Outside the stronghold, six Hidden Sand squads had already assembled. They were staring at the base like tigers watching their prey.
The leader was a Jonin named Yuki. Aside from him, each of the six squads was led by a Jonin. This meant there were a total of six Jonin and twelve Chunin on the scene, totaling eighteen people.
Such a lineup would be enough to destroy the weaker small nations in the shinobi world. This clearly showed how much importance Rasa placed on this mission to reclaim Shukaku.
Despite possessing such a powerful lineup, Yuki, acting as the commander, did not choose to attack rashly. Instead, he immediately had the sensory ninja in the team confirm intelligence.
"Hagane-maru, have you detected the number of enemies yet?"
The elite sensory Jonin known as Hagane-maru was pressing both hands against the ground, carefully sensing the situation inside the stronghold.
Hearing Yuki's inquiry, he narrowed his eyes and spoke with a heavy tone, "Captain, besides the Jinchuriki and the guy who abducted him, two more people have appeared."
Upon hearing this, Yuki's expression immediately darkened.
In the previous pursuit, all the intelligence sent back indicated that only one member of the Jashin Religion was fleeing with the Jinchuriki.
Now that two more had appeared, the problem had suddenly become much more troublesome.
"It seems they were sent by the Jashin Religion to provide backup. Can you judge their strength?"
Yuki looked at Hagane-maru. If the two newcomers were as strong as that monster, then with only these dozen or so people, forget about reclaiming the Jinchuriki—they would be lucky not to be wiped out entirely.
Hagane-maru shook his head.
Yuki let out a deep breath and forced a relaxed expression. "Everyone, although the number of enemies has increased, rest assured. It is impossible for so many monsters to suddenly appear in the shinobi world. The members sent to rendezvous with them absolutely cannot possess such overwhelming strength."
His gaze gradually became firm, and a hint of pride even surfaced in his eyes. "Don't forget, we are ninjas of the Hidden Sand Village!"
Hearing this, the expressions of the other members instantly shifted. They straightened their backs, sharing in that sense of honor.
That was right. They belonged to the Hidden Sand Village, one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages. They were among the most elite ninjas in the world. A mere Jashin Religion was nothing...
"Captain, give the order! Reclaim the Jinchuriki! Reclaim the glory of the Hidden Sand Village!"
Seeing that his teammates had regained their spirit, Yuki smiled with satisfaction.
Immediately after, he heard Hagane-maru's terrified voice.
"Captain, the people in the stronghold are charging toward us on their own initiative!"
At the stronghold, three figures slowly emerged.
To be precise, it was three and a half figures, since Gaara was being carried over a shoulder.
"Eighteen people, six Jonin."
"If we get tied down by these guys, it really will be a bit of a hassle."
Simu lightly pushed his glasses up, quickly judging the opponent's strength.
While these mere six Jonin could not truly affect him or his companions, their discovery was the issue. These Sand ninja would inevitably send their location coordinates to other squads involved in the manhunt.
In other words, the longer they delayed, the more Sand ninja would gather here.
The Hidden Sand Village was, after all, one of the strongest powers in the shinobi world. Once the number of Jonin became too high, even Simu would find it quite troublesome.
Therefore, the wisest choice was to take the initiative, eliminate the enemies, and then retreat quickly.
At this moment, Lord Hidan was still annoyed about losing to Sasori. Seeing these guys, he shouldered his Three-bladed blood scythe, ready to kill them all to vent his anger.
"Hmph, these small fry again. Watch me kill them all and sacrifice them to Jashin-sama!"
Just as Hidan was about to rush forward, he was stopped by Sasori.
"Senior Hidan, there is no need for you to personally deal with such small fry. Allow me to do it on your behalf. Consider it my 'entry gift' for joining the Jashin Religion."
Facing Sasori, who was maintaining the posture of a junior, Hidan found it difficult to refuse.
After all, since Sasori had just joined the Jashin Religion, he really did need a chance to prove himself.
Despite thinking this, Hidan still gave a cold snort. "Tch. Fine, I'll leave it to you then. But if you don't do it beautifully enough, you won't get another chance next time!"
Sasori gave a faint smile and guaranteed, "Rest assured, Senior Hidan. I will certainly satisfy Jashin-sama."
"Besides, there seem to be many excellent materials among them."
Sasori's gaze toward those Sand ninja grew somewhat fervent. After all, the Human Puppets he created could replicate the ninjutsu the deceased mastered while alive.
In other words, the stronger the material for the puppet, the stronger the puppet he manufactured would be.
The elite of the Hidden Sand Village before him were clearly excellent puppet materials.
"The enemy is coming!"
Hagane-maru, who was responsible for sensing, suddenly shouted.
A gust of wind blew away the rising sand, and a single figure slowly walked forward.
"Just one person?"
The Sand ninjas behind Yuki revealed looks of surprise.
"Do these Jashin Religion guys think a single person is enough to deal with us?"
"How arrogant!"
The Sand ninjas all looked displeased. As ninjas of one of the strongest villages, being looked down upon like this was an insult.
Unlike his indignant comrades, Yuki's face turned pale the moment he saw the newcomer clearly.
He clenched his teeth and said coldly, "Don't let your guard down! This guy is an S-rank Rogue Ninja of the village—Sasori of the Red Sand!"
Upon hearing Yuki's warning, everyone finally matched the face of the handsome youth before them with the image on the S-rank bounty poster.
"The legendary super genius, Sasori of the Red Sand..."
"To think even someone like him has joined the Jashin Religion."
Unconsciously, a trace of hidden fear crept into their voices.
Of course, there was also the natural... rage felt when facing a traitor!
Sasori remained perfectly calm. "I am glad to meet you all. If you could please... just die."
Having said that, he pulled out a scroll labeled "Ten" from his cloak.
As the red-haired youth performed a one-handed seal, the scroll exploded open. Thick white smoke shrouded more than half of the battlefield.
Under the horrified gazes of all the Sand ninjas, ten figures quietly emerged from the white smoke!
"Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets!"
Sasori's ten fingers were extended, each connected to a puppet hovering in the air.
What enraged all the Sand ninjas was that these ten puppets were almost all famous ninjas from the Hidden Sand Village. Now, they had been turned into puppets, serving as Sasori of the Red Sand's weapons.
This sight provoked anger, but it also sowed a seed of terror.
Sasori seemed to see the hidden fear in their hearts and smiled faintly. "Don't worry. Soon, you will all be just like them—members of my eternal art."