Seeing numerous Hidden Sand Ninja surround them, Hakushi and the other two momentarily felt their hearts waver, but this emotional fluctuation was quickly suppressed.
Since the die had been cast, panicking here would only make their situation even more dangerous.
"Ayane, how many in total?"
Hakushi turned his head and asked.
"Counting the Sand Ninjas not in action, there are a total of 176 people, and currently, 103 Sand Ninjas are attacking us."
This Hidden Sand base wasn't very large, and having penetrated deep into the heart, Ayane could use the Byakugan to have a clear view of the number and positions of the enemies.
"One hundred and three people, which means each of us has to handle an average of thirty-four enemies, quite a huge problem indeed."
Moreover, to trigger the riot earlier, Ruri had almost exhausted her Chakra in advance, and now she probably only had half of her Chakra left.
Half of Ruri's remaining Chakra was enough to handle ordinary enemies, but facing so many Sand Ninjas, including Jonin, it seemed like an unwinnable and dire situation.
"In the coming battle, conserve Chakra when possible and use Natural Energy to fight."
Hakushi glanced at Ruri and said to her.
Ruri nodded, as she had been thinking the same.
Compared to the inexhaustible Natural Energy, Chakra should indeed be saved for critical moments in such a dire situation.
"Now change tactics a bit, Ayane, you use Byakugan to find a way out, and Ruri and I will engage the enemy. Find the weakest spot to break through."
Previously, to cause a riot, Ruri's Fire Style was the main focus, protecting her so that she wouldn't be distracted during the action.
But now, to find a way out, they could only rely on Ayane's Byakugan, with Hakushi and Ruri responsible for defense.
"I'll do my best."
Ayane's expression was serious.
The Sand Ninjas here were not lacking perception-type ninjas, which was a huge challenge for the all-seeing Byakugan.
"Discuss the mission later; now the priority is escaping from here. If there are no objections, let's move!"
Both Ruri and Ayane were furious about the intelligence error, and Hakushi's mood was equally terrible.
But the more critical the moment, the less they could let anger cloud their rationality. At times like this, they had to think clearly and find a way out.
Regardless of whether the village intended to use their squad as bait from the start, or if those Root of the Anbu Ninja had ulterior motives, setting such a trap to trap them inside.
Or maybe from the beginning, Konoha had received false information as part of a Hidden Sand plot.
Only by staying alive and leaving could they get answers, investigating the event's causes and effects.
"Follow me!"
Ayane wasted no words; with their lives at stake, she had to do everything possible to find a way out.
Hakushi and Ruri followed her.
At the same time, the two abandoned using their internal Chakra, calming down completely, and began to absorb the surrounding Natural Energy.
Due to location differences, the amount of Natural Energy available might vary, affecting the speed of its absorption.
However, here in the Forest Region of the Land of Rivers, abundant Natural Energy floated in the trees and air, and within moments, Hakushi and Ruri's bodies were filled with Natural Energy.
Once the Natural Energy entered their bodies, Hakushi and Ruri felt incredibly light. Now, breaking the ground with a punch seemed feasible.
But it wasn't the time to rejoice about their increased strength, as they still faced hundreds of elite Sand Ninjas, including numerous troublesome Jonin. Once entwined, breaking free would be difficult.
They should be grateful that their squad had a Byakugan, which allowed them to detect the anomaly at this fake supply point ahead of time. Otherwise, discovering this trap too late would leave only death as an option.
Before the Hidden Sand Ninjas formed a tight encirclement, Ayane had already identified the weakest breakthrough point, where only twenty-nine Sand Ninjas encircled them.
Compared to other directions, this had the least number of Sand Ninjas.
Ding ding!
Hakushi picked up a Kunai and deflected the Shuriken flying from the front.
Then he quickly engaged two Sand Ninjas.
In the darkness of the forest, only the shadows darted quickly, and sparks flew from the collision of weapons.
The two Sand Ninjas found Hakushi's power immense; just an instant of engagement made them stifle a painful groan, feeling intense pain in their arms, barely able to hold their Kunai.
When they adjusted their stances to find Hakushi again, Ruri, covering the rear, arrived quickly, swiftly slicing the throats of the two Sand Ninjas with a Kunai, eliminating them.
Due to their speed and the tendency to avoid prolonged combats, facing fierce opponents, they disposed of them if possible, focusing on repulsion if they met overly troublesome foes.
"Wind Style: Gale Palm!"
A violent gale attacked from behind, mixed with numerous Kunai and Shuriken within the raging wind.
Due to the storm's influence, the speed and penetration power of these Kunai and Shuriken in the air were greatly enhanced.
But such tricks, against Ruri who had enhanced her Taijutsu with Natural Energy, were effortlessly deflected.
Bang bang!
However, some Kunai had Explosive Tags attached, and the resulting blast wave sent Ruri's small body flying, barely landing on a tree branch with a slightly pale face.
"Don't let them escape!"
