"Did you hear that? The Nine-Tails is right up ahead!"
Hidan charged toward the eastern outskirts, scythe in hand. The snap of dead branches beneath his feet rang clearly through the night.
Kakuzu did not follow immediately. He crumpled the training schedule into a ball, and black threads emerged from his sleeve to coil around a hidden clasp on a distant tree trunk.
Inside the clasp was a shift-change token belonging to an ordinary Konoha patrol.
The time, route, and password all matched.
But the more they matched, the more uneasy he felt.
Hidan had already charged some distance ahead. He turned back and cursed, "Kakuzu, keep dawdling, and the Nine-Tails' blood goes to Lord Jashin! I won't share the money for that Uchiha brat with you, either!"
Kakuzu crushed the shift-change token.
"Don't touch the Nine-Tails' blood. First, confirm whether it's a trap."
Hidan laughed, his shoulders shaking.
"You've lived this long just to become a coward?"
Kakuzu followed, his voice grim.
"I've lived this long because I never trust free intelligence."
Beneath the forestry grounds in Konoha's eastern outskirts, Sealing Squad ninja were burying the last Lightning Tag in the soil.
Kakashi crouched beside a tree root, pressing his fingers against the edge of an Array Disc.
"Group three, angle the Array Disc farther left. Don't let Hidan's scythe block his face."
Up in the canopy, Yamada Naoto nearly lost his grip.
"Captain Kakashi, we need a clear shot of his face, too?"
Kakashi looked up at him.
"Sasuke wants evidence of a crime, not a ghost story."
Not far away, Hiashi activated his Byakugan, his gaze piercing the layers of trees.
"The targets have entered the outer third ring. One is charging ahead, and the other is covering the rear. Their chakra reserves are substantial."
Neji stood