Pursuit of the Cloud Shinobi

"Pakkun! Can you track this Cloud Shinobi squad?"

Compared to Kato Osamu's sensory abilities, which could be used to avoid encounters in advance, Pakkun's sense of smell was far more suited to this kind of pursuit.

Obito Uchiha carried a scroll containing more than a dozen Konoha ninja corpses, his eyes full of expectation as he looked at Pakkun.

"That way!"

Pakkun kept sniffing the ground, then suddenly raised his head toward a dark, dense forest before taking off at the front of the group.

"Move!"

Obito had lost his usual chatter. His voice was low as he followed closely behind Pakkun.

"Obito, stay alert!"

Kakashi Hatake brought up the rear, while Kato Osamu and Rin Nohara followed behind Obito.

The wind swayed the high treetops, producing slow, heavy rustling sounds.

The four moved swiftly without exchanging a word. Kato Osamu could sense that Obito was like a volcano about to erupt, merely waiting for the right moment.

"A Cloud Shinobi squad capable of killing more than a dozen Konoha Chunin and Genin, even including two Jonin, must be one of their elite squads..."

"We might not be able to defeat them on our own..."

Rin's voice suddenly rang out, but as she looked at Obito charging ahead, as well as the expressionless Kakashi and Kato Osamu, her voice gradually grew quieter.

"Rin, take this. Carry it with you..."

"These people are already doomed..."

Kakashi took Minato Namikaze's specially made kunai from his clothes and handed it to Rin, anger faintly visible in his eyes.

"But..."

"Stop!"

"Take cover!"

Kato Osamu's voice cut off Rin before she could say anything else. The four quickly hid behind large trees.

The soul fluctuations he had sent out detected a four-man Cloud Shinobi squad concealed ahead.

"Enemies. Four in total, northeast, about one kilometer away..."

The four behind the trees communicated with hand signals.

"They're moving, but not very fast. They probably don't have a sensory ninja..."

The distant Cloud Shinobi squad maintained its original pace. Kato Osamu gestured to Kakashi, who nodded.

"Obito, Rin, infiltrate and intercept them..."

"Pakkun, go!"

Kakashi lightly waved his hand, and Pakkun vanished into the forest with Obito and Rin.

Kato Osamu glanced at Kakashi and understood that Kakashi was still wary of him. That was why he had not sent Kato Osamu, the most suitable person, ahead to precisely locate and intercept the Cloud Shinobi.

"You and I will circle around from behind..."

Kakashi drew his short blade and glanced at Kato Osamu before slowly speaking.

"Yes, Captain Kakashi..."

Kato Osamu followed behind Kakashi without expression. Shadows from the trees fell across his face, flickering between light and dark.

"It's them, the Cloud Shinobi from that hidden fortress!"

Pakkun lay on Obito's shoulder, lightly sniffed the air, and confirmed their identities.

"Looks like this area is under the responsibility of this Cloud Shinobi squad..."

"This is... perfect..."

Rin looked at Obito, who was gritting his teeth, unsure what to say. She merely tugged lightly on his arm.

"Rin, don't worry. I won't act recklessly..."

Hidden in the forest, Obito and Rin slowly advanced. Silvery wire behind them reflected the faint traces of sunlight.

This entire forest had been filled with traps.

After setting the traps, Rin and Obito hid in a corner of the woods, concealing their presence as they stared intently ahead. Several black dots moved through the distance toward them.

"Stop!"

The middle-aged man wearing a Cloud Shinobi forehead protector had thick sideburns along both cheeks. His remaining eye slanted across the surroundings while his fingers lightly stroked the goatee on his chin.

"Something feels wrong... Stay alert!"

The goateed leader spoke in a low voice. The two young ninja in their twenties and the seventeen- or eighteen-year-old girl behind him all drew their kunai and watched their surroundings warily.

The middle-aged Cloud Shinobi, who was in his thirties, had experienced the Second Shinobi World War. As a Jonin with abundant experience, he had already noticed something wrong from the faintest clues.

