Shisui Uchiha

After some time.

Footsteps sounded outside the cave, and a broad-browed, wide-eyed Uchiha walked in. He had a round, dumpling-like nose. This was Shisui Uchiha.

As soon as he entered the cave, Shisui Uchiha saw the sorry state Kakashi, Itachi, and the others were in. He hurried over and checked their injuries.

"Your arms and legs are broken, and you've suffered serious injuries elsewhere, too. Itachi, Kakashi, are you all right?"

At Shisui Uchiha's words, Kakashi said nothing and merely shook his head.

"Shisui, I'm fine. I'm just a little hurt." Itachi Uchiha glanced at Shisui Uchiha, then lowered his head as he spoke.

"Let me treat them. I know a little Medical Ninjutsu," said one of the two Anbu who had followed Shisui Uchiha. He stepped forward and began treating Kakashi and the others.

After an initial examination, the Anbu frowned. "Their arms and legs are broken, Kakashi's sternum is fractured, and Itachi has severe bruising on his abdomen. This is going to be difficult!"

After quite some time, the Anbu wiped the sweat from the sides of his head and finally stopped treating them.

"I've given them basic treatment, but the chakra in their bodies has been blocked by Gentle Fist. I don't have a good solution. We can only wait for them to recover naturally."

The Anbu stood up, turned to Shisui Uchiha, and spoke.

"Understood. Sorry for the trouble." Shisui Uchiha nodded at the Anbu's words, then looked toward Kakashi and the others.

"Kakashi, Itachi, what exactly happened? What's going on? How did you end up like this?"

Shisui Uchiha asked them in a grave tone.

"We misjudged the enemy's strength. He was incredibly powerful, and the three of us were defeated in a very short time."

Although he had received treatment, Kakashi still looked weak. He answered Shisui Uchiha's question in a feeble voice.

"Shisui, this was all my fault. I suggested that Captain Kakashi pursue him right away. I should have waited for your backup before taking action."

Itachi Uchiha glanced at Shisui, then lowered his head again.

Seeing Itachi Uchiha blaming himself, Shisui Uchiha said nothing. Instead, he asked Kakashi and the others for detailed information about Hyuuga Nen, including his strength, age, and appearance.

"So this Hyuga Clan member is also skilled in Sealing Techniques, is that right, Itachi?"

Looking at the Sealing Formula on Itachi Uchiha's exposed arm, Shisui Uchiha frowned.

Shisui Uchiha stepped forward and examined Itachi Uchiha's arm, then shook his head. "I can't do anything about this. I'm not skilled in Sealing Techniques."

"I can remove the Sealing Technique, but it'll take a few hours," Kakashi interjected.

"But first, we need to confirm where our enemy fled." With that, Kakashi opened a map, spread it out, and laid it on the ground.

"We're in the Land of Tea, which is almost at the southernmost end of this continent. If this Hyuga Clan member is trying to escape, he probably won't head south, since the countries to the south are all tiny, with nowhere to hide."

Then Kakashi pointed north of the Land of Tea. "The Land of Fire is north of the Land of Tea. I don't think he'd head north, either, so he's most likely fleeing west or east."

Shisui Uchiha, Itachi Uchiha, and the others gathered around Kakashi. They listened to his analysis and nodded in agreement.

"So now we need to figure out whether our enemy went east or west. What do you think?" After saying this, Kakashi looked around at the others.

Shisui Uchiha took two portraits from inside his vest and held them out to everyone. Then he said:

"On my way here, Lord Hokage sent me an urgent message. These are the false identities our target used before."

"Based on what you've told me, this Hyuga Clan member is not only powerful but also extremely cunning. At the inn where you left your mark, I found a very similar one. He must have left it there to mislead us."

As he spoke, Shisui Uchiha's expression beneath his mask grew grave.

At Shisui Uchiha's words, Kakashi and the others were taken aback, their expressions turning even darker.

"He's even more troublesome than I thought. We need to be extremely careful," Kakashi warned.

Itachi Uchiha picked up the two portraits. "The Land of Sea—he first appeared there. Is it possible he'll cross the sea and return to the Land of Sea?"

Shisui Uchiha didn't answer. Instead, he continued:

"This information came from the Black Market. Apparently, it was provided by Kakuzu, a missing-nin from Takigakure. That means the other four great nations now know about this Hyuga Clan member, not just Konoha."

