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In a dimly lit basement, Danzo looked at the group of ANBU ninja before him. These were the personnel assigned by the Third Hokage to help him recover the Scroll of Seals. Danzo issued his orders to the men in front of him.
"Go find Uchiha Kagaya. Once you find him, show no mercy. Kill him! Retrieve the Scroll of Seals!"
"Yes, sir!"
The ANBU members acknowledged in unison and then vanished.
After the ANBU had left, Danzo frowned. Initially, he had wanted to personally lead this pursuit. However, an inexplicable sense of danger lingered in his heart. The cautious Danzo decided it was better to wait and observe for now.
Konoha was taking this manhunt seriously. Danzo's side had dispatched numerous ANBU operatives.
On the Third Hokage's side, he hadn't just sent Kakashi alone. Also deployed were Might Guy, Asuma Sarutobi, Kurenai Yuhi, Chōza Akimichi, Nara Shikaku, Inoichi Yamanaka, and Shibi Aburame. Essentially, every major clan had sent a representative ninja, clearly indicating Konoha's stance on this matter: the Scroll of Seals must be recovered.
A total of eight Jōnin, plus dozens of ANBU members, began searching for Kagaya's location.
On the way, Shikaku inquired of Kakashi, "Kakashi, I heard that kid was once your student?"
Kakashi's eyes narrowed slightly. "He still is!"
Shikaku was taken aback for a moment, then smiled. "I see. In that case, could you tell us about his abilities? The Hokage dispatched so many Jōnin together, so that person must be quite formidable. I'd like to gather as much information as possible before any potential confrontation."
Kakashi thought for a moment before replying, "Kagaya is from the Uchiha clan, as you all know. Although I haven't seen it with my own eyes, I believe he likely possesses the Mangekyō Sharingan."
"The Mangekyō Sharingan?" Shikaku confirmed.
"Mm-hmm," Kakashi affirmed.
Shikaku narrowed his eyes and spoke cautiously, "The legendary eyes of the Uchiha clan... What else?"
"His speed is exceptional! This is absolutely crucial to be wary of."
"Exceptional speed, you say? How does it compare to Guy's?"
Among their group, in terms of speed, Guy with his Eight Gates opened was the fastest.
Kakashi pondered again before speaking. "I believe it should be slightly faster than Guy's speed with the Fifth Gate opened."
Guy couldn't help but express his shock. "What? That kid already possesses Kage-level strength?"
When Guy opened the Fifth Gate, both his speed and attack power would reach Kage-level. Opening the Sixth Gate would push him to the peak of Kage-level, and the Seventh Gate would completely surpass Kage-level, entering the realm of Super Kage-level power. As for the Eighth Gate, that was bona fide Six Paths-level power.
If Kagaya's speed surpassed Guy's Fifth Gate, it meant Kagaya's speed was undoubtedly at Kage-level, and a top-tier one at that.
"I believe so. After all, it's been a long time since I last saw him. I don't know his exact current strength. This is just my speculation," Kakashi said helplessly. It had been too long since he had any contact with Kagaya. He could only guess at Kagaya's strength based on his talent and the passage of time. He couldn't be sure about other aspects, but regarding speed, if Kagaya had maintained his intense training regimen without slacking off over these four years, Kakashi had reason to believe, given Kagaya's talent, that his speed had reached Kage-level.
Kurenai slightly opened her mouth in surprise. "He's only 12, right? Kage-level strength, is that true?"
Kakashi nodded. "That guy is an absolute genius. I can vouch for that. He's a genius on par with the likes of Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi back in their day. Don't judge him by his age."
Shikaku asked calmly, "How does he compare to you?"
Kakashi himself was a rare genius, considered a top-tier talent even across the entire shinobi world.
Becoming a Chūnin at 6 and a Jōnin at 12 – that progression was astounding.
Kakashi shook his head. "It's not comparable. In terms of ninjutsu overall, I'm far more skilled than him. But when it comes to the Body Flicker technique, I'm nowhere near his level. Besides, he has the Kekkei Genkai of the Sharingan."
"I see. Let me think... Once we find him, everyone, be careful not to look directly into his eyes. Beware of the Sharingan's genjutus. By the way, Kakashi, regarding the mission objectives given by the Hokage this time, aside from retrieving the Scroll of Seals, is there any requirement to kill him?"
"No, there isn't. We only need to retrieve the Scroll of Seals."
"That makes things simpler, then. This time, our sole objective will be the Scroll of Seals. Once we get it, we retreat immediately. The opponent is, after all, a Kage-level combatant. There's no need for us to get entangled unnecessarily," Shikaku began outlining the strategy. The Nara clan had always been Konoha's strategists. No one would object to Shikaku commanding this operation.
However, Asuma spoke up this time, frowning. "Shikaku, aren't we being a bit too cautious? No matter how you look at it, he's just a 12-year-old kid. With eight Jōnin, surely we can subdue him, can't we?"
Shikaku refuted him, "Asuma, you have a point. However, the Hokage did not order us to kill the child, indicating Lord Hokage has no intention of killing him. There's no reason for us to subdue the child; it would only add unnecessary risk. Kakashi wouldn't deceive us. While eight Jōnin can indeed contend with a Kage-level fighter, there's absolutely no reason for us to do so. We only need to complete the task assigned by the Hokage."
Asuma nodded. "Alright."
What Asuma didn't see was the flicker of helplessness deep in Shikaku's eyes. Did Shikaku genuinely not want to subdue Kagaya and bring him back to Konoha? No, of course he did. Stealing the Scroll of Seals was a major crime!
However, before their departure, the Third Hokage had summoned Kakashi privately. And now, Kakashi showed not the slightest intention of capturing Kagaya. This made Shikaku understand that neither the Third Hokage nor Kakashi, the nominal team leader, had any desire to apprehend Kagaya.
Having discerned this at a glance, Shikaku naturally wouldn't jump out and oppose both the team leader, Kakashi, and the Third Hokage. That would just be asking for trouble.
If the Nara clan couldn't even read the intentions of their superiors, they wouldn't deserve their reputation as the village's strategists.
'However, while we won't use lethal force...'
Danzo's side certainly would employ deadly means; Shikaku was well aware of that. Furthermore, this operation involved sending a representative ninja from every major clan. The Third Hokage's intention behind this wasn't simple.
Was it merely to express Konoha's determination to recover the Scroll of Seals?
No, Shikaku could see there was also an element of demonstration, a show of force!
In recent years, Konoha had grown increasingly weak, like a mighty lion fallen ill, unable to rise. At such a time, the "wild dogs" who once dared not provoke the lion began to grow restless. If Konoha didn't take some action, it was highly likely this pack of "wild dogs" would swarm and tear the lion apart.
Therefore, to prevent such a scenario, Konoha, the lion, decided to struggle to its feet and let out a mighty roar, proclaiming: I am still strong, so stop plotting all the time!
Originally, the Third Hokage's initial plan was to jointly host the Chūnin Exams with Sunagakure, forming an alliance to send a message to the outside world – I have allies, so stop dreaming up foolish schemes.
However, Kagaya's theft of the Scroll of Seals happened in the interim. So, the Third seized this opportunity to take massive action, forcing the Konoha lion to struggle to its feet and let out a roar!