If

If

Under Danzo's orders, Kakashi led an Aburame Jonin and a Hyuga Jonin, along with his summoned beast, to hastily form a pursuit team and track Simu's trail.

As for the result...

Kakashi's team discovered a large number of Jashin Cult hideouts within the Land of Fire. After narrowly escaping death time and again, they ultimately lost the enemy's trail.

"What a headache. Still, it can't be helped."

Kakashi looked at the ruins completely destroyed before him and spoke with apparent regret.

The Hyuga Jonin standing beside him scanned the area with his Byakugan. In the end, he could only shake his head, half regretful and half relieved.

He clutched his shoulder, crimson blood staining half his body. The injury had been caused by countless fragments sent flying after an explosion.

The other team member was named Dori Aburame. Upon hearing Kakashi's words, he let out a slight sigh of relief.

"Captain Kakashi, honestly, if we had really caught up to the enemy, would our strength have been enough to ensure we returned alive?"

This Aburame ninja had personally experienced the battle that night and knew only too well how terrifying the enemy was. Even the Hokage had died in battle. What could they possibly have done?

This was also what most people in the village thought now.

Kakashi did not say much. He merely replied indifferently, "Didn't we fail to catch up? Don't think too much about it. Let's return and report."

Kakashi had once been a hot-blooded youth who deeply believed in the Will of Fire. But after the deaths of his father, Konoha's White Fang, followed by the successive deaths of his friends and teacher, he had long since become listless.

His only remaining hobby was reading Jiraiya's little erotic novels.

Since the pursuit had yielded nothing,