Izuna's probe

Inside the cave, Ryuto peeled off the last dark gray weight patch and set it on the stone table.

He looked at the black scroll representing fivefold weight and left it untouched.

"There isn't much time," he murmured, walking to the cave entrance.

He extended his Ki Sense to its fullest, spreading it outward like ripples across water. Soon, he "saw" that familiar chakra signature at the foot of the mountain, approaching fast.

It was Rena.

Before long, Rena Uzumaki pushed aside the vines and ducked inside, carrying a cloth bundle, but her usual relaxed expression was gone.

"Mr. Ryuto!" She hurried over and set down the bundle, her voice a little urgent. "Mito asked me to tell you right away. According to the latest intelligence, the reconnaissance teams sent by the Uchiha have expanded their search area again!"

Ryuto turned around. "How far have they gotten?"

"They're almost... almost at the mountain region where we figured you first stayed." Rena looked at him. "They're asking very detailed questions-whether any villages took in a young outsider, and what happened to those villages afterward. Mito said they've probably already identified the general area and are narrowing it down. It won't be long before they find the village you lived in!"

Ryuto fell silent for a few seconds.

Yamano Tarō's face flashed through his mind. Though the village had long been deserted, it was his first home after coming to this world. These Uchiha really were digging deep.

"We can't let them get any closer," Ryuto said. "If they keep investigating, they might follow the clues all the way here, to your Uzumaki Clan grounds."

"That's what Mito thinks, too." Rena nodded. "She said the barrier around the clan grounds will keep us safe for now, but you absolutely shouldn't go out for a while. Keep your head down."

"Keep my head down?" Ryuto chuckled and shook his head. "I can hide for a while, but not forever. Since they're determined to find me, hiding here would only bring trouble to your doorstep."

"Then... what do we do?" Rena was a little flustered.

"I'll go out," Ryuto said calmly. "Draw them away. If I make them chase me, their attention will naturally shift away from the village and your clan grounds."

"No!" Rena objected at once. "It's too dangerous! The Uchiha must have sent plenty of people this time, and you're alone..."

"Alone, I can run fast." Ryuto cut her off and walked to the stone table, putting away the light gray and dark gray Weighted Scrolls and leaving only the black one untouched. "If I can't beat them, surely I can outrun them?"

"But..."

"Rena." Ryuto looked at her. "Do me a favor. After I leave, if I don't come back soon, don't look for me. Tell Mito thank you for looking after me all this time. Also, if I draw the Uchiha away, the pressure on your borders should ease a little. Use that time to strengthen your defenses."

Rena opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but swallowed her words when she saw the look in Ryuto's eyes. His gaze was resolute. She knew she couldn't persuade him.

"...Be careful." In the end, that was all she said.

"Don't worry." Ryuto patted her shoulder, then walked to the middle of the cave.

He took a deep breath, and the ki throughout his body began flowing, accelerating. More than half a month of weighted training had strengthened his physique considerably. Now, with every burden removed, his body felt almost weightless.

His Ki Sense swept the surrounding mountain forests like radar.

Found them.

Southeast, about two kilometers away, at the edge of the forest. Five chakra signatures were gathered together, moving slowly, as though searching for something. A typical reconnaissance team formation.

"I'm off," Ryuto told Rena.

The next second, he pushed off the ground.

Whoosh-

He had already vanished through the cave entrance, leaving only a gust of wind. Rena hadn't even seen how he got out.

At the edge of the forest.

Three Uchiha ninja were examining traces beneath a large tree, while two others kept watch nearby.

"Captain, there are signs of human activity nearby, no more than three days old," one ninja reported.

"Keep searching. Focus on caves or temporary camps," ordered the Uchiha jonin addressed as captain.

Suddenly, one of the lookouts barked, "Who's there!"

Everyone turned instantly, dropping into combat stances.

At some point, a figure had appeared on a nearby treetop. Black-haired and dressed in ordinary coarse cloth, he looked to be in his early twenties and was watching them.

"Hey, keeping busy?" Ryuto greeted them as casually as if he had run into neighbors at the village entrance.

"Who are you?" The captain watched him warily, his hand already reaching for his kunai. This man had appeared far too suddenly. He hadn't sensed any chakra fluctuations at all.

