Ch.139 Forming a Team!

Naruto picked up the letter from the ground and, after a moment of realization, said, "Oh, this is the letter Sasuke gave me yesterday!"

At that moment, Sakura and Ino were walking down the street together. When they saw Naruto standing outside the ramen shop half-naked, they walked over and asked, "Naruto, what are you doing?"

Naruto replied honestly, "I'm looking for a coupon!"

Sakura facepalmed in embarrassment.

Ino muttered quietly, "I told you we shouldn't have come over here!"

"Let's go, let's go! Just pretend we don't know him!" Sakura, regretting coming over, tried to pull Ino away.

However, Ino caught sight of the letter in Naruto's hand. Seeing the words "To Shinji" written on the envelope, she curiously asked, "Naruto, what's that in your hand?"

Naruto casually answered, "Oh, it's a letter Sasuke asked me to give to Shinji."

"A letter from Sasuke to Shinji?" Sakura was puzzled. "Why would Sasuke write a letter to Shinji?"

Ino also found it odd.

Everyone was in the village; if Sasuke had something to say, he could have just said it directly. There was no need to write a letter, especially between two boys.

Thinking this, Sakura quickly snatched the letter from Naruto's hand. "Naruto, you keep looking for your coupon. I'll take care of delivering this letter to Shinji."

Naruto didn't think much of it and continued his search for the coupon while nodding his head.

Sakura and Ino then took the letter to the small training ground where Shinji often practiced.

Thud, thud, thud.

Before they even got close to the training ground, they heard the sound of rapid punches and kicks being exchanged.

As they approached the edge of the field, they saw Shinji in the middle of a two-on-one sparring session, fending off attacks from both Haku and Karin.

The three of them were moving so fast that within the blink of an eye, they had exchanged dozens of blows.

"Wow, Karin is that strong?" 

"Yeah, and Haku is really powerful too!" 

In Sakura and Ino's minds, Shinji being a genius wasn't surprising. However, they hadn't expected that Haku and Karin, who usually seemed like Shinji's quiet followers in the shinobi academy, were also so formidable in Taijutsu.

Suddenly, both girls felt a sense of urgency and guilt for spending their time shopping instead of training.

After a while.

Having finished a round of sparring, Shinji walked to the edge of the training ground, wiping sweat off his face with a towel. He asked Sakura and Ino, "What brings you two here?"

Faced with Shinji, Sakura and Ino suddenly became nervous. "We... we just happened to be passing by and thought we'd stop and look!"

Although Shinji wasn't known for activating his eyes openly, his popularity in the academy was no less than that of Sasuke, Kimimaro, or Neji.

In fact.

Perhaps because he wasn't as arrogant as Sasuke, who always talked about his Sharingan, or as cold as Kimimaro and Neji, Shinji's popularity even slightly surpassed the other three.

Shinji noticed the letter in Sakura's hand and saw his name on the envelope. "What's that in your hand?"

"Oh, it's a letter from Sasuke!" Sakura handed the letter to Shinji with her head down.

Not far away.

Seeing this, Karin, who was drinking water, spat it out with a "pfft," drenching Haku next to her.

Haku asked, "What's wrong?"

Karin was shocked. "Did Sakura just give Shinji a love letter?"

Without waiting for Haku to respond, she quickly walked over.

Haku also looked over and saw Sakura handing a letter to Shinji, thinking, "It really is a love letter!"

Meanwhile, Shinji was puzzled. "A letter from Sasuke? Why would he write me a letter? And why are you handing it to me with your head down?"

Taking the letter, he tore open the envelope and pulled out the paper inside.

At this point, Sakura, Ino, Karin, and Haku all crowded around Shinji to read the letter with him.

At first, Shinji's expression was casual, but after scanning the contents of the letter, his face immediately changed.

Sakura exclaimed, "What? Sasuke went to take revenge on his own?"

Ino covered her mouth in shock. "Sasuke's enemy is his brother, who has the Mangekyō Sharingan, right? How could he possibly be a match for that guy on his own?"

Karin and Haku were also taken aback.

Over the past few days, they had been pressured by their respective factions to approach Sasuke, but they hadn't even had the chance to get close to him before he went off on what seemed like a suicide mission.

