Three nights later.
Moonlight was obscured by dark clouds. On the outskirts of Konoha, two shadows sped past, one after the other.
The person in front wore a black cloak and held a sleeping child in his arms.
Chasing relentlessly behind him was a member of the Uchiha Guard Unit, his Three Tomoe Sharingan glinting crimson in the darkness.
"Stop!"
The Uchiha ninja shouted sharply and fired a Kunai from his hand.
The man in black twisted aside. The Kunai sank into a tree trunk, and he used the momentum to leap onto a rooftop, moving at incredible speed.
The Uchiha ninja stayed close behind and rapidly formed hand seals.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
A fireball roared forth from an extremely tricky angle.
With no way to evade it, the man in black was forced to stop. He pressed his hands together and formed seals.
An earthen wall instantly rose from the ground to block the attack.
Because one of his arms was still holding the child, his hand seals were somewhat slower.
Seizing the chance, the Uchiha ninja flashed forward and thrust his short blade straight at him!
"Clang!"
The sound of metal clashing rang out. The man in black's reaction was no slower.
In an instant, he drew the Kunai at his waist and blocked the strike with precision, then kicked back with one foot.
The Uchiha ninja let out a muffled grunt and staggered back several steps.
"This guy..."
He was startled. During the chase earlier, he had not thought much of it.
But the longer they fought, the more confused he became.
This person's movements were simple and direct, yet incredibly fast.
And he was very familiar with Konoha.
There was something else. From the start of the pursuit until now, he had never looked