The explosion's shock wave swept through the entire valley, uprooting trees as the blast sent sand and stones flying, blotting out the sky.
Several kilometers away, Team Kakashi, racing at full speed, felt the earthshaking tremor as well.
The ground shook violently. Kakashi stopped abruptly, his Sharingan narrowing beneath his mask as his sharp gaze pierced the swirling dust and fixed on the explosion's epicenter.
"What happened?" Guy cried out beside him, his thick eyebrows knotting together. "That Chakra... It's terrifying!" He clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking as green Chakra surged around him. "Could it be an enemy attack?"
Kakashi didn't answer. He stared at the mushroom cloud rising in the distance, a nameless unease welling up inside him.
The Chakra's pulse was violent, yet it carried a hint of familiarity...
Could it be...
Haotian?
"Kakashi-sensei!" Meihui's anxious voice interrupted his thoughts. She pointed toward the explosion, her face filled with worry. "It's Haotian! I can feel his Chakra! He must be in danger!"
"We have to go back and help him!" Meihui said, turning to run back.
"No!" Kakashi grabbed her by the wrist, his voice firm. "Our mission is to reinforce the front lines. We can't let personal feelings cost us our chance to act! Trust Haotian. He can handle this!"
"But..." Meihui started to protest, but Kakashi stopped her with a cold look.
"Carry out the mission!" Kakashi said flatly, leaving no room for argument.
He gave her hand a sharp jerk, let go, and turned to race onward in the direction they had been headed.
"Kakashi..." Guy looked at Kakashi's resolute back, then toward the explosion. His heart twisted with conflict and struggle.
Kakashi picked up the pace, nearly breaking into a full sprint.
He gritted his teeth and silently repeated to himself: Haotian, hold on!
I'll finish the mission as quickly as I can, then come back for you!
Kakashi raced through the trees so fast that he was little more than a blur.
He forced himself not to think about the explosion or the danger Haotian might be facing.
He knew that completing the mission was the most important thing now. Only then could he return to search for Haotian without worry.
Guy followed close behind Kakashi, but inside, his thoughts churned like a stormy sea.
He knew Kakashi and understood the anguish he was feeling.
But he also knew Kakashi had made the right decision.
As a shinobi, obeying orders was his duty. No matter how worried he was, he couldn't abandon the mission.
But Haotian...
Guy clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white.
Just as the two men wrestled with their conflicting feelings, a group suddenly appeared up ahead.
At the head of the group was a tall kunoichi with long red hair—Yuuhi Kurenai, the captain of Konoha's patrol squad.
More than a dozen fully armed shinobi followed behind her, each wearing a stern expression as they warily watched their surroundings.
"Kakashi, Guy! What are you doing here?" Yuuhi Kurenai recognized them at once, a hint of confusion in her voice.
"Kurenai," Kakashi said, stopping and giving her a slight nod. "We're on a mission."
"A mission?" Yuuhi Kurenai looked them over, sharply noticing the tension radiating from them. "What happened? Why do you both look so ragged?"
"Just now... we sensed a powerful Chakra pulse from that direction." Guy pointed toward the explosion, his voice heavy.
"A Chakra pulse?" Yuuhi Kurenai frowned. She had felt that unnerving pulse herself. "What exactly happened?"
Kakashi briefly recounted what had happened, leaving out the part about Haotian.
After hearing Kakashi's account, Yuuhi Kurenai fell into thought.
A moment later, she raised her head and said firmly, "Kakashi, Guy, return to the village and rest. I'll handle things here."
"But..." Kakashi started, only for Yuuhi Kurenai to cut him off.
"That's an order!" Her tone left no room for argument. "I have to find out where that Chakra pulse came from. In your current condition, you're not fit to continue the mission."
Kakashi and Guy exchanged a glance, but in the end they nodded.
They knew this wasn't the time to argue.
Yuuhi Kurenai watched them leave, drew a deep breath, then turned to the squad behind her. "Move out!" She waved her hand and raced toward the explosion first, her squad following close behind.
Yuuhi Kurenai led the patrol squad onward at a swift pace, the air thick with the smell of scorching.
The closer they got to the explosion's epicenter, the more horrifying the scene became.
Trees had been snapped in half, huge fissures crisscrossed the ground, and an oppressive force hung in the air, making it hard to breathe.
Suddenly, a shinobi pointed ahead and cried out, "Captain, look!"
Yuuhi Kurenai followed his finger, her pupils contracting sharply... "This..."
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