They knew full well the power of a Mangekyō Uchiha.

In their minds, their leader was likely a Mangekyō Uchiha, so the idea of Sasuke seeking revenge against someone of that level on his own was practically suicide.

Shinji, however, was thinking more deeply than the others.

From the fact that Sasuke left a letter, it seemed he wasn't being coerced. But it was precisely because of this that Shinji found Sasuke's actions baffling.

Though impulsive, Sasuke wouldn't recklessly throw his life away.

So someone must have influenced Sasuke, leading him to make a poor decision.

The likely culprits, capable of and motivated to do such a thing, were either the Akatsuki or Orochimaru.

But with Orochimaru already having placed Kimimaro by Sasuke's side, if he had any designs on Sasuke, Kimimaro would be the one to execute them.

However, if it was Kimimaro who influenced Sasuke, Sasuke wouldn't have omitted that detail from the letter.

So, the most likely scenario was that the Akatsuki influenced Sasuke and lured him out of the village!

Sakura and the others were in a panic, asking Shinji, "Shinji, what do we do now? Sasuke will definitely get hurt if he goes to take revenge alone!"

Shinji waved his hand and instructed, "Sakura, you go check Sasuke's house! Ino, go to the training ground Sasuke often uses! Haku, Karin, rally our classmates and search the village! First, we need to confirm whether Sasuke has actually left the village!"

"Yes, we need to confirm if Sasuke is still in the village first!"

Hearing Shinji's plan, the group felt reassured.

Shinji continued, "We'll meet back here in half an hour, regardless of whether we find Sasuke or not!"

"Got it!"

They all agreed and quickly set off to carry out their tasks.

As the group scattered, Shinji's expression grew serious.

Sasuke was a crucial part of his plan. If he failed to awaken the Rinnegan on his own, Sasuke, as the reincarnation of Indra from this generation's Ōtsutsuki clan, was his backup plan to awaken the Rinnegan.

And the Rinnegan was his ticket to reaching the Six Paths level.

If he couldn't reach the Six Paths level, he wouldn't be able to resist the encroachment of the tyrant upon the shinobi world. When that happened, the entire shinobi world would become food for the tyrant!

For that reason, he couldn't just stand by and let Sasuke fall into someone else's trap.

"Given Sasuke's pace, if he really left last night as stated in the letter, even factoring in rest breaks, he should only be half a day ahead of me at most. If I rush at full speed, as long as I head in the right direction, I should be able to catch up with him within a day!"

Shinji didn't indulge in wishful thinking. He began formulating a plan based on the assumption that Sasuke had already left the village.

Half an hour passed quickly.

However, this time, more people than before gathered for the meeting.

In addition to Sakura, Ino, Haku, and Karin, Neji, Kimimaro, Shion, Kurama Yakumo, Lee, Tenten, Shikamaru, Chōji, Hinata, Kiba, Shino, and even Naruto, who had been at Ichiraku Ramen, all showed up.

Sakura reported, "Sasuke's not at home!"

Ino added, "He's not at the training ground either!"

Haku and Karin said, "We searched the streets and all the shops he usually goes to, but we couldn't find him!"

Shinji sighed, "It seems he really has left the village!"

Shikamaru then said, "By the way, I heard that Sasuke bought some provisions with a stranger last night."

Shinji frowned, "A stranger?!"

Shikamaru nodded, "Yes, I asked for details. The person with Sasuke definitely wasn't from our village."

Naruto grumbled, "So Sasuke tricked me yesterday!"

Sakura knocked Naruto on the head. "Idiot, Sasuke carrying a backpack was a clear sign, how did you miss it?"

Naruto complained, "I asked him! He lied and said it was just for weight training!"

At this point, Shinji had confirmed two things.

First, Sasuke had indeed left the village. Second, someone had infiltrated the village and lured Sas

uke out.

Since the other party deliberately lured Sasuke out of the village, they likely had reinforcements waiting outside. This meant Shinji didn't have much time.

He waved his hand to signal everyone to quiet down, then said, "Given the situation, I'm sure you all understand. If I'm not mistaken, someone with ulterior motives lured Sasuke out of the village."

