A squad of ANBU arrived at the rooftop where Shigure had fought moments ago.
They were greeted by the sight of two ninja lying lifeless—both with clean slashes across their throats.
Even seasoned ANBU couldn't hide their shock.
"What a terrifying technique..."
"Swift, precise, not a single wasted movement."
"Who was that guy just now?"
The ANBU captain stepped forward and removed the masks from the corpses.
"These two aren't from Konoha," he muttered darkly.
"They're foreign shinobi."
If they weren't from the village, then the one who killed them had to be Konoha's own ninja—there was no other explanation.
"Notify the Hokage immediately!"
"Send these bodies back to HQ. The rest of you, come with me—we continue the pursuit!"
But pursue where?
Whoever that ninja was, he had already vanished beyond the village's perimeter.
Just before, his body had dissolved into a cascade of flowing energy and shot out of Konoha—an advanced form of Body Flicker, far beyond standard technique.
It was unclear which village this elusive ninjutsu belonged to. But to wield it so masterfully… his level likely neared that of a Kage.
Even if the enemy was that strong, ANBU operatives would never back down.
The team split: one half secured the site and sent word to the Hokage, the other half took off in pursuit.
Meanwhile, Shigure had already left Konoha.
Rather than using high-level teleportation again, he opted for a combination of the standard Body Flicker technique and stealth movement to silently close the distance.
Activate Thinking Acceleration!
[Great Sage: Thinking Acceleration enabled.]
His mind sharpened instantly. He picked up on faint trails left behind by the target and began pursuit.
Shigure wasn't weak in terms of speed—but in sheer raw speed, his opponent's Body Flicker was still superior.
After ten minutes of relentless pursuit, he finally closed the gap to under a hundred meters.
It was then, deep within a shadowy forest, that Shigure noticed the target slowing down.
A chance!
He closed in silently and took cover behind a large tree, peering ahead.
Naruto...!?
He wasn't being carried?
No—he was gone.
How did Naruto just vanish?!
When did he even have the time to hide him? The enemy had been on the run the entire time...
"Did that guy not catch up?"
The target frowned and muttered under his breath.
At first, Shigure thought the man had slowed because of injury or fatigue—but no. He had stopped on purpose.
He's waiting for me?
Why...?
The kunai in the enemy's grip gleamed under the forest light.
Shigure's gaze narrowed.
His Tōjutsu was still active—while this prevented the use of ninjutsu, his kenjutsu (swordsmanship) remained unaffected.
Quietly, he crept forward.
He needed to capture this man—only then could he find out where Naruto had gone.
From behind, he launched his kunai straight at the man's vest.
It hit—only something felt wrong.
The sensation wasn't of stabbing flesh—but of striking... wood.
Substitution Technique!
Bang!
With a puff of white smoke, a log dropped where the enemy had stood.
At the same moment, a flurry of shuriken rained down, embedding themselves into the ground right in front of Shigure.
Lucky I retreated fast... otherwise, I'd be bleeding.
"What a scary little brat…"
"Is that Transparent Escape? A bloodline limit? Like Gekkō Hayate's clan…?"
The enemy sounded genuinely surprised.
But the moment he spoke, Shigure used the sound to lock on.
Instantly—
Shigure's body reformed midair in front of the man, his form twisting at high speed as the kunai slashed straight toward the enemy's chest.
The man reacted fast, parrying with his own kunai—but the moment Shigure's blade lit up with a blue glow, his expression twisted in shock.
Snap!
His kunai shattered.
A clean gash tore across his chest, blood spurting from the wound.
Shigure flipped back and caught his kunai in a reverse grip.
"Who are you?" he demanded.
"Where is Naruto?"
But the man was still staring at his wound in disbelief—more shocked that he'd been injured than by the question.
Looking at the kunai in Shigure's hand, the man narrowed his eyes.
"Did you use some kind of ninjutsu just now?"
Then, with a grim chuckle, he muttered,
"We really underestimated you. I didn't expect you to be so proficient in ninjutsu…"
We?
Shigure's eyes narrowed.
He has companions!
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Suddenly, a barrage of hidden weapons came flying toward him.
Without flinching, Shigure thrust his left hand into his ninja tool pouch. In the next instant, his arm blurred, forming countless afterimages.
He countered—flinging shuriken with machine-like precision, knocking down every single incoming weapon mid-air.
The clash of steel-on-steel sparked violently in the darkness, drawing a look of astonishment from the enemy.
"Ninjutsu…!"
"Ranbo!"
Boom!
As Shigure launched the final counter-shuriken, his right hand was already forming seals.
A simple Ram seal.
In the next second, an enormous surge of water erupted beneath his feet, roaring to life like a tidal beast.
A massive stream surged forward, engulfing the forest and sweeping straight toward the enemy like a wave 30 meters wide.
The enemy stood frozen.
"Where the hell did this brat come from…?!"
"To unleash a ninjutsu of this scale—he's just a kid! Has he even graduated from the Academy?!"
No ordinary genin could do this.
Boom!!!
With a deafening roar, the torrent swallowed the enemy whole.
Shigure didn't hesitate—activating Body Flicker, he vanished, then reappeared in the water's path, snatching the enemy out of the surge before he was completely swept away.
He leapt to a branch above the floodwaters, pinning the drenched man down. His kunai pressed cold and unyielding against the man's throat.
"Where is Naruto?" Shigure demanded.
"Who are you?!"
But instead of answering, the man smiled.
"What a terrifying brat... So it's not just your swordsmanship—you've mastered powerful ninjutsu too."
"Looks like we made a big mistake this time."
Then his tone darkened.
"But listen, kid… you've been marked."
"Even if you defeat us, you won't be able to escape your fate."
Tch!
Suddenly, the man went limp.
Shigure's eyes widened.
He killed himself?!
Just like that—without hesitation. Who were these people?
And more importantly… where was Naruto?
Couldn't you at least tell me before you died?!
No—Shigure gritted his teeth.
No matter the reason, no matter what stood in the way—he would never give up on Naruto.
He raised one hand.
With a quiet poof, a series of shadow clones appeared beside him.
"Spread out and search!" he commanded.
"He has to be nearby!"
...
TN:
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