Chapter 138

— What are we going to do?

— Run away from the search party as soon as the rocks figure out our diversionary group is in their rear, — Tsume gritted her teeth, making a rather frightening face. — Even the dumbest person will connect the recent incident at the rocks with the attack and subsequent kidnapping of the courier not too far from there. And also figure out where to expect us from!

— We can't go back the old way, — Hyuga said gravely, — they'll definitely be waiting for us there. As for finding another route to the front line…

— Even if we manage, reinforcements will still end up in a different place, — Ishii noted and suggested, — maybe we should try to blend in with the locals and wait for the commotion to die down? They certainly won't think to look for us at the lord's castle.

— With that amount of chakra? It won't work, not to mention the hair color of some of us, — the jounin shot a glance at me, — besides, we don't have local clothing, and the chunin outfit would only fit you.

— And the Byakugan is hard to hide, — I added, retorting, — unless you pretend to be blind, but I haven't seen many chubby disabled people.

Hizashi's cheek twitched, and I smirked triumphantly behind my mask, but he chose not to continue the argument. However, it served its purpose — the tense teammates relaxed a bit and were no longer on the verge of panicking.

— Then we have no choice but to flee towards the Land of Grass as quickly as possible and hope for the best, — Inuzuka concluded.

— More precisely, we should try to reach the mountains, as finding anyone there, even with sensors, is not an easy task, — the commander corrected her, — besides, I don't think they have anyone who can surpass me in sensitivity.

In short, just like before, but now we didn't have the rain that provided excellent cover from enemy sensors and a big advantage for the Byakugan. Naturally, I didn't mention this to avoid lowering the team's morale, so we continued running in silence. As long as our legs were working, I was wracking my brain on how to get everyone out of this tough situation.

I could escape almost guaranteed and no one would blame me for leaving my comrades behind, especially if the mission was accomplished. But leaving behind people I had become attached to over the years without even trying to lead them out with me? I can admit to myself that I'm prepared to do that, but I don't think the others would approve of such behavior. At the same time, I don't want to reveal certain aspects of the jutsu using discovered chakra separation abilities in strict proportions.

My thoughts were interrupted by Hizashi, who suddenly signaled to stop, and a couple of seconds later, dashed toward the nearest patch of forest that was almost transparent. I was tempted to ask about such a hasty move to a place that was at least somewhat suitable for cover, but then I felt on the edge of my senses about a dozen chakra sources moving toward us, directly where the signal flare had exploded.

It would have been manageable if they were chunin led by two jounin — with that number, we might have a chance, especially considering the low quality of Iwagakure fighters compared to ours. But one pulsating chakra source of truly gigantic size changed the entire situation. No wonder Hyuga became so cautious. I particularly disliked the ambiguous and heavier feeling of the chakra from this monster. A very familiar sensation, reminiscent of a certain plump tomato after the repackaging ritual… Jinchuriki.

Slipping past another tree toward the target only Hizashi could see, I thought anxiously about the strategy for fighting a Jinchuriki if we were unlucky.

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