Hearing this, many of them looked worried.

Shinji continued, "He's in a very dangerous situation right now, so I have to bring him back!"

Sakura immediately raised her hand. "I'll go!"

Ino quickly followed, "Me too!"

"Count me in!"

"And me!"

Soon, everyone present volunteered to join in bringing Sasuke back.

Shinji said, "I understand how you all feel, but this mission is very dangerous, and we need to move quickly. So it's not a matter of having as many people as possible!"

Shino then said, "My Parasitic Insects can help track Sasuke!"

Kiba added, "My Akamaru can follow Sasuke's scent!"

Akamaru, perched on Kiba's head, barked in agreement, "Woof!"

Shinji nodded, "Alright, Shino and Kiba!"

Neji said, "I have the Byakugan!"

Kimimaro, who had been silent, finally spoke up, "Count me in!"

Shinji nodded again, "Haku, Kimimaro!"

Shion stepped forward, "And me! I can predict the future, Shinji, take me with you!"

Shinji, slightly annoyed, refused, "By the time you see the prediction, Sasuke would already be dead! You're staying in the village!"

The demon Mōryō was now free and roaming the shinobi world, so Shinji couldn't afford to let Shion leave the Hidden Leaf.

After all, Shion's priestess powers were sealed by a bell-shaped artifact, so she couldn't sense Mōryō, but Mōryō could sense her location.

If she left the village, Mōryō might target her immediately.

With Sasuke's situation already giving him a headache, Shinji didn't want to lose Shion to Mōryō before finding Sasuke.

Karin raised her hand, "My sensory abilities are pretty good."

Haku also said, "I'm fairly fast."

Shinji glanced at Haku and Karin and nodded, "Alright, you two are in."

Karin's "Kagura Mind's Eye" wasn't just "pretty good." It could very well be essential in tracking Sasuke on this mission.

And when it came to facing enemies, a battle would be inevitable.

With Haku and Karin on the team, Shinji felt more confident.

Surveying his chosen team members, Shino had his Parasitic Insects, Kiba had Akamaru, Neji had the Byakugan, Karin had the "Kagura Mind's Eye," and Haku and Kimimaro could handle the fighting.

Including himself, that made seven people—enough!

Shinji then said to everyone, "Seven of us is just right. If we have any more people, the team will become too cumbersome, making it harder to pursue."

Everyone understood.

After all, the people Shinji selected weren't just strong; they each had unique skills that would be genuinely useful in tracking Sasuke.

"Alright then, be careful!"

"Shinji, make sure you bring Sasuke back!"

"Good luck!"

The group cheered on Shinji's seven-person team.

Shinji didn't waste any time. He immediately asked his team, "Is everyone ready?"

The team members all nodded.

Shinji said, "Then let's move out!"

With that, he dashed off, leading the team.

The others quickly followed, each one falling in line behind Shinji.

The seven-person team ran at full speed, not even stopping at the Hidden Leaf's gate, as they dashed past the gate guards and out of the village.

"Hey, where do you kids think you're going?"

Watching the group rush out of the gate, the guard was both anxious and angry. He hadn't expected that in broad daylight, someone would just run out of the village like that.

His colleague said, "Looks like it was just some kids from the shinobi academy. Could this be a prank?"

The guard replied, "The Five Kage are in the village; even if it's a prank, we can't just ignore it! Quick, go inform the Hokage!"

The colleague sighed, "Alright, but man, there have been so many unlucky incidents lately. I heard that Mitsui, who was guarding the side gate yesterday, was bitten by some venomous snake. He was only found this morning and still hasn't woken up!"

Indeed.

To delay the Hidden Leaf from realizing what happened.

After Sasuke used genjutsu on the guard at the side gate last night, Shinnō silently had a venomous snake bite the guard, keeping him unconscious. As a result, the village still hadn't received a report about Sasuke's unauthorized departure.

...

Hokage's Office.

Upon receiving the report, the Third Hokage said, "Shinji led a group of kids out of the village through the main gate?"

Kakashi, with a serious expression, added, "I've already investigated. They left the village to search for Sasuke, who left unauthorized last night!"