There was no need for precise tracking.
The tracker behind him would therefore never come within Kei's sensory range. All he needed to do was trail farther behind and determine the general direction Kei was heading.
Under these circumstances.
Kei, still focused on his own mission, truly could not pick up even the slightest additional information.
He simply kept his head down and pressed onward.
After spending nearly two hours.
Kei finally skirted the area where the fighting was clearly fiercest, making his way from the western side of the forest to its southeastern corner.
It should be somewhere around here, right? Now I need to search... hmm? Is it here!?
Kei stood on a rather thick tree branch. After sweeping his gaze around, he seemed to notice something.
A trace of delight flashed across his brow, and he leaped.
He headed straight down into a patch of bushes.
Gently parting them, Kei revealed a look of pleasure when he saw the special coded mark inscribed inside.
Looks like my luck really is pretty good. I just arrived, and I can already pin down the target. Hmm, let me see. This coded mark should mean this, so that puts it at eight o'clock, and I should be able to narrow the straight-line distance down to within two kilometers!
Kei checked it against the intelligence recorded on the mission scroll.
At the same time, he looked up to examine the surrounding terrain. After confirming the general direction, he nodded.
Whoosh!
He leaped away, flashing toward his chosen destination.
The mission was progressing very smoothly. As long as he obtained that last mission item, he would definitely be able to complete his assessment mission before dusk arrived.
But often, when nothing was supposed to go wrong, something would go wrong at the very last moment!
Kei continued advancing as he searched.
After covering only a short distance toward the mission item's location indicated by the coded mark, he picked up faint vibrations traveling through the air.
"Hmm!? Someone got there first!?"
Kei sensed that someone had already appeared ahead of him.
This discovery.
Brought a slight hesitation to Kei's heart. According to his original plan, he naturally hoped to avoid running into anyone during the mission.
Since his assessment mission did not require him to deal with other examinees, actively making enemies was not particularly rational.
But the biggest difference here was that the number of final mission items was extremely limited. If he chose to give up here, he would still risk finding nothing in the other areas.
Thus, after only an instant, Kei cut off that hesitation himself. He had to obtain this final mission item!
In less than a few seconds.
Kei made up his mind.
Whoosh!
His chakra surged further.
His body jolted into motion.
He sped toward the direction those faint vibrations came from.
And just as Kei was racing forward.
All of a sudden.
The faint vibrations traveling through the air grew increasingly intense. When they reached a critical point, two presences entered Kei's sensory range, one after the other.
"What is this!?"
The distance and angle left him no time to evade.
In less than a few seconds.
A graceful figure dressed in blue and white came into Kei's view. With just one glance, Kei recognized her. It was Minazuki Ranne, who had enrolled alongside him three years ago. She was a year older, had been assigned to a different class, and likewise came from the Yuki Clan.
Though they were hardly close, they were peers, after all, and Kei knew a certain amount about this older clanswoman of his. She was one of the relatively rare women in their Yuki Clan with a particularly strong-willed personality. Whether in the clan or at the Ninja Academy, from what Kei knew, Minazuki Ranne had always held herself to the highest standards.
The image she presented to others was always so resolute and tenacious.
She never allowed herself any disgraceful, embarrassing displays.
With such a distinct and strong sense of self.
She naturally paid even greater attention to maintaining her outward appearance. Yet at this very moment, the older clanswoman who came into Kei's view looked utterly bedraggled. Not only were her beautiful clothes in tatters, but several vivid red wounds marked her body, and the blood spilling from them had already stained most of her dress.
Her deathly pale complexion and greatly weakened presence.
Were enough to prove just how terrible his older clanswoman's condition was. In that blood-drenched state, her life could very well be in danger if the bleeding was not stopped and her wounds treated promptly, to say nothing of the other terrifying presence following close behind.
It was clearly pursuing Minazuki Ranne to kill her.
Normally, given Kei's personality, he would naturally avoid trouble like this whenever possible, keeping himself out of needless danger as much as he could.
But first, at the moment Kei saw Ranne, Ranne had clearly noticed him too. In that instant, a look of great surprise and delight appeared in the depths of her beautiful eyes. As her graceful figure accelerated toward him, Kei could no longer avoid her.
Second, and most importantly, Kei was ultimately not a heartless person. No matter what, Minazuki Ranne was his own clanswoman and blood relative. Moreover, from their limited past interactions, Kei knew very well that this older clanswoman of his merely had a somewhat strong-willed personality. He could not quite bring himself to watch Ranne fall into danger and leave her to die.
Thus, in those brief few seconds, Kei swiftly made up his mind.
Whoosh.
His figure leaped up.
"Ranne!"
He went straight to meet Minazuki Ranne as she approached.
"Kei-kun."
Just after the two exchanged their greetings, the fierce pursuer behind her.
Also came into Kei's view.
The moment he saw that distinctive shark face, Kei's pupils abruptly contracted, and a look of astonishment appeared on his face.
Kisame Hoshigaki.
A name surfaced in Kei's mind.
That was right!
The somewhat burly figure who appeared before Kei at this moment was Kisame Hoshigaki, one of Kirigakure's notorious missing-nin in the original story, also known as the Tailed Beast Without a Tail!
Others might be hard to recognize, but Kisame Hoshigaki's distinctive shark face was simply far too conspicuous!
It could be said that the shock deep within Kei upon seeing that the person pursuing his older clanswoman was actually Kisame Hoshigaki was easy to imagine.
Such an unexpected turn of events.
Truly had not been within Kei's earlier expectations.
I'm actually taking the assessment in the same year as this guy!? And we just happened to run into each other, too!
Kei looked at Kisame Hoshigaki opposite him, whose expression was one of utter indifference, and grumbled inwardly with a touch of helplessness.