Escape from Konoha.

They immediately lost their fighting spirit.

"Earth Escape: Earth Current City Wall!"

Without hesitation, the Earth Release Jonin gathered chakra in both hands and unleashed a wide-range Earth Release ninjutsu.

Rumble!

Rumble!

The solid stone walls, like towering city walls, rose up, and because the impact was so widespread, the earth trembled and vibrated.

Ruri and Ayane climbed to the top of the massive stone wall, only to find the land completely deserted.

Sakumo and Shiraishi arrived at the two people's side one after the other.

"Ayane, you're in my group, let's begin!"

"Yes!"

Even with such a brief signal, Shiraishi and the other two knew what Sakumo was planning.

Sakumo was going to pursue the most troublesome enemy, and at this time, he needed Ayane's Byakugan to help him.

Find the whereabouts of the male and female puppeteers and eliminate them.

From this moment forward, it is time for Konoha to launch a counterattack against Sunagakure and hunt down the fleeing Sunagakure ninja.

So, Sakumo and Ayane formed one group, and Shiraishi and Ruri formed the other, and they began searching everywhere.

Before long, Shiraishi and Ruri encountered the disheveled Jonin Amaterasu, who was followed by a dozen or so Konoha ninjas. They all had some injuries, but none of them were serious.

The person who confronted Jonin Tenchu ​​earlier was also a Jonin, along with several Chunin.

For a time, neither side could gain the upper hand. However, after the male and female puppeteers were defeated, the Sand Village unit lost its leader and could only retreat.

"In that case, I will also join the search. This time, I must avenge our fallen comrades!"

Tenchu ​​Jinin looked resentful.

He had heard of this Sand Village unit that was roaming the Land of Fire. They had already attacked five or six outposts established by Konoha within the Land of Fire, killing and wounding dozens of Konoha ninja, including some lone Jonin who died at their hands.

If Sakumo's squad hadn't happened to be resupplying here, all the Konoha ninjas at this outpost would likely have been wiped out without exception.

After bidding farewell to Jonin Tenchu, he instructed him to lead the remaining Konoha ninja to another route to begin the search.

If encountering a powerful enemy, prioritize sending signals.

Even in the event of an accident, timely support can be provided.

"By the way, Liuli, I have a good idea to lure them in."

While running, Shiraishi suddenly spoke with a smile.

"What are you up to now?"

"After all, this is the fastest way to end the battle. Fortunately, Sakumo-sensei and Ayane aren't here, so I don't need to go to great lengths to hide my strength."

As he spoke, Shiroshi suddenly quickened his pace, instantly creating a long distance between himself and Ruri, disappearing from Ruri's sight.

Ruri stared at the spot where Shiroishi had disappeared with her double-tomoe Sharingan, remaining silent, seemingly tacitly agreeing to the 'method' the other party had proposed.

Half an hour later, Baishi arrived at a quiet, open forest. In front of him was a clear stream with several fish playing in it.

Bai Shi looked around, picked up a sharp-edged stone from the stream, stopped in front of a tree, and was about to use the stone to carve a mark on the tree.

The cold touch sent shivers down his spine; it was a kunai.

The hand holding the kunai is made of wood, and the arm extending from the black sleeve is smooth and hairless, with some rounded joints that are only found on dolls.

Puppet doll.

"Throw away the stone and raise your hands."

It was a cold, female voice.

Shiraishi obediently threw away the stone shard in his hand, then raised his hands, a bead of cold sweat naturally appearing on his face.

Chapter Forty-Three: A Great Merit

"You're a medical ninja, right?"

"Yes……"

"Come with me."

"Yes……"

Shiraishi turned around and saw that the person controlling the puppet was a beautiful woman with long brown hair, who looked to be no more than thirty years old. He recognized her as one of the two puppeteers from the Sunagakure forces.

However, she has now lost an arm, and the wound is bandaged, which affects her overall appearance.

However, for a puppeteer of her caliber, losing an arm would not significantly reduce her strength.

After all, a puppeteer's strength lies in the puppets themselves.

The other party led the way without any suspicion, seemingly without any defense against Shiraishi. If you ignored the puppet holding a kunai across Shiraishi's neck, that would indeed be the case.

Given that the other party has fallen to this state, it's entirely expected that they would be cautious.

It was a thick tree that would require ten or more people to encircle, but its base was hollow, revealing a dark hole through which a little light could shine.

