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The mountain forests of the Land of Fire were silent.
Over a dozen figures moved through the woods at high speed, their movements completely soundless.
The Fourth Raikage, who was leading them, had a grim expression, his bronze skin taut.
His burly physique moved through the forest, yet he made almost no sound.
"Still haven't shaken them off?"
His voice was extremely low, and anyone could hear the suppressed rage within it.
On the flank of the team, a sweating sensory shinobi, while sprinting, rapidly formed hand seals. His face grew paler due to the frequent use of chakra.
"No, Raikage!"
"Their sensory shinobi have already locked onto us, and there might even be members of the Hyuga clan..."
"Moreover, the pursuit squad sent by Konoha numbers over fifty. We can't create distance..."
Sensory shinobi!
Hyuga clan!
This news made all the Kumogakure shinobi's hearts sink.
Byakugan!
That reconnaissance bloodline limit, said to have no blind spots, was the nightmare of all infiltrators.
Under that kind of insight, their proud stealth techniques and chakra concealment jutsu became a joke.
"Damn it!" the Raikage roared, slamming his fist hard against a nearby tree trunk!
At the rear of the team, Mabui, who was heavily protected, had a pale face.
The prolonged high-speed sprint was taking a toll on her, but she still gritted her teeth and pushed on.
She knew she was the core of this assassination plan.
If anything happened to her, the reverse teleportation array that could instantly transport Kumogakure's main forces to Konoha's doorstep could not be established.
The entire plan would be completely ruined!
The Raikage glanced at Mabui's condition, and the killing intent in his heart intensified.
If this continued, they would be dragged to their deaths!
He abruptly stopped, his eyes filled with madness. "Bee, you take Mabui and the rest and continue forward."
"I'll stop them!"
Killer Bee, who was adjusting his breathing with his unique rap rhythm, instantly stopped. His eyes filled with shock. "Big Brother! What nonsense are you talking, you idiot, you big jerk!"
"Shut up!" The Raikage's voice exploded, shaking the leaves. "This is an order!"
"This plan stakes the future of the Land of Lightning. It must succeed."
"Mabui absolutely cannot be harmed!"
"For me, the Raikage, to cover the rear and hold them off is the option with the highest success rate!"
"No!" A more resolute voice interrupted him.
Dodai, the Raikage's personal guard and the vice-captain of this operation.
He and three other shinobi blocked the Raikage, their expressions more determined than ever. "Raikage, you cannot be rash!"
Dodai looked directly at the angry Raikage, showing no fear on his face.
"Once your and Killer Bee's identities are exposed, what awaits us will be Konoha's frantic, no-holds-barred extermination!"
"At that time, we will not only face one pursuit squad!"
"That's right!" another shinobi eagerly added. "Once the Fourth Hokage of Konoha is alerted, the surprise attack plan will be completely ruined!"
These words were like a bucket of ice water, instantly extinguishing the Raikage's rage.
Yes, he could die, but the news of the Raikage and the Eight-Tails jinchuriki infiltrating deep into the Land of Fire must never be exposed!
This concerned not only the plan but also the future of Kumogakure!
Seeing his hesitation, Dodai took a step forward, knelt heavily, and said with a sorrowful voice, "We of Kumogakure... have already lost one Raikage!"
"The Third Raikage faced tens of thousands of enemy troops alone and died of exhaustion. That is a lifelong disgrace for every Kumogakure shinobi!"
His voice was hoarse, his eyes bloodshot. "We have failed once already. There must not be a second time!"
"We must not watch the Fourth Raikage repeat the same mistake!"
"That's right!" the other three roared in unison, simultaneously kneeling on one knee. Their eyes burned with a desperate flame. "Please, you and Killer Bee, take Mabui and continue forward!"
"Leave this place to us!"
The four bowed their heads together, their posture resolute.
Looking at the four familiar faces before him, the Raikage's body trembled violently.
Anger, gratitude, unwillingness... all sorts of emotions surged in his chest, almost tearing him apart.
He clenched his fists, making crisp cracking sounds. He wanted to forcefully order them to move aside using his authority as Raikage.
But he couldn't.
Because every word they said was correct.
He and Killer Bee must not be exposed.
He took a deep breath, suppressing all his emotions along with the surging lightning release chakra back into his body.
"Kumogakure will forever remember your names!"
"I will always remember you!"
"Please!"
Dodai looked up, a serene smile appearing on his face before his sacrifice.
"Raikage, we will use the lightning release clone jutsu to create dozens of clones with chakra reactions identical to ours, scattering in all directions!"
"Konoha's sensory shinobi and the Hyuga's Byakugan will be instantly overwhelmed by these false targets!"
"Unless they are close, they won't be able to distinguish which is real and which is fake."
"Even to eliminate them one by one would require a lot of time!"
"At that time, please, you and Killer Bee, immediately suppress your chakra fluctuations to be the same as ours, maintaining only the necessary expenditure for movement."
He quickly explained the tactic he had devised.
"Although Konoha's Byakugan is powerful, as long as you mix in with the clones, you can, to a certain extent, obscure their judgment!"
"This is the most effective way to buy you time!"
As expected of Dodai!
Even facing a desperate situation, he could still make the calmest and most correct judgment.
The Raikage's eyes were bloodshot, and he nodded heavily. "Good!"
With that, he no longer hesitated. He abruptly turned and said, "Let's go!"
Killer Bee took a deep look at the four retreating figures, imprinting their appearances in his mind, then lifted the nearly exhausted Mabui and followed without a word.
The group instantly reined in their presence, like wisps of smoke, merging into the deeper darkness.
On the spot, the four led by Dodai slowly stood up.
They exchanged smiles, their expressions open and bold.
"Let's go," Dodai said faintly, as if not going to his death.
"For Kumogakure!"
"For the Raikage!"
The next moment, four massive and violent chakra signatures exploded!
Blinding electrical light burst forth, illuminating the forest as bright as day!
Amidst the crackling of electricity, the four led by Dodai simultaneously formed hand seals!
"Lightning release: lightning clone jutsu!"
Dozens of lightning release clones, identical in presence and form to them, instantly materialized, rushing in all directions with sharp whooshing sounds!
At the same time, several kilometers behind them, Hyuga Hiashi was leading the pursuit squad, moving rapidly through the forest.
Just then, a sensory shinobi in the team suddenly exclaimed, "Something's wrong! Hiashi! Dozens of chakra signatures suddenly appeared ahead. They have reinforcements!"
Hyuga Hiashi paid no mind.
A vein throbbed on his forehead as his Byakugan activated.
In his vision, the thirteen chakra sources exploded, transforming into dozens of identical chakra sources, frantically fleeing in all directions!
He let out a low cry, instantly understanding the enemy's intention. "No, these aren't reinforcements!"
A Nara shinobi beside him instantly analyzed the conclusion. "Those must be lightning clones! They plan to use false targets to cover their main force's retreat!"
"How decisive. They're willing to sacrifice their lives to delay us."
"Hiashi, we must split up. Letting even one escape could be the real one."
Using the lives of his subordinates to buy escape time?
Hyuga Hiashi's face was grim.
"Split up and clear out all interference!" he ordered coldly, then added, "Everyone move quickly! Don't let any of them escape!"
"Yes!"
At his command, dozens of Konoha shinobi responded and moved.
The large team instantly dispersed, forming dozens of pursuit squads that rushed towards the fleeing streaks of lightning.
In the forest under the night sky, a slaughter was about to unfold.