That Iwa ninja... he did not look like anyone particularly formidable, but he was not easy to deal with!
Chiba sped through the abnormally enormous primeval forest, carefully maintaining the pace while keeping Hirohiko on his back steady. After all, Hirohiko had just undergone the eye transplant surgery. Though the operation had been completed perfectly, traveling at such extreme speed would certainly involve considerable jolting. Chiba could not be sure whether that might cause any problems. In the original story, Kakashi had been able to fight immediately after receiving Obito's eye, but that did not mean Hirohiko would be free of complications after receiving his. After all, this was also Chiba's first time performing such an eye transplant. While he could guarantee that the transplanted eye itself was perfectly fine, he could not be certain that, after the transplant, Hirohiko would be able to fight without issue just like in the original story. Therefore, he was being exceedingly careful with Hirohiko now.
At the same time, while cautiously minding Hirohiko's condition, he began analyzing the Shadow Clone Jutsu's memories.
The shadow clone had followed that Iwa ninja for quite some time and made corresponding observations.
According to its memories, this Iwa ninja was extremely cautious. Even while taking roundabout routes and constantly changing direction, he carefully avoided leaving behind any traces, making him impossible to track. Moreover, he was highly alert, with senses and perception sharp to a frightening degree.
Whenever the shadow clone made even the slightest sound while tailing him, the Iwa ninja would become highly vigilant. Several times, the clone had even been forced to stop following him and wait until his suspicions faded before continuing.
It had nearly lost him several times.
The shadow clone's decision to launch a surprise attack had largely been due to