The Iburi Clan

"Strange!"

Pakkun, who was leading the way, suddenly stopped.

Its moist nose twitched repeatedly in the air, and it let out a puzzled whimper.

"Pakkun?"

Kakashi asked from behind, "Did the scent disappear again?"

This was already the third time.

After the three of them reached the town, Kakashi had summoned the Ninja Dog Pakkun.

They were trying to track down the missing children using their clothes.

But each time, the scent disappeared along the way,

and they returned empty-handed.

Just now, when they reached this fast-flowing river, the scent had vanished again for no apparent reason.

"Could they be on the other side?"

Sano Yuji said, pointing toward the dense forest across the river.

"A little river like this wouldn't stop a rogue ninja of Orochimaru's caliber. He must have taken the children across."

Pakkun hesitantly sniffed the breeze coming from the opposite bank. "The river's masking the scent. It's possible they went that way."

"Then let's take a look."

Kakashi put away the map, flashed forward, and leaped onto the river.

He raced across, stepping on the rocks jutting above the water.

Sano Yuji followed close behind, a faint, hard-to-notice sneer curling beneath his mask.

He had already passed along the news that the Hokage had begun investigating the children's disappearance.

As long as he kept leading these fools in aimless circles through the forest,

they'd have enough time to move the few troublesome burdens elsewhere,

bringing Kakashi's investigation to a standstill.

Ten minutes later.

Pakkun's nose was almost pressed to the dirt, and its voice carried clear frustration.

"The scent... has disappeared completely."

Kakashi stood beside it, his brows knitted.

He was familiar with this kind of countertracking, using the current to wash away a scent. It was a technique commonly used by the Anbu.

Is this a coincidence?

"Should we go back and try again?"

Uchiha Yatsuhashi spoke up.

"Special Genin," Sano Yuji immediately sneered, his tone dripping with undisguised contempt.

"Don't waste everyone's time right now. The scent is gone. What would going back accomplish?"

Kakashi raised a hand, stopping Sano from continuing to mock him.

He looked at Yatsuhashi. "Yatsuhashi, did you notice something?"

"If they're using the river to cut off the scent, they wouldn't be stupid enough to swim straight across.

"That would leave footprints on the far bank, while walking through the water for too long would slow them down."

Yatsuhashi paused, recalling the countertracking techniques Mitaraishi Anko had taught him.

"They might have found a spot upstream where the current was gentle and entered the water there.

"They could have walked against the current underwater for a while, then climbed out once the river had masked their scent.

"That would mislead anyone tracking them into searching the opposite bank or downstream."

"You mean..."

A gleam flashed in Kakashi's eyes.

"We go back to where we were, but we don't cross the river."

Yatsuhashi calmly explained, "We follow the bank upstream. The current may have washed away the scent,

"but the person couldn't stay in the water forever. They must have climbed out somewhere."

Sano Yuji was about to argue, but Kakashi had already made up his mind. "We're going back."

The three men and one dog retraced their steps.

This time, they searched upstream along the bank.

"Woof!"

Pakkun abruptly stopped after they'd gone a short distance.

It sniffed the ground excitedly. "Found it! The scent's back!"

Kakashi looked at Yatsuhashi, a hint of approval in his eyes.

This newcomer not only had the ocular prowess of the Three Tomoe,

but his skills in tracking and countertracking were every bit as good as those of a seasoned Anbu like Kakashi.

Uchiha Yatsuhashi gave a slight nod, his mind perfectly clear.

These were the techniques Mitaraishi Anko had taught him in person back in the Land of Water, when they were evading Karatachi Yagura and the other Kirigakure ninja.

He just hadn't expected to put them to use so soon.

Behind them, Sano Yuji stared at Yatsuhashi's back,

his eyes behind the mask dark and venomous.

He had thought that cutting off the scent would send Kakashi and the others back empty-handed.

He hadn't expected Uchiha Yatsuhashi to get lucky and stumble onto the answer.

Looks like I'll need to find another way.

Sano Yuji gritted his teeth and followed.

Following the scent, Pakkun led them swiftly onward,

eventually stopping in front of a huge cave concealed by vines.

A chill wind blew from inside, carrying the faint sound of children crying.

"This is the place!"

Pakkun carefully sniffed the air inside the cave and confirmed it once more.

"The missing children are definitely in there."

"You've completed your task, Pakkun."

"Understood. I'll leave the rest to you."

Pakkun nodded. It knew its role well.

Once it had provided crucial information, staying on the battlefield would only make it a burden.

"By the way, the people in there all have a peculiar scent. Be careful."

"Got it. Thanks." Kakashi formed a hand seal.

With a soft poof, Pakkun vanished in a cloud of white smoke.

Summoning Technique is so useful.

Uchiha Yatsuhashi silently resolved that once this mission was over,

he would find a way to contract with a summoned beast to assist him, too.

"We finally found them."

A trace of barely noticeable unease flickered in Sano Yuji's eyes behind his mask.

He hadn't expected Kakashi and the others to find the cave entrance after all.

Kakashi was about to lead the team inside.

Suddenly, dozens of figures appeared like ghosts, blocking the cave entrance and stopping the three of them.

"Don't come in!"

Seeing the chilling, smoke-like aura radiating from their bodies,

Yatsuhashi's pupils narrowed. "The Iburi Clan..."

He had encountered these Iburi during his earlier work assisting Orochimaru's experiments,

where they had served as Orochimaru's test subjects.

So he recognized at once this mysterious clan whose members could turn their bodies into smoke.

At their head stood their clan leader, Gota. His translucent body flickered in and out of view in the light.

"Gentlemen, this is no place for you. Please leave."

Uchiha Yatsuhashi frowned. "We're investigating the missing children under orders from Lord Hokage. Please let us through."

Gota chuckled darkly. "There's only the Iburi Clan here. There are no children of yours to speak of."

"Anyone who enters this cave will die."

"Then don't blame us for being rough."

Kakashi said no more. Lightning blazed in his hand,

and the shrill cry of the Chidori tore through the forest's silence.

He became a bolt of lightning, thrusting straight at Gota and the others.

"Pathetic trick."

Facing Kakashi's thunderous attack,

Gota neither dodged nor flinched. His body instantly turned completely to smoke.

The Chidori pierced his chest, but it was like striking empty air,

and did him no real harm.

"What?!" Kakashi's heart tightened.

But the next moment, something even more terrifying happened.

Gota cried, "Smoke Smothering Technique!"

Then his body turned into smoke and entered Kakashi's body.

Kakashi grunted and dropped to one knee, unable to move.

"Captain!"

Sano Yuji cried out, but stayed where he was instead of stepping forward.

Just as Uchiha Yatsuhashi moved to help,

three Shuriken suddenly flew toward his back.

"Hm?"

Caught off guard, Yatsuhashi was forced to turn and dodge.

"What are you doing?!"

"What am I doing?" Sano Yuji removed his disguise mask,

revealing his sneering face. "Why, sending you all to your deaths, of course."

So Sano Yuji really had been up to something!

Yatsuhashi had felt that something was off about Sano Yuji all along. Several times, he had steered them in the wrong direction.

Now, with Sano Yuji and the Iburi on opposite sides, their escape routes were completely sealed.

Watching Captain Kakashi trapped, Sano Yuji openly admitted that he was a traitor.

His voice was full of mockery. "I only meant to make you give up and turn back,

"but I didn't expect you to find this place anyway.

"Since you have, I'll send you on your way."