Pursuit of Rogue Ninja! Ambush!

That afternoon, Yuzuru Hyuga arrived at the agreed location on time and found Kakashi.

Both were dressed as ANBU. Aside from Kakashi, there were still no other teammates.

Kakashi's expression was icy. Once he entered ANBU mode, it was as though some switch within him had been flipped; coldness radiated from his entire body, utterly unlike his usual aloof yet secretly tsundere, lazy demeanor.

Only Yuzuru Hyuga could occasionally make him break character.

"The mission target is as follows."

With an indifferent expression, Kakashi first led him beyond the village's boundaries. Then, in a forest where they had confirmed it was safe, he unfolded a map.

"One Jonin and two Chunin have defected. They may have reached an agreement with Kumogakure. Our ANBU comrades have already located them. Our purpose is to lure the snake from its hole."

"If the Kumogakure forces coming to receive them do not appear, and the targets attempt to leave the Land of Fire, eliminate them before they cross the border."

"As for the specifics, once we get there, use your Byakugan to determine the situation. Any questions?"

After finishing, Kakashi glanced at Yuzuru Hyuga, afraid he would once again spout nonsense like, "This mission is too dangerous, so why not just drive them away?"

Yuzuru Hyuga remained calm and nodded without hesitation. "No objections."

Kakashi was briefly unaccustomed to it. Seeing Yuzuru Hyuga this obedient was truly rare.

"Were you hoping I'd say more to help you perk up, senpai?" Behind his mask, Yuzuru Hyuga was undoubtedly wearing that headache-inducing smile again.

Kakashi put away the map and adjusted his mask. "Move out."

The two swiftly wove through the forest, heading straight for the border of the Land of Fire.

Yuzuru Hyuga asked pointedly, "Have there been a lot of rogue ninja lately?"

"...I don't know." Kakashi's reply was vague, but he clearly knew something.

Yuzuru Hyuga gave an acknowledging sound and did not press further.

He had asked because he knew that during this period, Kakashi had earned a particular nickname within the ANBU: Companion Killer.

It did not mean he attacked his own comrades, nor that he disregarded their lives while carrying out missions. It referred solely to the ruthlessness and astonishing efficiency with which he hunted down Konoha's rogue ninja.

After all, any ninja capable of successfully defecting was at least a Chunin. They had dealt with many other ninja before and formed bonds with them. When facing such people, even among ANBU with hearts of steel, not everyone was willing to mercilessly kill a former comrade. Some always hoped that if they were captured and brought back, there might still be a chance for them to become companions again.

Yuzuru Hyuga had no such burden. He had little connection with the vast majority of ninja.

At present, Konoha's situation was far from optimistic. The Nine-Tails' jinchuriki was still young, while the jinchuriki of Kumogakure and Iwagakure were in their prime.

Relations between the three sides were already as precarious as walking on thin ice. The slightest misstep could upset the balance. If a rogue ninja leaked even a little critical intelligence, Kumogakure or Iwagakure could very likely use it as an excuse to make trouble and inflict severe losses upon Konoha.

Yuzuru Hyuga's goal was to delay for as long as possible, until he possessed at least one unique S-rank secret technique. Only by gaining strength close to the Kage level would he be confident in resolving the Hyuga Clan's current internal turmoil.

The longer the deadlock between Konoha, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure lasted, the more time he would have.

Once he resolved the Hyuga Clan's internal problems, everything afterward would be easier. Whether Konoha forced his hand and made him do something drastic, or he kept a low profile and waited for the right opportunity, the initiative would fall into Yuzuru Hyuga's hands.

Therefore, it was naturally his duty to prevent rogue ninja from leaking critical intelligence.

The two traveled through the forest, and several days passed in the blink of an eye.

After reaching the border of the Land of Fire, Kakashi skillfully followed the marks left by the ANBU and led him to the rendezvous point.

Four masked ANBU had clearly been waiting for some time.

"The targets are temporarily hiding in this village. We believe they are waiting for whoever is coming to receive them. Our preliminary assessment is that the other party is most likely from Kumogakure."

The masks of these four ANBU were rather unfamiliar, but Kakashi had clearly worked with them before.

"Understood." Kakashi nodded to indicate that he understood the mission.

While the ANBU continued discussing the details of the intelligence with Kakashi, Yuzuru Hyuga activated his Byakugan and carefully observed the house in the village where the ANBU had identified the rogue ninja as hiding.

"Kakashi, do you know the details on the rogue ninja? Mainly the Jonin's information?"

Yuzuru Hyuga suddenly asked.

Kakashi answered without hesitation. "Mato Kosuke, a civilian-born ninja. He specializes in Fire Release and Wind Release, with the talent to independently use combined Wind Release and Fire Release ninjutsu. His mission record includes ten S-rank missions, one hundred and twelve A-rank missions, and four hundred B-rank missions."

