In Naruto With Pocket Hunting

[Land of Fire, heading West-Northwest]

'That's the direction of the Land of Grass. But... Beyond the Land of Grass lies the Land of Earth.' Nawaki thought as he leapt from tree to tree: 'Is the mission related to one of these two countries, or will we change direction along the way?'

So far, all Nawaki knew was that they were on an ultra-secret mission. Beyond that, he was completely in the dark.

Knowing Sakumo, Nawaki understood that, when the time came, Sakumo would share the mission details. Because of this, he remained patient, though he felt that something was amiss. Not to mention that, as a ninja, he was obligated to follow the orders of the village leader, the Third Hokage.

However, this didn't mean he would follow orders blindly. The only reason he refrained from asking questions was because of Sakumo. He was the kind of person with a good heart who valued the lives of his comrades. Based on this, Nawaki felt it was safe to assume that, for now, even without mission details, they weren't in immediate danger.

"A traitor," Sakumo suddenly said after they had been traveling for four hours straight.

Using his hands for momentum, Nawaki propelled himself forward, aligning himself with Sakumo. He glanced at him as they both leapt again, waiting for him to continue.

"Our mission is to track a traitor, a member of the ANBU, and uncover who they're leaking Konoha's information to," Sakumo said gravely. "The reason we haven't captured them yet is because they believe they've escaped. But in reality, they have a tracking mark on them."

He paused before continuing, "With this mark, I can pinpoint their location. This way, we can discover who they're negotiating with, capture both the traitor and their accomplice if possible, and return to the village as quickly as possible. That's why speed is critical, and why you were required for this mission."

Hearing this now, it made sense why his presence was necessary and why the mission was classified as ultra-secret. Still, something felt off. Narrowing his eyes slightly, Nawaki thought, 'If they managed to mark the traitor, why not just capture them and read their memories later?'

Looking at it from another perspective, the mission itself seemed strange, even if it made logical sense.

Suddenly, Nawaki's eyes gleamed slightly, with a hint of danger in them.

"Nawaki-kun?" Sakumo was surprised by Nawaki's sudden change in demeanor.

However, Nawaki didn't answer him. Instead, he formed a hand seal, creating a shadow clone, which immediately clasped hands with the original body.

This only deepened Sakumo's confusion. There had been no sign of danger so far, so the creation of a shadow clone seemed unnecessary.

'What is he trying to do?' Sakumo wondered, puzzled by the silence.

Right before his eyes, he watched the clone perform another hand seal and vanish.

'Why did he use the Flying Raijin?' Sakumo stopped on a tree branch, asking, "Nawaki-kun, what was that just now? Did something happen in the village?"

Only something of that magnitude could explain Nawaki's strange actions—or so Sakumo thought.

Stopping not far from Sakumo, Nawaki turned around, his cold eyes locking onto him.

Suppressing his anger, Nawaki said, "To be more precise, something happened to my Senju Clan."

For those who understood, half a word was enough. Surprised, Sakumo asked, "Is Kushina-chan in danger?"

Nawaki replied with a bitter, cold chuckle: "Isn't it ironic? There's always some ANBU watching over her, preventing her from living a normal life. But when it really matters, they vanish. Just like three years ago. Isn't that funny? I think it's hilarious. Ahaha..."

"Calm down first, Nawaki-kun," Sakumo approached and placed a hand on his shoulder, speaking in a calm and measured tone: "I don't think the situation is that simple. If Kushina-chan is the target, then whoever is behind this must have prepared extensively to deal with the ANBU. I also know a bit about what happened three years ago. From what I've uncovered, the ANBU protecting Kushina-chan were caught in a Genjutsu. Because of that, the Uchihas were accused of collaborating with outsiders at the time, as the council believed only someone like the Uchiha could pull off something like that."

Taking a deep breath, Nawaki responded, "Well, whatever. What matters is that every one of those bastards who tried to capture Kushina has a very short lifespan."

Shaking his head, Sakumo said, "I understand this situation isn't pleasant, Nawaki-kun, but we're ninjas. We need to continue and complete the mission we were given. And I trust that your clone should be enough to handle the situation in Konoha, right?"

Looking at him without brushing off his hand, Nawaki breathed in deeply and exhaled, calming himself. "Yes, everything is under control."

Not long after they resumed their pursuit, Nawaki clicked his tongue and created another shadow clone, which disappeared shortly after.

"Lost another clone?" Sakumo asked, surprised.

"One of them launched a suicide attack, self-destructing," Nawaki replied with a touch of anger.

"..." Sakumo remained silent, seemingly unsure of what to say in that moment.

Honestly, even he found it strange. After all, if everything was as Nawaki described, how had Hiruzen or any other ninja in the village not been alerted?

Almost two hours later, Nawaki broke the silence, asking, "Sakumo-san, have you ever thought about becoming Hokage? Or rather, do you want to be Hokage?"

--

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[A few hours earlier, in Konohagakure]

Kushina was studying scrolls left by Mito Uzumaki related to Fuuinjutsu, but today, she couldn't focus on her studies, as she couldn't shake off the feeling of a bad omen that haunted her.

"I hope nothing bad happens to Nawaki..." she thought, worried.

Despite knowing how strong Nawaki was, there were always situations that didn't go as expected. There was always an unexpected factor, something beyond control, that could put Nawaki in danger. And that's what worried her the most.

Sighing as she stood up, wanting to get some fresh air, Kushina left the study room.

The moment she stepped out, several formations activated, sealing the room. These barriers had been specifically created by Mito Uzumaki to prevent its contents from being stolen. Only Kushina, Nawaki, and Tsunade had access to them.

One could say that this room was like a fortress; as long as someone stayed inside, even a Jonin would struggle to infiltrate it, and even a Kage would find it difficult—especially without being detected.

Although this was one of the few places where Kushina felt freer, away from the constant watchful eyes of ANBU, even this sanctuary couldn't calm her restless heart this time.

"Ahh..." Stretching, she placed her hands on her hips, feeling stiff from sitting for so long.

As she walked, a faint sense of dread crept into her heart.

The feeling worsened when she realized she could no longer sense the presence of the ANBU watching her.

Immediately, she turned to run back to the room that made her feel safest.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Blocking her path, four ninjas wearing headbands from the Hidden Cloud appeared, reviving Kushina's memories of three years ago.

'It's them again!' she thought, assuming a combat stance with a fierce expression. 'This time, it's different. I'm no longer that weak, helpless little girl!'

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

The sharp sound of movement echoed as three more ninjas appeared.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Two more arrived, and now Kushina was surrounded on all sides by a total of nine ninjas.

Aside from there being nine this time, Kushina could sense that the strength of each one was at least that of a Chunin—some even Jonin.

Using her sensory abilities, she detected the presence of someone at a distance. 'An ANBU member?' she wondered.

"Help me!" she shouted.

However, she didn't sense any movement from the person who seemed to be observing the situation from afar.

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