"Hmm? An alliance?"
The Third Raikage's eyes flickered as he scrutinized Ren, seemingly trying to discern his thoughts.
"Where did this brat come from? He's not worthy of an alliance with us."
Kasai, who had just reunited with his companions, had learned about Ren and his group's identities from their explanations, but he hadn't taken them seriously. Seeing Ren propose an alliance, he couldn't help but mock him.
"Get lost. If it weren't for Lord Raikage, I wouldn't even bother with trash like you."
Ren wasn't one to tolerate those who talked big without the strength to back it up. He retorted directly, then turned his gaze back to the contemplative Third Raikage, his tone becoming calm.
"Lord Raikage, those guys will be here in less than five minutes. If you want to leave, no one can stop you, but it's different for them.
Forming an alliance and breaking through together is the best option now. Otherwise, besides the two of us, no one else here will survive."
"Hmm?"
Hearing this, the Third Raikage raised an eyebrow and repeated, looking at Ren.
"'Besides the two of us.' Kid, are you that confident in your strength?"
"Naturally."
Looking at the calm and composed Ren, the Third Raikage pondered for a moment before making a surprising decision.
"Alright, we can form a temporary alliance, but if your strength isn't enough and you die, don't blame us."
His meaning was clear: although it was nominally an alliance, it was only for breaking through together. Don't even think about asking the other side for rescue.
"Lord Raikage, we…"
Hearing his Raikage agree, Kasai was about to speak up and object when a glance from the Raikage made him swallow the rest of his words. He stood among his companions, not daring to utter another sound.
"Good!"
Hearing the other party agree, Ren finally breathed a sigh of relief. After all, if he had to lead the breakthrough himself, he wasn't confident he could get all three out. But now, with the addition of the Third Raikage, an Kage-level expert, the probability of a successful breakthrough had greatly increased.
Five minutes later, Ren's team and the Third Raikage's group stood together. Although they were still wary of each other, the atmosphere was much better than the previous tension.
Besides, they didn't need to trust each other. The goal of both groups was simply to break through together, nothing more.
Just then, the Iwa Ninja army finally appeared. A "reddish-brown" hue suddenly emerged on the low hillside. Looking at the dense figures, Ren reached into his Ninja tool pouch, pulled out a sword hilt, and gripped it, his expression becoming solemn.
"They're here! Go, kill those guys!"
"Don't let them get away!"
A massive clamor came from behind. Everyone instinctively turned around, and what greeted their eyes was another large number of enemy troops. Their gaze shifted along the figures; both the hills and treetops on the left and right were filled with Iwa Ninja. Tens of thousands of gazes converged here, emitting a suffocating aura that instantly made the other Cloud Ninja and the three little ones, excluding the Third Raikage and Ren, turn pale, their legs trembling uncontrollably.
The leading Iwa Ninja grinned ferociously and shouted excitedly.
"Go! Kill them all, not a single one left!"
Rumble!!
As tens of thousands of Ninja began to move, the ground and hills beneath them started to shake. Disordered footsteps rapidly approached, and shouts of killing were endless.
"Lord Raikage, I'll leave the front to you, and the back to me!"
Ren leaped to the rear of the team and shouted to the elder standing at the front.
"Kid, keep up!"
The Third Raikage laughed loudly. A large amount of lightning instantly appeared on his robust body, with fine electric arcs weaving over him. A Lightning Armor covered him, and an astonishing aura instantly erupted!
"Don't fall behind!"
The figure roared back at those behind him before charging straight into the torrent. Everyone who reacted gripped their weapons tightly and followed closely behind him.
Watching the figure ahead charge into the crowd, Ren quickly followed, a thrill of excitement on his face.
"An army of ten thousand! This is what war is all about!"
"Boom!"
With a booming sound, a dusty path suddenly appeared on the densely packed road ahead, with the Iwa Ninja within being thrown aside. A flash of lightning continuously penetrated deeper into the crowd. Those behind immediately stepped onto the smoke-filled path. The group thus directly charged into the "torrent" and continued to advance within it.
"Die!"
Just as Yao was advancing with her head down, an Iwa Ninja suddenly darted out from the side, swinging his blade down with a ferocious expression!
"Genjutsu…"
Just as Yao subconsciously prepared to use Genjutsu, a figure suddenly appeared in front of her, blocking the opponent's attack with a long sword shimmering with golden-yellow lightning.
Ren exerted force to parry the opponent's long blade, then directly swung his sword across the Iwa Ninja's chest. Without even looking at the opponent, he turned back and shouted loudly.
"Don't stop, keep moving forward!"
"Yes!"
Yao didn't dare to delay and immediately turned to follow the team. Ren, on the other hand, looked at the Iwa Ninja surging from all directions, quickly formed hand seals with both hands, then let out a low shout.
"Shadow Clone Technique!"
As white mist exploded, four Shadow Clones appeared around Ren. Without waiting for Ren's command, the four of them immediately used Instantaneous Body Technique to arrive at the front, surrounding the three little ones. The surrounding Iwa Ninja attempting to get close were all repelled one by one.
Because they were in a crowd, large-scale destructive methods like Ninjutsu obviously couldn't be used here. So, they could only use Taijutsu, wielding various Ninja tools, rushing towards the few people one after another.
Under the numerical advantage, even the Third Raikage, who was responsible for clearing the path at the very front, slowed down. Because he also had to constantly look after the few people behind him, his speed could only be reduced for now.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Ball!"
"Lightning Release: Earth Corridor!"
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
The few people in the middle of the team were also continuously releasing Ninjutsu outwards, but those attacks, when they landed in the crowd, were like stones sinking into the sea. As soon as one Iwa Ninja was defeated, others quickly filled the void.
Their Chakra was constantly being consumed, yet the number of enemies in their sight showed no change. Enemies were everywhere, front, back, left, and right.
"Except for necessary defense, don't use Ninjutsu to consume Chakra!"
Noticing the Cloud Ninja and Suzuki and others continuously releasing Ninjutsu, Ren immediately became furious, shouting loudly while repeatedly raising his sword.
In the current situation, those Ninjutsu simply couldn't achieve a decisive effect. No matter how much was released, it was just a waste of Chakra.
He didn't care if those Cloud Ninja died or not, but these three little ones, Ren absolutely had to bring them back completely unharmed.