Shiraishi was forced inside, and with the help of the light shining in from outside, he could see some of the conditions inside.

A red-haired man lay weakly on the ground with a horrifying cut on his chest. Although it was hastily wrapped with bandages, the bandages were stained red with blood, and this method of stopping the bleeding could only provide temporary relief.

In a little while, she'll have to abandon him and run away alone.

However, Shiraishi learned from intelligence that the two puppeteers, a man and a woman, were the son and daughter-in-law of a high-ranking official in Sunagakure. They were a loving couple of ninjas, and rather than letting her husband die here, she might have considered committing suicide for love.

This possibility also exists.

Ninjas are human too; no matter how much they suppress their emotions, it will only make those emotions stronger.

If we only consider gains and losses, every human being would be a wise strategist who can calculate everything perfectly.

But in reality, there are often not that many wise people who can calculate everything perfectly.

Compared to gains and losses, humans are more easily swayed by emotions.

The woman's best option was to kill her husband, dispose of his body to prevent the information from being leaked, and then leave alone as soon as possible.

But the fact that she didn't do that proves it.

"Save him, don't try any tricks."

The woman's words were brief, yet they made it easy for Shiraishi to understand her meaning.

"I understand. If I heal him, could you please have mercy and spare my life?"

The woman did not speak.

The kunai that the puppet doll had placed on Shiraishi's neck almost severed his neck.

Shiraishi shrugged helplessly.

A faint green light emanated from his right hand. He crouched down and slowly peeled off the bandages from the male puppeteer's body with his left hand. The puppeteer was unconscious and unconsciously groaned in pain. Then, Shiroshi enveloped the male puppeteer's wounds with green light to help them heal as quickly as possible.

"This injury was caused by wind-style chakra... I need ten minutes to heal the wound."

"As his students, don't you know the secret of the White Fang Sword Technique?"

The female puppeteer frowned.

Shiraishi shook his head.

He only knew that Sakumo's swordsmanship was very powerful, but he didn't know much about the secrets behind it.

Perhaps the enemy knows, but those who know the secret of the White Fang Sword Technique are probably all dead.

How many people in Konoha know this? They might also be practicing secrecy.

After all, it's unwise to casually explore a ninja's secrets; it could easily cause discord among colleagues.

Especially for a powerful Jonin like Sakumo, the secrets of his swordsmanship are probably only known in detail to the Hokage and other high-ranking officials.

As time passed, the male puppeteer's complexion improved considerably, and his breathing gradually became more even.

The female puppeteer glanced at Shiraishi with slight surprise and said, "Your medical ninjutsu is quite good. No wonder you were assigned to be by Konoha's White Fang's side."

She knew how serious her husband's injuries were, but she never expected that Shiraishi could treat them in just ten minutes, without even needing surgery.

Then, realizing that Shiraishi's team leader was Sakumo, she felt relieved.

Medical ninjas who follow Konoha's White Fang may not be outstanding in strength, but their medical ninjutsu must be exceptional.

Even most of the medical ninjas in Sunagakure, including those with outstanding medical skills, might not have the same level of medical ninjutsu as Shiraishi.

Only in this way can a mediocre genin be qualified to follow Konoha's White Fang.

Konoha truly lives up to its reputation as a cradle of geniuses.

"The wound has healed, but there are still serious internal injuries. If I want to heal completely, I need an operating room and some herbs."

Bai Shi stepped aside and stood there honestly and obediently.

"No need, this will do for now."

A hint of relief appeared on the female puppeteer's face.

Just as she was beginning to relax, the male puppeteer lying on the ground suddenly screamed, his lips turned deep red, and he coughed violently, spitting out strange dark red blood.

Poisoned!

The female puppeteer's expression changed drastically. As this terrifying thought flashed through her mind, the five fingers of her remaining arm began to twitch, and a chilling murderous intent appeared in her eyes as she prepared to control the puppet to kill.

Her movements were not slow; in some ways, her fingers were even more dexterous than Shiraishi's. But Shiraishi had already planned ahead.

Signaled by the male puppeteer's scream, blue chakra gathered in his hands, forming a blade-like shape.

He turned and waved.

Just as the puppet was about to move, it was shattered by a hand chop swung by Shiraishi, and with a loud crash, a large number of wooden pieces flew in front of Shiraishi.

"you!"

Such reaction and speed are simply beyond the capabilities of a genin.