"Black-robed assassin...?"
The more Kakashi looked, the more he felt that the figure of the black-robed assassin seemed to overlap.
This thought barely appeared, only to be shaken off by a quick head shake.
The black-robed ninja was too strong, and Genya was too small.
How could someone like him have such terrifying power?
Kakashi must have been too fixated on the assassin, and that was why he mistook Genya, who had a similar build, for the assassin.
It seemed he was still too obsessed with the assassin. But it couldn't be helped—this assassin was someone who could have been linked to Obito's survival and even joined some organization!
Kakashi had investigated for a while but found nothing.
Yet, the words of the assassin were deeply engraved in his mind, continuously replaying.
"Still... this little guy is interesting!" Kakashi looked at Genya's back, narrowing his eyes. Even at this point, he was still so calm. What an incredible kid.
In the past, when Guy mentioned how impressive Genya's taijutsu training was, Kakashi hadn't fully believed it, but now he was starting to.
"He's definitely going to handle this, right?" Kakashi chuckled softly and walked off in another direction.
It was as if the two had just coincidentally bumped into each other with no real connection—just a random encounter.
"Genya-sama, is my brother really in danger?" Hikari looked at Genya with concern. This was the first time her brother had left Konoha, and she was uneasy.
In her mind, her brother's strength was about the same as hers, and facing those three jonin could be dangerous!
"You don't have confidence in your brother?" Genya looked at the worried Hikari and couldn't help but chuckle.
Hikari fell silent, not saying a word.
"Don't worry, Hayashi can handle it!" Genya smiled and looked at her seriously, saying, "Hayashi might face a lot of danger this time. If he can't handle three jonin, how will he complete the mission I gave him?"
He had fought against Hayashi before, and he knew its strength very well!
Even without using the Yin Seal or the Hundred Healing Jutsu, he possessed the power to fight against three Jonin. Not to mention, Hayashi had hidden cards.
This time, he would consider it a small test for Hayashi once again!
After saying that, Genya walked ahead, not waiting for anyone. Hikari's eyes flickered a few times, then she followed behind, deciding not to think too much about it.
Today, the Uchiha clan was still peaceful, without any disturbances.
The sky darkened, and four Konoha ninjas were moving through the forest.
In front of them was a ninja dog.
"Are we close yet?" Rat asked, frowning as he looked at the tracker ninja in front.
He had been chasing since morning, but they still hadn't caught up.
Rat started to wonder if they had made a mistake tracking. The person Genya sent out, that Senju Hayashi, was probably only at the level of a Chunin, so how could he be running so fast?
The reason Rat had brought four people was to be cautious, just in case.
"We're almost there. The scent is getting stronger!" Just then, the ninja dog spoke up. "It should be nearby!"
"Nearby?" Hearing this, Rat and the others exchanged glances and immediately became alert.
They cautiously watched the area ahead, moving with careful steps.
The dog brushed against a vine-like grass protruding from the ground, but it didn't pay it any mind and continued following the scent.
On a large tree, Hayashi had just finished the dried food brought from Konoha and was preparing to rest for the night, planning to continue traveling toward the Bounty Station tomorrow.
As he lay there trying to sleep, his eyes suddenly opened.
His gaze, however, was directed toward the group approaching, with coldness spreading in his eyes.
He left behind some grass grown from his Wood Style technique. As long as something touched his domain, Senju Hayashi would sense it.
Someone—or something—was approaching!
While outside, he had always followed Uchiha Genya's instructions, staying vigilant. Slowly, he sat up, and a kunai appeared in his hand.
His body used the tree trunk as cover while he looked back, holding his breath and hiding himself well.
With his current strength, if he wanted to remain hidden, ordinary people, unless they were sensory ninjas, would never be able to find him.
Just as he prepared himself, he saw a group of people approaching from the distance. They were moving cautiously, with a tracking dog leading the way.
Clearly, they were searching for someone.
Within this range, it seemed like it was just him.
Hayashi had a faint feeling that these people were coming for him; they were likely ninjas from Konoha.
As he watched the four people and one dog getting closer, his heartbeat nearly stopped, and he observed their movements from above.
"Rat, aren't you overreacting? They're just a subordinate of Uchiha Genya, maybe at the Chunin level. We're being too cautious!" The atmosphere was tense, and one person couldn't help but voice his opinion. "We're all Jonin!"
In his eyes, even if a Chunin noticed them, escaping would be impossible!
"The mission to capture that kid came directly from the Hokage-sama. It's better to be careful. If we let him slip away, we won't be able to explain it to Hokage-sama!" The man called Rat scolded sharply, signaling the group to proceed cautiously.
But the Jonin beside him still didn't seem concerned.
"It's right around here, be careful!"
While the two were whispering and arguing, the ninja dog spoke up to remind them to be quiet. It then lowered its head and continued sniffing ahead. The two members stopped arguing.
Up in the tree, Senju Hayashi's eyes grew cold. He watched the group below and murmured to himself, "So they're here looking for me, are they? Still the Hokage's people?"
Having followed Genya, he naturally knew about the tense relationship between Sarutobi Hiruzen and Genya.
Since they were planning to make a move against him, he wouldn't be polite in return.
Just as Hayashi was thinking about how to deal with these people, the ninja dog sniffed the ground beneath the tree and muttered, "Strange, the scent is strongest here, but there's no one!"
The dog raised its head to look up.
Suddenly, it spotted Hayashi in the tree: "Target's in the tree!"
In an instant, the four ninjas simultaneously looked up.
At the same time, Hayashi finished forming his hand seals: "Wood Style: Hell Binding!"
In an instant, countless vines rapidly grew from the ground, twisting and curling toward the four ninjas and the dog.
The vines first wrapped around their ankles, then their bodies!
"Not good, he was prepared!" The group was shocked to see the Wood Style technique, one they hadn't seen before. They quickly tried to retreat.
But their ankles were already bound by the vines. They could only use their swords to cut through the vines and retreat, but each delay allowed thicker vines to appear, wrapping around them even more tightly.
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