"Me? Just passing through." Ryuto jumped down from the treetop, landing lightly. "You've been wandering around here for ages. What are you looking for? Need a hand?"

"Enough nonsense!" A hot-tempered Uchiha ninja charged straight at him, thrusting his kunai at Ryuto's face.

Ryuto turned sideways, easily dodging, then struck the ninja's wrist with his palm.

Smack!

The kunai flew from his grip. The ninja felt his wrist go numb, and the force sent him stumbling several steps.

"Decent speed. A little short on strength," Ryuto remarked.

"Attack!" The captain hesitated no longer and gave the order.

The other four lunged at once, with shuriken, kunai, and hand seals forming for Fire Release.

Ryuto didn't meet them head-on. He pushed off lightly and drifted backward, his speed suddenly increasing as he left several afterimages among the trees.

"After him!" the captain shouted. This man was far too suspicious. That way of moving was nothing like an ordinary ninja's!

The five immediately gave chase.

Ryuto ran ahead, controlling his speed just right, neither letting them lose him nor allowing them to catch up. Occasionally, he turned to toss a small Ki Blast to disrupt them, or suddenly sped up to widen the gap, only to slow down again when they were about to give up.

Like an angler, he patiently played the five "fish" behind him.

Farther away, atop an exceptionally tall tree.

Uchiha Izuna stood quietly, his scarlet Sharingan rotating slowly as he took in the entire "chase" in the distance.

"Lord Izuna, should we order them to surround him?" an Uchiha jonin beside him asked quietly.

"No." Izuna spoke calmly. "Have the team keep chasing, but maintain their distance. Don't press him too hard."

"Yes."

Izuna kept his gaze fixed on Ryuto.

Fast. Far beyond the Body Flicker Technique of an average jonin. And he hasn't formed a single hand seal.

His bursts of energy are powerful. That strike that knocked away the kunai, and those golden energy blasts he occasionally turns to fire, both pack considerable power.

But...

"His tactics are immature," Izuna concluded. "His attempt to lure us is too obvious. He's deliberately leading our people in a particular direction."

"Then..."

"Interesting." The corners of Izuna's mouth lifted slightly. "If he wants to play, we'll play along. Tell the team to stop when they reach the valley ahead. Don't go any farther."

"And this man..."

"I'll follow him myself." With that, Izuna's body turned into a flock of crows and dispersed above the treetop.

Ryuto wove through the forest, his Ki Sense constantly monitoring what was behind him.

The rhythm of the five pursuers had changed. They had become somewhat hesitant, as though waiting for orders.

"Looks like the main player is coming." Ryuto knew what was happening.

He changed direction, rushing toward a valley with complex terrain that he had picked out earlier. Strewn with boulders and thick with trees, it was a suitable place for a "chat."

Just as he entered the valley, the five chakra signatures behind him stopped, advancing no farther.

Almost simultaneously, Ryuto sensed a stronger, more concealed chakra fluctuation lock firmly onto him, clinging like a deep-rooted affliction.

He stopped and turned around.

At the valley entrance, a figure slowly emerged from the shadows.

Black hair, Uchiha clan attire, a calm face, and a pair of scarlet Sharingan that stood out sharply in the somewhat dim light.

Uchiha Izuna.

Dozens of meters apart, the two looked at each other.

Izuna gave Ryuto a once-over and spoke. His voice wasn't loud, but carried clearly across the distance. "You run pretty fast."

Ryuto looked back at him. "You're not slow at chasing, either."

"That little performance was rather unconvincing," Izuna said. "Next time you want to lure someone, don't write 'I'm waiting for you' all over your face."

"First time. No experience." Ryuto shrugged. "I'll improve next time."

Izuna said nothing more. His Sharingan rotated slowly as he studied Ryuto carefully, especially the faint flow of energy around him, so different from chakra.

Ryuto didn't move either. Ki circulated steadily within his body, his senses fully extended as he watched for every tiny movement from his opponent.

Only the mournful sound of wind blowing through gaps in the rocks filled the valley.

The two simply stood there, neither making the first move.

Little by little, the air grew taut.