Seeing this, Yura gave a slight smile, seemingly very gratified and satisfied by their earnest attitude.
"In that case, I can rest easy. I'll leave this place in your hands."
Yura wore a satisfied expression and spoke with a smile.
After saying that, Yura and Ōtsuka Kazuki beside him exchanged a glance. The two of them turned around, apparently preparing to leave.
Seeing these two superiors about to depart.
The two Sunagakure shinobi not only breathed a slight sigh of relief, but also couldn't help thinking to themselves how fortunate it was that these two hadn't seen them slacking off earlier.
Otherwise, they certainly would have been in for a scolding.
Right at the instant one of the shinobi let his guard down, Yura and Ōtsuka Kazuki, who had seemed ready to leave, simultaneously spun around.
In the hands of both Yura and Ōtsuka Kazuki, kunai had somehow already appeared.
With cold expressions on their faces, both of them slashed forcefully at the necks of the two Sunagakure shinobi!
The strike was not only fast but ruthless!
Two sprays of blood erupted!
Before the two Sunagakure shinobi could even react, their neck arteries had already been slit open by Yura and Ōtsuka Kazuki.
"Why..."
The two Sunagakure shinobi clutched their necks, coughing up blood, unable to utter a complete sentence. Their eyes filled with disbelief and terror, they slowly collapsed to the ground.
"I didn't expect it to be this easy. Even faster than anticipated. We had two plans prepared, but it seems we won't be needing the second one."
Yura glanced expressionlessly at the two dead shinobi and gave a slight nod to Ōtsuka Kazuki beside him.
Ōtsuka Kazuki didn't hesitate for a moment. He quickly entered the room, and after a short while, emerged carrying the unconscious Gaara.
Meanwhile, outside the house.
The blood splatter from the two dead shinobi had already been cleaned up. Yura had even deliberately propped the two corpses upright, leaning them against either side of the door.
From a distance, it looked as though the two dead bodies were simply having a quiet conversation.
One had to admit — as expected of someone who could command Sunagakure's patrol unit, his methods for handling the scene were extremely impressive.
As long as no one approached closely, no one would easily notice that these two shinobi leaning against the door were already dead.
"Wait a little longer."
Yura looked up at the moon in the sky and spoke unhurriedly to the tense Ōtsuka Kazuki beside him.
Even though the two of them were committing the act of defecting from their village, Yura was remarkably composed, as if he were doing nothing more than an ordinary task.
As the head of the patrol unit, Yura naturally knew the patrol routes of the two outer Sunagakure squads and the time gaps between their rounds.
Yura narrowed his eyes slightly, arms crossed over his chest, one finger tapping his arm at a specific rhythm.
About a minute and a half later!
Yura, who had been squinting, suddenly opened his eyes wide. Beside him, Ōtsuka Kazuki's focus also sharpened.
The next moment.
Both of them vanished from the spot.
The two were shinobi of Sunagakure to begin with, and with Yura being the head of the patrol unit, he had personally arranged tonight's patrol schedule.
Naturally, the two of them avoided all the hidden sentries almost effortlessly, without raising anyone's suspicion.
Even so, to be safe, the two took a roundabout route, spending nearly twenty minutes before barely making it out of Sunagakure.
Only after completely leaving the village did Ōtsuka Kazuki let out a heavy breath. Only then did he realize that his entire outfit was already soaked through with sweat.
Beside him, Yura, who had orchestrated this defection, still maintained a calm expression on his face. But deep down, he too let out a long breath of relief.
"We shouldn't delay. Let's hurry and leave. They won't stay in the dark for long."
Yura took a deep breath, a grave expression reappearing on his face as he spoke to Ōtsuka Kazuki beside him.
"Yes, Lord Yura."
Ōtsuka Kazuki nodded firmly, his face showing excitement.
He and Lord Yura were both spies planted in Sunagakure by Lord Sasori. The reason Uchiha Obito's invasion had been so successful this time was also thanks to their assistance.
The village higher-ups would eventually realize this. Since their covers were already blown, they might as well leave ahead of time.
Joining Uchiha Madara's side through Lord Sasori might not be a bad choice.
After all, by now the entire shinobi world knew that Konoha's Senju Hashirama, Kirigakure's First Mizukage Yuto, and Uchiha Madara were the three strongest people in the entire shinobi world.
It was no exaggeration to say that each of these three possessed combat power rivaling an entire shinobi village!
Yura and Ōtsuka Kazuki didn't linger. After a brief rest, they carried the unconscious Gaara and swiftly departed from Sunagakure, heading toward the rendezvous point that Uchiha Obito had designated in advance!
Not long after the two had left.
Inside the gates of Sunagakure, several figures slowly walked out, their gazes fixed on the direction the two had departed.
"Sigh..."
"I suspected there was a spy in the village, but I never imagined that spy would be the very head of the patrol unit."
Granny Chiyo wore a rare expression of disappointment, murmuring to herself, her voice tinged with self-reproach.
Yura had once been a hero of the Second Shinobi World War. At the time, he had been in the same squad as Sasori's parents.
Unfortunately, their squad had encountered Kakashi's father.
The White Fang of Konoha, Hatake Sakumo.
Sasori's parents were killed, and Yura was critically injured and on the brink of death. It was only thanks to the timely arrival of Sunagakure reinforcements that he narrowly survived.
It was precisely because of this that Yura, who had neither resources nor outstanding talent, was taken under Granny Chiyo's wing and given special care over the years.
And now, for him to defect from his own village — how could Granny Chiyo not be heartbroken and filled with self-blame?
"Sister, what's done is done..."
Ebizō walked up beside Granny Chiyo with his cane and gently patted her on the shoulder.
Just then, Naruto, who had been standing in the back, suddenly stepped forward. Clenching his fists, he spoke with an unusually serious tone:
"Now is not the time for sadness and grief. Granny Chiyo's feelings — I can understand them deeply."
"When it comes to someone who betrays their own village, I'm going to punch that kind of guy hard, and then drag him right in front of Granny Chiyo."
At Naruto's suddenly earnest interjection, everyone present was momentarily stunned.
Yamashiro Aoba and Kakashi felt the stares of those around them and their mouths twitched violently.
Kakashi in particular helplessly pressed a hand to his forehead, looking thoroughly defeated.
Nagato and Kisame glanced at Naruto, their eyes carrying the look one might give a complete idiot.
Hyūga Neji glanced at Naruto and quickly averted his gaze, shaking his head. Only now did he truly understand that Naruto was genuinely a blockhead through and through.
And he himself had actually lost to a guy like this.
As for the Sunagakure shinobi present, their eyes all burned with irritation as they glared at Naruto.
If looks could kill, Naruto would have died who-knows-how-many times by now.
This brat!
It was one thing to make grand boasts, but did he really think Sunagakure had no one of its own? What did he mean, punch them and bring them before Granny Chiyo?
Were their Sunagakure shinobi just decorations?
If Granny Chiyo and Ebizō hadn't yet spoken, every Sunagakure shinobi present would have been unable to resist teaching this arrogant brat a lesson.
Granny Chiyo and Ebizō both heard Naruto's words, and stiff expressions appeared on their faces.
"Hahaha, what a spirited young man. It's been a long time since this old man met such an interesting kid."
Ebizō glanced at Granny Chiyo, whose face was flushed red with suppressed frustration, and couldn't help letting out a hearty laugh, his voice laced with a touch of teasing.
[
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