Escape from Konoha.

"In the upcoming battle, conserve chakra as much as possible and fight using natural energy."

Shiraishi glanced at Ruri and said to her.

Liuli nodded; she thought so too.

Compared to the inexhaustible natural energy, chakra should indeed be conserved in this dire situation and used for crucial moments.

“Let’s change tactics now. Ayane, you’ll use your Byakugan to find a way out, and Ruri and I will fight. We’ll find the weakest point and break through.”

Previously, because the goal was to cause a disturbance, the focus was on using Ruri's fire-style techniques to protect her and prevent her from being distracted during the operation.

But now, to find a way to survive, they can only rely on Ayane's Byakugan, and he and Ruri are responsible for the protection operation.

"I will do my best."

Ayane's expression was stern.

There are many sensory ninjas in the Sand Village here, which poses a huge challenge to the Byakugan, which has all-around exploration capabilities.

"We can discuss the mission later. Right now, the important thing is to escape from here. If everything's in order, let's move out!"

Not only were Ruri and Ayane furious about the intelligence error, but Shiraishi was also in a terrible mood.

But it is precisely at times like these that we must not let anger cloud our reason. At such times, we must think rationally and find a way to escape.

Regardless of whether the village intended to use their squad as bait from the beginning, or whether the ninjas of the Anbu Root were the problem, they probably dug such a trap to lure them in.

Or perhaps Konoha received incorrect information from the beginning, which was part of Sunagakure's scheme.

Only by surviving can we get the answers and investigate the cause and effect of the matter.

"follow me!"

Ayane didn't waste any words. With the lives of the three of them at stake, she had to do everything in her power to find a way out.

Shiraishi and Ruri followed.

At the same time, the two abandoned the manipulation of chakra within their bodies and instead calmed down completely, beginning to absorb the natural energy around them.

Due to different locations, the amount of natural energy can vary, affecting the extraction speed of natural energy.

However, this is the forest region of the land of rivers, where the natural energy floating in the trees and air is very abundant. In just a few seconds, Shiraishi and Ruri were filled with natural energy.

As soon as the natural energy entered their bodies, Shiroishi and Ruri felt incredibly light, and now they could even shatter the ground with a single punch.

But now is not the time to be happy about the increase in strength. After all, we are facing hundreds of elite Sand Ninja, including several troublesome Jonin. Once we get entangled, it will be difficult to break through.

In situations like this, you should be thankful that there's someone with "White Eye" in your squad who can alert you to the anomaly of this fake supply point in advance. Otherwise, if you only discover it's a fake supply point at the very end, you'll be doomed.

Before the Sand Village ninja could form a tight encirclement, Ayane had already found the weakest point of attack, where only twenty-nine Sand Village ninja surrounded her.

Compared to other locations, this area has the fewest Sand Ninja.

Ding Ding!

Shiraishi picked up a kunai and deflected a shuriken that flew from the front.

He then quickly engaged in combat with two Sand Ninja.

In the dark, lightless forest, only figures could be seen darting about, and the intense sparks that flew out after the kunai collided.

The two Sand Ninja discovered that Shiraishi's power was extremely strong. In just a moment of exchange, they couldn't help but groan in pain, their arms aching terribly, and they almost lost their grip on the kunai.

Then, as they adjusted their positions and went to look for Shiroishi again, Ruri, who was in charge of the rear, caught up and casually used a kunai to slash the necks of two Sand Ninja, killing them both.

Because of their high speed, and because none of the three lingered in battle, they dealt with any fierce enemies they encountered as they went, and if the enemies were too troublesome, they focused on repelling them.

"Wind Release: Gale Palm!"

A violent gust of wind suddenly attacked from behind, carrying with it a large number of kunai and shuriken.

Due to the storm, the speed and penetrating power of these kunai and shuriken were greatly amplified in the air.

However, these little tricks were easily used by Ruri after she enhanced her body with natural energy to knock down the flying kunai and shuriken.

Boom!

However, some kunai were attached with explosive tags, and the shockwave from the explosion sent Liuli's small body flying. She barely managed to stand on a tree branch, her face slightly pale.

"Don't let them escape!"

"Kill these Konoha ninja!"

The sounds of people moving about were all around, and shouts of battle came from all directions.

Among this group of Sand Ninja were exceptional sensory ninjas. No matter which direction Shiraishi and his group tried to break through from, Sand Ninja would relentlessly pursue them.

Moreover, the number of Sand Ninja is increasing, and the Sand Ninja blocking the way are all elites who are fearless in delaying Shiraishi and the others' escape time, so as to buy time for reinforcements to arrive.

