"Why are we running? Didn't your jutsu hit him?"
Sasuke was confused, and deep down, he felt even more unwilling to accept it.
He'd awakened his Sharingan at seven, subdued the Nine-Tails, and saved the village. Those dazzling accomplishments had given him a sense of superiority, but whenever he faced Shinji, that confidence was mercilessly crushed again and again.
It left him feeling miserable.
Shinji, who was leading the escape, ignored Sasuke's complaints.
He couldn't reveal his Mangekyō Sharingan yet. If he did, the village would investigate his earlier break-ins at the ANBU Building and Root Base.
Then he would either have to defect or let the village decide his fate.
And if he defected, taking back the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan from Danzo would become much harder.
Neji suddenly said, "They're catching up!"
"What!?" Sasuke sounded surprised. "Even that Fire Release couldn't burn him?"
Shinji checked the ninja tools left in the pouch at his waist, thought it over, then said, "We can't keep running like this. We need to find somewhere to set an ambush!"
Sasuke and Neji nodded.
The three of them were clearly slower than their pursuer. If they kept running, he would catch up soon.
Rather than fight in a panic when that happened, they might as well find a place to set things up now. At the very least, it would improve their odds and buy them some time.
Whoosh.
With a rush of air, the mysterious man dropped from the sky.
Shinji's Great Fireball Technique seemed not to have hurt him at all. He still wore that faint smile, completely unhurried.
He spotted the footprints leading into the grass ahead and followed them.
But just as he was about to step into the grass, he suddenly stopped.
In the grass on the other side,