Northern part of the Land of Fire.
On a trade route, a small merchant caravan was rapidly making its way along the road. The entire caravan consisted of about thirty or so people, the vast majority of whom were laborers and guards hired by the merchants.
At the head of the procession, four individuals stood out due to their distinctive attire. These four were none other than Kakashi's Team Seven, who had accepted the escort mission. All four were dressed as ninja, their foreheads adorned with protectors bearing the Konoha symbol.
As they were walking, a red light suddenly flickered on Kakashi's forehead. His expression changed drastically, and he immediately stopped in his tracks.
"This is…" He reached up, pressing a hand to his forehead.
"Kakashi-sensei!" Behind him, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura all noticed that something was amiss with Kakashi. Naruto couldn't help but call out in concern.
"You three, carefully watch over the caravan. I'll be right back," Kakashi said, his back still to them, then his figure flickered and vanished.
Watching Kakashi suddenly leap away, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura all looked slightly alarmed. Naruto said, "I have a feeling something was wrong with Kakashi-sensei just now."
Sakura replied, "Perhaps Kakashi-sensei sensed something. Naruto, now that Kakashi-sensei has left, we need to be even more vigilant."
Sasuke didn't speak, but a grave expression also appeared on his face.
From the rear, the merchant leader of the caravan also sent a man forward to inquire about the situation. Sakura spoke a few words, quickly dismissing him. After listening to her brief explanation, the man departed, his face etched with deep worry and a clear lack of trust. How could three mere Genin, fresh out of the Academy, possibly protect their safety? If they hadn't heard of Kakashi's renowned reputation beforehand, they would never have agreed to let Team Seven handle this mission when the details were being finalized.
Soon, a palpable sense of unease began to spread throughout the entire caravan.
Kakashi's figure flickered several times, and he appeared atop a low hill. By now, the red mark on his forehead had already disappeared. Kakashi looked up towards the north, a complex expression in his visible eye. Through the lingering sensation of the mark, Kakashi vaguely sensed that that person should be somewhere in that direction, though still quite far away.
Swoosh~
The sound of air being cut sounded from behind him, and Tatsuya's figure appeared beside Kakashi.
"What's wrong, Kakashi?" Tatsuya asked, looking in the same direction Kakashi was staring but sensing nothing out of the ordinary.
Kakashi's voice was grave. "We're being watched. To be precise, I'm being watched."
"You're being watched? By whom?" Tatsuya asked, a puzzled look on his face. In Tatsuya's memory, the only people who had any particular "interest" in Kakashi, apart from Might Guy, were probably Obito. Could Obito have appeared here just now? And Kakashi actually detected him? That shouldn't be right. That guy has been secretly observing Kakashi for who knows how long; why would he reveal himself to Kakashi at this particular time?
"It's Hiruko," Kakashi said after a few seconds of heavy silence.
"Hiruko?" Hearing the name, a strange expression appeared on Tatsuya's face. He was not unfamiliar with this name. Hiruko had once been a Jonin of Konoha, a contemporary of Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru. He had defected from Konoha after the Third Hokage discovered his illicit research into the Chimera Technique. Tatsuya had even tried to find more information about Hiruko in the ANBU archives in the past, but to no avail. After Hiruko left Konoha, all relevant information about him had been expunged.
Tatsuya's interest in Hiruko stemmed from his desire to learn about the Chimera Technique. After the Third Hokage had granted Tatsuya full access to Konoha's ninjutsu archives, Tatsuya had meticulously searched through them but had found no information whatsoever related to this ultimate fusion ninjutsu. All data regarding this technique must have been taken by Hiruko when he defected.
The Chimera Technique allowed the user to fuse with other ninja or even summoning animals, thereby stealing their abilities, including their Kekkei Genkai. Tatsuya wanted to study whether this technique could be used to enhance his own clone bodies. As for his original body, Tatsuya had no intention of experimenting with this ninjutsu until he had a completely mature and side-effect-free method. He was unwilling to transform himself into some grotesque, inhuman monster just to acquire a bit more power.
Over these past few years, Tatsuya had also tasked Ansei Hall and Yakugakure with secretly gathering intelligence on Hiruko. However, they had found nothing. Tatsuya had even specifically pointed them towards the location of Mount Shumisen, but still, there were no findings. He hadn't expected this guy to suddenly surface on his own now.
Beside him, Kakashi, seeing the strange expression on Tatsuya's face, couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong? Do you know him?"
Tatsuya shook his head. "No, I don't know him personally. But I've heard about his affairs long ago."
"Is that so," Kakashi replied softly, a worried look clouding his features.
"Kakashi, how did you sense him?" Tatsuya turned to Kakashi and asked.
Kakashi remained silent. After a moment, he spoke again, his voice low, "When he defected from Konoha back then… he implanted a Puppet Curse Mark in my body."
"A Puppet Curse Mark, hmm? What do you plan to do?" Tatsuya nodded, a look of understanding on his face as he spoke calmly.
Kakashi looked at Tatsuya, his expression serious. "The Puppet Curse Mark is a very mysterious type of seal. It can control the recipient without their knowledge. Just now, I sensed him trying to summon me. I don't know what he intends to do. For the safety of Naruto and the others, I plan to leave the team and go alone. For the time being, I'll have to entrust Team Seven to you."
Hearing Kakashi's words, Tatsuya shook his head, firmly rejecting his suggestion. "No. Right now, you are their Jonin instructor. How can you abandon your students and leave alone? Besides, if you leave the team now, he will definitely become suspicious. Regardless of his purpose for implanting the Puppet Curse Mark in you, with me here, he won't be able to succeed. I also want to see what this former Konoha Jonin is truly after."
After speaking, Tatsuya didn't wait for Kakashi's reply and directly flickered away. Was he kidding? Hiruko had finally shown himself after all this time; how could Tatsuya possibly pass up this opportunity? As for the safety of Kakashi and Team Seven, Tatsuya wasn't worried at all. In the current ninja world, there were very few ninja who could pose a genuine threat to him. Hiruko was definitely not among them.
In the movie plot from his previous life, Hiruko had arrogantly used ninjutsu projections to declare war on the Five Great Shinobi Villages, vainly attempting to single-handedly incite the Fourth Shinobi World War. Regarding that, Tatsuya could only say that the guy was far too naive. The waters of the ninja world ran very deep. With the strength Hiruko had displayed at that time, he simply didn't have the capability to achieve such a grandiose ambition, even if he had successfully fused five Kekkei Genkai.
Watching Tatsuya leave without waiting for his reply, a wry smile appeared on Kakashi's face, but deep within his eyes, a flicker of gratitude and warmth could be seen. He had no choice but to turn and return to the caravan. Tatsuya's decisive and unwavering support was, nonetheless, very heartwarming.