"Don't linger in the fight!"

Seeing the displeased look on Ruri's face, Shiraishi knew what she wanted to do. This unprecedentedly frustrating battle must have fueled a terrifying rage within her, making her want to fight this group of Sand Ninja.

But now is not the time to act impulsively.

Even with natural energy, they are not invincible.

Surrounded by a large number of Sand Ninja, there is only one way out: death.

"Okay. Don't talk to me like that."

Liuli snorted. The explosion of the explosive tag next to her made her feel a tightness in her chest, but it also ignited the fighting spirit boiling in her heart.

"..."

I didn't want it to be like this either. Shiraishi sighed.

These Sand Ninja are chasing after us like mad dogs, relentlessly tearing at us. It's not even an important supply point, why are they fighting so desperately?

Just then, the earth suddenly trembled.

Shiraishi, Ayane, and Ruri felt a chill run down their spines and almost lost their balance, falling to the ground.

The Sand Ninja who had pursued them were in a similar situation; they too were caught off guard by the sudden earthquake and lost their footing.

"Wait, what's that—"

"Damn it, has that monster gone out of control?"

The group of Sand Ninja seemed to know something; their tone was filled with fear and confusion.

That stemmed from a fear of something.

Long!

The deep tremors continued to shake the earth.

No one had any idea what had happened.

"what happened?"

Shiraishi felt that this unusually violent tremor was not a power that a human could possibly exert.

Then, accompanied by the monster's roars, an extremely terrifying and cold chakra suddenly filled the air, making people's scalps tingle and as if a huge stone was pressing on their hearts, making it difficult to breathe.

Shiraishi was also shocked by this powerful and chilling chakra. Judging from the distance, it should have been very far away, but this chakra from an unknown source was able to penetrate the atmospheric barrier and reach here.

Even so, this powerful chakra has already exceeded the scope of what normal people can understand.

The earth continued to shake, and terrifying cracks began to appear on the ground.

The trees in the forest began to sway, and a violent hurricane swept in from afar, making it impossible to escape even if one wanted to.

Shiraishi had no choice but to grab onto the bark of a nearby tree and use his chakra to hold on tightly, maintaining his balance.

Ruri and Ayane both grabbed onto large objects around them to balance themselves.

Not only Shiraishi and the others, but even the Sand Ninja who were chasing them were covered in cold sweat, intimidated by this powerful chakra.

Just as the tremors subsided and everyone was about to breathe a sigh of relief, a massive, mountain-like black shadow rose from the distant forest, appearing before them like an insurmountable mountain.

Along with the appearance of this enormous monster, one could also hear the screams of many people.

The storm raged even more fiercely, and the air was filled with heavy chakra. This chakra felt different from ordinary chakra; it was filled with coldness and danger.

"Shukaku is out!!!!"

Has that monster completely lost control?

"Damn it, wasn't it supposed to be foolproof?"

"Did the ninjas of Konoha do something? Damn it!"

Although he didn't know what Shukaku was, Shiraishi heard the Sand Ninja's terrified screams and thought it was a clear frame-up.

Tonight they only set a fire and did nothing else. How could they have released such an unknown monster?

That said, the origin of this mountain-like monster is itself highly suspicious.

For the first time, Shiraishi's concept of the ninja profession became somewhat vague.

In his view, Ruri's fire-style ninjutsu was already a rare high-level technique, and the fire waves it created could ignite an entire forest.

However, compared to this unknown giant monster, it could probably cause more destructive power than the Glazed Fire Release Technique simply by moving its body.

"Hahaha, I'm finally back!"

The monster threw its head back and roared, looking both happy and excited to destroy everything.

Its massive body, standing majestically in the forest like a fortress, is a monster that humans could never rival, even just from a visual perspective.

It exuded a violent and destructive aura. With a gentle sweep of its sandy-yellow tail, an entire forest was wiped out. The storm uprooted trees, and the earth trembled and groaned. More than a dozen Sand Ninja were also swept up in the blast, their horrifying screams filling the air with fear.

The audience was silent.

Chapter 58 Tailed Beast Chakra

After a while, the monster finished roaring, turned around, and let everyone witness its terrifying figure.

Humans are as small and powerless as ants in its eyes.

Its body was very bulky, like a huge, fat raccoon, covered with irregularly arranged violet runes.

"You damned human insects, how dare you seal me away for so long! Die, all of you!"

This monster, known as 'Shukaku' by the Sand Ninja, has a very loud voice with a unique sharp quality, making its voice sound like a sharp knife piercing a person's ear, causing excruciating pain.