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"Hey, remember, we're the A-Bee combo!"
The sunglasses-wearing youth shouted loudly at the Iwa-nin in front of him.
Hearing his words, the Iwa-nin's expressions turned ugly, and they stared angrily at the sunglasses-wearing youth who had challenged them.
That infuriating little brat! Is he taunting us?
They were just a group of sitting ducks, yet they dared to be so audacious!
"Attack! Let this brat pay for his actions!" declared the Iwa-nin captain, glaring at the sunglasses-wearing youth who had taunted them.
"Yes!"
Several Iwa-nin responded and leaped down from the hill, rushing towards the outnumbered Cloud Shinobi.
As the formidable Iwa-nin approached, the Cloud Shinobi's faces grew even graver. The Iwa-nin squad of sixteen was almost three times the size of their five-person team. They had no chance against such overwhelming odds.
Just as the Cloud Shinobi began to worry, two figures charged forward, directly towards the dozen Iwa-nin.
"A and Bee! Come back!" The Cloud Shinobi's team leader urgently shouted.
However, the two men completely ignored him and continued to charge ahead.
The Iwa-nin, who were descending rapidly, noticed this and couldn't help but smile.
Two foolish individuals walking into a trap, aren't they?
The two men quickly formed hand signs and, facing the Iwa-nin charging towards them, the Iwa-nin's eyes grew cold, and they yelled loudly.
"Earth Release: Earth Lance!"
"Earth Release: Earth Splitting Palm!"
As they completed their hand signs, several earthen lances, shaped like long spears, shot out of the slope of the hillside directly towards the charging Cloud Shinobi.
Seeing this, the two men leaped into the air, deftly avoiding numerous earthen lances and spikes.
Crack... Crack!
At this moment, the ground suddenly cracked open into a large chasm, racing towards the point where the two men were planning to land.
The two men's faces changed slightly, but they still bore smiles.
"Bee! Are you ready?"
The dark-skinned young man shouted as they were about to touch down.
"Big bro! Let's do it. Let's give it a try," the sunglasses-wearing young man replied, a slight grin on his lips.
Hearing this, the dark-skinned youth revealed a hint of a smile, then looked at the Iwa-nin squad with a calm gaze.
Snap!
The two men suddenly approached each other in mid-air, pushing off each other's feet like projectiles, hurtling towards the flanks of the Iwa-nin.
In the eyes of the stunned Iwa-nin, once they landed, the two men's movements didn't pause for a moment.
Boom!
They stomped the ground hard upon landing, and their tremendous explosive force shattered the earth beneath them. They raced towards the Iwa-nin squad at an incredible speed.
"What... is this?"
The Iwa-nin were left bewildered, staring at the two rapidly approaching shadows from both sides.
With two overlapping furious shouts, the two shadows suddenly appeared next to one of the Iwa-nin.
Just as the Iwa-nin's shocked expression was about to spread...
Bang!
Two arms, radiating a flickering lightning aura, collided at his neck.
Splat!
A geyser of blood sprayed from his neck as his head, soaked in blood and bearing a face of disbelief, was sent flying into the air before gently rolling to the ground.
"What... What... Just a single move, and he killed Ishi!?"
The group of Iwa-nin stood there, shocked and staring at the dark-skinned youth and the sunglasses-wearing youth on the battlefield.
"Well, big bro, it seems our coordination is not bad!" the sunglasses-wearing youth remarked playfully.
Upon hearing this, the dark-skinned youth nodded. His gaze shifted slightly towards the remaining Iwa-nin in the area, and he spoke with a deep voice.
"In that case, let's continue to use this technique and show these Iwa-nin the power of our A-Bee combo!"
In response, the sunglasses-wearing youth had a bright smile on his face as he said in a rhythmic manner, "Yo, yo, remember, the ones who'll kill you are the A-Bee combo of the Hidden Cloud Village!"
At this moment, the Iwa-nin in the area shivered as they heard these words.
The A-Bee combo...
******
Within the borders of the Land of Fire, in the heart of Konohagakure.
Inside the towering Hokage's office, a meeting was underway. The high-ranking officials of Konoha had gathered, seemingly in a state of preparedness, to discuss an important matter.
"What do you all think of the information Tsunade transmitted?" asked Sarutobi Hiruzen, taking a puff of his pipe and gazing at the assembled people.
"The disappearance of Hanzo from the Hidden Rain Village raises many questions. After all, given Hanzo's strength, it's hard to imagine anyone silently taking care of him," said Homura Mitokado, speaking with a deep voice.
"If this is a delaying tactic by the Hidden Rain Village, then Hanzo's intentions must be significant, and we should proceed with caution," added Koharu Utatane, voicing her thoughts.
Upon hearing this, Hiruzen exhaled a cloud of smoke, his eyes deep in thought, though he remained silent.
"Third Hokage, we have no knowledge of Rain Village's true intentions in this matter. However, I suspect that Hanzo's disappearance is genuine. Rain Village likely declared surrender as a result of panic over Hanzo's absence. Regardless, we should seize this opportunity for communication between our new Hidden Rain Village leader. In case Hanzo returns in the future, he would become an enemy to both Rain and Leaf," she explained.
Hearing her words, Hiruzen nodded slightly. What caught his attention the most was how Rain Village's surrender request would be handled.
After all, Konoha was currently tied up on three fronts, and this prolonged war had brought challenges to the village's prosperity. Hiruzen realized that the decisions he made years ago were now causing issues, and this was a chance to rectify that.
At this point, his hair had turned white prematurely, and he looked like a man in his sixties. The years in the position of Hokage had taken their toll.
In response, Hiruzen spoke with a firm and decisive voice.
"Shikayo is correct. Rain Village's request is a rare opportunity for Konoha. It would allow us to free up our hands and mediate with the Wind and Earth Nations while gaining significant recognition. Right now, Rain Village's surrender can boost the village's morale, and the villagers will be less resentful of our involvement in the war."
Upon hearing his words, the meeting hall resonated with the weight of Hiruzen's decision.
Then, suddenly, Danzo Shimura stood up.
"Third Hokage, I am confident that ROOT can handle this matter."
Hiruzen looked at him for a moment, then nodded and spoke with a deep voice.
"If you have faith in this, then I leave it to ROOT. I hope you won't disappoint me."
With those words, the meeting was adjourned.