In the middle was the leading Jōnin, a stylishly dressed young girl of about sixteen or seventeen.
This was a standard three-man squad, consisting of one leading Jōnin and two Chūnin subordinates.
"Kenichi! Observe where they land, let's go check it out!" While speaking to the companion responsible for observation, she also turned back and instructed the puppet master named Sachirou, "Pack up that special crossbow and move with us. Both you and it have done a great job this time..."
The three of them, one was the team leader, one responsible for observing and searching the target, and the other was the puppet master who operated the crossbow.
Apart from the leading Jōnin, the other two were elite Chūnins. In the rear of the Sand Ninja's Ladder Mountain Camp, there were more than ten such teams.
All were dispatched by the Sand Ninjas specifically to ambush Toshirou.
Toshirou had been too smooth these days, inevitably becoming somewhat careless, allowing the enemy to seize this opportunity to launch an attack.
At this moment, high in the air and in a critical situation, Toshirou made his choice.
"Summoning Technique · Release!"
Forming a single-handed seal to release the summoning technique, he reached towards his lower back with his other hand, drawing a kunai to protect himself.
Boom!
A loud explosion followed by a massive cloud of white smoke erupted in the air as the condor was sent back to the Isle of Oblivion!
Toshirou himself was shrouded in the white smoke, making his figure instantly blur.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
From the explosion of white smoke came the sound of metal clashing, exactly the noise made when his kunai collided with steel needles.
It was Toshirou who, thanks to his 'Sharingan' advantage, was able to predict the trajectory of those incoming steel needles, otherwise, any ordinary ninja in such an environment would only await death.
Even so, without the condor, he was now in danger.
With the fierce high-altitude winds sweeping the area, the cloud of white smoke quickly dissipated, leaving no trace of Toshirou.
At this moment, due to gravity, he began to plummet swiftly towards the ground. Without any intervention midway, his end would be...
And summoning another familiar was no longer possible.
According to the ninja world's rules, the same familiar cannot be summoned again within a short time; there is a cooldown period.
This cooldown period generally lasts for a day!
Moreover, the time for which a familiar remains summoned also varies. For instance, the familiars from Mount Myoboku, Ryūchi Cave, and Shikkotsu Forest have limited summoning time.
When summoned to the real world, their duration typically doesn't exceed two hours before they have to return to their respective sanctuaries.
Familiars like Toshirou or Kakashi have fewer restrictions and can generally help their masters for long periods.
According to Toshirou's speculation, this is due to the different planes they reside in. Familiars like the condor and Kakashi's 'Pakkun' are indigenous to the ninja world. The Great Sanctuaries, on the other hand, appear similar to the 'cave heavens and blessed lands' from novels in a previous life, a kind of demi-plane, causing differences in summoning duration!
"Captain, situation change!"
"Nani!"
There were no obstacles between her and Toshirou, nothing to obstruct their view, making it clear without the need for binoculars.
However, due to the distance, it was somewhat blurred.
"This is..."
Realizing that she couldn't clearly observe the opponent's situation, the young captain again picked up the binoculars, focusing on the sky.
With a subtle arm movement, the long cylindrical binoculars focused. The figure in the sky now appeared clearly before her eyes.
The rapidly falling figure was seen pulling out a scroll from his backpack. After unfolding it, he started forming seals with one hand.
It looked as though the scroll contained something that could save his life, which he was hastily trying to retrieve.
But to her, all this seemed futile.
Some special tools in the ninja world can slow a person's descent from the sky. A ninja, with their extraordinary physique, can land safely. But these are limited, effective only up to about a hundred meters. He was now nearly two thousand meters high, was he making a desperate struggle?
Despite the inner doubts, her gaze never left the figure, continually observing his every move.
With his seals completed, a backpack appeared from the scroll. He roughly opened it and took out a strange 'thing,' wearing it on himself.
What followed upended her understanding, making her momentarily forget her purpose.
"So, humans can really fly by themselves..."
Watching through the binoculars, the female Jōnin murmured in amazement. Even her two subordinates beside her exclaimed in surprise.
"Captain, look! The target..."
Through the binoculars, the figure had put on the strange gear and spread his limbs, gliding in the air like a bat.
"He's really flying! Capt. Pakura... Look, he's really flying!"
The female captain was none other than Pakura, the newly promoted Jōnin of Sunagakure and the inheritor of the Scorch Release Kekkei Genkai.
At just sixteen, she had successfully mastered the Scorch Release and was promoted to Jōnin by Sunagakure's higher-ups, appointed as the squad leader for this ambush mission.
At this moment, she was entirely different from her usual cold and aloof self in the village. Holding a binoculars with one hand, her mouth slightly agape, she appeared lost in thought.
Though the ninja world has ninjutsu enabling normal flight, those rely on chakra.
This person was clearly different...