The lush forest sprawling across the mountains resembled a green sea, roaring beneath the gentle breeze.

The undergrowth blocked out much of the light, making the forest exceptionally dim. The occasional rays filtering down from the treetops only added a little brightness to it.

The four Cloud Shinobi stood back to back, constantly scanning their surroundings.

"Ono, hand me your sword..."

The young man named Ono slowly drew a long blade from behind his back. Its blade was straight and snow-bright, without the slightest nick. It was undoubtedly a fine sword.

The goateed Jonin held up the long sword and slightly adjusted its angle. Sunlight reflected from the blade, casting a beam directly into the forest.

The wire reflecting silvery light immediately stood out like fireflies in the night.

"Take cover! There really is an ambush..."

The goateed man quickly tossed the sword back to the young man, and the four quietly vanished into the forest.

Shuriken began flying from every direction like raindrops, hurtling into the concealed forest and destroying the traps within.

"Boom!"

The explosion tags shook the entire forest. Smoke spread through the air, trees snapped and crisscrossed, while dirt and shattered stones sprayed in every direction.

"Have Obito and the others already engaged the enemy..."

Kakashi heard the roar, and his heart sank. Chakra surged continuously beneath his feet, snapping tree after tree.

He no longer concealed himself. His speed became even more ferocious as he raced toward the explosion.

"Not yet. They're hidden well..."

Kato Osamu could sense that no one had yet exchanged blows. Obito and Rin were still far from the Cloud Shinobi.

"Secret Technique: Soul Firefly Technique!"

After rapidly forming hand seals, specks of fluorescent light flew toward every direction in the forest in an instant.

With his mental power strengthened once again, Kato Osamu could now shape this cluster of chakra fluorescence into the appearance of real insects, allowing them to lurk among the trees.

Before the chakra erupted, they were difficult to distinguish.

"Damn it! They saw through the traps..."

Obito and Rin hid behind a tree stump, which was already covered in shuriken.

"Rin, we need to hide!"

"Wait for Kakashi and Kato Osamu..."

No matter how furious Obito was, he knew his own strength. There was no hope for just him and Rin, especially since this group of Cloud Shinobi did not seem weak at all.

Kato Osamu, who had quietly arrived nearby, sensed the locations of the four Cloud Shinobi. The Soulfire Insects also slowly converged in their direction.

The goateed Jonin leaned against a large tree, warily watching his surroundings.

The tree behind him had already been silently covered with Soulfire Insects. Their grayish-brown bodies blended into the trunk, densely clustered together without making the slightest sound.

"It's too quiet..."

The silent forest filled the goateed man's face with gravity. The unknown always inspired unparalleled terror.

"Captain, watch your back!"

The suddenly shouted warning from the concealed girl sent a chill down the goateed man's spine.

He had not sensed any enemy presence!

"Explode!"

Kato Osamu gave a soft shout, and the hidden Soulfire Insects erupted instantly. A violent shockwave burst outward, followed by two muffled groans.

Kato Osamu and Kakashi rushed out at once, charging toward the Cloud Shinobi.

"Two at four o'clock, one at seven o'clock, one at twelve o'clock..."

"Lightning Release: Cellular Activation!"

The second before the Soulfire Insects exploded, sparks of lightning flashed across the goateed man's body.

After his body cells were activated, the goateed Jonin's defense and speed increased greatly. The shockwave did not cause him much harm.

"Daiko! Use Fire Release!"

Seeing more and more insects flying toward him, the goateed man shouted and spewed flames from his mouth.

"An insect tamer from Konoha's Aburame Clan?"

The flames continued pouring from the goateed man's mouth, but his heart sank slightly.

Konoha's Aburame Clan was also a renowned clan in the shinobi world. He understood how troublesome the Kikaichū were, and the appearance of insects capable of transmitting information and chakra meant their tracks had already been exposed.

"This is bad!"

