CHAPTER 249: CHAPTER 249

The journey from Konoha to the northern front was a long one. Their steady pace had already carried them a third of the way, but even during their short break, Might Guy was practically vibrating with restless energy.

He impatiently bounded over to Takeshi. "So, Sensei, did I win?"

"We haven’t reached the camp yet," the black cat reminded him gently. "The winner is the one who encounters the patrol ninja first. You may still have some competition, you know. Meow."

"What? Really?" Guy’s face fell as he thought it through. Tsunade wouldn’t let him get too far ahead, which meant he couldn’t just outrun the entire group. He would only be considered the first to arrive if he reached the patrols just as the main team did. In the meantime, everyone else had a chance to catch up...

’What a dirty trick!’ Guy’s shoulders slumped, his lip trembling in theatrical despair. He should have known better, a favor from Takeshi always came with a catch.

Nearby, however, Kakashi and the others exchanged a look. The race wasn’t over yet. No matter how incredible Guy’s stamina was, he had to stay in formation. All they had to do was save their energy for one last burst at the very end, assuming they could pull it off.

At full speed, Kakashi was normally faster than Guy, especially when using his Lightning Release. But if Guy opened the Eight Gates, their speeds would be nearly identical, with Guy possibly having the edge. The victory was still anyone’s game.

As for the pointers Takeshi had promised, that wasn’t a problem. He would simply guide them using their own signature techniques, which would naturally suit them best. He had never made a promise he couldn’t keep. And if he ever did, he would just pretend he never said it.

The black cat considered this for a moment, then decided to have a word with Tsunade about picking up the pace. She had been holding back for the sake of the genin, but his was the only team with genin on it. Everyone else, including Kakashi’s squad, was a chunin.

Tsunade was more than willing. If she didn’t have to consider the others, she would have run straight to the front lines in a single go.

"Break’s over, everyone!" she called out, her voice sharp. "Let’s get moving!"

A few of the chunin exchanged puzzled glances, but an order had to be followed. As they set off again, they noticed Tsunade’s speed was significantly faster than before.

’Can those genin even keep up?’ they wondered.

Soon, however, their concern shifted. A few of the chunin whose taijutsu wasn’t as polished found themselves questioning if they could keep up. The thought of being outpaced by genin was too humiliating to bear, and they pushed themselves harder, a new determination setting in.

Two months ago, Ebisu would have fallen behind almost immediately. Now, thanks to his training, he was just barely able to match their speed, though his breath came in ragged, desperate gasps. They covered the next leg of their journey in half the time it took for the first. At this rate, they would reach the front in less than half a day.

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Far ahead, amidst the war-torn ruins surrounding Amegakure, Orochimaru and Hanzo met once more.

"Orochimaru," Hanzo began, his voice cold and flat. "About our cooperation... I expect your help in clarifying the matter of Danzo’s death."

"Fufufu," Orochimaru chuckled, his tongue flicking out to lick his lips. "My own inquiries point toward the Raikage. His Lightning Release Armor and Hell Stab are certainly capable of dispatching Danzo-sama in a short battle. And it is rather convenient that he allied with Kirigakure to attack the Land of Fire so soon after the incident, isn’t it?"

"That’s true," Hanzo nodded, his expression unreadable.

Of course, they both knew the Raikage had nothing to do with it. They simply needed a plausible story, one that absolved Hanzo of any involvement. Their alliance depended on it.

"Then I trust our cooperation will continue to be pleasant," Orochimaru said with a low laugh, before vanishing in a swirl of leaves with Body Flicker.

Their joint scheme against Onoki had succeeded, and Iwagakure had suffered heavy losses. But Hanzo knew the most difficult part was yet to come. The Iwa-nin had spent years recuperating their strength and were far from crippled. Onoki’s wrath would be swift and terrible.

Hanzo sighed inwardly, hoping the coming losses would be minimal. That scoundrel Danzo... still managing to cause trouble even in death. Few in any village had fond feelings for the man, but for him to die on Amegakure soil was a disgusting political mess.

’Could even this have been part of his plan?’ he mused. Hanzo dismissed the thought just as quickly. Surely not even Danzo would gamble with his own life.

--**--**

"We’re almost at the Camp! Everyone get ready to sprint," Guy roared, then activated the First Gate of Eight Gates. Not far behind him, Kakashi also suddenly used Lightning Release to stimulate his body and accelerate.

Takeshi watched their competition with interest. Up ahead was Orochimaru’s forward camp. According to Tsunade, the plan was to first deal a debilitating blow to the weaker forces from Sunagakure, then turn their combined strength against Iwagakure. The black cat wasn’t worried. He had feared Orochimaru once, back when he couldn’t hope to win a fight against him, but he was no longer that timid kitten.

