Arai was surprised that Konoha could find them and quickly catch up.
However, he was clearly prepared and vigilant for such a situation.
After all, as a Jonin of Sunagakure and an old adversary of Konoha, he had some understanding of his enemies.
Arai judged that the enemy was still some distance away from them... it would take some time to catch up, it wouldn't be easy.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh... On a flat, desolate grassy plain, the three-person team led by Arai sped along, their footsteps even kicking up grass clippings as they moved.
The two sides, one in front and one behind, began a tense pursuit.
As time passed, Arai realized that the feeling of being detected and locked onto never disappeared.
This indicated that Konoha's people... had not been shaken off; in fact, they seemed to be closing the distance.
The feeling of being targeted... was becoming more and more obvious.
To possess such leg strength, to pursue their three-person team for so long and begin to shorten the distance... this was enough to show that the people Konoha sent this time were not ordinary in strength.
"If the opponent is only one person... their strength must be extremely high, otherwise, they wouldn't have this confidence in pursuit."
"If there are multiple people, this is the Land of Grass, which holds certain dangers for both Konoha and us, with the possibility of encountering enemies or attacks at any time. So, even when running at full speed, we must maintain a certain formation. We only have three people... if the opponent has more than three people and can still catch up while maintaining a larger formation, it means their individual strength is not simple..."
Not only Arai, but Yubi was also thinking.
Regardless of the number, the enemies were not to be underestimated.
In comparison, Yubi felt that it would be better if Konoha's pursuers were multiple people.
If it was only one person, it would mean that the opponent had absolute confidence in eliminating all three of them... because... before this, Konoha knew nothing about their information.
Sending only one person meant they had absolute certainty!
Yubi glanced behind him with the corner of his eye, silently calculating the remaining combat supplies in his pouch.
This had clearly become a tug-of-war, testing both sides' endurance and stamina.
Several hours later, the sky had already darkened... the dangerous situation of Yubi's trio showed no signs of easing.
"Can't shake them off..."
Yubi said, beads of sweat already forming on his forehead.
His forehead was already covered in fine sweat.
Scorpion, on the other side, was even more tired than him, his breathing noticeably heavier, and his steps had slowed somewhat.
Arai, who was leading, remained silent.
There was still some distance to the border of the Land of Rain.
But in his estimation, the battle with Konoha's pursuers would have to begin before they entered the Land of Rain.
If he were alone, he could easily shake off the people behind him, but he was also carrying Yubi and Scorpion. Scorpion, as a Puppeteer... had less stamina than Yubi, but he was already considered very strong among Puppeteers in terms of physical ability. It was just that in this situation, under high pressure and a prolonged tug-of-war, he felt somewhat powerless.
"Scorpion's speed has slowed down... Yubi probably won't last much longer, we must find a way." Arai narrowed his eyes.
He had a precise analysis of the two young men's physical condition.
Even if he died here, Yubi and Scorpion absolutely could not be harmed.
The importance of these two children to Sunagakure was self-evident.
"Go."
A moment later, Arai, who was leading the way, suddenly changed his body and direction, rushing towards another position.
Seeing this, Yubi instantly understood.
Scorpion also understood tacitly.
Arai wanted to lead the two of them directly to the border of the Land of Earth... currently, they were closer to the Land of Earth's border.
But this also meant... greater danger.
Because Iwagakure was not only an enemy of Konoha but also an opponent of their Sunagakure.
The closer they got to the Land of Earth's border, the closer they would naturally be to the battlefield, where a large number of Iwagakure Ninja would surely be active... it remained to be seen if Konoha's people dared to pursue them there!
No choice... Arai had to take a gamble!
His intuition told him that their chances of winning a fight against Konoha's people were very small, and most importantly, they might not be able to protect Scorpion and Yubi.
There was even a possibility of total annihilation.
"This is the experience and adaptability of an old Ninja..."
Yubi glanced at Arai's profile. If it were anyone else leading the team, even another Jonin with less combat experience, he and Scorpion would probably be in trouble!
At this moment, Arai, as a Kage Guard and an Elite Jōnin, displayed his abilities completely. His power... was not just about Ninjutsu and strength.
