"Excuse me, is Xuanhui here?"
Ten days had passed since the jonin meeting ended.
Dan Katō had received a mission.
To the southwest of Konoha's encampment, a Hidden Sand Village force was approaching from the Land of Rivers to flank them.
The squad consisted of some of the Hidden Sand Village's elite, and they were moving fast.
Dan Katō had planned to take his own squad, as usual.
But at Tsunade's strong recommendation, he had decided to try asking Xuanhui.
"Dan? Are you here to team up with me?"
Dan Katō nodded and briefly described the mission.
"All right, let's go. Just the two of us."
Dan Katō hesitated.
"Should I bring my squad along?"
"Don't worry."
Dan Katō watched Xuanhui's eyes turn from black to bright red, with three tomoe swirling within them.
"The Sharingan? You're a child of the Uchiha Clan?"
"Not entirely. You're only a quarter right."
Xuanhui told him that he had ancestry from four clans.
Dan Katō fell silent after hearing that. Thinking it over, both Tsunade and Orochimaru had recommended him so strongly.
Perhaps he really did have something extraordinary to offer.
"All right. I trust you."
The two bumped fists to show they were on the same page.
"Xuanhui, I'll scout and kill the enemy. You protect my body."
"No, no. Just scout. I'll handle the killing."
Dan Katō glanced at Xuanhui, waiting to hear what he had in mind.
"Your Spirit Transformation Technique is considerably stronger than the Yamanaka Clan's secret techniques. It's better at sensing enemies and inflicts more damage on their minds.
But I have a faster way to kill."
At Xuanhui's signal, he let his soul leave his body and floated beside him, watching him work.
Xuanhui formed the Seal of the Dragon.
"Light Release: Illusion!"
Platinum light