The woods on Back Mountain.
Chihane leaned against a small tree, watching Chiriku teach Itachi Taijutsu.
As Kakashi, Might Guy, and the others left one after another, the once-lively Back Mountain had grown much quieter.
Little Anko had finally gotten the barbecue she wanted that day, and after eating, she had insisted on pestering Chihane into playing with her all day.
Even after dark, she still wanted to sleep with Kurenai Yuhi. Left with no choice, Chihane had taken the two of them back to the Yuhi household before returning home to train.
The afternoon sunlight felt warm on his body. Chihane closed his eyes and recalled everything that had happened recently.
Many major events had taken place in the village lately, and Chihane had officially planted his first pawn in the Shinobi World.
Half a month ago, Obito Uchiha had defected shortly after recovering and leaving the hospital.
He had killed a fellow village ninja. Faced with conclusive evidence, he had refused to stand trial and fled overnight.
Given the severity of his crime and his strength, Konoha had classified him as an S-rank Rogue Ninja and issued its highest-level pursuit order.
According to the intelligence gathered by the ANBU, Obito had joined Amegakure's mysterious Akatsuki after defecting from Konoha.
Kakashi, who was far away on a mission in Iwagakure, had reacted strongly when he heard the news.
He had immediately dropped all his work, asked a Root ninja to deliver a letter to Chihane, and set off to find Obito.
Chihane felt helpless about that, too. After Obito's defection, not only Kakashi but even the usually obedient Might Guy, Genma Shiranui, and the others had acted out of character, requesting missions near the Land of Rain.
Since this concerned the village's strategic plans, Chihane could not tell