"His taijutsu is around average, while his chakra reserves are outstanding even among Jonin."

The moment his words fell, a shocking statement came from beneath Yuzuru Hyuga's mask. "He's gone. There are only two Chunin-level chakra signatures and one Genin-level signature inside."

"Move! Take them alive!" One of the nearby ANBU made a decisive call and used the Body Flicker Technique to rush toward the small wooden house.

Kakashi had no time to think and immediately headed for the house. Yuzuru Hyuga seemed thoughtful, but he inconspicuously lagged half a step behind. He used his Byakugan to scan the surrounding area before arriving at the wooden house last.

By then, the two Konoha rogue ninja inside had already been subdued. Faced with a surprise attack from the elite ANBU, they had been severely injured before they could even react.

The third Chunin-level chakra signature Yuzuru Hyuga had observed was none other than the Shadow Clone left behind by Mato Kosuke!

An ANBU wearing a tengu mask grabbed one Chunin by the collar and barked, "Where did Mato Kosuke go?"

"I-I don't know..." The Chunin spat blood, despair written across his face. "Why? Why did you come after us?"

The ANBU exchanged looks for an instant and immediately recognized the severity of the situation.

They had kept watch on the group before entering the village, yet they had never expected that Mato Kosuke, the Jonin who had defected with two Chunin, had somehow used a Shadow Clone to deceive everyone's judgment. It was even possible that the Shadow Clone in the house had been disguised by these Chunin using Shadow Clones and the Transformation Technique.

"He can't have gotten far! A Shadow Clone can't last this long!"

"Talk! Was there anything unusual?"

An ANBU operative had not even finished speaking when his expression suddenly changed drastically.

From the chest of the Konoha rogue ninja being held by the collar came the faint smell of burning smoke.

An Explosive Tag!

"Rotation!"

Yuzuru Hyuga's Body Flicker Technique was like a flash of light. In an instant, he crossed the few meters between them and placed himself between the rogue ninja and the Konoha shinobi. The massive chakra vortex sent the rogue ninja flying while also blasting his own allies out of the room.

Several ANBU operatives were sent flying helplessly by the Rotation. The next moment, the explosion erupted with a thunderous roar. The tremendous impact blew the wooden house apart, scattering debris everywhere. Amid the dust and smoke, only a blue chakra vortex continued to spin steadily, blocking the deadliest force of the blast.

Releasing the Rotation, Yuzuru Hyuga held his breath and leaped out of the dust and smoke.

The ANBU operatives gave him grateful nods, but no one said anything further at that moment.

"Move! I know where they are!"

One ANBU suddenly spoke. The next moment, everyone followed him without hesitation, sprinting toward the outskirts of the village.

In this small village on the border of the Land of Fire, some villagers had yet to realize what had happened. They only heard the explosion, then saw several shinobi dressed as ANBU vanish at the edge of the village. The crater left by the blast alone was enough to fill them with terror.

Yuzuru Hyuga initially maintained the formation as they advanced swiftly. However, the moment the leading ANBU seemed to casually glance back, he noticed something through the Byakugan's vision and slightly slowed his pace. Though Kakashi did not know why, he had grown accustomed to moving in a two-man formation with Yuzuru, so he slowed down as well.

Yuzuru Hyuga watched the backs of the two ANBU operatives and made a few subtle gestures with his fingers.

Kakashi's visible eye turned grave. The next moment, he lifted his mask. Beneath it, the Three Tomoe of his other Sharingan slowly spun as his fingers made several gestures at his side.

The two exchanged a few brief words in sign language, met each other's eyes, and nodded.

Then Kakashi suddenly asked, "Which ANBU was responsible for monitoring the movements of those rogue ninjas before?"

Almost the instant he asked that question—

"Fire Release: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

One of the ANBU within the formation suddenly turned around, forming hand seals at incredible speed. Firelight was swept up by the violent wind, and then a sea of flames came rushing toward them, carried by the gale.

At the same time, the ANBU responsible for leading the way suddenly swung his short sword, driving it into the heart of the companion beside him, who had been caught completely off guard.

"It's a trap!"

Whoosh! Pop! At the very moment that ANBU suddenly turned on his own comrades and killed one of them, a firework shot into the sky.

Kakashi's expression changed. "Watch out for Cloud Hidden Village!"

Yuzuru Hyuga nodded, his expression beneath the mask equally grim. "End this quickly!"

There was no need for further words.

At that moment, the two sides had already descended into a chaotic melee.

PS: While looking up information today, I discovered something interesting.

Does anyone know how tall Itachi was at age twelve?

After comparing the game version, anime, original work, and various depictions from Kakashi's ANBU arc, I concluded that he was at least 165 centimeters tall.

Good grief.