Battle Against Team Kakashi

After briefly shaking off the pursuit of Kakashi and his team, Hyuuga Nen arrived at a small town, checked into an inn, and prepared to treat his injuries.

When members of the Hyuga Clan practice the Gentle Fist, overexertion can damage their own meridians, so they have developed secret medicines specifically to handle such situations.

Nen's father had passed the recipe for this secret medicine down to him, but the ingredients were extremely rare, and Nen had only managed to collect enough for a single dose.

I have at most a few hours left, I need to be quick, Nen thought to himself while pouring the medicinal herbs into hot water. Once he was ready, he submerged himself entirely in the wooden bathtub.

Two hours later, having absorbed the medicinal properties, Nen felt the meridians in his hands ease significantly. He put on his clothes, walked to the window, and surveyed his surroundings.

"They're already here."

Nen could see Kakashi and his team not far from the inn, advancing in his direction.

At that moment, Kakashi and his team spotted Nen and immediately picked up their pace to close the distance.

Nen vaulted out the window and took off toward the distance.

Soon, Kakashi and his team reached the room Nen had just vacated. They conducted a swift inspection and discovered the bathtub he had left behind.

Itachi Uchiha approached the tub, sniffed it, and said to Kakashi, "Captain, the tub is filled with very precious medicine. He must be severely injured. I believe we should capture him now, while his wounds have yet to heal."

After hearing Itachi's words, Kakashi pondered for a moment and agreed with the suggestion.

"Since he is injured, we can attempt to capture him directly. Furthermore, the Hokage has already dispatched Shisui to support us; he will arrive shortly."

After leaving a mark at the scene, Kakashi and his team pursued Nen in the direction he had fled. Once they were gone, a figure slowly rose from the ground—it was Nen's shadow clone.

Nen had left this clone behind when he departed. In truth, he wasn't certain if Kakashi and his team would detect it, as he didn't know if they possessed sensory ninjutsu.

Nen had only been testing the waters, and there would be no loss if it failed, but it seemed they had not discovered the clone hiding underground.

Ignoring the surprised onlookers on the street, the clone jumped through the window back into the room. It scanned the area carefully and found a hidden mark.

Although he had been underground, Nen had seen every move Kakashi and his team made clearly through his Byakugan.

Nen tried to read their lips, but due to the angle and color distortion, he couldn't decipher most of what they said, though they had mentioned the same name several times.

"Shisui."

"Shisui Uchiha is coming. This is trouble." As he spoke, Nen mimicked the mark and left a very similar one right beside it.

This mark was likely unique to the Anbu and required a specific method to interpret; since Nen didn't understand its meaning, he could only imitate it.

In reality, Nen didn't know what the mark meant either; he was merely trying to see if he could interfere with the reinforcements. Once finished, he dispelled his clone.

"Konoha actually sent Shisui Uchiha!"

Elsewhere, the fleeing Nen received the information transmitted back after the clone was dispelled. I must shake off Kakashi and his team completely before Shisui arrives, otherwise, I won't be able to escape.

I have to defeat them here. Through his clone's reconnaissance, Nen realized that the sealing technique he had placed on Itachi had not yet been broken. For me, this is an opportunity.

Thinking this, Nen stopped running. He leaped onto a tree, turned around, and watched the figures of Kakashi and his team tracking him from afar with his Byakugan.

"Why stop running? Who exactly are you? And why do you possess the Byakugan?" Upon reaching Nen, Kakashi asked in a grave tone.

"I am a member of the Hyuga Clan. Isn't it normal for me to possess the Byakugan?" Nen looked at them, speaking in a matter-of-fact tone.

"But I have never seen you in Konoha. You are not one of us."

"Does having the Byakugan make one a person of Konoha? If that's the case, isn't your village being a bit too overbearing? Just because I have the Byakugan, I belong to you?" Nen countered with three consecutive questions.

"This..."

Stumped by Nen's words, Kakashi fell silent. "Since you refuse to tell the truth, we have no choice but to capture you. Move out!" After issuing the order to his team, Kakashi charged toward Nen.

Although Kakashi's actions and tone were decisive, he was inwardly miserable. If he could, he really didn't want to deal with this mess. He had seen too much darkness over the years, and his heart had long since grown numb.

If they hadn't happened to run into Nen, Kakashi would have stayed as far away from such matters as possible.

However, because it involved the Byakugan—a strategic weapon of the village—they had to investigate the matter thoroughly once discovered, or they would face punishment. While Kakashi didn't care for himself, he had to do it for the sake of his teammates.

Boom! Boom! The sounds of Explosive Tags detonating and the roar of ninjutsu echoed through the forest.

Dodging an attack, Nen leaped onto a tree and said to them, "Is that all you've got? If so, you won't be able to keep me here."

After the earlier skirmish, Nen had realized that with their current strength, it would be difficult for them to hold him back.

Under the gaze of his Byakugan, their tactics and methods were laid bare, making it difficult for them to be effective.

Itachi had already been struck by Nen's sealing technique and could not use crow-related ninjutsu, and Nen didn't fear his Genjutsu. Could he really defeat him with just Taijutsu or Ninjutsu?

The reason Nen didn't fear Genjutsu was a byproduct of his Cell Activation Forbidden Technique. He had placed a seal within his own body that operated automatically with minimal energy consumption; once he was attacked by Genjutsu, it would trigger instantly to disrupt the illusion.

"If that's all you're capable of, I suggest you run for your lives," Nen said coldly.

After saying this, Nen pulled a pale white sphere from his ninja tool pouch, with the character for "Light" written on it.

"Eat this, Flash Bomb!"

Before he even finished speaking, Nen hurled the Flash Bomb at them.