Strange

"Emergency! The Jinchuriki is suddenly sprinting toward the outskirts of the village!"

"He's heading down Senju Street... No, he's already passed Gale Alley! We're going to lose him!"

"Forget stealth. Full speed ahead! We can't let the Jinchuriki get away!"

Four dark figures burst out of hiding beneath eaves and from shadows, tearing through the air like gusts of wind as they sprinted across Konoha's densely packed rooftops.

The tiles cracked in rapid, faint snaps beneath their specially made soft-soled boots. Passersby looked up and saw only fleeting, blurry shadows.

But... even so, the Anbu were horrified to discover that the distance between them and Naruto was still growing!

We can't keep up with the Jinchuriki?!

Hadn't the kid graduated less than two months ago? He hadn't even started training under a jonin instructor yet!

The Anbu's pupils contracted sharply behind their masks, disbelief surging through their hearts like a tide.

They had watched Naruto train diligently over the past month, but as battle-hardened elites, they'd still instinctively looked down on him—the Jinchuriki they were assigned to monitor.

Yet now, the reality before their eyes was steadily shattering everything they thought they knew!

How much progress had the Jinchuriki made in just over a month?

Hadn't he been a dead-last when he graduated?

Could a person really evolve this much in such a short time?

And what was the Jinchuriki trying to do...? Was he planning to become a rogue ninja?!

"Crow! Go inform Lord Hokage about the situation!"

The Anbu Captain, codenamed Owl, forced down the storm raging in his heart and issued his order.

After Crow left, Owl and the two remaining Anbu sped up again, squeezing every last bit of chakra from their bodies. Their afterimages on the rooftops grew even blurrier, and they only just managed to stay on Naruto's tail.

But the Jinchuriki's next move made the corners of all three men's eyes twitch.

Naruto was sprinting across the rooftops when, all of a sudden, he started taking off his clothes.

After removing his patched orange jacket, Naruto quickly pulled off the weighted vest on his torso and the weights on his limbs, flinging them away!

Boom!

The weighted clothes slammed into the ground, sending up a huge cloud of dust. When it cleared, the clothes had embedded themselves in the earth like wedges, with cracks spreading all around them.

"Holy crap!"

The absurd sight drew a curse from the Anbu codenamed Falcon.

Owl didn't even have time to swear. As he watched Naruto speed up again and shrink into a speck in the distance, he hurriedly asked, "Three-Eyes, have you locked onto the Jinchuriki's chakra?"

"Got him!" Three-Eyes formed Hand Seals. "The Jinchuriki's chakra is enormous, so he's easy to sense... But I can't guarantee I'll keep him in range. He's moving too fast. Sooner or later, he'll go beyond my sensing range!"

"Tch."

The words "for now" only made Owl more frustrated.

If the Jinchuriki's frequent use of the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique hadn't increased their surveillance workload, prompting their superiors to assign a Sensor Ninja to the Surveillance Squad, they would probably have lost him by now.

They'd been keeping the figure sprinting ahead under constant watch, but the astonishing potential the Jinchuriki had shown today—and his unusual behavior—seemed to indicate that he was no longer merely a vessel they were monitoring...

It was an extremely dangerous sign. The Jinchuriki was showing a tendency to slip beyond their control.

"I'll make sure to emphasize this to Lord Hokage... and Danzo."

Owl's face darkened.

Just then, Three-Eyes suddenly cried out.

"Wait! Half of the Jinchuriki is coming this way!"

"What... Is it a Shadow Clone?"

Owl quickly understood what Three-Eyes meant. Three-Eyes nodded emphatically, and a few seconds later, another Naruto appeared in front of them.

"I spotted someone who may be a spy from another village. I need backup!"

Before the others could speak, Naruto cut in. "After their movements were exposed, they attacked my Shadow Clone and then fled. My original has already sent Shadow Clones to notify Grandpa Third, Teacher Kaido, and Kakashi-sensei. Follow me!"

