Chapter 31: Kakashi in Pursuit!

Chapter 31: Kakashi in Pursuit!

The Land of Waves had recently seen an unusual number of ninja from various countries passing through. The local residents were puzzled as to why each ninja would ask if they could reach the Land of Water.

Faced with such powerful figures, the villagers dared not withhold information and answered truthfully.

"How about you just take me near the Land of Water? You don't need to dock," Kakashi suggested, in search of leads on Uchiha Obito.

He had taken on a mission to investigate the situation in the Land of Water. However, no one was willing to take him all the way, so he settled for a compromise.

"Hmmm…" the dark-skinned boatman hesitated. "All right, but you'll have to pay extra!"

Lured by the promise of extra pay and reassured by the idea of dropping Kakashi off at a distance, the boatman finally agreed.

After a bit of back and forth, Kakashi finally set foot on the northern coast of the Land of Water.

Unfortunately, it didn't take long for his presence to be detected. Was he just that well-known, or were the Amegakure ninjas just too cautious? In no time, his movements were exposed, and he found himself intercepted by Kirigakure ninjas.

Things weren't going well for Kakashi. Since he didn't want anyone to know about Obito, he had come alone. If anything happened, he would be completely on his own. With no clear idea of what was happening in Kirigakure or where Obito was hiding, he couldn't afford to be captured.

"Attack!"

Seeing that Kakashi showed no sign of surrendering, the Kirigakure ninjas launched an assault and sent out a signal for backup. Kakashi's reputation as the Copy Ninja made them wary of taking any chances.

Meanwhile, Obito, orchestrating everything from behind the scenes, was quickly informed of Kakashi's presence. He was slightly irritated. Facing Kakashi was the last thing he wanted at the moment.

He didn't know Kakashi's purpose for infiltrating the Land of Water, but it couldn't be anything good. Worse yet, it might jeopardize the setup he had carefully crafted in Kirigakure.

He needed a way to keep Kakashi occupied.

"Zetsu, do you have any ideas for dealing with Kakashi?" Obito asked, seated casually in the Mizukage's office.

"If you want to handle Kakashi, I suggest you bring in that girl, Hanare," Zetsu replied, well-versed in Kakashi's relationships.

"Hanare? The spy from the Land of Locks?" Obito recalled Hanare, a woman Kakashi had saved when she was a child and who had developed feelings for him. Recently, she'd been seen in Konoha, posing as a singer and openly showing her affection toward Kakashi. However, Zetsu knew she was actually a spy sent by the Land of Locks to steal Konoha's secrets, although Konoha hadn't caught on yet.

In any case, she could be a useful tool to hold Kakashi back.

"Where is she?" Obito asked.

"Konoha."

"Be right back."

In less than ten minutes, Obito returned, bringing Hanare with him.

"I've got her. Now, what's your plan?" Zetsu asked, curious.

"You'll see soon enough," Obito replied with a cryptic smile. With the right strategy, Kakashi would be at his mercy. Kakashi was one of the most prominent ninjas in Konoha, and capturing him would yield significant benefits.

Unfortunately, the first group of Kirigakure ninjas failed to detain Kakashi, allowing him to escape into unknown territory.

"Squad One, search over here!"

"Squad Two, search that area!"

"Kakashi is a valuable target—do not let your guard down!"

"Also, avoid making eye contact with his left eye to prevent getting caught in his Sharingan genjutsu."

Kakashi's exposure caused an immediate stir, with Kirigakure ninjas scrambling to contain him, wary of the threat he posed.

"Poor Kakashi!" Uchiha Yi, who was wandering around collecting soul points, couldn't help but laugh when he heard of the commotion. He hadn't expected his disguise as Obito to lead to Kakashi's relentless pursuit, nor did he expect Kakashi to find his way to Kirigakure so quickly.

It seemed that Kakashi and Obito shared a deep bond, while Rin was merely the third wheel.

Now, things were about to get interesting. He was eager to see how Obito would react when he came face-to-face with a Kakashi who knew his identity.

"Found Kakashi's trail! Surround this area immediately!" the Kirigakure ninjas shouted.

Distant figures moved into position, gradually forming a circle around the area—including Uchiha Yi's current location.

Could it be that Kakashi has escaped here?

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