"Konoha's Jōnin have basically all left the village. The remaining ninja are already struggling just to keep the village secure!"
"Maybe they won't even send a pursuit squad after us!"
Kidōmaru's tone was casual, but Sasuke Uchiha only sneered.
"Do you really think Konoha has no powerful shinobi left?"
"No Jōnin doesn't mean no strength."
Kidōmaru frowned, puzzled. "What, you mean they've got some secret unit or something?"
Sasuke's eyes narrowed.
"No… but if those few are sent out — even if they're only Genin — they shouldn't be underestimated."
"Genin?"
The Sound Four exchanged glances, clearly confused as to why Sasuke would take mere Genin seriously.
Meanwhile, behind them, Nara Shikamaru and his team were closing in.
As soon as they'd left Konoha, Shikamaru had begun sprinting toward a specific direction without hesitation. Hyuuga Neji and Akimichi Chōji followed close behind, while Aburame Shino had joined them at Shikamaru's request — his clan's insects were perfect for tracking.
Once Shino's insects locked onto Sasuke's trail, Shikamaru immediately ordered the group to move at full speed.
After nearly half an hour of nonstop running, Neji finally spoke up, breathing heavily.
"Shikamaru, if this direction's wrong, we'll have wasted all this time for nothing."
Shikamaru didn't even slow down.
"No — this direction's definitely right."
Shino adjusted his glasses. "Neji, trust my jutsu. The insects don't make mistakes."
Neji shook his head.
"It's not about your jutsu. There are ways to mislead your insects — for example, having someone else carry Sasuke's clothes and run another way."
"They won't do that."
Shikamaru's voice carried absolute certainty.
"Why not?" Neji pressed. "If it were me, I would."
"Because they don't need to."
Shikamaru glanced back at him.
"Sasuke's defecting, and Konoha doesn't have many powerful ninja left right now. Who can say for sure they could beat him one-on-one?"
He continued, eyes sharp and calculating.
"You all saw him during the Chūnin Exams — you know how strong he is. Even against a Jōnin, Sasuke's confident he could win. He wouldn't bother with decoys."
"Besides, Orochimaru's people are on their way to meet him. With reinforcements coming, Sasuke has no reason to hide — he just needs to reach them as fast as possible."
Shikamaru pointed ahead.
"The fastest route out of the Land of Fire is this way. And since Shino's insects confirm it, I'm certain this is the right path."
Neji frowned, but after a moment of thought, he found Shikamaru's reasoning sound.
Shikamaru smirked faintly. "Good. Then we'll pick up the pace. I know a few shortcuts they probably don't."
He veered right at a fork in the forest path.
Although Sasuke's group was fast, they were sticking to main roads — straightforward but predictable. Shikamaru, on the other hand, knew narrow mountain trails and forest passes that cut across terrain more directly.
Bit by bit, the gap between the two groups began to close.
Sasuke, however, wasn't pushing himself to his limit — he kept enough stamina in reserve, wary of being attacked at any time. Every three hours, he ordered a brief rest.
Shikamaru's team, by contrast, paced themselves carefully. They didn't sprint constantly; instead, they distributed their stamina evenly to cover long distances efficiently.
The pursuit went on for eight straight hours.
By the time the sun began to rise, exhaustion had settled deep into their bones.
At dawn, Yamanaka Ino, who was being supported by Chōji, suddenly spoke up.
"I can feel it — Sasuke's chakra!"
Her voice was hoarse but filled with relief. If she could sense him, it meant Sasuke was within five hundred meters.
"Everyone, hurry!" Neji shouted, eyes lighting up. "We've caught up to him!"
But Shikamaru suddenly raised a hand.
"Stop. Everyone, rest here."
Neji turned to him, confused. "What? He's right there! Why are we stopping now?"
Shikamaru's expression didn't change.
"Do you still have enough strength to fight?"
Neji hesitated — and then fell silent. After eight hours of chasing, even his chakra reserves were running dangerously low. If they engaged the enemy now, they'd be slaughtered before they could lay a hand on Sasuke.
Shikamaru sat down under a tree, folding his arms.
"We'll rest for thirty minutes. Ino, keep tracking his chakra. Once they start moving again, we'll move too — keeping just far enough to stay on them."
The group nodded wearily. Even after half an hour, their strength had barely returned.
Compared to Sasuke's group, their condition was miserable. At this rate, they'd need at least three or four more hours before they were battle-ready again.
The chase had only just begun, but already, the difference between hunter and prey was growing painfully clear.
Just then, Ino Yamanaka suddenly opened her eyes wide.
Seeing her reaction, Shikamaru immediately asked, "What is it? Did Sasuke and the others start moving?"
Ino shook her head quickly.
"No…" Her expression shifted — surprise, confusion, then disbelief — before turning into pure joy.
"No… this isn't Sasuke's chakra. This is… this is—Shigure's—!"
Before she could finish, a shadow drifted over them.
A single cloud floated across the clear morning sky, stopping directly above their heads. The sunlight vanished beneath its cover.
Everyone instinctively looked up — just in time to see a small black dot falling from the sky.
The dot grew larger and larger until, with a soft whoosh, a pale white cloud materialized on the ground. It puffed up like cotton and gently caught the falling figure.
Chōji, Neji, Lee, and Shino immediately dropped into battle stances.
The air was tense—until a familiar voice broke through.
"Long time no see, everyone!"
Neji's eyes widened. "That voice…!"
Lee's face lit up, and he sprinted forward. "Shigure!"
But before Lee could reach him, Ino had already burst out from the group — running, then leaping into the air with tears streaming down her cheeks.
The figure on the cloud — Gekkō Shigure — paused for just a second, then opened his arms. Ino collided into him, and the two tumbled together into the soft, floating cloud.
"Shigure… you—" Ino's voice trembled, breaking with emotion.
Shigure smiled faintly and reached up to pat her head. "It's alright."
He could tell right away that Ino already knew about his departure from Konoha.
It wasn't hard to guess how. Shikamaru, as her teammate in the Ino–Shika–Chō trio, wouldn't have told just anyone—but keeping it from Ino was impossible. And even if he hadn't told her, she would've found out through her clan's sensory techniques sooner or later.
Shigure slowly sat up, his gaze turning toward the group watching from afar.
"I didn't expect us to meet again this soon."
"Shigure… you…"
Neji's words trailed off. He and the others stared, stunned. They didn't know about Shigure's defection, but one glance told them everything.
Because tied firmly around Shigure's forehead — gleaming under the morning light — was a Hidden Mist Village headband.
...
TN:
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