"This is bad. Under these circumstances, we're bound to attract shinobi from the other great nations. It looks like conflict is inevitable again." Kakashi sighed, his voice tinged with regret.

Although Kakashi and the others wondered why Kakuzu had done this, they didn't have time to think about it now.

"So we need to deal with this before things get out of control. Otherwise, the Shinobi World, which has been peaceful for a long time, will be plunged into conflict again."

"Also, I think he might have fled to the Land of Sea," Itachi Uchiha said.

At Itachi Uchiha's words, Kakashi shook his head. "There's a vast sea between the Land of Tea and the Land of Sea. It would be extremely dangerous if the enemy caught up with him along the way, so I don't think he'd go there."

"By contrast, if he headed northwest to the Land of Rivers, he'd have a much shorter stretch of sea to cross. So I think it's more likely he went to the Land of Rivers," Kakashi said, offering his opinion.

"But the Land of Rivers is surrounded by the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire, and it isn't very large. I don't think there's much chance he'd go there," Itachi Uchiha countered.

At Itachi Uchiha's words, Kakashi furrowed his brow. Itachi had a point, and for a moment, they couldn't determine which direction Hyuuga Nen had gone.

The Anbu members discussed the matter for a while, but couldn't come up with an answer that convinced everyone.

"So what do we do now? Split into two teams and head to the Land of Rivers and the Land of Sea?" Itachi Uchiha asked.

"Let's send a message to Lord Hokage first. We'll agree on one direction and pursue him together. We'll leave everything else to Lord Hokage," Kakashi suggested.

All three of them had lost their supplies, so they had to borrow paper and a pen from Shisui Uchiha and his team.

As Kakashi wrote the message, he considered asking the Hokage to send Tenzo to support them. But then he remembered that information about Hyuuga Nen had already leaked, and there was a strong chance shinobi from other great nations would show up.

Tenzo was the only survivor of Konoha's Wood Release experiments. He was also the only shinobi besides the First who could use Wood Release, but all information about him was highly classified.

Every enemy encountered on Tenzo's missions was either captured or silenced to prevent word from getting out. Considering that shinobi from other great nations might appear, Kakashi thought it over and ultimately decided not to ask the Hokage to send Tenzo.

"If there's any chakra left behind by the enemy, I can track its scent with my Kikaichū," said another member of Shisui's team, a member of the Aburame Clan.

At the Aburame Clan member's words, Kakashi and the others finally noticed the inconspicuous Aburame Clan member.

"He left a Sealing Formula on me. Can you track him with this?" As he spoke, Itachi Uchiha stepped forward and exposed the Sealing Formula on his arm.

The Aburame Clan member said nothing. He simply summoned a Kikaichū, which flew onto Itachi Uchiha's arm.

The Kikaichū soon flew out of the cave and circled in the northwest direction.

"The chakra scent the enemy left in the air is about to disappear. Fortunately, we caught it just in time. He went northwest."

At these words, Kakashi and the others were greatly encouraged.

"The Kikaichū tells me the enemy's chakra is powerful and delicious. It's very happy!" the Aburame Clan member said.

But Kakashi and the others were now focused on the direction Hyuuga Nen had fled, and began discussing it. No one noticed what the Aburame Clan member had said.

The Aburame Clan member didn't say anything, either. He simply watched the Kikaichū on his hand in silence, the corners of his mouth lifting in a faint smile.

But at that very moment, the Kikaichū suddenly fell to the ground and died. The Aburame Clan member crouched down to examine it. A long while passed before he finally stood up.

"This enemy's chakra is 'poisonous'!" he said fearfully.

At these words, Kakashi and the others finally realized what had happened, their expressions turning grave.

After a long pause, Kakashi said, "This Hyuga Clan member's Gentle Fist is unusual. We can't fight him at close range, or he could take us down in an instant."

At Kakashi and the others' warning, Shisui and the rest nodded solemnly.

After finishing the message, Kakashi tied it to the leg of the crow Shisui Uchiha had summoned. He tossed it gently into the air, and the crow soared skyward.

After one final discussion, Kakashi and the others decided to head for the Land of Rivers.

"How much fighting strength do you have left?"

As they ran toward the Land of Rivers, Shisui Uchiha asked Kakashi and the others.

At Shisui Uchiha's question, Kakashi shook his head. "Our bones have only just been set. We can't fight at full strength yet. We'll have to rely on you for now, Shisui."

"Don't worry. I'll take care of you during this time." Shisui smiled as he said this.