Chapter 4

Sunlight filtered through the dense branches of towering trees, casting mottled shadows on the ground.

Between the trees and their shadows, two figures and a dog dashed swiftly across the branches, leaving trails of afterimages.

Xia Yan and Kakashi had been on the move for a day, steadily closing in on their mission target.

For convenience, Xia Yan had Kakashi summon a ninja dog to lead them in the pursuit.

Their target was named Kashiwagawa, and according to the records, he was a Leaf ninja who had participated in the war and had a complete service record.

However, this was just his surface identity. In reality, he was actually a Sand ninja.

The war had caused many deaths and also provided opportunities for intelligence systems to exploit.

On the battlefield, when someone died, their body might not even be recoverable, making it impossible to confirm if they were truly dead.

Just look at Obito; he had become a 'Sharingan hero' in the Leaf, but in reality, he was still alive and being manipulated by Uchiha Madara.

Kashiwagawa likely died during the war or was captured and interrogated, revealing many identities, which were then assumed by others.

It's not difficult for a ninja to disguise themselves, especially for Sand puppeteers, who are experts at it.

At this moment, Pakkun suddenly stopped, and Xia Yan immediately made a tactical gesture.

Kakashi quickly stopped behind him, drew a kunai, and began to maintain vigilance.

"There's a heavy scent of blood, and it's from the target you're tracking," Pakkun sniffed carefully and whispered, "But that guy seems to be dead, and there are other human scents nearby."

"Other people?" Xia Yan frowned, not remembering that this mission was shared with others.

ANBU missions are usually assigned one-to-one, and those who accept them are either individuals or small teams.

Since this mission had been assigned to them, it would not normally be given to anyone else, and if it were, they would be informed in advance.

"Which direction is the target's scent leading to?"

Xia Yan had already sensed something was wrong but maintained a calm tone.

"North," Pakkun answered quickly, having developed some goodwill towards Xia Yan after a day of interaction: "Clearly, not back to the Leaf."

North?

Xia Yan and Kakashi exchanged a glance, both realizing the situation was serious.

They were heading towards the Land of Rivers, which is west of the Leaf. If they were returning to the Leaf, they should be heading east. The direction of the scent indicated something else.

"Our mission has been intercepted," Xia Yan sighed, "It seems the situation is not good."

"Captain, do you want to abandon the mission?" Kakashi asked in a low voice.

Although Xia Yan had told him to call him by his name, Kakashi believed it was inappropriate to change during a mission, so he still called him captain.

Abandon the mission?

Xia Yan fell into thought. Honestly, he wanted to abandon it; who knew who they might encounter.

But he didn't dare, and he certainly wouldn't say such a thing. He wasn't Kakashi, who had the Fourth Hokage backing him.

Even if the Fourth Hokage was essentially a puppet, his authority was still there, and no one would dare to do anything to Kakashi.

Xia Yan, on the other hand, as a ninja without any backing, had to obediently carry out his missions and be a good tool; that was his only way out.

"Sometimes I feel that the decline of the Senju clan is even worse than the Uchiha."

The Uchiha, though isolated, had almost been split from the Leaf by the Second and Third Hokages.

Other major clans had mostly been subdued or recruited by the Third Hokage, leaving the Uchiha almost like trapped beasts.

With the end of the war, the eyes of the Leaf's upper echelons would inevitably turn back to them.

Internally, they were also split into two factions: one advocating peace and the other a coup.

But regardless, as the first and second major clans of the Leaf, they still had the power to protect someone.

Shaking his head, Xia Yan said seriously, "We'll follow the trail. That guy's body holds many secrets, including those of the Leaf."

"I understand," Kakashi nodded firmly and gestured to Pakkun.

Pakkun, understanding the situation, immediately led Xia Yan and Kakashi to continue tracking the scents.

Pakkun himself was also afraid of death. In the original story, he had run away, but as a ninja dog, he could return to the summoning world to avoid danger.

While pursuing, Xia Yan also pondered who might have intercepted the mission.

Could it be the Stone ninja?

The direction they were heading didn't contradict this possibility.

However, there were several countries in this direction, such as the Land of Rain, the Land of Grass, and the Land of Waterfalls, which had been battlefields.

Since the Fourth Hokage took office, the Leaf's borders have seen many attacks by ninjas pretending to be from the Stone or Cloud villages.

No one knew who these ninjas were; perhaps they were retaliatory attacks by small countries or attempts by weapons merchants to prolong the war for profit.

Aside from these small countries, there was also the Cloud village to the north of the Leaf, which had never signed a peace treaty with the Leaf!

"Who could it be?"

Xia Yan thought as he moved, but the situation was too complex, and he had no leads.

However, he soon stopped thinking because he had sensed something.

Not far away, a lone figure was walking slowly, carrying a body on his shoulder.

Focusing his senses, Xia Yan immediately detected a large amount of chakra in the figure.

Just the amount of chakra alone far exceeded that of a Chunin and was even more terrifying than a Jonin!

The stranger was completely wrapped in a black cloak with red clouds, and his face was covered by a cloth.

Soon, the figure seemed to sense something and turned around.

The calm and indifferent green eyes immediately made Xia Yan feel as if he were a prey being watched by a predator.

His face turned pale as he recognized who this person was!

"Is this guy... Kakuzu?"

...