Chapter 30: The Chase
Kakashi felt a knot of tension in his stomach. He was afraid his student was gone for good, but also afraid of the harsh punishment Sasuke would face if caught.
He was torn, but he quickly pushed the conflict aside. A ninja had to be decisive. As an elite jonin, he couldn't afford to hesitate.
"Lord Third," Kakashi said. "Let my team go after him. This is my responsibility."
The Third Hokage nodded.
But then Kakashi added, "My team is one person short. Could we have another helper?"
This put the Third in a difficult spot. