Uchiha Shisui

After a period of time.

Footsteps echoed outside the cave, and a Uchiha clansman with thick eyebrows and large eyes walked in. He had a bulbous nose; this man was none other than Shisui.

Upon entering the cave, Shisui saw the miserable state of Kakashi and Itachi. He rushed to their sides to assess their injuries.

"Your limbs have been broken, and you've sustained other serious injuries. Itachi, Kakashi, are you two alright now?"

Hearing Shisui's words, Kakashi did not speak, merely shaking his head.

"Brother Shisui, I am fine, just a few injuries," Itachi said, glancing at Shisui before lowering his head.

"Let me treat them; I know a bit of medical ninjutsu," one of the two Anbu members following Shisui said, stepping forward to begin treatment.

After a preliminary examination, the Anbu frowned. "Their limbs are broken, Kakashi's sternum is fractured, and Itachi has severe bruising on his abdomen. The situation is quite troublesome!"

After a long while, the Anbu wiped the sweat from his temples and ceased his treatment.

"I have provided basic care for their wounds, but their chakra has been sealed by the Gentle Fist. I have no good way to undo it; we can only wait for it to recover naturally after some time."

The Anbu stood up and turned to speak to Shisui.

"I understand. Thank you for your trouble." Hearing this, Shisui nodded to him before turning his gaze back to Kakashi and Itachi.

"Kakashi, Itachi, what exactly is the situation? What happened? How did you end up like this?"

Shisui asked in a grave tone.

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

Even after treatment, Kakashi still looked weak, answering Shisui's question with a listless voice.

"Brother Shisui, this is all my fault. I was the one who suggested that Captain Kakashi initiate the pursuit. I should have waited for your reinforcements before taking action."

Itachi glanced at Shisui, then lowered his head again.

Seeing Itachi's self-reproach, Shisui said nothing, instead asking Kakashi and Itachi for detailed information regarding Hyuuga Nen—his strength, age, appearance, and so on.

"You're saying this Hyuuga clansman is also highly skilled in Sealing Formula, correct, Itachi?"

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

He stepped forward to examine Itachi's arm, then shook his head. "I cannot handle this, as I am not proficient in sealing techniques."

"I can handle this seal, but it will take a few hours," Kakashi interjected.

"However, our first priority is to confirm where our enemy has fled." With that, Kakashi unfolded a map and spread it out on the ground.

"We are currently in the Land of Tea, which is almost the southernmost point of this continent. If this Hyuuga clansman intends to flee, it is unlikely he would head south, as the countries to the south are very small and offer no place to hide."

Kakashi then pointed his finger to the north of the Land of Tea. "To the north of the Land of Tea lies our Land of Fire. I don't think he would head north either, so there is a high probability he is fleeing either west or east."

Shisui and Itachi sat around Kakashi, nodding in agreement as they heard his analysis.

"So now we must determine whether our enemy headed east or west. Do you have any thoughts?" Kakashi asked, scanning the people around him.

At this moment, Shisui pulled two portraits from his robes and placed them before the group, then said:

"These are urgent messages sent to me by the Hokage while I was on my way here. These are the false identities the person we are pursuing has used previously."

"As you said, this Hyuuga clansman is not only powerful but also very cunning. I found a very similar mark at the inn where you left your signs; it must have been left there to mislead us."

As he said this, the expression beneath Shisui's mask turned grim.

Hearing Shisui's words, Kakashi and the others were shocked, their complexions turning even worse than before.

"He is far more troublesome than I imagined. We must be extremely careful!" Kakashi warned.

Itachi picked up the two portraits. "The Land of Sea. The first place he appeared was the Land of Sea. Is it possible he might cross the ocean to return there?"

Shisui did not answer this question, but continued:

"This intelligence came from the black market. It is said to be information provided by the rogue ninja from the Waterfall Hidden Village, Kakuzu. This means that not only our Konoha, but the other four great nations are now aware of this Hyuuga clansman's existence."

"This is trouble! Under these circumstances, it will surely attract ninjas from the other four great nations. It seems conflict is unavoidable." Kakashi sighed, feeling a sense of gravity.

Although Kakashi and the others found it strange that Kakuzu would do such a thing, they had no spare time to dwell on it.

"Therefore, we must resolve this as quickly as possible before things spiral out of control. Otherwise, the ninja world, which has been peaceful for a long time, will see conflict erupt once again."

"Also, I believe it is possible he fled to the Land of Sea," Itachi said.

Hearing Itachi's words, Kakashi shook his head. "There is a vast ocean between the Land of Tea and the Land of Sea. If he is caught by the enemy during that journey, it would be extremely dangerous. I don't think it's likely he would go to the Land of Sea."

"On the contrary, if he heads northwest to the Land of Rivers, the distance he would need to cross the sea would be much shorter. Therefore, I think the possibility of him heading to the Land of Rivers is higher," Kakashi stated his view.

"But the Land of Rivers is surrounded by the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire, and it is not very large. I don't think it is very likely he would go there," Itachi offered his opinion.

Hearing Itachi's words, Kakashi frowned, feeling that Itachi also made a valid point. For a moment, they could not determine which direction Hyuuga Nen had taken.

The Anbu members discussed it for a while, but none could come up with an answer that convinced everyone.

"So what should we do now? Should we split into two teams and head to the Land of Rivers and the Land of Sea respectively?" Itachi asked.

"Let's send a message to the Hokage first. We will collectively decide on one direction to pursue, and leave the rest to the Hokage," Kakashi proposed.

Since all of their supplies had been destroyed, they had to borrow paper and a pen from Shisui and his team.

As Kakashi wrote the letter, he pondered whether to request that the Hokage send Tenzo to support them. However, he then realized that since information about Hyuuga Nen had already leaked, it was highly likely to attract ninjas from other major nations.

Tenzo is the only survivor of Konoha's Wood Release experiments and the only ninja capable of using Wood Release since the First Hokage, yet all information regarding him is kept highly classified.

Every mission Tenzo carries out involves either capturing or silencing the enemy to prevent any information leaks. Considering that ninjas from other great nations might appear, Kakashi thought it over but ultimately decided against requesting the Hokage to send Tenzo as their support.

"If there is any chakra left behind by the enemy, I can track the scent of his chakra through my Kikaichū," said one of Shisui's other teammates, a member of the Aburame Clan.

Upon hearing the Aburame clan member speak, Kakashi and the others finally noticed this individual, whose presence had been remarkably low.

"He left a Sealing Formula on me. Do you think you can track him with this?" As he said this, Itachi Uchiha stepped forward and revealed the Sealing Formula on his arm.

The Aburame clan member did not speak; he simply summoned a Kikaichū, which flew onto Itachi Uchiha's arm.

Soon, the Kikaichū flew out of the cave and began circling toward the northwest.

"The scent of the chakra the enemy left in the air is about to dissipate. Fortunately, we made it just in time; he headed in the northwest direction."

Hearing this, Kakashi and the others felt quite encouraged.

"My Kikaichū tells me that the enemy's chakra is very powerful and delicious; it is extremely happy!" the Aburame clan member remarked at that moment.

However, Kakashi and the others had already shifted their attention to the direction in which Hyuuga Nen had fled and were busy discussing it, so no one noticed what the Aburame clan member had said.

Faced with this, the Aburame clan member said nothing, merely watching his Kikaichū quietly with a faint smile on his lips.

But in that very instant, the Kikaichū suddenly dropped to the ground, its life extinguished. The Aburame clan member crouched down to examine it, and after a long while, he stood back up.

"This enemy's chakra is 'poisonous'!" he said, sounding somewhat fearful.

Hearing this, Kakashi and the others finally snapped to attention, their expressions turning grave.

After a long silence, Kakashi said, "This Hyuuga clansman's Gentle Fist is very different. We cannot engage him in close-quarters combat, or we will likely be taken down by him in an instant."

Upon hearing the warning from Kakashi and the others, Shisui and his team nodded heavily.

After writing the letter, Kakashi tied it to the leg of the crow summoned by Shisui Uchiha, gave it a gentle toss with both hands, and the crow took flight into the sky.

Following a final discussion, Kakashi and the others decided to set off for the Land of Rivers.

"How much combat strength do you all have left right now?"

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

Hearing Shisui Uchiha's question, Kakashi shook his head. "Our bones have only just been set; we are in no condition to engage in intense combat. We will have to rely on you for now, Shisui."

"Rest assured, I will take good care of you all during this time." Having said that, Shisui flashed a smile.