Kakashi raised an eyebrow, walked over, and followed Obito's line of sight.
That direction was where the camp's supplies and medicine were stored. When their squad first arrived yesterday, Hayato had personally led them there to unload what they brought, so Kakashi recognized it. And now, beside the heavy warehouse doors, which were tightly shut, there was someone standing there.
The man wore a Konoha chūnin vest, his face wrapped in bandages. He was furtively scanning the area. After confirming no one was watching, he quickly formed hand seals and summoned a gray mountain sparrow.
Then he tied a rolled-up slip of paper to the bird's leg and barked in a low voice, "Go. Deliver this intel to 'Wind Eye'!"
"!"
Obito's eyes widened. For once, his IQ actually kicked in. "Kakashi, that guy is a— huh? Where'd he go?"
Before he could finish,
the bandaged Konoha chūnin heard a shrill ripping sound explode beside his ear—it was Kakashi, cutting through the air with his sword. Before the sparrow could take flight, Kakashi sliced it down in one stroke!
Then, flicking the blood off the blade, Kakashi looked coldly at the ninja across from him.
"Hey. What are you doing?"
"…"
This man was Fujiwara.
The moment he realized he'd been exposed, he made an instant decision. He threw down a smoke bomb at his feet, and the moment thick gray-black smoke burst out and blocked the line of sight, he bolted for the outer edge of the camp!
"Damn it!"
Kakashi reacted immediately. "Obito, go inform Hayato-sama! Tell him there's a spy here! I'll go after him!"
But Obito had already rushed out first, charging blindly after the direction Fujiwara fled.
"Don't think you're getting away!"
"…That idiot!"
Kakashi gritted his teeth, instantly formed seals, and created a shadow clone. He ordered the clone to go after Obito and Fujiwara, while his real body sprinted back to the command center to report the situation to Akiyama Hayato. Hayato immediately mobilized men, and the commotion naturally alerted Mikami Yuu and the others.
After hearing what happened, Mikami Yuu sighed.
Alright.
As expected of this era's number one "surprise factor"—this really was exactly the kind of reckless thing Obito would do.
Just as Hayato was about to personally lead a squad in pursuit, Mikami Yuu raised his voice:
"Wait, Jōnin Hayato."
"What is it?"
"If that spy's objective was to deliver information about the warehouse, then the enemy's goal is probably to destroy our supplies. The most important thing right now is to move the vital materials and strengthen camp defense so the enemy can't sabotage them.
"As for the pursuit, I suggest you assign one experienced jōnin who's good at tracking to go with Kakashi and… me. That should be enough to bring both Obito and the spy back safely."
The truth was, Mikami Yuu didn't actually want to go.
Rushing off to rescue Obito? How was that more comfortable than staying in camp?
But with both Kakashi and Obito already gone, it would look a little bad if he stayed behind.
Besides…
With the Pseudo-Realm Instant Cast trait from Substitution and Transformation's shapeshifting ability, Mikami Yuu had enough confidence to get himself out if things got bad. If they really ran into something overwhelming, he could at least guarantee he'd run faster than Kakashi.
"…Alright."
Hayato calmed down, gave Mikami Yuu an approving look, then issued orders decisively:
"Inuzuka! Take these two kids and pursue them! Whether or not you capture or kill Fujiwara, your first priority is to bring them back safely!"
"Yes!"
This was actually someone familiar too—Inuzuka Tsume, the future mother of one of the Konoha Twelve, Inuzuka Kiba.
At this point, though, she was only around sixteen or seventeen, probably about tokubetsu jōnin level. But since the Inuzuka specialized in ninja hounds, this kind of pursuit and capture was right up her alley.
Hayato continued:
"The rest of you, come with me and move the supplies. Everyone else, reinforce the watch posts and recheck every person's identity. No mistakes."
Very soon,
the camp entered a state of high alert.
Led by Inuzuka Tsume and a large black dog, Mikami Yuu and Kakashi followed the trail of markers left behind by Kakashi's shadow clone—grass blades snapped in a distinctive pattern—and dashed along the mountain ridge, covering several kilometers in no time.
Only when they reached a small creek did the trail begin to blur.
Kakashi looked around, then suddenly stiffened, as if receiving the shadow clone's memories. He immediately looked up.
"They're upstream, about two kilometers away. My clone got dispersed. Obito and Fujiwara are fighting right now!"
"Move!"
After another one or two minutes of rapid pursuit,
they began to hear the distant clashing of ninja tools ahead, along with flashes of firelight—Obito and Fujiwara were clearly engaged.
But at that very moment, Inuzuka Tsume turned her head and looked in another direction. The big black dog beside her started barking loudly.
"Reinforcements? That way—about one kilometer out. Looks like three more people approaching fast!"
"Three people…"
Kakashi judged the distance and spoke quickly.
"Inuzuka-jōnin, please go support Obito immediately and make sure that spy is captured or killed! Mikami Yuu and I will hold off the approaching enemies here!"
"Got it. Be careful! Just hold them for a bit—I'll be back to help soon!"
The three of them split into two groups on the spot.
Inuzuka Tsume took the dog and went after Obito.
Mikami Yuu and Kakashi stopped behind a large rock and used the cover of the stone to start setting traps.
Through the sparse trees, Mikami Yuu caught sight of the three figures leaping across the rocks ahead. They wore dark gray ninja outfits and forehead protectors marked with what looked like four vertical lines.
"Rain Village ninja…"
Kakashi judged.
Rain ninja?
Then that was fine.
If these were shinobi from one of the Five Great Villages, Mikami Yuu's first concern would've been how to stall or escape—not kill them outright. People from the major villages always had a few tricks, at the very least some life-saving methods.
But smaller villages were a different story.
That meant he could be a little bolder.
"Kakashi, quick question. What's your strongest Wind Style technique?"
Mikami Yuu asked.
"…Wind Style: Great Breakthrough. Effective frontal impact range is about ten meters. The wind force is enough to blow away large rocks. Why?"
"Second question. Can you keep a secret for me?"
"…?"
"I've got a tactic. It might let us break this squad pretty easily, but I'll need your cooperation."
Mikami Yuu lowered his voice and spoke quietly.
As he said it,
the Rain ninja were getting closer and closer—one hundred meters… eighty… forty…
Then suddenly,
one of them stepped on an explosive trap Kakashi had set.
The burst of fire from the explosive tag forced them to stop and split to either side.
The next instant,
Mikami Yuu's figure vanished from the spot without warning!
"Substitution Technique: Pseudo-Realm Instant Cast!"