Sunny and cheerful Konoha Genin

"Huh...huh..."

Kimimaro was panting and running quickly in the woods.

He is very fast, as a nimble cheetah.

However, behind him, several dark shadows were following closely!

Their speed was no less than Kimimaro's, but they deliberately walked slowly and kept their distance from behind.

Because of their rash approach, they lost several ninjas!

Kimimaro's melee combat ability is terrifying!

If a battle were to take place there, it would inevitably attract Konoha's attention, which neither side wanted to see.

So both sides tacitly moved the battlefield further away.

"We ran because we were afraid that Konoha would find out. What is he afraid of?"

"Don't worry about it, just take this suspicious guy down first!"

"He's wiped out our team several times, he must be on Konoha's side!"

The Sand Ninjas also had some doubts, but now they could no longer ignore it, so they had to bite the bullet and continue to pester.

"It's so difficult."

Kimimaro was also a little annoyed, but he didn't look back. Instead, he changed directions while running.

He has a great sense of direction.

The running distance gradually forms a big circle!

If it was Lord Orochimaru, he should be able to see it!

Kimimaro thought so, but his chakra was gradually insufficient!

The speed has also slowed down a bit!

"He has no strength left!"

The Sand Ninjas behind were all delighted, but their expressions became more cautious.

"Harass him with long-range darts!"

The sound of darts cutting through the air was heard.

They were thrown towards Kimimaro like raindrops!

These darts can be recycled later anyway, so there is no need for them to be economized.

"..."

Kimimaro frowned slightly, controlling the bones to emerge, forming bone armor covering the surface of the skin, easily blocking all the darts!

"That is--"

"It's the corpse bone vein!"

"Could it be... Kimimaro who has been making a big splash in Konoha's Chunin Exams recently!"

"Why is he here?!"

"Do I need to ask? He must have accepted a commission from Konoha!"

"That's true. It's a small village after all. I guess Konoha put pressure on them and forced them to come."

"Hehe... these small fry think they can compete with our Hidden Sand Village?"

"Boy, regret it in your next life!"

"Keep throwing darts and put on the detonating talismans!"

"I wonder how long you can hold out!"

Damn... this is a bit stressful!

Kimimaro's expression was slightly tense. If he really had to deal with this set of tactics, he might not be able to withstand it!

However, he was stunned afterwards.

Because I sensed a familiar breath.

Boom!

Almost at the same time, a huge explosion suddenly occurred in the Sand Ninja team!

In just a moment, the Sand Ninjas were caught off guard and were engulfed in flames!

Only a few people at the edge who reacted quickly escaped.

"Depend on!"

"Who exploded the detonating talisman in his own hand?!"

"Are you stupid?"

Suddenly there was a lot of cursing.

And in the billowing smoke, several figures jumped out, dispersed without a trace, and then landed beside the remaining Sand Ninjas.

"What's going on?" A Sand Ninja turned around to inquire about the situation, but saw the figure that jumped out, looking at him expressionlessly, and then the body suddenly swelled up!

Oh no! It's a clone!

The thought flashed through his mind.

Boom boom boom boom!

After several consecutive explosions, the woods slowly returned to calm.

All the Sand Ninjas were killed and scattered all over the ground!

And in the dispersing smoke and dust, the only figure still standing was searching the ground for something usable.

"That's your style indeed."

Kimimaro's mouth twitched slightly and he put away his guard.

The only person who could use the clone explosion so skillfully and kill instantly was the one he met at the very beginning!

What's more, this familiar posture of touching the box...

"Don't just watch, come and help."

Ito Toru was busy for a while, and when he found that Kimimaro did not respond, he looked up and greeted him.

He was collecting the darts and Sand Ninja relics scattered all over the ground, all of which could be recycled.

"..."

Kimimaro felt a little speechless, but still walked up to help him pick up the things.

It didn't take long for the two of them to clean up all the traces.

“What a rich harvest…”

Toru Ito clapped his hands, and now he got nearly 3000 detonating tags, countless darts, as well as military ration pills and various poison antidotes.

"They brought enough for three days. It seems that there are still many Sand Ninja teams waiting for us nearby."

The feeling of satisfaction only lasted for a moment, and he returned to rational thinking.

In this case, if I want to sneak out, I'm afraid I can only rely on Jiraiya.

"By the way, this is something Orochimaru-sensei asked me to bring you."

Ito Toru handed the supplies to Kimimaro.

"Ah."

Kimimaro nodded slightly and accepted it.

He didn't say much, after all, he was already used to it.

"We will go to the Hidden Sand Village together tomorrow. Sensei Orochimaru will not be with us this time."

"Ok?"

Kimimaro's expression changed slightly.

He came here just for Orochimaru, and now that Orochimaru is not going, he feels a little disappointed.

"If you don't want to go, I can also talk to Orochimaru-sensei for you."

Toru Ito noticed his expression and could probably guess something, so he spoke.

"No, I want to go. This is the mission Orochimaru gave me. Even if I die, I will complete it!"

"There's no need to exaggerate to that extent...it won't kill anyone."

Toru Ito was very helpless.

"That's about all. Be careful. I'm going back first."

"Ah."

When Toru Ito returned to the camp, it was already evening.

"You're back?"

As he entered the camp, he heard Tsunade's voice nearby.

"Tsunade-sama."

Ito Toru hurriedly greeted.

"I've heard what Orochimaru said. Do you really want to carry out such a risky mission?"

Tsunade looked at Ito Toru seriously: "This is not a joke, the other party is the shadow of a village!"

"Well... I can't really tell you the specifics, but from what I can tell, the success rate this time is pretty high."

"...Okay, here are some new antidotes I developed. Take them with you. They may come in handy."

Tsunade looked at him and knew that he had made up his mind, so she didn't try to persuade him, but just took out a bottle of antidote.

"Thank you, Lady Tsunade."

"Don't thank me, just come back alive."

"must."

The next morning, the sun had not yet risen and the sky was still covered with a thin layer of night.

Jiraiya, Ito Toru, Yahiko, Nagato, Konan, and Nono packed their bags silently without notifying anyone, and after gathering together with Kimimaro outside the tent, they rushed towards the Sand Village together.

They didn't speak along the way. They passed through the dense forest and what came into view was a vast desert.

This desert stretches as far as the eye can see, with golden sand dunes rolling up and down like the backbone of the earth.

A breeze blew, raising gusts of dust, making people squint their eyes.