Kaze didn't break any bones this time, but his injuries were still not light.
Strangely enough, the painful and stinging wounds felt much less painful as soon as the medical ninja girl gently stroked them with her cold and delicate hands.
"Miss, your technique is really... Ah! Sister Ayako, what are you doing!"
If Ayako hadn't couldn't stand it anymore and carried Kaze back to the tent, he would have definitely let the girl treat him for a little longer.
The next day, considering that Kaze needed a few days to recuperate, the team leaders somehow managed to transfer a Chunin to temporarily fill Kaze's position in the team.
Kaze, the injured one, stayed in the camp with a clear conscience and enjoyed a few days of cozy rest.
It wasn't until more than ten days later, when the wound on his back no longer affected his movements, that Kaze rejoined the team.
In the lush forest, Kaze was hopping up and down, swinging his arms, and asked dejectedly, "Come on! Didn't you guys encounter any Sand ninjas these days? It seems I'm the only unlucky guy who ran into a group as soon as I arrived."
Ayako stifled a laugh and said, "My young master, you've really got lousy luck. You've been like this since you were a kid."
Kaze: "...Don't curse me, Sister Ayako."
"Come to think of it, I haven't seen that medical ninja in the camp for a long time. Was she transferred somewhere else?" Kaze asked casually to change the subject.
"..."
The atmosphere suddenly became silent. In the serene forest, the only sounds were the footsteps of the group as they walked.
After a while, Yukino softly said, "Kaze, I heard from one of the team leaders that the girl... sacrificed herself a few days ago."
"Sac... sacrificed herself?" Kaze suddenly felt a sense of unreality.
Not long ago, he was still chatting about life with that sweet - smiling girl. But now, a living person... was just gone?
"It'll be hard at first, but you'll get used to it, kid," Yuto said indifferently. "This is war. This is the destiny of ninjas. You have to learn to accept it."
Kaze remained silent. Suddenly, there was a stronger desire for strength and a longing for peace in his heart.
Shasha... Shasha... Shasha...
Suddenly, Yuto raised his hand to stop the team. With a solemn expression, he said, "Wait, do you hear any strange sounds?"
Strange sounds?
Kaze tried to calm his mind and listen carefully, but he didn't hear anything.
Yuto's expression grew worse. For some reason, he felt extremely uneasy, as if there was a sword hanging over his head and thorns on his back!
Shasha... Shasha... Shasha...
This time, Kaze also faintly heard the strange sound Yuto mentioned. It sounded like... the sound of sand pouring on the ground?
But there were forests for miles around. How could there be the sound of sand falling?
Moreover, the sound was getting clearer and more urgent, as if some indescribable thing was dashing towards them at full speed.
Ayako activated her Sensor Ability to the fullest and reached out towards the direction where the sound was coming from. Instantly, she was struck like a thunderbolt, and her small face turned deathly pale.
"Kage-level! It's a Kage-level powerhouse!"
As soon as Ayako finished speaking, before anyone could react, the sky suddenly darkened. The sun... was blocked...
In the vision of the four people, a golden torrent appeared, like a waterfall pouring down from the sky. It was a monstrous wave completely composed of sand!
Above it, a burly figure could be faintly seen walking on the waves, looking down at everyone from a high position.
"It's Yuta of the Sand Sea, a powerhouse second only to the Kazekage in Sunagakure!"
Yuto had excellent eyesight. When he saw the general outline of the other party, he, who was always calm in the face of changes, suddenly changed his expression.
"This guy should be on the front-line battlefield. Why is he here?!"
Yuto roared and without hesitation turned to face the monstrous wave. Yuto looked as tiny as a grain of sand in the vast ocean.
"You guys go quickly. I'll hold them off!"
If it were in a novel or a movie, the group might engage in a drama of "I won't leave. Let's go together" or "If you don't go, we'll die together."
But in the real world, such actions were meaningless except for self - gratification. Not only would it cause the companions to sacrifice in vain, but it wouldn't even leave them a thought of revenge.
On the vast sea of sand, Yuta glanced at the scroll in his hand and then looked at the group with his "Sand Eye".
"The intelligence is correct. Tanzō actually sent his only son to the battlefield... Hehe, it's worth my trip."
"…Huh?"
Looking at Yuto who rushed towards him boldly, Yuta frowned.
He put away the scroll with one hand and made a grasping motion towards Yuto in the air with the other.
"Sand Burial!"
A giant hand, four or five meters long, stretched out from the golden wave. It seemed clumsy but actually moved extremely fast, reaching Yuto in an instant and trying to grip him tightly.
"Whirlwind Slash of Doom!"
Yuto roared and unleashed sharp sword lights like white silk. Under the penetration, the giant sand hand was crushed bit by bit.
However, the next moment —
"Weaklings should die. Stop being annoying here!"
Looking at Kaze and the others who had already run a hundred meters away, Yuta was a bit impatient. He raised both hands and pressed towards Yuto at the same time.
"Sand Annihilation Burial!"
Two giant hands several times larger than the previous one stretched out and grabbed directly at Yuto in front of them.
"Ahhhhh..."
Supplied with Yuta's abundant Chakra, the giant hands were as hard as rocks. No matter how hard Yuto fought back, he couldn't break them at all.
Boom!
The two giant hands slammed into each other, sandwiching Yuto between them, and then exerted force!
The sound of "clicking" rang out. It was the sound of Yuto's bones breaking.
Plop!
The giant sand hands disappeared into thin air. Yuto, whose body was twisted into a strange shape, fell from the sky towards the ground, breaking many branches on the way. His life or death was unknown.
Yuta didn't care about Yuto's life or death. A mere ant was not worth his trouble.
He drove the sea of sand and quickly chased in the direction where Kaze and the others had left.
After all, this is within the territory of the Land of Fire. To avoid any potential issues, it's better to arrest the target and leave as soon as possible.
Shh... shh... shh...
Listening to the increasingly clear sound behind him, Kaze didn't need to turn around to know that Yuta was getting closer.
This means Uncle Yuto has...
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" Kaze gritted his teeth. If he had enough strength, Uncle Yuto wouldn't have sacrificed himself!
"A Kage-level powerhouse isn't on the front line but has come here. Could it be that they came specifically for me..."
Thud!
Before Kaze could sort out his thoughts, a sudden force hit him from behind. As he was running, he lost his balance and immediately fell to the ground.
He rolled to his feet and stared at the figure that had suddenly attacked him from behind in disbelief.
"Sister Yukino?! Why would you...?!"
He just couldn't wrap his head around why Sister Yukino, who had guided his training since childhood, would suddenly turn on him.
"Could it be...?"
A terrifying suspicion welled up in Kaze's heart.