It also reflected his survival skills as a Ninja on the battlefield.
This was undoubtedly setting an example for Yubi and Scorpion.
"I didn't expect the first mission related to Konoha to be so difficult..."
Yubi sighed inwardly. He wondered if it was good luck or bad luck... Meanwhile, behind Yubi's trio, a group of five was also sprinting at full speed, their expressions serious.
I wonder if I should call it lucky or unlucky... On the other side, behind Yubi's trio, a group of five was also running at full speed, their expressions serious.
What was special was that one of them was performing hand seals, his eyes tightly shut, seemingly casting some Ninjutsu.
This person was being carried by a teammate.
A moment later, the person opened his eyes and said, "They changed direction... it seems they're heading towards the Land of Earth."
The boy had a golden ponytail, and from his appearance, he seemed to be around fourteen or fifteen years old.
The other two members of the team were also around that age.
The person carrying the blond boy had red hair and a stout physique... yet not bloated, rather showing a robust build.
"The enemy wants to use Iwagakure to tie us down, forcing us to abandon the pursuit."
No sooner had the blond boy finished speaking than a boy with black tied hair, wearing a fishnet shirt, immediately interjected.
He seemed to have instantly seen through the enemy's intentions.
Quite clever.
If Yubi were here, he would surely recognize the identities of these three.
They were none other than the representatives of Konoha's golden generation, Ino–Shika–Chō.
The one performing hand seals was Inoichi Yamanaka.
The one carrying him was Akimichi Choza.
The one with sharp thinking who instantly saw through the enemy's plan was Nara Shikaku.
At the age of fifteen, Ninja are no longer immature... In fact, the three members of the Ino–Shika–Chō generation have not disappointed the Village's nurturing, especially benefiting from the environment and growth of this Ninja World War, they have already shown the aptitude of the family's next generation successors.
The missions they have experienced and executed... are not few.
They were even more active on the front lines of the Ninja World War... however, the stage of this Ninja World War was destined not to belong to them, still primarily relying on Konoha's older generation of combat power.
Especially in the early stages of the Ninja World War, they were relatively young. At that time... they could only grow under the protection of the Village's wings, unable to stand on their own.
Now, they have grown up... but this war is also coming to an end, and there is no more 'performance' time for them.
Furthermore, the Village values them and intends to protect them... so, they will not risk deploying them to the most difficult battlefields.
The Village's focus on them is 'growth,' not as usable combat power.
Therefore, the missions they undertake are related to support or intelligence behind the front lines... or they are allowed to lead a small team to be active on some secondary or tertiary battlefields, cultivating their'sense' and 'acuity' on the battlefield.
Especially for someone like Shikaku, who has the talent of a'strategist,' his abilities in personnel command and battlefield deployment will also be correspondingly enhanced.
In short, although the golden generation of the Village has not shone brightly in this Ninja World War.
They have already begun to emerge... and have been noticed by some Ninja Villages.
These younger generations... are Konoha's most precious asset.
And they are the reason why the Will of Fire continues to burn.
"We absolutely cannot let them enter Iwagakure's battlefield area, otherwise... although it would be extremely dangerous for them. But without our entanglement, the possibility of them escaping by using the Iwagakure area will indirectly increase!" Shikaku said in a deep voice.
After speaking, he looked at the two Jonin running at the very front.
"Ryosuke, Otani-sensei... with the leg strength of us three, I'm afraid we can't catch up to them. I ask you two to go ahead! The opponent only has one Jonin; the remaining two's strength shouldn't be strong, but their identities should be quite important to that Jonin. Those two youngsters are very likely key figures of Sunagakure, and being burdened by them will slow down the Jonin. What you need to do is to hold these three, buying us time to catch up."
Shikaku immediately made arrangements.
Although there were two Jonin in the five-person squad, logically, these two should serve as the leaders.
However, facing Shikaku's instructions, the two Jonin did not hesitate for a moment and immediately accepted the order.
It seemed that Shikaku was, in fact, the core figure of this squad.
Subsequently, the two Jonin instantly accelerated... leaving the Ino–Shika–Chō trio behind and pursuing in the direction Inoichi Yamanaka had identified.