"Damn it!"
At the moment when he saw the overwhelming puppet arms rushing towards him, Kaze was completely stunned, and his mind went blank.
It was so damn sudden!
Minato, standing beside him, reacted a bit faster. But no matter how fast he was, he couldn't be faster than a Jonin's killing move. There was simply no time to dodge.
At the critical moment, Kaze suddenly had a flash of inspiration and instinctively used a ninjutsu he had just learned.
"Wind Release: Separate Wind!"
Shouting out the name of the jutsu in a second - rate way, Chakra in Kaze's body gushed out wildly.
An oval wind area about three or four meters across was instantly formed. The high - speed rotating outer wall blocked the incoming puppet arms, temporarily protecting him and Minato.
"Sister Butterfly, I'm about to collapse! Save me!" Kaze shouted in panic.
In just an instant, most of the Chakra in his body was drained. This jutsu was so damn chakra - consuming!
However, the moment Kaze bought was enough for Yukino and Yuto to react.
"Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!"
"Wind Release: Divine Wind Whirlwind!"
The two cooperated seamlessly, instantly appearing on either side of Kaze. One fanned the flames, and the other spat fire. In an instant, a sea of fire swept across the area.
The scorching fire waves not only devoured the puppet arms but also spread wildly in all directions, forcing back several other ninjas who were trying to attack.
"Phew..."
The wind area dissipated. Kaze's face was pale, and his legs went weak. He almost fell to the ground, but luckily Minato caught him in time.
"Are you okay, Zhongli!"
"I... I'm fine."
Yuto and Yukino protected the two of them behind them and nervously watched the eight ninjas slowly approaching.
At this time, "Kisuke" had already revealed his true face. He looked about thirty years old, and all his limbs were made of metal. Apparently, he had transformed himself into a half - human, half - puppet.
"Why can't you just leave quietly? Why do you have to court death?" He spoke in a low voice, and his voice was like the sound of metal rubbing, which sent shivers down one's spine.
"What the hell is going on?" Kaze asked with lingering fear.
If he hadn't reacted quickly just now, he and Minato would both be dead.
Yuto, holding a sword in one hand and with his back to Kaze, said seriously, "It should be the Human Skin Disguise Technique of Sunagakure. I've only heard the old folks mention it once. This evil jutsu should have been lost long ago!"
"This jutsu requires sewing a human - skin garment with human skin. The user can disguise themselves by wearing it... The colleagues here must have been killed long ago!"
Kaze and Minato showed horrified expressions.
No wonder the expressions of the ninjas here were so stiff and strange, and no wonder their words and actions seemed so out of sync. It was because they were wearing other people's skins...
I'm afraid they covered themselves so tightly to avoid showing the suture marks on their bodies!
Kisuke raised his eyebrows, showing a surprised look. "You're truly well - informed. You've even heard of our village's Kinjutsu. Tsk tsk. It seems I can't let you all return."
"Can't let us go back? Are you joking?" Yukino laughed out of anger. Pointing at the others, she said coldly, "Your Sunagakure has harmed our fellow villagers. We haven't even settled accounts with you yet!"
Kisuke was stunned at first, then showed a playful look. "Are you out of your wits with anger? You kids with two burdens, do you think you can fight against our eight of us?"
These eight people were the elites who had sneaked into the village from Sunagakure. Even the weakest one among them had the strength of a Chunin. It would be a piece of cake for them to handle Kaze and the other three... He couldn't figure out how he could lose!
"Damn it! Are we gonna die here?" Kaze looked bitter. Just now, he had thought this mission was too boring. Now, he wished he could slap himself.
Why did you have to ask that extra question when you could've just left?
It hurts! It really hurts!
Kaze looked at Minato beside him and said guiltily, "Minato, I'm sorry."
Minato instantly understood what Kaze meant. He shook his head and said, "How can I blame you? It was a decision we made together."
"Minato, if I could start over, I'd choose..."
Yuto interrupted Kaze with a look of being ready to sacrifice himself. "Young master, don't worry. Even if I have to sacrifice my life, I'll keep you safe!"
"Tsk tsk tsk. How touching." The leader of the Sand ninjas watched this scene playfully and didn't stop them.
Letting the enemies pour out their feelings to each other before death was not only a show of magnanimity but also a kind of enjoyment.
"Alright, have you finished your last words? I'll send you all on your way." The leader of the Sand ninjas smiled.
Yukino gave the others a cold look, then turned to Yuto and said impatiently, "Senior Murasame, stop fooling around. Quickly take down these Sunagakure bastards!"
"Humph, how bold you are!"
The leader of the Sand ninjas lost his patience. His metal arms split instantly, and several strange, cold-shining weapons popped out from them.
"At this point, you're still being stubborn when death is near. Just you two..."
"Who said there are only two of us?" Yuto grinned and clapped his big hands. "Come out, everyone!"
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Ghost - like figures leaped out from the surrounding cottages. There were as many as sixteen figures appearing beside Kaze, shouting in unison, "Greetings, young master!"
"What?!"
Minato was shocked. The leader of the Sand ninjas was shocked. Even Kaze himself was shocked!
Damn it! What's going on now... Why can't I stop wanting to smirk?
"They were sent by Lord Tanzō to protect you. They've been quietly trailing not far behind," Yukino whispered in Kaze's ear. "If you and I and Senior Yuto can't handle the situation, they'll step in to solve it."
Minato, who was eavesdropping beside them, was also stunned.
He knew that Kaze's father had great influence, but he didn't expect... it to be this great.
The leader of the Sand ninjas was stunned.
Every time a figure emerged, the smile on his face froze a bit more.
Especially after all the figures appeared and no longer concealed their chakra fluctuations, he could sense that there were... sixteen Jonin on the other side! Sixteen Jonin! It was just outrageous!
Shouldn't all of Konoha's main forces be in the Land of Rain at this time, facing off against Amegakure Village?
Why did so many Jonin suddenly appear in this desolate place?
Kaze's mouth curled up slightly, then the smile widened until he burst into laughter.
Now that there was a complete turnaround and he was in an extremely good mood, he immediately put his hands on his hips and taunted the other side.
"Hey, that Sand ninja over there. You think you're good at fighting? What the hell good is your fighting skill? To make it in this world, you need power and a good background. Got it?"
"Go at him! Beat the crap out of him!"
The subsequent battle was a foregone conclusion. There were only four Jonin among the eight Sand ninjas on the other side.
Up against sixteen well - coordinated and skillfully - maneuvered Konoha Jonin, they were nothing more than punching bags. Soon, some were dead, and some were captured alive.
Kaze really enjoyed this mission to the fullest. He was so pumped up that he grabbed Minato and jumped around, shouting and whooping.
But Yuto beside him always had a solemn expression, as if he was worried about something.
Seeing this, Kaze was a bit confused and asked, "Uncle Yuto, what are you thinking about?"
Yuto frowned so tightly that the scar on his face was all wrinkled.
"It's no coincidence that we came across this base. According to probability, it's very likely that this isn't the only base being invaded."
"Sunagakure's actions... might mean they're declaring war on Konoha!"
The smile froze on Kaze's face. A chill ran down his spine.
Was war between Konoha and Sunagakure... about to start?
This meant that The Second Great Ninja War was about to reach its peak!
Soon, a chaotic battle involving the five major countries would break out!
Except for the Land of Water, the four major countries of Wind, Fire, Lightning, and Earth would all be involved.
The strife among these four major countries would definitely affect every ninja. At that time, no one would be able to stay out of it!