Even so...
After the group had pursued them for roughly an hour, Neji still spotted the four of them three kilometers ahead through his Byakugan.
"Found them." Neji's piercing gaze passed through layer after layer of obstacles and settled on the four. "Aside from a barrel-shaped coffin, I can't see Sasuke."
Neji focused his gaze, trying to see through the barrel coffin and examine its contents.
After several attempts, however, Neji confirmed, "Just as Kiba said, Sasuke must be sealed inside."
"Mm, that's Neji for you." Rock Lee had stayed silent the whole way like a meek little wife, but seeing his teammate deliver, he couldn't help praising him.
"Naruto, what do we do?"
With the enemy's position confirmed, Shikamaru turned to Naruto.
"After them."
With that, Naruto took the lead, darting toward the enemy's position.
The others followed behind him, brimming with confidence.
In a forest clearing three kilometers away, Sakon and the other three panted heavily.
"Just our luck, running into a Konoha Jonin Squad."
"They weren't ordinary Jonin, either. That guy was a proctor during the Konoha Crush, wasn't he?"
"Hmph. His name's Genma Shiranui. He's an elite Jonin."
Tayuya gasped for breath. "We had no choice. Against someone that strong, we had to activate Curse Mark Stage Two briefly. Otherwise, once he held us up, we wouldn't have escaped."
Kidomaru leaned against a tree, panting. Just as he was about to speak, however, the five transparent threads attached to his right fingers trembled again.
Judging by the force and frequency of the vibrations, the enemy was nearby.
The four clearly worked together with exceptional coordination. The instant Kidomaru's expression changed, the others knew what had happened.
"Well, this is a surprise."
As those words fell, Neji's voice immediately rang out from the dense bushes around them.