Pursuit and Being Pursued

"You are Purple Aurora Takeda Shuichi!" Takagi didn't care about the other party's teasing tone; it was perfectly normal for ninjas to use language to confuse their enemies.

He knew he was unlikely to escape unscathed today; he had no hope of escaping the Flying Thunder God Technique.

It was unexpected that Konoha's foundation remained so strong even after the death of the Fourth Hokage, and that the boy who was once chased by Ōnoki had grown up so quickly.

The Iwagakure Jonin, who only had access to intelligence reports, could not have grasped the terror of Takeda Shuichi. After their encounter today, they were shocked to discover that his strength was no less than that of Namikaze Minato.

For Iwagakure, their traditional fighting style is particularly vulnerable to speed-based ninjas. Takagi currently completely helpless against Shuichi, and if he were to Hand Seals in front of him, he would be courting death.

Thinking of this, he decided to fight to the death. He first dodged back a few steps, then began to run at high speed. He could perfectly use the poisoned Hidden Weapons while moving, which was his foundation.

"Tap tap tap..." Takagi's figure flickered erratically, his afterimages seemed to be everywhere in the bamboo forest, yet his eyes remained fixed on Shuichi's location.

"I still have a large number of Explosive Tag and poison needles. If he dares to openly use that spell to get close to me, we'll have a chance to die together."

Takagi's hands were already gripping various tools tightly. The flow of chakra within him was perfectly coordinated with his body movements. At this critical moment, he seemed to have pushed himself beyond his limits...

"If you're a man of honor, then I'll give you a quick and painless end!" Shuichi stared intently at his opponent's movements, his body seemingly making no move, but in reality, his Explosion Release chakra was already gathering in his hand, waiting for the right opportunity.

Suddenly, Takagi changed direction while moving, and Shuichi flashed like lightning from his waist, drawing his black Desert Eagle and firing a shot, "Bang!"

As Shuichi raised his hand, Takagi's muscles tensed, but after the sound, a sharp pain shot through his chest, and all his strength began to drain away instantly. "Why? What kind of Ninjutsu is this?"

Before his vision blurred, Shuichi skipped over to his side, his fingers still twirling the gun in one hand. "I've named this Ninjutsu: Purple Aurora's Heaven-Shaking Shot. This is the starting stance of my strongest technique so far. You can rest in peace now."

Takagi, filled with some doubt, fell into darkness. In his dying moments, he thought to himself, "So, I wasn't so weak after all..."

With his vision Flash, Shuichi could clearly see the Explosive Tag and Hidden Weapons that were ready on his body.

Out of respect for the enemy's tenacity, he first examined the body and collected some ninja tools, then personally buried the Stone Ninja on the spot.

Returning to the starting point of the encounter, the three members of the squad finished cleaning up the battlefield. Asuma's arm was still bleeding, and just as they were about to bandage it, Shuichi stopped them, saying, "Don't move, leave it to me."

Green chakra surged from his hand and fell onto the wound. Asuma felt an itch in his shoulder, and the pain quickly subsided.

"Mystical Palm Technique? Shuichi, when did you learn Medical Ninjutsu?" Ishikawa Tatsuki asked in surprise.

"I learned it not long ago. I've only practiced on various animals before, this is the first time I've used it on a living person. Hehe, I can't let such a good opportunity for testing pass me by."

Asuma: "..."

Since the wound wasn't very deep, Shuichi quickly treated the fractured bone, leaving only minor cuts and lacerations that would heal on their own and require only simple bandaging to avoid affecting his subsequent combat.

The four-person team rested for a while before continuing their journey. After passing through the bamboo forest, they found a relatively prosperous small city not far away, which was considered one of the rare resource points in the Land of Grass.

This explains why they encountered the Stone Ninja squad. The road they had just traveled was a vital supply route left over from the war, and the fact that they had only encountered one squad after patrolling a large area for many days indicates that the Iwagakure's invasion efforts were not very strong.

Although they passed through a small town that seemed like a good place to stop, Shuichi companions didn't go in. They were there to complete a mission, not to enjoy themselves.

According to the agreed time, the other Konoha Squad would also head to the meeting point after completing their patrols. As the Captain Commander of the front line, Shuichi certainly couldn't arrive later than the others.

