'The situation was still delicate, it seemed that saying it directly felt a bit blunt...' Logan thought to himself.
Since they were planning to retreat, all three of them couldn't run away at the same time, as Team 7 and Jiraiya would never let them go so easily. With their current numerical disadvantage, the enemy could leverage Jiraiya's strength to confront them. Even if they couldn't win, they could stall long enough. If the battle dragged on and reinforcements from Konoha arrived, Logan and his group would be in trouble.
Logan pretended to glance casually up and down at Kisame. Kisame noticed this and shot a look back at Logan, but Logan remained silent. When Kisame turned away, Logan looked at him again. Kisame, now puzzled, met his gaze once more...
Someone needed to stay behind to cover the retreat and face multiple strong enemies alone. It sounded like a desperate task, but in reality, it wasn't necessarily hopeless. Firstly, Logan and his group had a high average level of strength. If the person staying behind only aimed to stall or engage in guerrilla tactics, they could buy time.
The Konoha group's main target was Logan, so dedicating all their efforts to fighting the person staying behind would go against their mission, and they likely wouldn't focus solely on the rear guard. Therefore, while it was risky, it wasn't an impossible situation.
It was impossible for Logan to be the one to stay behind, so that left only two options, Itachi or Kisame. Logan cleared his throat softly and casually swung his head, then glanced at Kisame again.
"..."
The meaning was obvious. Kisame, irritated by Logan's not-so-subtle hints, thought to himself, 'If you want me to stay behind, just say so. What's with all the sneaky looks?'
Kisame, not interested in playing games, noticed Itachi hadn't spoken up yet. He swung Samehada and planted it firmly into the ground. He glared fiercely at Logan, then said straightforwardly, "I'll be the one to cover our retreat."
"Wow, really? That's so considerate of you."
Logan responded shamelessly, his tone full of false surprise, just as the debris from Samehada's impact flew in front of him.
"Cut the crap!" The more Kisame looked at Logan, the more annoyed he became. He didn't want to waste any more time with Logan, and turned to face the Konoha group, who were ready for battle.
"Let's go, Hattori." Itachi said calmly as he turned halfway around. His black eyes, hidden beneath his hat, glanced at Kisame's back, "Kisame, remember to meet us at the border."
Kisame waved his hand dismissively, then thought of something and added: "I won't be able to hold them all back. If anyone makes it through, don't blame me, just chalk it up to their bad luck."
Some might get past Kisame and give chase, but that would only serve to split the enemy's forces, which was advantageous for them. Coordinating with each other or defeating them one by one would clearly work in their favor. Logan turned halfway as well, looking back at their opponents. The clear divide between the two groups was like a chasm separating them.
"Got it."
Everyone grasped this reasoning. A certain emotion flickered in Itachi's deep eyes as he contemplated what was to come.
Logan and Itachi leaped into the shadows of the forest, their figures disappearing into the darkness.
"They're trying to run!"
Naruto was originally staring at the hateful-looking Kisame, but when he saw the two figures running away, he quickly shouted.
"Don't let them escape." Kakashi ordered. Seeing that Kisame had remained motionless, he quickly understood the enemy's intention. In a flash, Kakashi appeared beside Kisame, aiming a swift throat-cutting strike, but Kisame dodged it effortlessly.
The three Genin grew anxious, and Jiraiya finally moved at this time, "The rest of you, follow me!"
With Kakashi engaged in combat with Kisame, Jiraiya took command without hesitation. His authority was unquestionable, and Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura nodded in unison and followed him.
As shadows flickered past Kisame, he swung his massive sword, Samehada, knocking Kakashi back. Just as he was about to grab the few kids who had run past, the Chakra he had just repelled suddenly pressed closer again.
"Do you really have the time to be distracted now?"
Accompanied by the crackling of electricity, Kakashi, his body wrapped in lightning, charged at an incredible speed, forcing Kisame to block with Samehada.
Ding!
"Heh, so it really is all about speed and strength." Kisame remarked, feeling that his opponent's kunai was matching his large sword blow for blow. The blue and white electrical sparks danced in his eyes, igniting his fighting spirit, "Excellent, just the way I like it. I can have a good fight. But before that... You think it's smart to only leave yourself behind as the rear guard? Isn't that underestimating me a little too much?!"
Kisame's low growl turned into a roar. Kakashi noticed the hand behind Kisame's sword forming a sign, and his heart sank… His Sharingan hadn't caught it!
Kakashi swiftly shifted his gaze towards Team 7, who had already run past him, and shouted, "Sakura, watch out!"
Sakura, who was trailing at the back, turned her head in confusion, only to see a puddle of water on the ground suddenly swelling and rising, forming a figure. The shark-faced Kisame, wearing his black cloak with red clouds pattern, grinned sinisterly as he swung his massive sword down with a thunderous crash!
In that moment of crisis, Sakura's mind went blank. The blade's edge grew closer and closer, the cold grip of death freezing her in place, 'Why... why can't I move...'
Fear paralyzed her body, and a deep sense of self-blame and shame surged within Sakura's heart. She thought back to many moments when she had hidden at the rear, unable to stand on her own. She remembered watching Naruto and Sasuke fighting for Logan's innocence in the Hokage's Office, but she couldn't say anything...
Back in the Land of Waves, during the survival exercises, in every fleeting scene she recalled, she had been so useless. Even Naruto had grown stronger, but she had stayed the same. Sasuke often said Naruto was dragging them down, but sometimes she felt that the one truly holding everyone back was herself...
No, she wanted to move forward with everyone in Team 7.
A simple thought surged through her, taking over her mind. Her pupils, still filled with fear, shrank, but her fingers moved slightly. A basic technique, one she was very familiar with, suddenly became exceptionally clear in her mind.
Pfft!
With a sharp sound, the massive sword cut through what seemed to be Sakura, slicing it into two pieces, which then fell to the ground, revealing themselves as a wooden log.
Seeing this, Kisame's water clone curled his lips and said, "A Body Replacement Technique? Hmph, looks like the weakest one didn't freeze in fear."
"You're the weakest one!" Sakura's voice, squeezed through gritted teeth, came from behind the water clone. A sharp glint of light aimed directly at the water clone's heart. The kunai clashed with the large sword. Despite escaping and counterattacking, Sakura's face was flushed with effort, as her strength was far from enough to match even a water clone.
"Sakura!" Naruto's heart jumped when he saw Sakura almost getting sliced in half, but he was relieved to see her escape beautifully. He was surprised by her toughness, which contrasted sharply with the image he had of her. However, he also noticed that Sakura was struggling.
Sasuke grabbed Naruto, who was about to turn back and help. He took a long, deep look at Sakura, who had cast off her ladylike demeanor, and said, "Believe in Kakashi-sensei and believe in Sakura herself. We need to keep going with our mission."
Naruto was startled, then nodded heavily after hesitating for a moment, then followed Jiraiya at an even faster pace.
Jiraiya sensed the two boys catching up and smiled slightly, then looked towards the two fleeing figures ahead, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
'Akatsuki always operates in pairs. On this side… we have Hoshigaki Kisame. As for the other one...'
In the dark forest, the quiet of the night was replaced by the rapid sounds of pursuit. The breaths, the wind, the chaotic chase continuing relentlessly.