— About eight minutes, if they keep moving at the same speed. We won't have enough time to get far enough away for the rain to wash away all the traces we've left behind.
Fight against four Jonin and eight Chunin by ourselves? No, thanks!
— Tsume, Kuramaru, come here!
Leaving the half-healed wound alone, I stood up and pulled a scroll case from my pouch.
— What are you planning to do?
— They're not fighters right now anyway, so it's easiest to seal the injured and get out of here as quickly as possible, — I replied to the commander.
— Then hurry up! — Hyuga ordered irritably, turning away and focusing on the approaching enemies.
He's starting to get nervous. Not that I blame him for it, but it's better not to get on his nerves. Unrolling the scroll on the wet stones, I turned to my partners.
— Hands and feet on the free seals!
A small burst of chakra into each, and under the rain, only two people remained.
— Done.
The puff of smoke that formed after activation quickly dissipated under the raindrops, and I rolled up the completely dry scroll and put it back in the case. As soon as we reach a somewhat safer area, we can unseal them and tend to their injuries.
— Then let's go!
Hyuga took off, but stopped after my shout.
— Moment! — I pulled out the standard set of seals and threw them to the clone. — You know what to do.
Then I took off after the commander.
— With a few seals, the Kage Bunshin will definitely hold up the pursuers for a while, and if we're lucky, it might even kill someone, — I explained to the Jonin facing me.
Although I couldn't clearly distinguish his expression in the darkness, it was easy to guess the most obvious question.
— Only one clone? — The quiet voice of the wielder of the Dojutsu practically oozed skepticism.
— A clone with enough chakra for several decent Suiton techniques and seals, some of which can trap even an unwary Jonin, — I corrected him, — We just have to hope the ink isn't from the last batch.
Grunting, Hyuga didn't argue but only increased his speed, splashing raindrops in all directions. Cursing, I sped up to keep up with him, straining my eyes to avoid tripping over protruding stones or crashing into large boulders at the foot of the mountain.
It seemed he had forgotten that I didn't have Byakugan and that seeing the outlines of the surrounding terrain in such weather and complete darkness is impossible for normal people. After a few seconds, I began to fall noticeably behind.
— Faster! — the Jonin urged me.
— When I get such Byakugan, I'll gladly do so! — I retorted and barely managed to notice a large stone ahead, knee-high, and successfully jumped over it.
I understood the need to put as much distance between us and the pursuers as possible before they catch up with the clone — now I could feel them at the edge of my senses. Unfortunately, despite the faint hope that it would only be a team of Chunin left to guard the fertile lands, among the sources were three that were not significantly weaker than the commander's team. And against even three Jonin with support, we simply couldn't manage, even under the most favorable circumstances.
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