Chapter 118: Team 11 Assembles

Chapter 118: Chapter 118: Team 11 Assembles

"His body isn’t injured...

"His chakra hasn’t noticeably weakened either...

"Then why? Why did he suddenly retreat?"

Kakashi did not rush to pursue him. Instead, he stared in the direction Uchiha Shinichi had disappeared, trying to analyze the reason behind his abrupt withdrawal.

Analyzing an opponent’s abilities and assessing their strength were qualities every outstanding ninja needed to possess.

Having been influenced by the White Fang of Konoha, personally instructed by the Yellow Flash, and tempered through the fires of the Third Shinobi World War, Kakashi was unquestionably among the very best of his generation when it came to battlefield analysis.

His decision not to pursue Shinichi was not born of cowardice.

Rather, Kakashi knew perfectly well that he had no way to break through Uchiha Shinichi’s Susanoo. Even if he launched a surprise attack, in the face of Shinichi’s bizarre regenerative ability, Kakashi wasn’t confident that his Chidori could finish him in a single strike.

Therefore, rather than taking the risk of pursuing him now, it would be better to promptly report all the information he had observed and gathered back to the village.

That way, the village could use this intelligence to assemble a new pursuit squad specifically tailored to counter Shinichi, greatly increasing their chances of successfully capturing him.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Several minutes later, one figure after another arrived on the battlefield.

The man leading them was none other than the leader of Root and one of Konoha’s elder advisors—

Shimura Danzo!

Accompanying him were the clan heads of the Ino-Shika-Cho clans, Hyuga Hizashi, and a large number of Konoha’s elite ninja. It was obvious that the village was truly furious this time.

Danzo swept a cold gaze across the battlefield, and his already gloomy expression immediately darkened even further.

The battlefield was an utter mess.

ANBU ninja lay scattered all over the ground, some dead and others wounded. The only person who appeared to be completely unharmed was Kakashi.

There was no doubt about it.

The pursuit operation arranged by the Third Hokage had ended in complete failure.

Looking somewhat ashamed, Kakashi approached Danzo.

"Lord Danzo, we failed."

Danzo stared at Kakashi and asked in a low voice, "Which direction did he flee?"

Kakashi pointed in the direction Uchiha Shinichi had escaped before continuing, "Lord Danzo, the ability of Uchiha Shinichi’s Mangekyo Sharingan is extremely strange. I think—"

Before Kakashi could even finish speaking, Danzo had already motioned to Konoha’s elites and set off in pursuit of Uchiha Shinichi.

"Sigh..."

Kakashi let out a helpless sigh.

For this pursuit of Uchiha Shinichi, the Third Hokage had dispatched a total of three ANBU squads.

Yet the first ANBU squad to set out had been completely wiped out—all four members killed. Of the eight ANBU from the two squads sent afterward as backup, another two had been killed, while five had been severely wounded and left incapacitated.

And despite paying such a terrible price, they had gained absolutely nothing in return.

Not only had they failed to capture the defecting Uchiha Shinichi, they had not even managed to fully uncover the ability of his Mangekyo Sharingan.

Before long, news of the failed pursuit reached the village.

The Third Hokage, who was currently leading his forces in keeping the Uchiha clan in check, unconsciously grew solemn when he learned that the ANBU pursuit force he had dispatched had failed.

Truthfully, Uchiha Shinichi’s strength had somewhat exceeded his expectations.

Shinichi’s sudden defection was like a stone thrown into a lake, sending ripple after ripple across what had once been a calm surface.

The balance between the Uchiha and the village had been broken.

A single Uchiha who had only just awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan was already capable of throwing the entire village into chaos.

Once again, Konoha’s weakness had been laid bare for everyone to see.

The Third Hokage held his pipe between his lips as he glanced from the corner of his eye at Fugaku, who stood not far away.

He was deeply worried that once news of the village’s failed pursuit of Uchiha Shinichi reached the Uchiha clan, it would only make the radicals within the clan even more reckless.

As far as the Third Hokage knew, aside from the defecting Uchiha Shinichi, there was still another pair of Mangekyo Sharingan within the Uchiha clan.

And the one who possessed those Mangekyo Sharingan was none other than the man hailed as the "Uchiha Clan’s Number One Genius"—

Uchiha Shisui.

Shifting his gaze toward Shisui, who stood beside Fugaku, the Third Hokage silently made up his mind.

"We absolutely must win Shisui over. Otherwise, the village will face a tremendous disaster!"

Since the Uchiha clan had not participated in Shinichi’s rebellion, the Third Hokage briefly reassured Fugaku before leading the gathered Konoha ninja out of the Uchiha clan compound.

At the same time, Hyuga Kagami had also returned from the Root base with a bountiful haul, quietly making his way back home.

The next day.

Just as the first light of dawn appeared, an ANBU landed in Hyuga Kagami’s courtyard.

"Special Jonin Hyuga Kagami, the suspension order on ANBU Team 11 has been lifted. Lord Hokage summons you!"

Kagami acknowledged him and, without wasting any time, immediately headed for the Hokage Building.

Upon entering the Hokage’s office, he found that the other members of Team 11 had already arrived.

He nodded in greeting to his teammates, then stood properly before the Hokage’s desk.

The Third Hokage gave Kakashi a slight nod.

Receiving the signal, Kakashi immediately gave the other three members of Team 11 a detailed account of everything that had happened during Uchiha Shinichi’s defection the previous night.

After Kakashi finished speaking, the Third Hokage lightly tapped his pipe against the desk and said, "All members of Team 11, listen up. Your mission is to pursue and capture the defecting Uchiha Shinichi!"

"Yes!"

All four members of Team 11 answered in unison.

After leaving the Hokage Building, Kakashi turned to Hyuga Kagami and the others.

"We’re short on time. Everyone has only half an hour to prepare. In thirty minutes, we’ll assemble at the village gates and depart on time. As for the intelligence we have on Uchiha Shinichi, I’ll explain everything in detail along the way!"

The others nodded before returning home to make their preparations.

Back at home, Hyuga Kagami packed his gear while silently pondering.

"Just what exactly is the relationship between Uchiha Shinichi and Obito?"

It was only from the intelligence he had received in the Hokage’s office just now that Kagami learned Shinichi had failed to find Danzo the previous night.

And it was precisely this point that made Kagami begin to question the relationship between Uchiha Shinichi and Obito.

Not only could Obito himself freely enter and leave the village, but Zetsu at his side was also exceptionally skilled at gathering intelligence and collecting information.

If Obito and Uchiha Shinichi were truly working together, then there was no reason Shinichi should have been unable to locate Danzo.

"Could it be that Uchiha Shinichi is just rampaging around on his own?!"

The thought suddenly flashed through Hyuga Kagami’s mind.

Although he had no idea whether his guess was correct, Hyuga Kagami believed it was always better to be prepared. So, inside his ninja pouch, he packed an extra storage container filled with nutrient solution.

If Uchiha Shinichi’s defection really was nothing more than him acting recklessly on his own, then their chances of capturing him would be quite high.

And when the time came, so long as the situation allowed it, Hyuga Kagami certainly wouldn’t mind adding a freshly awakened pair of Mangekyo Sharingan to his collection...