Pursuit

Sasuke questioned Sakon with a furrowed brow, "Are you asking me to die once?" He observed as Sakon searched through his pockets and retrieved a small container of pills, and then asked, "What is that?" Sasuke's tone was cautious and vigilant.

Sakon presented the bottle to Sasuke and explained, "It's a hallucinogen, and I want you to consume it."

"Why?" Sasuke inquired.

Tayuya responded, "By taking that pill, your level one cursed seal will be forcibly upgraded to level two."

Sakon clarified, "However, the level two curse will spread much faster and if we don't intervene, it could be fatal for you. In order to harness the power of the level two curse, your body needs to adjust to it. Once you do, you'll possess the same strength as us."

Sakon concluded, "Once the seal reaches level two, you only have a few minutes before death."

Sasuke expressed his unease by asking, "What happens once I die?"

Sakon offered him the bottle and replied, "There's no need to worry because we are here to help."

Sakon explained that their barrier jutsu would minimize the curse's adverse effects, resulting in a temporary coma and softening the curse's impact.

Sasuke took hold of the pill bottle and inquired, "How good are your barrier abilities?"

Kidomaru interposed and addressed Sasuke, "Sasuke-sama, the four of us are Orochimaru-sama's elite guards, and our most potent skills are creating barriers and seals."

After a moment of contemplation, Sasuke opened the bottle, took out a pill, and gazed at it, triggering a mental image of Itachi.

"I'm counting on you," Sasuke uttered before swallowing the pill. Almost immediately, he dropped to his knees, clutching his stomach and struggling to endure the agony.

"Come on, move quickly, or Sasuke-sama is gonna flip," Sakon exclaimed, producing a sealing scroll and summoning a substantial wooden box. The group acted swiftly, with Jirobo cautiously placing Sasuke inside the box and taking up his position.

"Let's get started!" Sakon shouted as they all formed hand seals and chanted together, "Fuinjutsu: Death Sealing Method!" Sakon affixed various sealing tags onto the box, effectively sealing Sasuke inside.

"Alright, we have completed the first step," Sakon declared.

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While jumping from tree to tree, Kiba, Menma, Shikamaru, Naruto, Choji, and Neji noticed something peculiar - Kiba caught the scent of five ninjas, including Sasuke, who seemed to be in a battle with two other ninjas. However, they appeared to be moving away from the smell of blood. Kiba immediately brought this to everyone's attention and directed his question to Shikamaru, asking for their plan of action.

Upon hearing this, Shikamaru furrowed his brows in deep thought, realizing that Sasuke had assistance from others. He muttered to himself, "This situation is not looking good at all."

*Tak*

Naruto exclaimed with a hint of anxiety, "Let's hurry and catch up with Sasuke!"

Menma intervened and advised Naruto to calm down. He then turned to Shikamaru for guidance and asked, "What's the plan?"

*Tak*

Shikamaru pondered aloud, "If we head in that direction, we might be able to gather some information. And if Kiba's sensing blood, it could mean there was a fight. We should switch to a more cautious approach and scout the area."

Neji pointed out, "But if we take that approach, Sasuke will crossing into the Flame Country."

*Tak*

Menma directed his question towards their lethargic leader, "So, what's the plan?"

The group fell silent as they waited for Shikamaru's response. After a moment of contemplation, Shikamaru made his decision, "Alright, we'll go after Sasuke."

"Got it!" Naruto replied enthusiastically.

However, Shikamaru added a word of caution, "But if there was a fight, it means that the enemy is on high alert. They will likely be expecting pursuit from our team, so we should anticipate encountering numerous traps and ambushes."

Upon hearing Shikamaru's words, Choji became apprehensive.

*Tak*

Kiba asked, "What's the plan now?"

Shikamaru gave his instructions to the team, "From now on, utilize your sense of smell and sight to their maximum capacity. Our goal is to locate Sasuke and his team before they can ambush us. Additionally, if you notice any suspicious activity, don't ignore it. Analyze it carefully."

"Got it! If I sniff them out, I'll give them a good beating!" Naruto declared confidently.

"I'm with Naruto on that," Menma chimed in, showing his support.

After a few moments of silence, Kiba suddenly became tense and exclaimed, "Hey! I can smell the enemy's scent all around us!"

Shikamaru swiftly ordered everyone to stop, and then he peered up at a tree trunk hidden behind the green leaves of the branches. He slightly narrowed his eyes and spoke, "Explosive seals..."

Neji surveyed the surrounding forest and added, "I can see five more of those seals. It appears to be a barrier seal formation."

"A barrier seal? What does that mean?" Choji inquired.

"It's a type of ninjutsu trap that utilizes seal techniques. Once the enemy enters an area encircled by the trap seals, they will be triggered," Menma explained, drawing from his knowledge of high-level ninjutsu from a '*book he had studied*'.

Kiba scanned the area, hoping to find an alternate route to approach their target. "Is there no other way to flank it?" he exclaimed, frustrated by the numerous traps scattered around them.

The team decided to abandon their position in the trees, realizing it was not safe to continue their pursuit from there. As they moved forward on the ground, they remained vigilant, trying to avoid any traps.

Kiba expressed his annoyance at encountering so many traps. "We keep stumbling upon these damn traps," he muttered.

Shikamaru tried to reassure the group by pointing out that the rushed and haphazard placement of the traps indicated that the enemy was also under pressure and lacked time to properly plan their defense. "At least the enemy seems to be in a hurry," he observed.

Shikamaru commanded, "Naruto and Menma, why don't you both create shadow clones and scout ahead to check for any traps that might not be easily noticeable?"

Naruto and Menma then summoned two clones each using the "Kage Bunshin no jutsu" technique. Shikamaru directed Naruto's clones to investigate the left and right sides, while Menma's clones checked the front.

After some time, the clones returned with their findings. Menma's clone discovered a double wire trap, where the first wire was visible at eye level, and the second wire was camouflaged in green at his feet, just above a pile of leaves. He almost fell for it. On the other hand, Naruto's clones didn't find anything significant, only stumbling upon the more obvious traps set by the enemy.

Shikamaru acknowledged the rushed job with a "Hmm, well done," but before he could finish his thought, Neji chimed in, completing the sentence with his own observation that the enemy was likely either taking a break due to injuries or setting up another trap.

Neji clasped his hands forming the tiger hand sign. Neji's eyes widen, As he activates his Byakugan, his eyes widen and transform onto a milky, the veins around them bulging and becoming more prominent.

Neji's vision now enhanced by the Byakugan, allowed him to see things that are normally invisible to the naked eye. He can see the chakra pathways in the bodies of his opponents, allowing him to detect their movements and anticipate their attacks. He can also see through solid objects and perceive the chakra of those around him.

With his Byakugan activated, Neji begins to scan the area, searching for any signs of Sasuke and the enemy. His eyes dart around as he looks for any disturbances in the air, any movements in the trees, or any other clues that might indicate the presence of his enemies.

As Neji continues to search, he suddenly detects a faint chakra signature in the distance. He focuses his vision on the origin of the signal and observes that the foes are resting in a clearing.

"I found them," Neji informs the others. Naruto cheers, "Great! We can bring Sasuke back now!"

However, Shikamaru advises them to be patient and not rush into action. "Let me plan our approach first, and then we'll confront our target," he suggests.