation Technique, his eyes clearly showed surprise; this Transformation Technique was too good, even carrying some of Jiraiya's personal aura.
Inoyue, in a situation where she had no other choice, transformed into Jiraiya, and then utilized the inherent stealth of her genjutsu, combined with the Transformation Technique, to almost perfectly merge the aura with the transformed character.
That's why the Sand Ninja fled in a panic.
But! This was only temporary, and the time was short.
The Sand Ninja weren't fools; they were momentarily fooled by the Sannin's reputation.
The real Jiraiya wouldn't let them leave so easily, so their reaction time would be very short, perhaps only a few minutes.
Having a few minutes is better than having none.
Releasing the Transformation Technique, she woke up the dazed Suien, and then the two of them helped up the severely wounded Kimura Taku and ran wildly.
"Why are you here?" Uchiha Suien asked with some displeasure.
"To save you, you idiot!" Inoyue glanced at him irritably.
Her meaning was, 'I came back to save you, and you still have a reason to be displeased?'
The severely wounded Kimura Taku was speechless for a moment: "Alright, if you have the energy to bicker, hurry up and run!"
"Leave me behind; with me as I am now, you won't be able to run fast at all, and perhaps I can buy you some time!"
"How can we do that? If we go, we go together!" This was said by Uchiha Suien, very firmly.
Because without Kimura Taku, there would be no living Uchiha Suien.
"Don't be so wishy-washy! If you have the strength to talk, just cooperate as much as possible and run quickly, that's the hard truth!"
Inoyue spoke very impolitely, sounding like an old person, and both of them looked at Inoyue.
Uchiha Suien's look clearly meant, 'This loli speaks so boldly, even daring to be so rude to a Jonin sensei.'
As for Kimura Taku, it was still the same saying: someone Danzo valued, even if she was just a loli, was not simple.
...
How does it feel to be tricked by someone? It must be very unpleasant, like a burning fire in your heart, and an uncomfortable feeling like being scratched by a cat.
The Sand Ninja named Goto's face was ashen, leading the surrounding Sand Ninja in a frantic pursuit.
...The atmosphere was very oppressive, especially for the few who had previously looked back at Goto, hoping he would give the retreat order.
Now, they were rushing forward with their heads down, not daring to look at the enraged Goto.
Over twenty Sand Ninja, scared witless by an ordinary Konoha Ninja—how could they continue to make a living in the Ninja World after word got out?
Those three must die!
Goto arrived at the place of the earlier standoff; there was no one there now.
No one being there was natural; only a fool wouldn't know to escape and would stay there waiting for you to catch them.
The Sand Ninja leaped over, forming a single line and contracting their formation, continuing their frantic pursuit.
After all the Sand Ninja had passed, "Bang... bang... bang!" Three inconspicuous stones on the grass emitted a puff of smoke; they were Inoyue and her two companions, transformed into stones.
Time waits for no one, and opportunities must not be missed.
The two helped up Kimura Taku and fled in the opposite direction.
Three minutes was too short; fleeing head-on, they definitely wouldn't escape.
Therefore, out of necessity, Inoyue resorted to this desperate measure.
Could such a plan be conceived by a loli not yet eight years old? Perhaps before this incident, no one would have believed it, but now, two people did.
This loli had short, coffee-colored hair, with several mud splatters on her face from crawling, bright eyes, a small nose, and delicate lips.
Uchiha Suien stared a bit blankly.
"What's with that look?" The young girl roared in a very unfriendly tone.
Uchiha Suien, instantly snapping back to reality, quickly turned away his somewhat flushed face, thinking to himself: 'This young girl, when she gets angry, her fierce expression is actually quite cute!'
Inoyue didn't know Uchiha Suien's thoughts.
If she did, she would definitely turn Uchiha Suien into a real Uchiha Suien and then warn him in a stern tone: 'I'm straight, not gay!' Then she would give him a disgusted look and spit.
...
Five minutes later, Goto's Sand Ninja had not caught their targets, and they realized they had been tricked!!!
Ninja have exceptionally good memories, especially Jonin.
As luck would have it, Goto, this Jonin, was an elite among good-memory Jonin.
The three stones placed together on the ground in the battlefield they had just leaped over now seemed suspicious no matter how he thought about them.
Tricked again!!!
A vein pulsed violently on Goto's temple, as if blood was rushing inside.
His hands clenched into fists with a crunching sound, then relaxed, then clenched again, then relaxed again.
His breathing was rapid, like an old ox that had done heavy labor, and even the surrounding Sand Ninja felt that Leader Goto's lungs were inflating and deflating with too great a difference in height, as if they could explode at any moment.
"Notify the other large squads, inform them of the enemy's intelligence, and their possible escape routes, and ask them to cooperate in the operation!"
Goto's hands finally relaxed, and his cold voice came out mechanically.
The Sand Ninja beside him were like startled birds, quickly turning around: "Hai!" They bowed ninety degrees, then disappeared with Shunshin.
The other Sand Ninja looked enviously at the Sand Ninja who had just left; they would rather have a mission to do now than stay by Leader Goto's side.
Because Goto's face was ashen, his eyes were bloodshot, and he could erupt at any moment.