Anuk felt her lungs burst. Speeding up again, she adjusted her breathing, Gaara tightly pressured against her bosom and the Commander's Minion on her shoulder. 

This was not funny. 

She sped up even more, but the man in the red cloud pattered cloaks males were hot on her heels, and after her Gaara. Over her dead body, she would allow a single of their fingers on him. She caught a glimpse of silver to her left and turned towards it. She could not win alone, but this was the Land of Iron....here Samurai dwelled and if they were as their reputation suggested then they would aid her. Well, not her but Gaara, since he was a Baby. 

Honor was a Samurai first priority, only their Loyality to their Lords was more superior. 

Anuk was merely a blur in the landscape when she stopped her Dash, a wave of dust rising from the force of her halt. She rose her head and looked at a few Samurai, their plated silver uniforms. One of them was wearing a bandage on his head. 

"I am Anuk Bernaude.... I am pursued by a few nasty Rouge Shinobi and would like to request protection for my young Lord." She said without formalities and bowed. The chakra of her pursuers closer and closer. "My young Master is a mere Baby, I know your Honor will not let you abandon him." 

"I am Mifune..." The man in the lead said and bowed when Anuk cursed and stepped forward, avoiding a Kunai. 

"I have no time, will you care for him until I have dealt with this or not." Anuk empathized and let Mifune...the lead Samurai see Gaara. 

"We will." He said, and Anuk nodded, putting Tsukikos Minion to the ground and swiftly handing over Gaara to one of the Man. 

"Aunty Anuk will take care of this and then all will be well, little Gaara." she muttered and gave a cold stare to Mifune before tuning around and blocking a strike from her pursuers. Right on time. 

She twirled and slashed her blade, avoiding a strike from the right in the same second. She had her nanites running and judged the distances. Furthermore, she needed a step with a bit of jump to reach her first opponent, a bit for her other one. Well, it seemed to thank god Karura had insisted she'd study how to throw Kunai. 

Reaching to her hip, she threw one of the Kunai as distraction and stomed forward. 

First, I have to get them away from here. 

She dashed into the woods and dodged another attack, hiding behind a tree, breathing harshly. Where were they coming from, left, no, right, the back, tree and above. 

She ripped her sword up and blocked the strike, the force vibrating through her body. She stepped aside, the sword gliding down her side and striking out. She felt her blade hit something as a tree fell, and she stepped back. Her eyes glowing, she started striking, turning, twisting against her opponents. 

A fire blazed through her, and she put chakra into her blade and ripped through the air, an audible bang thundering through the forest as the air pressure ripped through it. She twisted in her steps and hissed. Puppeteer. She met this kind before, in Suna. 

Cut the Strings. 

She turned and put chakra into her shoes, busting upwards until she was floating above the treeline. 

Where is the controller. 

She followed the tendrils of Chakra and, releasing her Sword chakra, she used air pressure to change direction onto the goal. 

Come here, you bastard. 

Closing on the small, hunchbacked figure, she caught a flash from the left. At this speed. Head back. She tilted her head back and by millimeters the Kunai whistled past her before a sword tried to hit her again. Midair, she blocked and swiftly switched her body weight. The left won't make it. 

She felt her right foot hit a tree trunk and since the left did not, she tried to kick the person away. 

Not elegant but effective. 

Her foot hit home. Channeling more chakra into it, the force blew away her opponent. She turned again, by hair's breath dodging obstacles. 

She was a Samurai, but she had learned the Shinobi arts, she would be stupid not to use them. Regulating her breathing rhythm, she saw the puppeteer. Once I take this one out I have problems less, I hate fighting those guys. 

She slashed the air again. The hunchback stepped aside rather nimbly. Her eyes registrating the minimal motion to avoid the attack, those one was not weak either. 

"Heck, there was no mention of this one being so dangerous." Behind them, someone shouted and a water fountain his her. 

"Fuck." She cursed and tried to avoid it to jump away. 

"They call her the Devil of the Sand, what did you expect. They did not send as many as us for no reason." The voice was raspy and on the darker side. 

"Well, not someone who can avoid attacks by millimeters." The other party said, and she deflected the sword gunning for her. For the first time she actually saw the thing in full, since she could not divert not avoid she had to take the full force. 

A long pole with red blade like scythe blades. 

What the fuck was that. Something dangerous came from behind, and she cussed, jumping away. 

"Who the heck are you four?" She asked them, and the older puppeteer one laughed. 

"Well, I see they did send four of us after you for a reason. Well, not that your little charge will be safe my now." 

Anuk Paled. The fire from earlier, that....another explosion thundered through the forest.