On the streets of the Hot Water Village, the young thief wasn't particularly fast. Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha were a little late starting the chase, but they could still see the thief's escape route and followed close behind.
That notebook was very important.
Of course, it was only important to Naruto. It contained a lot of information he had gathered himself, as well as his thoughts on his two teammates, including some short diary entries. Out of trust, Naruto didn't seem to mind sharing his notebook. Occasionally, Sasuke would even flip through the notes to see if he had missed anything.
This was also unavoidable. In doing so, Sasuke would sometimes see things Naruto shouldn't have written, which instantly put him in a foul mood. Why was his weird teammate secretly recording his embarrassing moments from when he was twelve? Did he plan to hold onto it and laugh at him when they were old men?
To be honest, Sasuke thought it would be better if the notebook was lost for good. He had already memorized most of the important information in it. If they couldn't catch the thief, he could just help Naruto rewrite it when they got back.
However, when Naruto touched his pocket, his expression turned grim. "The scroll Kakashi-sensei gave me was also stolen by him!"
That scroll contained Ao's body. It was a main family Byakugan, an extremely rare prize in the ninja world.
Sasuke gritted his teeth, looked at the young thief ahead, and called out, "You follow him from behind. I'll take a shortcut and cut him off!"
Naruto quickly praised him, "Just what I'd expect from you, Sasuke! You even know the roads in the Hot Water Village!"
"You idiot, not everyone has a memory as bad as yours!" Sasuke cursed. It gave him a little comfort knowing that while his teammate was strong, his memory was terrible. "Don't worry, I'm fast! I'll definitely get the scroll back for you!"
"And the notebook!" Naruto quickly reminded him.
Sasuke disappeared from Naruto's side, darting into a small alley and leaving only an impatient reply behind: "Got it!"
Sasuke's move was the right one. At least, part of it was.
As the young man passed a crossroads, Sasuke suddenly rushed out from a side street and grabbed him by the collar. Just when Naruto thought the chase was over, the young man drew a short sword from a sheath on his leg.
The sharp blade slashed across Sasuke's forehead. A few strands of his hair floated down in front of his face.
A chill ran down Sasuke's spine. To avoid the blade, he had no choice but to let go. The young thief leaped onto a rooftop, glanced back at Sasuke and Naruto, and continued to flee toward the forest outside the village.
Naruto's palm suddenly condensed a Rasengan, which he quickly compressed. "That guy is a ninja from an enemy country... Rasen-bullet!"
The small chakra bullet shot toward the young man. However, his speed was incredible. He jumped off the rooftop, dodging the attack. The Rasen-bullet slammed into the roof, blasting a large hole in it. The young ninja turned back to glance at them again before continuing his escape.
Naruto's brows furrowed as he watched him go. "Sasuke, do you think that guy is trying to lure us somewhere?"
"If we let him get away today, we might never catch him," Sasuke said, clenching his fist and chasing after the young man. "And just when I wanted to practice my ninjutsu tonight..."
As the black-haired boy gave chase, he didn't forget to instruct his teammate. "Naruto, you go back to the inn and check on Sakura first. Don't fall for a trap to lure us away!"
"No need, let's go together!"
A female voice called out from behind them. The pink-haired girl, dressed in a light set of clothes, was catching up. "I saw what happened," she shouted. "What are you two doing? Was that guy a thief?"
"He stole my notebook and the scroll Kakashi-sensei gave me," Naruto said, leaping up to follow Sasuke. "Anyway, let's chase him and see what happens!"
In the forest outside the Hot Water Village, the half-moon cast a dim light, barely illuminating a few dark figures.
Someone saw the young thief approaching and a gruff voice asked, "That little Uchiha brat, is he chasing you?"
The young man nodded. "Yes, though there was a small complication. The other two genin from his team seem to be following as well."
"They're just genin." The burly man raised his head and chuckled lightly. The moonlight glinted off his headband, revealing the symbol of the Cloud Village.
He whispered orders to his two subordinates, "You two take care of the other Konoha genin. I'll capture the little Uchiha. We'll return to the Land of Lightning immediately!"
"Yes, Captain!" Behind the burly man, two equally tall Cloud ninjas stood up, each drawing their swords.
The young Cloud ninja took out a scroll and handed it to his superior. "Captain Bukai, I also have this sealing scroll. I found it in one of the genin's pockets. The seal on it looks like it's for sealing a body."
"Hmm?" The Cloud Jonin, Bukai, took the scroll. Chakra gathered at his fingertips, and just as he was about to unseal it, the sound of shuriken cut through the air.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Scarlet Claw!"
A cluster of shuriken wrapped in flames flew out, illuminating the enemies' faces. After releasing the jutsu, Sasuke glared at the group of Cloud ninjas. "Hey, hand over what you stole, and I might spare you."
"..."
The Cloud ninjas exchanged strange glances. They didn't expect a genin to speak so arrogantly to them.
"Arrogant little brat!" The burly Jonin laughed as he stepped forward, swinging his sword to deflect the incoming fiery shuriken. Clearly, this was a feat no ordinary ninja could perform. As expected of a Cloud Jonin skilled in Lightning Style taijutsu, both his attack and movement speed were astonishing.
"Are you scared, little Uchiha brat?" the Cloud Jonin sneered, walking toward Sasuke step by step. "If you come with us quietly, you won't have to suffer any unnecessary pain."
"Tch. So you know I'm an Uchiha, and you still dared to set a trap..." Sasuke's eyes suddenly lit up, his crimson Sharingan looking terrifying under the moonlight. "As expected, you're here for the Sharingan, aren't you?"
"No, that's just a bonus!" The burly Cloud ninja stomped on the ground and shot into the air, clenching his fist and throwing a punch down at Sasuke's position.
Sasuke looked up, his Sharingan fixed on the enemy's body. He sneered, "Idiot. I've already seen through your movements..."
"But can you dodge my speed!" the Cloud ninja roared.
His punch came smashing down. Although Sasuke narrowly avoided it, the impact kicked up a cloud of dirt and rocks. Taking advantage of the dust, the burly Cloud ninja reached out to grab Sasuke.
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Bonus:
November 2nd, clear skies, Konoha.
Sasuke is getting more and more hardworking, but I feel like he's working hard in the wrong direction.
November 15th, cloudy, on the sea.
Sakura got seasick and threw up badly.
Sasuke didn't get seasick, which makes me feel bad.
November 18th, rainy, on the sea.
Sasuke's Sharingan can see through my movements. I have to find a way to strengthen my ninjutsu so he can see it but can't dodge it.
— Excerpt from Uzumaki Naruto's "Genin Diary"