The mention of Grandpa Third and two elite jonin instructors stifled the reprimand that had almost burst from Owl's mouth.

Besides, Naruto had wasted no time explaining what had happened. He'd informed their superiors before the Anbu arrived and had even sent a Shadow Clone back to explain everything to them... His actions were above reproach.

"Genin Uzumaki Naruto!" Owl said. "Please notify your original at once to stop what he's doing. We're the Anbu directly under the Hokage. We'll take over from here!"

"Do you know where the enemy spy is?"

"Well..."

Owl turned to Three-Eyes, who replied awkwardly, "Aside from... Uzumaki Naruto, I haven't sensed any chakra ahead of him."

"Hm?" "Huh?"

Owl and Naruto both looked puzzled. Naruto eyed him suspiciously. "Is your sensing range too short? She's right in front of me. She looks like an old lady."

"Impossible!" Three-Eyes snapped, annoyed at being questioned by a Genin. "If there were someone ahead of you, I'd definitely sense them!"

"..."

"Uzumaki Naruto, are you lying?"

Owl naturally trusted his subordinate more. More accurately, he had no trust in this demon fox Jinchuriki.

"Falsely reporting an enemy sighting can land you in jail. Stop this prank and come back at once!"

"Wait."

Naruto didn't understand why the Sensor Ninja couldn't sense the other person's chakra, but as the Jinchuriki continued to defy him, Owl could no longer suppress his frustration.

"Don't make us use force, Uzumaki Naruto!" Owl threatened. "You could get injured—or even killed! Tell your original to stop moving at once, Shadow Clone!"

"...Tch."

Naruto's expression turned cold. "Say that again when you can catch up to me."

"You?!"

Owl was both shocked and furious, but Naruto suddenly looked away from him and toward the front and to the side. "They're here."

Who was here?

The three Anbu followed Naruto's gaze. Another Naruto was running toward them, with someone behind him... a member of the Hyuga Branch Family without a Forehead Protector?

His pale eyes and the blue Cursed Seal shaped like a swastika were impossible to miss. The first thing this Hyuga branch member said after joining them nearly made the Anbu lose their footing and fall.

"Lord Naruto!"

He greeted Naruto.

"His name is Hyuga Shinichi." After introducing the man who'd brought him here, the Naruto who'd arrived first dispelled his technique and returned his chakra to his original. His job was done.

"Shinichi," Naruto said. He had no idea why the other man was calling him "Lord" or showing his Caged Bird, but he gave him an order first. "Check the ten o'clock direction for me. Is there an old lady moving quickly up ahead?"

"Yes, Lord Naruto!" Hyuga Shinichi's veins bulged as he activated his Byakugan. "Just call me Shinichi."

A moment later, Shinichi nodded.

"Yes, Lord Naruto. There's an old person fleeing three hundred meters in front of your original, and her appearance is a disguise. She's actually a young blonde woman."

"Is that so..." Naruto said, a little surprised. Then he gave a thumbs-up. "That's amazing! No wonder they call it the Byakugan! You can just call me Naruto, Shinichi."

After explaining that he needed to pass the information on to his original, Naruto told him, "Shinichi, take them with you and catch up." Then he dispelled his technique.

"Thank you for the praise, Lord Naruto."

Even after the Shadow Clone vanished into smoke, the Hyuga branch member still replied respectfully. Then he led the three silent Anbu after Naruto.

"..."

Owl gritted his teeth, his judgment having been disproven right before his eyes. Ever since Hyuga Shinichi arrived, the Jinchuriki's Shadow Clone hadn't looked at the Anbu again, much less said another word to them.

The wind howling past their ears sounded like the other man's unspoken laughter.

"Why...?"

Owl couldn't help but ask himself. He realized that his composure had been shaken, and sensed there was a deeper reason behind it.

"Why has the Jinchuriki become so strong? Why is this Hyuga so respectful toward him—so obedient, even?"

"Why is it that even though we've been monitoring the Jinchuriki all this time... he feels more and more like a stranger?"