"Kill these Konoha Ninjas!"
The surroundings were filled with the sounds of figures darting around, and the shouts of battle cries surrounded them from all directions.
Among this group of Hidden Sand Ninja, there were outstanding Perception-type Ninja. No matter which direction Hakushi and his team tried to break through from, Hidden Sand Ninja kept chasing after them.
Moreover, the number of Hidden Sand Ninja was increasing, and the ones who blocked their way were elite Hidden Sand Ninja, fearlessly delaying Hakushi and his team's escape, to buy time for reinforcements to arrive.
"Don't get caught up in the fight!"
Seeing the displeased expression on Ruri's face, Hakushi knew what she wanted to do. This unprecedentedly repressive battle had undoubtedly built up a terrifying wrath in her heart, making her want to have a big fight with this group of Hidden Sand Ninja.
But now was not the time to act out of impulse.
Even though they possessed Natural Energy, they were not invincible.
Being surrounded by a large number of Hidden Sand Ninja only led to a dead end.
"Got it. Don't talk to me in a commanding tone."
Ruri snorted. The Explosive Tag had just exploded near her, making her chest feel stuffy and igniting the fighting spirit boiling in her heart.
"..."
I don't want this either. Hakushi sighed.
This group of Hidden Sand Ninja chased after them like a pack of mad dogs, refusing to let go. Was it really necessary to make such a desperate effort for an unimportant supply point?
Just then, the ground suddenly trembled.
Hakushi, Ayane, and Ruri felt a shiver of dread course through their bodies, and they almost lost their footing.
The Hidden Sand Ninja chasing them were no different, they hadn't expected an earthquake to strike so suddenly, leaving them unsteady on their feet.
"Wait, what is that——"
"Damn, did that monster go out of control?"
This group of Hidden Sand Ninja seemed to know something, their voices full of fear and bewilderment.
It was the fear of something.
Rumble!
The heavy tremors continued to shake the earth.
The crowd had no idea what was happening.
"What's going on?"
Hakushi felt this abnormal, intense shaking, which didn't seem like a power humans could exhibit.
Then, along with the monster's incessant roars, the air was suddenly filled with an extremely frightening, chilly Chakra, making one's scalp tingle, as if weighing on one's heart like a heavy stone, making it difficult to breathe.
Hakushi was also shocked by this powerful and ominous Chakra. From the distance, it should have been far away, yet this Chakra managed to penetrate atmospheric barriers and reach here.
Even so, this powerful Chakra had already surpassed the realm that normal people could comprehend.
The earth continued to tremble, and terrifying fissures began to appear in the ground.
The trees in the forest began to shake. A fierce gale blew wildly from a distance, making it impossible to escape even during such chaos.
Hakushi had no choice but to cling to the adjacent bark, using Chakra to hold on tightly and maintain his balance.
Ruri and Ayane also grabbed onto large objects nearby to balance their bodies.
It wasn't just Hakushi's group; even the Hidden Sand Ninja pursuing them were covered in cold sweat, intimidated by this formidable Chakra.
After a hard time waiting for the trembling to stop, just as everyone couldn't help but want to breathe a sigh of relief, a massive shadow as large as a mountain rose from the distant forest, appearing like an insurmountable mountain before them.
Accompanying the appearance of this gigantic monster, the sound of many people's miserable screams could be heard.
The storm raged more fiercely, the air filled with heavy Chakra. Unlike ordinary Chakra, this one felt icy and dangerous.
"Shu, Shukaku has emerged!!!!!"
"Has that monster gone completely out of control?"
"Damn it, didn't they assure us it was foolproof?"
"Did Konoha's ninja do something? Damn!"
Though they didn't know what Shukaku was, Hakushi heard the panic-stricken screams of the Hidden Sand Ninja and thought it was an obvious false accusation.
Tonight, they only set a fire, nothing more. How could they have possibly released such an unknown monster?
Speaking of which, the origin of this monster, massive like a mountain, was suspicious in itself.
For the first time, Hakushi's concept of the ninja profession began to blur.
In his view, Ruri's Fire Style Ninjutsu was already considered a rare and high-level Jutsu, capable of unleashing a wave of fire that could incinerate an entire forest.
Yet compared to this unknown massive monster, it seemed it only needed to move slightly to cause destruction exceeding Ruri's Fire Style Ninjutsu.
"Hahaha, I have finally emerged again!"
The monster looked up and laughed, roaring. It seemed delighted, filled with excitement to destroy everything.
It stood towering in the forest like a mighty fortress. Just from the visuals, it was an incomparably daunting monster for humans to contend with.
Its entire body exuded an aura of violent destruction. Its sandy-yellow tail lightly swept across, eradicating a swath of forest. The storm uprooted trees, and the ground echoed with the wailing of tremors. Among them, more than a dozen Hidden Sand Ninja were also caught up, their grotesque screams sending chills down the spine.
The whole scene was utterly silent.