"I sensed Gaara's chakra, and his presence too."
In the Land of Rivers, five figures raced through the forest. Sage markings appeared at the corners of Naruto's eyes.
With the support of Sage Art chakra, his sensory abilities had improved tremendously, surpassing even Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.
However, Nine-Tails Chakra Mode was powerful because it could sense malicious intent, something Sage Mode could never match.
"Which direction?" Kakashi quickly asked. Naruto sped up even more. "Just follow me."
As they moved forward, Naruto's gaze sharpened, and he abruptly came to a stop.
"What is it, Naruto?" Kakashi asked.
"There are people ahead. Their chakra is incredibly dense." Hinata spoke up. Two dense masses of chakra had suddenly appeared within her Byakugan.
"Hm?" Sasuke drew the sword at his waist. Three Tomoe appeared in his eyes as he stared coldly and silently toward a spot ahead.
Naruto snorted as well. "Come out. You're leaking your presence so obviously that your intentions couldn't be clearer."
A strange laugh rang out. Beneath a terrifying shark-like head was a black cloak patterned with red clouds. He grinned at Naruto. "Long time no see, Nine-Tails brat."
"Kisame Hoshigaki?" Naruto frowned slightly. "You're actually still alive?"
During their clash at the Chunin Exams, Naruto had thought he had killed Kisame. Although Sasuke later witnessed Samehada escaping, that had only been the other man's mist. Kisame himself had never appeared again.
"There's another one. That chakra is..." Sasuke spoke. The other chakra signature also felt strangely familiar to him.
A figure stepped out. It was someone familiar. After glancing at Sasuke, he shifted his gaze elsewhere. "Chiyo... it's been a long time. You're even older than I imagined."
"Oh!" The slits of Chiyo's already nearly closed eyes narrowed further. She sneered, "I wondered who it was. Isn't this