Hearing Orochimaru's stance, Amado began to weigh his options.
Letting a dangerous element like Owl run amok in the Shinobi World would indeed be a huge blow to the Research Institute's reputation. But Amado was also very clear about how troublesome a 'Six Paths Level' combatant who mastered Shinjutsu could be.
So the question before Amado right now was whether the Research Institute's reputation was more important, or its safety.
Thus, he quickly made a decision, shaking his head: "I have no way to bear the consequences of inciting a 'Six Paths Level' war. If the capture fails, Owl might attack the Research Institute, and things will be even more uncontrollable then."
"Damn it!"
With a 'bang', Tsunade punched Amado's desk.
Orochimaru seemed to have anticipated Amado's decision and said with a smile: "Even if we don't execute the arrest immediately, we should at least send someone to monitor that idiot, right? That guy masters Shinjutsu; he is an important asset of our Research Institute."
Amado said: "I have already arranged for the elite squad to be responsible for monitoring!"
"Useless!" Shaking his head, Orochimaru said: "Currently in the Research Institute, besides me, only Eida and Daemon have the ability to monitor Owl. So I suggest sending Eida and Daemon!"
Tsunade agreed: "Eida has the 'Senrigan', indeed a good candidate!"
Eida and Daemon were Amado's ballast for controlling the Research Institute. If he sent them out, the Research Institute would be in an undefended state for him, which he obviously couldn't accept. So he shook his head: "For me, the safety of the Research Institute comes first, so Eida and Daemon cannot be deployed easily!"
Tsunade said to Orochimaru: "Orochimaru, then you make the trip!"
"Looks like I'm the only one who has to work hard!"
Orochimaru shrugged, didn't talk nonsense, and turned directly to leave the office.
After Orochimaru left, Amado said: "He is somewhat overly concerned about Owl. This is very unusual."
Tsunade said: "He should be eyeing Owl's Shinjutsu, but now indeed only he can monitor Owl!"
Obviously.
Although Orochimaru tried his best to hide his interest in Owl, Amado and Tsunade still gleaned some clues. It was just that as Orochimaru said, monitoring Owl was something only he could do besides the siblings Eida and Daemon. So even if the two suspected him no matter how much, they could only hold their noses and assign the task to him.
Boom boom boom...
Deafening explosions echoed constantly in the deep mountains under the night, and the firelight even reddened half the sky.
The two sides fighting were none other than the Research Institute's pursuit unit led by the elite squad, and the defectors led by Owl.
Owl did not defect alone; this time he escaped while inciting and bewitching many Research Institute ninjas, experimental subjects, and even researchers.
With Owl's 'Six Paths Level' combat power, the elite squad naturally couldn't stop him, but the defectors accompanying him were different. So the elite squad quickly caught up with the defectors in the mountainous area not far from the Research Institute, and a great battle erupted instantly between the two sides.
Although there were Jonin among the defectors following Owl, or experimental subjects with Jonin strength or even stronger, the few members of the elite squad were not pushovers either.
Kabuto, activating 'Sage Mode', and Delta were responsible for the frontal assault on the defectors. Ranmaru, activating 'Transparent Release' to enter an invisible state, ambushed in the dark. Plus Deidara sitting on a clay bird in the air, they quickly crushed the defectors frontally.
Seeing his followers crushed by the pursuers, Owl turned pale with fright. But after finding that figures like Orochimaru, Eida, and Daemon were not among the pursuers, he flew into a rage again, feeling that this group of elite squad people were too arrogant to dare offend him.
Swish...
With a Body Flicker, Owl appeared in front of Kabuto, then threw a punch.
"Not good!"
Kabuto secretly cried out, retreating backward while activating 'Inorganic Reincarnation', trying to use the stone spears protruding from the ground to delay Owl.
But Owl ignored it completely. With the Shinjutsu 'Conversion' protecting him, he feared no ninjutsu at all. After being stabbed by the stone spears created by 'Inorganic Reincarnation', a layer of rock-like armor appeared on his body instead, shattering all the stone spears stabbing at him.
"This?!"
Seeing this scene, Kabuto's pupils shrank.
Bang...
Before Kabuto could act again, Owl caught up with him, punched him in the abdomen, and sent him flying.
Clang!
Almost at the instant Owl sent Kabuto flying, the invisible Ranmaru stabbed at Owl's back with a kunai.
However, this inevitable strike unexpectedly produced a sound of metal clashing. Ranmaru focused his gaze and found that his kunai didn't seem to be stabbing into Owl's flesh, but rather into a steel plate.
Bang...
Owl kicked back, and with a muffled sound, sent Ranmaru flying, smashing him fiercely onto the distant mountain wall.
"Seeking death!"
Delta, flying in the air, cursed angrily, then immediately launched laser beams at Owl.
This was a new type of prosthetic eye Amado just installed for her not long ago, making up for her lack of long-range attack capability.
Facing Delta's sudden attack, Owl on the ground didn't react and took this laser beam from Delta head-on.
However, the scene of flesh splitting open as Delta expected did not appear; only a burst of white smoke rose from Owl's body.
"You are the one seeking death!"
Owl seemed enraged, leaped into the air, pounced in front of Delta at a speed she could hardly react to, then grabbed Delta's two arms and pulled hard. With a 'crack', he tore Delta apart directly in the air.
Owl laughed arrogantly: "Hahaha, this is the end of opposing me!"
Boom boom boom...
Just as the laughter started, Owl was swallowed by a series of explosions.
Undoubtedly, this was Deidara detonating the clay birds lurking near Owl.
However, although the sneak attack succeeded, Deidara urged the clay bird under him to quickly move away because he knew very well that his explosion couldn't do anything to Owl.
A long time later, the dust from the explosion dissipated, revealing Owl's figure.
Sure enough, there were no injuries on Owl's body, but being ambushed still made him feel very unhappy. But just as Owl prepared to pursue the fleeing Deidara, he discovered Orochimaru flying towards him.
"Damn it, why is he here too!"
After cursing secretly, Owl decisively abandoned the defectors following him, turned his head, and fled into the distance.
Looking at Owl turning and running, Orochimaru looked mocking and whispered: "Can you escape?"
Both sides had 'Six Paths Level' combat power, so in just a while, the pursuer and the pursued moved away from the mountainous area and arrived at a grassland.
Suddenly, Owl stopped his footsteps, his face becoming extremely ugly.
Not only him, even Orochimaru chasing behind Owl stopped involuntarily, the expression on his face uncertain.
Because in front of them, Shinji stood quietly in the air...