However,
Before the kunai in that ninja's hand could be thrown, Kaede's figure on the opposite side of the river suddenly vanished.
Shhh!
Silently.
Kaede's figure crossed the riverbank and appeared behind him. At some point, the Kusanagi Sword in his hand had already been drawn from its sheath, piercing straight through the ninja's chest!
"Your leader is pretty smart. You, on the other hand, not so much."
Kaede shook his head and pulled out the Kusanagi Sword. Beads of blood rolled and dripped from the blade, yet not a single trace of blood remained on its surface.
It really did seem to be the genuine Kusanagi Sword. Judging by its appearance, it looked nearly identical to the one Orochimaru gave Sasuke in the original story.
Cough…
The ninja, pierced through the chest by Kaede's sword, wore a look of shock. He disbelievingly reached for his chest, seeing his hand turn red from the blood. His eyes filled with fear and horror, but his strength quickly faded, and his body collapsed to the ground.
The other ninjas, witnessing this, were also shocked, their eyes filled with disbelief as they looked at Kaede.
"Hey, this is a joke, right?"
"Is this guy... a Jōnin?!"
The speed and chakra he displayed, no one, not even their leader, could compare to it. Such power could never come from a Chūnin or Genin. It was undoubtedly at the Jōnin level, and possibly even the Jōnin level from one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages!
After making this judgment, their greedy thoughts were quickly doused with cold water. In fear, they immediately fled in the opposite direction.
A Jōnin from one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages!
This was definitely beyond their ability to handle!
But by the time they had the chance to escape, it was already too late. Kaede didn't intend to let go of any ninja who harbored murderous intent toward him. Holding the Kusanagi Sword, he instantly dashed through the crowd.
Shhh!
A shadow passed by everyone.
Fear and horror froze on their faces, and they all collapsed to the ground. The blood, mixing with the rainwater, quickly stained the wet ground and flowed into the nearby stream.
"Idiots."
The scarred ninja, who had already escaped far away, glanced back and noticed what was happening. He cursed inwardly.
See?
He knew this would happen!
Someone who could chase them down from the village, with such a direct and straightforward approach, clearly had their sights set on the Kusanagi Sword. Either there was an ambush of many ninjas nearby, or this person's power was incredibly frightening!
Although he was reluctant to part with the Kusanagi Sword, he didn't hesitate to throw it away. After all, life was more important than any artifact.
Whoosh! Whoosh!!
Seeing Kaede instantly eliminate his subordinates, the scarred ninja activated more chakra and increased his speed, fleeing even faster.
Meanwhile, on the riverbank, Kaede, holding the Kusanagi Sword, looked in the direction of the retreating figure. He tilted his head slightly, contemplating whether or not to chase down this overly cautious ninja.
Letting him go might leak the information that the Kusanagi Sword had fallen into his hands. However, with his current strength, he wasn't afraid of anyone coveting it. Besides, the sword would be useful in future battles. Orochimaru had never been shy about using the Kusanagi Sword on the battlefield.
However,
Just as Kaede was thinking, his gaze suddenly froze.
Because the scarred ninja, now far away, stopped abruptly in front of a vast forest.
Next…
Kaede saw the scarred ninja turn around and try to flee in another direction, seemingly having seen something terrifying in the forest. Then, all sorts of chaotic things flew out from the forest: fiery flames and water guns like sharp blades.
A barrage of attacks fell relentlessly. The scarred ninja desperately tried to dodge, fleeing to one side, but was ultimately hit by a number of ninjutsu.
"What is…"
Kaede narrowed his eyes.
It seemed this overly cautious ninja had really bad luck. First, he ran into Kaede, and now he had stumbled upon something he shouldn't have.
The next moment…
A large group of figures emerged from the forest, running toward him. Judging by their number, there were nearly a hundred of them, obviously a ninja squad!
Despite the distance, it was still clear that these ninjas were not from Konoha, nor from Iwa or Amegakure. They were from Sunagakure!
"Why is a Sunagakure team here?"
Looking at the numerous Sunagakure ninjas rushing out of the forest, Kaede's mind quickly processed the situation.
This was the northeastern border of the Amegakure, far from the Land of Wind but closer to the Land of Earth. The Sunagakure team must have made a long detour to arrive here.
A hundred Sunagakure ninjas weren't something Kaede feared, but there was no reason to engage in battle with them. Simply discovering their presence and passing the information to Konoha would suffice.
However,
Before Kaede could retreat, a large number of Sunagakure ninjas rushed in his direction.
"In my sensory range, a ninja at three o'clock!"
A sensory ninja in the advancing Sunagakure team called out loudly.
The leader of the Sunagakure ninjas, Elite Jōnin Pakura, said coldly, "Understood... Teams Six and Seven, go around to the sides, don't let him escape!"
"Yes!"
Ninjas immediately split off from the crowd, surrounding Kaede.
Pakura's cold gaze fixed on Kaede.
She didn't know which village this ninja was from, but since he had discovered their presence, he couldn't be allowed to escape.
Their mission was to launch a surprise attack on Konoha's base, destroying the supply, medical, and injured units.
This was the plan of Elder Hoshizora. To carry it out, they had spent nearly ten days crossing the Amegakure, taking the most secluded route.
If the attack succeeded, it could catch Konoha off guard and even decide the outcome of the war!
Therefore, there could be no risk of any information leaking!
Whoosh! Whoosh!!
A large number of Sunagakure ninjas quickly surrounded Kaede.
Kaede sheathed the Kusanagi Sword and started retreating. out of the corner of his eye, he glanced back at the approaching Sunagakure ninjas, slowly realizing what was happening.
This team had likely been assigned to raid Konoha's base, which explained why they were still relentlessly pursuing him after taking out the scarred ninja.
Seeing Kaede retreat, the Sunagakure ninjas showed no intention of giving up and continued to chase him. In no time, they had covered several miles.
"If you keep chasing me, I won't hold back…"
Kaede glanced back at the pursuing Sunagakure ninjas.
A hundred ninjas weren't enough to make him resort to the Eight Gates technique to escape.
Although a hundred ninjas could pose a threat to him, if they continued to chase him, their varying speeds and strengths would lead to disarray. Their formation would break down, preventing them from closing in on him effectively. For Kaede, numbers no longer mattered.
As long as he didn't get surrounded, even a thousand ninjas wouldn't pose a threat!