"What's wrong, Captain?"
In the forest, Kakashi noticed Natsuhiko frowning as he stared into the distance and couldn't help asking curiously.
"Someone's coming. They're being chased. Still some distance away from us."
Natsuhiko replied calmly, though his expression looked somewhat strange.
Because he clearly sensed something—
Among those being pursued were several chakra signatures he recognized.
That meant only one thing.
The people being chased were very likely individuals he knew.
Moreover, their chakra felt slightly different from his old classmates.
Natsuhiko could basically confirm that most of them were ANBU members.
What puzzled him was—
Who would dare chase Konoha's ANBU inside the Land of Fire?
Could this be Kakuzu's handiwork?
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, an extremely strange chakra signature entered his sensory range.
The quality of this chakra was incredibly high.
It wasn't Kakuzu's—
But it was in no way inferior to Kakuzu's either.
A likely Kage-level powerhouse… chasing a group of ANBU?
Did they somehow attract the Kazekage?
That didn't seem right either.
Although Natsuhiko had never met the Fourth Kazekage, he was at least human.
But this chakra—
Felt very, very unusual.
So unusual that Natsuhiko felt its owner might not even be human.
Ever since discovering and developing his sensory abilities, Natsuhiko had sensed countless beings.
He could easily distinguish the chakra traits of humans from those of other creatures.
The life aura of this Kage-level individual was bizarre.
There were traces of humanity—
But it felt far more like a puppet.
"A puppet-like figure… Could it be Chiyo?"
Natsuhiko thought to himself.
The ANBU's escape route clearly came from the direction of the Land of Rivers.
And beyond that lay the Land of Wind.
If he followed that line of reasoning, the only Kage-level puppet master in the Land of Wind should be that old woman, Chiyo.
Of course—
There was another.
The one who truly ignited the Third Great Ninja War—
Sasori.
The Sand Village didn't start the Third Great Ninja War simply because the Third Kazekage disappeared.
The Land of Wind was covered in sandstorms, with extremely poor geography.
They lacked sufficient water.
They lacked abundant mineral resources.
And they weren't located along major trade routes.
To develop themselves, Sunagakure had only one option—
Expansion.
The Land of Rivers was an excellent target.
But unfortunately, it lay between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind—
A perfect buffer zone.
If Rasa wanted to extend the Land of Wind's influence into the Land of Rivers, he would inevitably have to go to war with Konoha.
Although ninja villages appeared to be military institutions established under the authority of their respective daimyo—
In reality, powerful villages often held the true authority.
Just look at Danzō.
A single glance from him could silence the Daimyo of the Land of Fire completely.
Rasa likewise had no intention of being controlled by his daimyo.
And there was another reason he chose war.
Sunagakure had been weakened for years.
Unable to achieve self-sufficiency, their economy was completely under the daimyo's control.
On top of that, Rasa had only risen to power due to the disappearance of the Third Kazekage.
His situation was actually somewhat similar to Minato Namikaze's current one.
The only difference—
He didn't have a former Kage looming over him.
But his political foundation was practically nonexistent.
Rasa, eager to prove himself, naturally would not miss such an opportunity.
In his view, the death of the White Fang and Tsunade's departure were both signs that Konoha was weakening.
But clearly, he had overestimated himself.
Even a weakened Konoha was not something he could easily contend with.
That said, one thing was undeniable—
By seizing this opportunity, he successfully dragged Konoha into the quagmire of war once again,
Eventually pushing Konoha into a genuine period of decline.
And the one who provided Rasa with this opportunity—
Was none other than Sasori, the former pride of Sunagakure, who assassinated the Third Kazekage.
"If it really is that guy… then this is serious trouble." Natsuhiko frowned.
Truthfully, he had no desire to involve himself in this matter.
But the ANBU were fleeing in the direction of Kubisaki Castle—
And he and Kakashi were currently in the forest just outside it.
They weren't far from those ANBU at all.
If they ignored it, that would truly cause major problems.
Even if they left now, the enemy would likely catch up within a minute.
If it were just himself, it wouldn't matter—
He could simply turn around and run.
But bringing Kakashi into that?
That would completely ruin his image.
"Let's go." Having made up his mind, Natsuhiko's expression hardened.
"We need to get over there quickly. Otherwise, they won't last long."
"Looks like they've run into serious trouble," Kakashi replied without objection.
He immediately took out a food pill, pulled down his mask, and swallowed it.
Then he pulled both his face mask and ANBU mask back into place.
He had just been testing his new technique.
While the chakra consumption wasn't overwhelming, it certainly wasn't small.
If he didn't replenish himself now, he wouldn't be much help in the coming fight.
Kakashi had never been someone who liked dragging others down. He was always extremely strict with himself.
The two of them moved swiftly.
In just moments, they were closing in on the battlefield.
But Natsuhiko's expression shifted slightly.
The ANBU had already been caught—
And that Kage-level opponent was about to make his move.
"Kakashi, I'm going ahead," Natsuhiko said quickly. "Speed up. The situation is bad, understand?"
"I understand, Captain." Kakashi nodded immediately.
He too could feel a strange chakra fluctuating through the forest.
Natsuhiko adjusted his breathing slightly.
The next instant—
His speed surged explosively.
He shot forward like a bolt of lightning.
Kakashi had seen Natsuhiko's speed before.
Though he wasn't surprised, he couldn't help but sigh.
It was truly too fast—
So fast it was almost impossible to keep up.
He couldn't help but wonder—
Why was Natsuhiko so fast?
Was it…
For running away?
But Kakashi didn't dare let his thoughts wander further.
There was a massive threat ahead.
If they arrived too late, things would be disastrous.
Natsuhiko raced forward at full speed. He had already activated Sage Mode midway through his sprint.
Against an enemy like this, he didn't dare take even the slightest risk.
Within moments, he reached the outskirts of the battlefield.
Immediately, he spotted the hunched figure—
The creature that looked as though it were crawling along the ground.
"It's Sasori!" Natsuhiko recognized him instantly.
And at that very moment—
Sasori launched his attack.
Countless poison-coated senbon fired out like they were worthless,
Completely blanketing all the ANBU below.
Natsuhiko shook his head.
He formed hand seals at once.
In an instant, chakra surged violently within his body.
"Sage Art: Earth Release — Earth-Style Wall!"