"No need to send a signal, just keep moving forward. I'll handle the enemies. Your mission is to continue on the path and reach the border outpost in the Land of Fire as quickly as possible."
What good would it do to send a distress signal right now? If they could hold off the enemy, they'd be fine. If not, by the time reinforcements arrived, they'd likely all be dead. Escaping with even a few survivors would be considered a victory.
"Yes, sir!" The group responded in unison, speeding toward the border outpost in the Land of Fire.
But after a while, someone noticed something strange. Where was their leader?
Turning back, they saw Takuya lagging behind, walking slowly.
"Takuya-sama, we need to pick up the pace," Hyūga Kaze called out, confused by Takuya's casual demeanor in such a critical moment. Was he planning to stay behind and fight the enemy alone?
"Not good!" Kaze exclaimed, activating his Byakugan.
"The enemy is closing in much faster than I expected," Takuya muttered to himself.
It seemed the enemy had accelerated their encirclement once they noticed that the escort team had quickened their pace.
"Takuya-sama, we're surrounded by Suna shinobi. There are a lot of them," Kaze reported, his eyes scanning the area.
"I know. Keep moving forward. Leave the rest to me."
Suna had deployed hundreds of shinobi for this attack. The remaining forces had likely been sent back to Sunagakure by Ebizō, given how stretched their resources were on the River Country front. Suna's shinobi numbers couldn't compare to Konoha's.
With the war against Amegakure over, there was no reason for them to maintain such a large force in this region.
But to Takuya, whether they sent a few hundred or even a few thousand shinobi, it didn't matter. Suna was about to learn the true meaning of fear.
Hyūga Kaze nearly choked on his own breath, grabbing Takuya's hand and pulling him along in a panic. "Takuya-sama, please, this is no time for jokes! There are too many enemies for us to leave anyone behind. We're almost at the border; we just need to buy more time!"
"It's too late," Takuya said calmly, raising his hand and calling out, "Everyone, stop! Prepare for battle!"
Suna's forces were determined to wipe them out. They had pushed themselves to the limit, rushing to encircle the group before they could reach the border outpost.
With a group full of injured, there was no way to significantly increase their pace. The escort team itself was small, not even a full squad.
Knowing Takuya's overwhelming capabilities, Tsunade hadn't assigned many to accompany him, feeling it wasn't necessary. Even if Takuya had to escort the group alone, she was confident he could handle it.
Who would've expected Suna to jump out at this moment?
"Let's take these dogs down!" one of the shinobi shouted.
"Send them crawling back to the Land of Wind to eat sand!" others joined in, their voices rising with determination.
Even the injured, those still capable of moving, grabbed their weapons, ready to fight.
The rising morale was infectious, even making Takuya feel a surge of adrenaline. But he couldn't let them charge into battle recklessly; otherwise, the mission would fail.
"Kaze, take command of the others. Keep a lookout for stragglers or infiltrators. I'll handle the rest."
"But, Takuya-sama... agh!"
Watching Takuya rush off on his own, Kaze wanted to follow, but he knew he couldn't. He grit his teeth, stamping his foot in frustration before turning to the others.
"Anyone who can move, follow me! We need to keep the perimeter secure and stop any enemies from sneaking through! The rest is up to Takuya-sama!"
Though reluctant, they had no choice but to trust Takuya. Whether or not he could handle the situation, they had to believe in him.
Jumping onto a large rock, Takuya surveyed the approaching enemy forces, scanning for Chiyo.
He swore that once he found her, he'd make her regret ever crossing paths with him.
The Third Kazekage had danced before — it was time for Chiyo to join him in that performance. After all, Suna's reputation was already in shambles. A little more disgrace wouldn't make a difference.
Sensing Takuya's intentions, Chiyo made no effort to reveal herself, choosing to remain far from the battlefield.
"Lady Chiyo, there's no way Yagami Takuya can escape now, right?" a Suna shinobi asked.
Suna had chosen to move in quickly, fearing that Takuya might slip through their grasp. They weren't afraid of fighting him, even knowing his immense power. After all, how many shinobi could he take on? Eventually, even he would be overwhelmed by sheer numbers.
Between the injured and the few accompanying guards, Takuya was the true prize. Killing him was far more valuable than taking out a group of wounded.
"As long as he doesn't abandon the injured, he can't escape," Chiyo said with a cold smile. She wasn't worried about Takuya going on a killing spree. Her real concern was him fleeing the battlefield, leaving the wounded behind.
Given his past feats, she knew that if Takuya decided to run, she'd have a hard time stopping him.
For the sake of her reputation, Chiyo couldn't risk fighting him directly. She couldn't afford to become the laughingstock of the shinobi world, just like the Third Kazekage had.
It was bad enough when the Kazekage, a man, had been humiliated. If she, an old woman, were caught in Takuya's Sakura Fall genjutsu and made to dance... she wouldn't be able to show her face again.
"So cautious..." Takuya muttered, realizing Chiyo had no intention of showing herself. Even Snowy's senses couldn't locate her.
Chiyo was staying far out of reach, likely fearing that Takuya would trap her in an embarrassing genjutsu right off the bat.
"If that's how it is..."
With the enemy closing in, Takuya bit his thumb and swiftly performed a series of hand signs.
"Stop him!" the Suna shinobi shouted, recognizing the summoning technique.
Several jonin and special jonin charged toward him.
But Takuya didn't even acknowledge their presence, slamming his hand down on the rock.
"Get lost, you filthy vermin."
A massive snake, Manda, appeared beside the rock where Takuya stood. Its gigantic tail whipped toward the Suna shinobi, forcing them to retreat.
"Master," Manda hissed, its tongue flicking out as it surveyed the shinobi around it, its eyes glowing green. "Can I eat them today?"
You idiot, Takuya thought, resisting the urge to stomp on the snake. All you think about is eating.
Still, he reminded himself that most of the snakes from Ryūchi Cave weren't exactly sane, so he let it slide. Manda's role today wasn't to be the main attraction.
"After the battle, maybe. For now, guard the rear and make sure none of the enemies get close to the injured," Takuya ordered.
"Very well..."
Manda blinked its enormous eyes, a bit confused. Wasn't it supposed to fight? Why was it being told to protect people instead?
Though puzzled, the giant snake obeyed, not daring to question its master.
"Snowy, it's your turn now."
Snowy, who had been hiding this entire time, was finally ready to make her appearance. For now, she would be used as a powerful summon — a deception to keep others from discovering her true nature as a tailed beast.
As long as she didn't start throwing around Tailed Beast Bombs, Takuya thought, everything would go according to plan.
Let everyone think Snowy was just a large, powerful summoning beast. Then, when they least expected it, she could reveal her true form, and no one would see it coming.
"Don't use the Tailed Beast Bomb," Takuya reminded.
"Got it, Master!" Snowy happily leapt from Takuya's shoulder, landing gracefully on Manda's head.
Manda's enormous body shuddered, and it quickly bowed its head to accommodate the little fox.
What's going on? the Suna shinobi wondered, growing more cautious at the sight of Manda's arrival. They all knew the reputation of the great snake — it had devoured countless enemies on the battlefield.