"I think I heard something."
While Gua was checking his panel, he suddenly heard Itachi speak beside him.
Gua dismissed the panel,
and looked around,
but saw no one.
Itachi and Kabuto had both tensed up, ready for battle.
Apparently, while he had been distracted, Itachi and Kabuto had already pinpointed the enemy's direction.
Gua exchanged a glance with the two of them.
Once again, Kabuto took the direct approach.
Gua and Itachi immediately scattered to either side.
Kabuto stared warily behind a nearby house, then slowly approached.
By then,
Gua had already leaped onto the roof. Just as he was about to look down,
a kunai came from behind and pressed against his neck.
Gua froze for a moment.
When had I been spotted?
"Turn around!"
The man's voice was low.
Gua had no choice but to turn around.
The instant he did, he understood how the man had discovered him.
Those eyes.
They were the Byakugan!
Gua let out a long breath.
With his current taijutsu, an ordinary person shouldn't have been able to detect him. If it was the Byakugan, though, that made sense.
Gua had thought
someone on Pain's level had cornered him.
That gave me a scare.
After seeing Gua's face, the man with the Byakugan also paused.
"Uchiha Gua?"
Gua: ...
All right.
I'll admit I'm a little famous.
Wherever he went, someone could identify him at first glance.
"And you are?"
Even without asking, Gua had already guessed that the man belonged to one of the three Jonin teams patrolling the outer perimeter.
Still, he asked out of courtesy.
The man put away his kunai and whistled down below.
Then,
the two Shinobi below stepped out as well,
meeting Kabuto and Itachi, who had been about to circle around behind them.
Only then