The race between Kakashi and Guy was fierce. With enough stamina, Kakashi would have easily pulled ahead, but he was already running on fumes. Guy, however, still had the second gate in reserve. By opening the Gate of Healing, he forced a final burst of energy from his body, allowing him to recover just enough stamina to surge past even Tsunade.

"That boy on your team is quite skilled with the Eight Gates," Tsunade remarked, easily keeping pace beside Takeshi. "His talent surpasses his father’s. With a bit more polish, he’ll be another powerful Jonin. He is, however, a little too straightforward..." She had been observing Guy along the way. This child’s comprehension might be ordinary, but his talent for perseverance and effort was indeed excellent, somewhat like Jiraiya.

"Meow~ That’s him, all right."

Takeshi darted ahead as Minato dropped back to look after Rin and the others. As Guy and Kakashi pulled away, he and Tsunade picked up their pace as well, both eager to finally be done with the journey.

A short time later, they arrived at the woods bordering the camp. From a distance, Takeshi saw Guy and Kakashi being held by a patrol ninja, forced to stand at attention like disobedient children. Standing beside them was the familiar figure of Hizashi Hyūga.

The black cat ran up to them. "Mrrow~ They’re with me."

"Takeshi?" Hizashi said, his tone disapproving. "What are you doing letting these two run wild? This area is full of traps. What if they’d gotten hurt?"

Takeshi instinctively lowered his head in apology. So this is what it felt like to be the scapegoat, a role Rin knew all too well. To his surprise, it wasn’t so bad. It was even better seeing the look on Kakashi’s face when Hizashi referred to them both as "kids," an expression that generously contributed another four hundred points. Guy didn’t seem to mind the label, but he was clearly annoyed that Hizashi had stopped him. If not for that, he would have been well ahead of Kakashi.

"By the way, are all of you..." Hizashi started to ask.

"Meow~ The eastern border is secure," Takeshi explained, flicking his tail toward the path behind him. "The main force is here as reinforcements."

Hizashi activated his Byakugan, and his eyes widened at the sight of the approaching crowd. He saw Tsunade, followed by a large contingent of Uchiha.

’What is going on?’ he thought, bewildered. ’The Uchiha are here? Has the fighting gotten that intense? How did I not hear about this?’

He looked from the approaching shinobi back to Takeshi, unsure of what to say.

"Ah, Hizashi. I didn’t expect to see you on patrol," Tsunade said as she came to a halt, producing her pass and mission scroll. This was a necessary procedure.

"Tsunade-sama." Though he was still trying to process the situation, Hizashi accepted the documents with practiced ease. After a few moments of reading, he began to understand. Nearly the entire Uchiha clan had been mobilized. The village intended to end the war quickly, and Sunagakure was the first target. The addition of the Uchiha would certainly make that easier, but the fact that they were participating at all was astonishing.

His gaze fell to the scroll again, this time noting that Takeshi and Minato Namikaze were listed as high-priority assets. Takeshi was even designated as a Jonin team leader.

’What happened?’ Hizashi wondered. ’It’s only been a few months. How has this cat changed so much?’

He couldn’t be blamed for his surprise. News traveled slowly to the front, and as a patrol leader, he wasn’t privy to the high-level mission details from the main camp.

"I understand," Hizashi said, returning the scroll. He straightened and bowed deeply. "Please, pass through."

"Thank you for your hard work," Tsunade said with a nod, then gestured for Guy and Kakashi to follow. The two exchanged a challenging glance before darting off again with a *swoosh*. This time, however, Guy couldn’t keep up. He was in the fatigue period from opening two of his Gates.

As Tsunade led the main group forward, Takeshi lingered, hopping onto Hizashi’s shoulder.

"Which one of them got here first?" he asked.

"Huh?" Hizashi was confused for a second. ’Was that some kind of contest?’ He thought back for a moment. "The one in green, I think. His left foot crossed the line first. Kakashi’s sprint was fast, but he was still a step behind."

"Meow~ Got it. I’m off."

"All right." Hizashi nodded, but in the next instant, Takeshi was gone.

’That was... spatial ninjutsu?’

Hizashi’s eyes widened again. He suddenly understood why Takeshi and Minato were marked as so important. With Takeshi and Minato both wielding space-time techniques, their combined strength would be far greater than the sum of its parts. Sunagakure’s famed puppet masters were in for a world of trouble.

Then, a wave of exasperation washed over him. A cat mastering something as advanced as spatial ninjutsu felt fundamentally wrong. If it was the Flying Thunder God, it would be even more unbelievable. How was it that a cat had managed to learn a jutsu that so few shinobi in history ever had? It just didn’t seem fair.

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