- Unfortunately, we're already stretched thin with no reserves - we're having a hard time slowing down Kumo and his allies," Hyuga shook his head, "You'll have to do it on your own, so no one expects Kingin Kyodai to die, but we'll give you a good sensor to find them so you don't get trapped.
- Well at least something," the Third's apprentice grudgingly curled his lips, then turned to me, "This will be interesting, won't it, Ryo-kun?
- Absolutely! I think the enemy is expecting our appearance and has prepared accordingly," I agreed with my colleague, "It will be very interesting to disrupt their plans.
- When are you ready to go? - Togari-san asked us.
- As soon as the sensor is provided - I carry everything I need with me, - I answered and the sannin nodded in agreement.
Naturally, the necessary person was quickly found - a small, slender Hyuga kunoichi in her early thirties - and we were on our way in a few minutes, hurrying to get there before the brothers could do irreparable damage to our forces or advance too far into the defenses. Primarily because the enemies would follow them, using the pseudo jinchuriki like a diamond spearhead.
Orochimaru and I gradually increased our speed, despite the dense forest, and at some point, the Hyuga following us began to fall behind, unable to react to the obstacles ahead at such a speed. A clear difference between an average jonin and the village's elite elite.
Since we couldn't afford to slow down as another massive chakra blast rumbled in the distance, I just slowed down a bit and picked Hyuga up in my arms - especially since she weighed so little with her height of six feet and frail build - and accelerated again, catching up with Orochimaru.
I successfully ignored the woman's grunt, but her outrage was limited to that, and a few minutes later, she turned on her byakugan and began to monitor the surroundings, occasionally correcting our movements with feeble words and gestures.
To my surprise, at the maximum available speed, when we did not tear down everything in our path, but deftly jumped over the trees and occasionally jumped to the ground when the density of the crowns became excessive, the sannin was not inferior in reaction speed or even surpassed me, directly indicating the passage of appropriate body modifications.
I didn't expect that Orochimaru had already reached a similar level as an iryonin, or was it a passive bonus from having a snake contract?
I had never fought with the Third Hokage's top student before, but I subconsciously thought that I had already reached a certain level of strength, and thanks to my large chakra reserves, I had a significant advantage. As you can see, that was an erroneous conclusion.
- I see biju chakra wielders," the kunoichi finally exclaimed softly, pointing a little away from where we were headed, "the targets are about twelve kilometers away.
- The entourage? - Orochimaru asked briefly.
- A little over a hundred fighters at some distance," Hyuga reported after a brief hesitation, "about a third of them have jonin-level chakra reserves.
The sannin and I grimaced as we looked at each other - that many serious fighters would be a significant obstacle to dealing with Kingin Kyodai, increasing the danger to us and the chances of losing.
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