In an abandoned mine.
crackle.
The orange-red campfire emitted faint crackling sounds, piercingly loud in the vast, quiet mine.
Sakura approached Sasuke with a medical kit. "Sasuke, it's time to change your bandages!"
Sasuke, engrossed in studying the wanted list, nodded without taking his eyes off it.
As Sakura changed his bandages, she whispered, "I'm sorry, I was so useless!"
Naruto, nearby, looked glum.
Being suppressed by Yakumo's Wood Release was one thing, but today, he'd been held back by Shion, the so-called dead last, which gnawed at him.
"Stop saying useless things!" Sasuke's face darkened, his tone sharp. "We've already lost Kojuro. There aren't many Jonin-level rogue shinobi left on the list, and some have been confirmed to have fled the Land of Hot Springs. We need to hurry and find the rest!"
Sakura gasped, "Sasuke, your injury is severe. Even with my medical ninjutsu speeding up your healing, you need at least two to three days of rest!"
Sasuke replied coldly, "Two to three days? Hmph, by then, the targets on the list will probably all be taken by others!"
This time, Sakura didn't yield. She shook her head firmly. "No way, absolutely not! Sasuke, you're being reckless. If your wound reopens, you could die!"
"I know my own body!" Sasuke said. "There's a target nearby. We'll check it out soon!"
As he spoke, he seemed to aggravate his wound, coughing violently.
Naruto stood up. "Sakura, stay here and take care of Sasuke. I'll go scout the target!"
Sasuke glanced at Naruto, hesitating.
Against rogue shinobi from smaller villages, even Jonin-level ones, Naruto—with his tailed beast transformation, Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, and Rasengan—should be fine.
The target's last known location was close to their resting spot in this abandoned mine, so after weighing the options, Sasuke said, "Confirm the target's position first, then come back to report!"
"Got it!"
Naruto nodded firmly and dashed out of the mine.
Watching Naruto's departing figure, Sasuke felt a twinge of unease. To him, Naruto was always the dead last who needed watching to avoid trouble.
But the target was so close, and letting it slip felt unacceptable.
Outside the mine, seeing Naruto leave alone and sprint north, Kakashi, tasked with supervising and protecting them, tensed.
His two teammates looked to him. "Kakashi-senpai, what do we do?"
"Naruto is the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki—he can't be compromised. I'll follow him. You two stay here and guard Sasuke and Sakura. Also, send a distress signal to headquarters for immediate backup!"
With that, Kakashi vanished in a flash, pursuing Naruto.
While he was worried about Sasuke's safety, Naruto's status as a Jinchuriki left no room for error. Plus, suspecting Sasuke might be Akatsuki's 'E,' Kakashi couldn't rule out this being an Akatsuki plot with Naruto leaving the team alone. He had to follow personally.
As soon as Kakashi left, his teammates sent the distress signal to headquarters.
Jiraiya's mobile command center stayed roughly at the center of the student teams' operational area, so as long as the signal was sent promptly, support would arrive quickly!
"Stay sharp—backup will be here soon!"
"Got it!"
After sending the signal, the two entered a state of alert.
Suddenly, footsteps echoed from nearby.
The two immediately tensed, shouting, "Who's there!?"
A figure emerged from the shadows of the forest, pushing up the glasses on their nose with a smile. "You two have worked hard. You can rest now."
Almost simultaneously, another figure entered the mine where Sasuke and Sakura were resting.
Sasuke instantly sensed the intrusion, grabbing a kunai and shielding Sakura.
Sakura looked nervous.
With Naruto just gone, someone sneaking into the mine was clearly a bad sign.
Moments later, the intruder appeared before Sasuke—a figure in a black robe, face wrapped in bandages, lips parted with a tongue licking them!
"You!?"
A memory surfaced in Sasuke's mind.
It was his first time in the Forest of Death for an academy assessment, where he'd been attacked by a mysterious figure dressed exactly like the one before him.
No, not just the attire—the demeanor was identical!
"Uchiha Sasuke, you've grown taller…"
The mysterious figure chuckled, their tone dripping with mockery.
Sasuke smirked. "You've delivered yourself to me, saving me the trouble of hunting you down!"
The figure's smile widened. "Oh, seeking revenge?"
"Laugh while you can! Once I tear that face off, you won't be smiling!" Sasuke paused, his body crouching slightly. "I'm not the same as I was back then!"
Whoosh.
Sasuke's words still echoed in the mine as he became a blur, charging at the mysterious figure in the flickering campfire light.
Back then, when he was only seven and Shinji was barely eight, they had held their own against this figure for quite a while. Though the mysterious figure left a deep impression, Sasuke figured they were at most Jonin-level, maybe not even that.
A true Jonin should have easily overpowered two kids like him and Shinji back then!
So, despite his current injury, Sasuke was brimming with confidence, believing he could easily take down this figure and settle an old score!
In a blink, Sasuke closed in on the mysterious figure.
Boom.
A muffled sound reverberated through the mine, accompanied by Sasuke flying backward. His confident strike had been casually kicked away by the mysterious figure.
Crash!
Sasuke slammed into the cave wall, a sweet taste rising in his throat as blood surged.
Before he could swallow it, the mysterious figure flashed before him, smashing a fist into his face.
"Pfft."
Sasuke spat out a mouthful of blood, his vision swimming with stars.
The mysterious figure sneered darkly. "Looks like you haven't improved much! Are those Mangekyo Sharingan of yours just for show?"