"These aren't ordinary insects! Looks like we've encountered a Jonin from the Aburame Clan..."

The flames, which seemed capable of setting the entire forest ablaze, caused no harm whatsoever to the approaching insects.

The goateed Jonin quickly retreated, gradually leaving the Soulfire Insects' range of perception.

"Kakashi and the others are here!"

Obito, hidden in the forest, also heard the shockwave explosion. He exchanged a glance with Rin, and the two vanished from behind the tree stump.

"So they mistook me for someone from the Aburame Clan?"

Kato Osamu could see the movements of all four Cloud Shinobi. The Soulfire Insects hovering high in the air were like moving cameras, constantly relaying images of the Cloud Shinobi back to him.

"I'm still far inferior to a true member of the Aburame Clan..."

He thought of the youth who had inspired him to develop this ninjutsu. Nanometer-scale Phosphorus Destruction Insects could silently enter the human body and cause it to collapse directly at the cellular level. Those were their true nightmare, even if they possessed Lightning Release: Cellular Activation.

"Kakashi, the Jonin is yours..."

"Obito and Rin have already engaged the other two Chunin..."

Kato Osamu looked at the smoke that was slowly dispersing and smiled faintly.

"You chose the one who looked weakest?"

"That really doesn't seem like Root's style at all..."

"Perhaps. Let me remind you, Captain Kakashi, that Jonin won't be easy to deal with..."

Kakashi really did know his identity. It seemed Minato was not as naïve as he appeared. At the very least, he could see some things beneath the surface.

Without saying anything further to Kakashi, Kato Osamu pushed off the ground and vanished from sight.

"I'll be watching you, Kato Osamu..."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes slightly as he watched Kato Osamu disappear, then flashed away as well.

"Rin! They're already injured..."

Without the Cloud Shinobi girl's sharp senses or the Jonin's speed, the two young Cloud Shinobi had not been nearly as fortunate when the Soulfire Insects exploded.

Though a single Soulfire Insect was nearly powerless, the large cluster of them had inflicted considerable damage.

Their bleeding arms and torn backs left the two young Cloud Shinobi drenched in sweat from pain before they could even move.

"I'll teach you a lesson... you bastards!"

Obito rushed forward almost immediately, separating the two Cloud Shinobi.

He gripped a kunai in his right hand and slashed out like lightning, smashing it against the young Cloud Shinobi's raised elbow. His left hand clenched into a fist and struck toward the Cloud Shinobi's neck.

His unstoppable momentum made the injured Cloud Shinobi's heart sink.

"Lightning Release: Earth Walk!"

Forced back by Obito, the Cloud Shinobi could not help directly using ninjutsu.

In battles between ordinary ninja, most relied on taijutsu. Ninjutsu was used only as a trump card, and unless necessary, they would not casually expend chakra on such draining techniques.

Enduring the pain in his body, the Cloud Shinobi Chunin rapidly formed hand seals and slapped one palm against the ground, causing a broad field of lightning to flare up.

Obito leaped lightly, avoiding the oncoming electric light. He flashed behind the Cloud Shinobi, both hands clenched into fists.

As though carrying all his fury, Obito's eyes locked onto the Cloud Shinobi's injured back.

"Die!"

His fist, clenched white, collided with the Cloud Shinobi's mangled back. Spraying blood splattered onto Obito's side.

The Cloud Shinobi's body was blasted far away, smashing through countless branches.

The Cloud Shinobi who landed on the ground seemed to freeze for an instant, then his whole body arched as he spat out a mouthful of blood.

The excruciating pain made his entire body tremble.

"Poof!"

Before Obito could pursue, smoke flashed, leaving only a chunk of broken wood on the ground.

"You can't run!"

The instant his fist touched the Cloud Shinobi's back, Obito's lips had curled into a smile. He knew that had been the Cloud Shinobi's real body.

The injured Cloud Shinobi had not had time to use the Substitution Technique before the attack landed!