After about half a day, Shuichi's squad arrived at the famous Kannabi Bridge. The bridge has now been restored, and various large plants around it are growing well, making it impossible to tell that a great battle had taken place here.

"This is Kannabi Bridge! The place where Kakashi became Sharingan hero?" Ishikawa Tatsuki stood on the riverbank, gazing curiously.

Shuichi, this was one of his saddest moments, a dark time in his life, and the praise of others would only increase his pain.

"Swish swish swish..."

As the group chatted, the sound of ninja footsteps approached from all around, and the atmosphere immediately became serious.

A total of 3 teams, comprising 12 people, appeared nearby, all led by veteran Jonin from the village. "Captain Shuichi, the entire Leaf Roll Team has arrived!"

"Captain Shuichi,..."

"Hmm, it seems you've encountered the enemy." Shuichi glanced around and noticed that only the members of Mimura Hamaki's squad bore signs of battle. "Report the details."

"Yes, we encountered the enemy a day ago. Judging from their fighting style, they were likely a squad from Iwagakure), and they were quite strong. Their coordinates are..."

Shuichi noticed that none of them had been killed, and after asking them questions, she told them to go and rest on the side.

Before long, all eight Konoha Squad had arrived. After everyone assembled, he immediately issued a new order, "This time, the Land of Earth's invasion was not very strong; they probably wanted to test the strength of Konoha."

"Since the Anbu were the first to transmit the intelligence, they are currently in charge of tracking the enemy's movements, while we provide combat support." Shuichi spread out a strategic map to deploy his forces. "Many of them have been operating in the northwest, near the Land of Land of Earth, which is very dangerous. So once we detect the signal, we must get there as quickly as possible..."

In response to the unique characteristics of Iwagakure, he reorganized the personnel of his subordinate squads.

Chunin like Ishikawa Tatsuki Chunin in place to patrol, while the stronger Jonin, in teams of two or three, crossed the central river to carry out reconnaissance missions.

Shuichi used his powerful personal abilities to coordinate everything, with the Super Beast Imitation Drawing and Flying Thunder God Spell Formula ready, while he himself stood at the forefront to support the Anbu.

"Disperse!"

"Swish swish swish..."

Asuma and Ishikawa Tatsuki, standing nearby, were filled with envy. Their red eyes seemed to be shining. Jonin was the ultimate goal for 90% of the village's ninjas. To be able to command so many Jonin so impressively was incredibly cool.

They had also witnessed scenes they personally directed, well... in their dreams.

In the northwest of the Land of Grass, the environment is far less complex and strange than the other side of the central river. It is mainly composed of forests of various sizes, and the closer you get to the Land of Earth, the sparser the forests become.

"Sough..."

The flat terrain was suitable for ninjas to run and provided a wide field of vision. At this moment, two groups of people were engaged in a chase, and judging from their high-speed movements, they were both highly skilled.

"They're pressing us hard; we're in trouble this time."

The three ninjas fleeing ahead were all dressed Anbu. The one on the left wore Cat Mask and had silver hair, making him easily recognizable Kakashi.

The speaker was a member of the Anbu codenamed Zhu, and the leader Mokui, even had the mind to joke after hearing this, "It's all your fault, Kakashi. I think you should shave your head."

"Now, among the Jonin in the village, only you have unusual hair color. Back in the Battle of Kannabi Bridge, you and the Fourth Lord dealt a heavy blow to Iwagakure, making us feel like we're being targeted by envious wolves."

Kakashi retorted expressionlessly, "You were the one who attacked first, and now you're blaming me. You're the one who should stop that Roshi later."

Zhu remained silent. His arm was torn and bleeding; the enemy's Lava Release technique was exceptionally powerful, and even a slight graze would result in serious injury.

Mokui, which primarily uses Earth Release techniques, poses no threat to the enemy. Kakashi's Lightning Cutter might have a chance, but even if it hits one hand, it would cripple it, not to mention that the opposing team has a full five members, all of whom are highly skilled.

They managed to kill only one person in their sneak attack, but were relentlessly pursued like a hornet's nest, probably because their action touched a nerve with the enemy.