Su Xiao quickly traversed the forest, his steps suddenly halted as he suspiciously surveyed ahead.

The forest ahead was eerily silent, seemingly without any anomaly, but in reality, it was not so.

Swoosh~

A figure darted out, clad in a loose dark green robe, eyes completely white, with bulging blood vessels around the corners of their eyes and cheeks.

The newcomer was named Hyuga Hikaku, a former Konoha Ninja, now summoned by Dou, and was part of Su Xiao’s side.

"Byakugan, activate."

Hyuga Hikaku clasped his hands together, aligning his index fingers with the rest of his fingers bent forward.

"A total of 28 enemies, hidden ahead."

Hyuga Hikaku’s Byakugan was not merely decorative; it immediately detected the enemies ahead.

Suddenly over twenty enemies appeared upfront. Su Xiao speculated that these individuals might not be ninjas, potentially being Contractors from the Konoha camp.

Every ninja village has many Contractors, with Konoha being the most prolific among them. These Contractors were somewhat ’old acquaintances’ to Su Xiao; among them were likely those who previously followed Naruto Uzumaki, the same ones Sasuke hung and beat up using Susanoo.

Ninjas might not predict Su Xiao’s actions, but these Contractors were different. They came from the same place as Su Xiao and communicated with Contractors from other ninja villages via the Derived World Contact Platform.

Su Xiao opened the Derived World Contact Platform, and sure enough, it was lively within.

Blue Tiger (Loner): "What’s going on with Konoha over there? They wouldn’t continue to court death, would they? It’s said they were almost beaten to a pulp by Er Zhuzi last time."

Elder (Black Sword Adventure Group): "They’ve already started courting death; now, all Five Great Shinobi Villages are hunting that ruthless man, and their task is just to stall him."

Lead Hammer (Loner): "It’s not courting death. They don’t need to fight that man head-on, just stalling is enough for a hefty reward, why wouldn’t they?"

Hell Dog (Loner): "Shut your mouths, this guy is insane. According to the plot, the ninja world war should at least be a month away, but it looks like it’ll start in less than a week now, most likely due to this guy’s meddling."

...

The Derived World Contact Platform was exceptionally lively, while in the forest ahead of Su Xiao, the Contractors hiding felt a significant sense of impending doom.

They didn’t actually come to court death but were forced by a mandatory mission, compelled to block Su Xiao.

Originally, they planned to just make an appearance, use some mystical roundabout method or simply find a place to ambush, thus explaining to the Konoha side why they later attempted negotiations.

Unexpectedly, Su Xiao actually retreated in the direction of their ambush, almost driving the small leader of the Konoha Contractor camp into a rage-induced stupor.

This small leader wasn’t the leader of these Contractors but merely someone whose constructive suggestions gradually earned him their trust.

Currently, in the temporary group channel of the Konoha Contractor camp, things were in chaos. Initially, they merely saw Su Xiao alone, causing not much tension, but with the appearance of Hyuga Hikaku, panic ensued.

The appearance of Hyuga Hikaku signified Su Xiao’s collaboration with Dou and also meant Su Xiao could summon numerous Edo Tensei Souls.

Su Xiao pondered momentarily on the spot, then turned his gaze to Hyuga Hikaku.

"Summoning Technique."

Hyuga Hikaku slapped the ground with one hand, and with a bang, white smoke billowed, summoning a coffin.

Crunch～

The coffin lid opened and finally fell to the ground with a snap, revealing a figure completely wrapped in bandages emerging from within—it was the Second Tsuchikage: Mu.

Mu was no ordinary character; not only skilled in stealth and reconnaissance, but he also mastered Dust Release, a destructive power Su Xiao had personally experienced.

"Damn!"

A low curse rang out from the forest, followed by chaotic footsteps; it was clear the Contractors were fleeing. The combination of Su Xiao, Hyuga Hikaku, and the Second Tsuchikage was nightmare-inducing for them and not comparable to their last face-off with Er Zhuzi.

Within five seconds, all Contractors hiding in the forest ahead fled.

From Su Xiao’s arrival until the Contractors vanished, only a dozen seconds elapsed.

Su Xiao hesitated; although their combat effectiveness wasn’t weak, should he attempt engaging Konoha’s forces?

After careful consideration, Su Xiao decided against it. Firstly, Dou wouldn’t send out overly powerful Edo Tensei Souls such as Uchiha Madara, Nagato, or Itachi; Dou certainly wouldn’t send them out.

Therefore, Su Xiao might face Konoha’s army combined with Tsunade and Might Guy. If that tailed beast gets angry and opens the Eight Gates, Su Xiao could be kicked to death by Night Kai with one blow.

Recalling Uchiha Madara’s plight after being hit by Night Kai, Su Xiao kicked the ground and continued moving forward.

Su Xiao left the Second Tsuchikage nearby as a surprise for Konoha’s pursuers. Just seconds later, a white pillar of light appeared from behind.

Su Xiao was familiar with this surge; it was Dust Release. Without a doubt, it was the Second Tsuchikage engaging the Konoha pursuers.

If Konoha’s forces continue pursuing, other surprises await them, like Aburame Shibi, the Third Raikage, the Fourth Raikage, and the Fifth Mizukage Mei Terumi.

Indeed, Mei Terumi was also resurrected by Dou; she was killed by Su Xiao, with Su Xiao fully aware of her corpse’s location.

When Mei Terumi was resurrected, her first sight was Su Xiao. Upon learning the gist of the situation, Mei Terumi was almost enraged to ’death’ once again.

She was originally slain by Su Xiao, and now she was allies with him; even worse, she was tasked with confronting her former loyal subordinates.

Mei Terumi experienced a significant mental breakdown, repeatedly contemplating self-termination, but unable to execute it.

In the forest, Su Xiao leapt between trees, followed by Bubu Wang, with two others trailing: Hyuga Hikaku and Mei Terumi.

Hyuga Hikaku wouldn’t assist in the rear guard; his Byakugan was perfect for forest combat, while Mei Terumi was ready to cover the rear at any moment.

"Bastard."

Mei Terumi glared at Su Xiao’s back, constantly tempted to swallow him whole, but Dou retained control.

Mei Terumi recollected the words she spoke before dying: ’I will never collaborate with scoundrels like you.’

She declared this to refuse Obito’s demand for tailed beasts, meaning she’d rather die than compromise with the Akatsuki Organization.

Sadly, reality slapped her hard, as she’s now compelled to assist Su Xiao in covering the rear.

Konoha’s pursuers were relentless; the entire village resembled a disturbed hornet nest, which was why Su Xiao opted not to clash with Konoha despite their strong combat effectiveness.

Moreover, his collaboration with Dou wasn’t reliable. Once Dou ceases Edo Tensei, Su Xiao faces immediate encirclement by Konoha, trapped beyond escape.

Konoha’s pursuit had effectively ceased; initially, the rear guard, Jia Tengduan, was stalled by Tsunade, followed by the tolerance of the Second Tsuchikage. But the successive appearance of the Third and Fourth Raikage incurred significant casualties to Konoha’s side; who knows which village’s Kage might appear next? This despair-inducing pursuit led Tsunade to halt their assault, prompting Konoha’s forces to commence defensive maneuvers.