Obito moved beneath his feet and leaped high into the air. Power surged through his four fingers as the Uchiha Style: Throwing Technique sent four shuriken flying like a gale toward a corner of the forest.

The shuriken collided in midair, completely sealing off every route for the Cloud Shinobi hidden behind the tree stump.

"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"

The four shuriken multiplied into countless copies in an instant, bombarding the corner behind the stump like missiles. The ground itself seemed to have been blasted through as thick smoke billowed up.

"Yuta!"

The Cloud Shinobi still fighting Rin saw the scene as well.

The death of his companion quickly turned his eyes bloodshot. Blood dripped from his lowered arm, but at this moment, the injury seemed to have no effect at all.

"How dare you! You killed Yuta!"

The injured Cloud Shinobi suddenly crouched, then shot upward like a soaring dragon.

Massive amounts of chakra clung to his feet as he kicked off fiercely. His feet stamped two deep prints into the thick trunk, launching his body like a cannonball straight toward Rin as lightning flared over his body.

"Die together, you damned Konoha ninja!"

"Lightning Release: Lightning Storm!"

"Watch out, Rin!"

Obito turned just in time to see it, and his heart nearly burst with terror. Forgetting his own safety, he sprang forward and threw himself over Rin.

"Wind Release: Wind Cutter..."

With his vision already filled with blinding white light, Obito used his final moments to spit a blade of wind at the tree beside them. Then he desperately clutched Rin, using every part of his body to shield her completely.

The mountains and forest collapsed, the earth shattered, and the entire jungle turned into layer upon layer of charred ruin. Wisps of smoke rose from the blackened trees.

Blood-red rain fell from the sky. Chunks of scorched flesh and blood mixed with charcoal debris rained down upon every fractured patch of earth.

"Cough, cough..."

Obito and Rin were sheltered beneath a massive tree trunk. The completely charred trunk crumbled into black ash over Obito's face, making his original features utterly unrecognizable.

"Rin! Are you all right?!"

This was the first time Obito had ever been so close to Rin, their bodies pressed tightly together. But at this moment, Obito's heart was filled only with panic as he trembled and slowly reached for her neck...

"Obito..."

"Thank you..."

Rin opened her eyes and gently took Obito's hand. Looking at his ash-covered face, she smiled.

"Obito, you're my hero!"

Obito's blackened face turned a dark, reddish black as though he were drunk, and he seemed slightly dazed.

"Whoosh..."

A kunai suddenly flew out, shattering the tender moment.

The kunai came from an exceptionally tricky angle, like a venomous snake lying in wait before striking with fatal precision at the back of Obito's neck.

"Watch out, Obito!"

Using all her strength, Rin suddenly rolled over and shoved Obito away. The kunai grazed past her ear by a hair's breadth, slicing off several strands of her hair before burying itself deep in the earth behind her, leaving only a gust of cold wind by her ear.

"What?!"

Obito froze, then spun around warily and placed himself in front of Rin. Yet the sight before him left him stunned.

Sitting amid the ashes not far away was the Cloud Shinobi Chunin who had fought Obito earlier.

His entire body now looked like charcoal, like a dried corpse. His carbonized skin had completely cracked during that last movement, and blood slowly flowed from his body, forming a brilliant patch of red upon the black earth.

His eyes were wide open. Amid his scorched body, only a pair of crimson eyes remained, fixed dead on Obito.

They carried intense unwillingness and hatred, like sharp icicles radiating cold as they pierced Obito's chest.

Obito felt as though that chill had clogged his throat, leaving him unable to say a word.

Under Obito and Rin's gaze, his charred hand slowly rose and pressed against the side of his head.

Using the last of his strength, he spat out a mouthful of blood.

Bang!

His charred head exploded like a cannonball, white brain matter splattering across Obito's face.

Obito gently touched his cheek.

The breeze blew across his face, but it carried bone-piercing cold, and tiny goosebumps instantly rose all over his body.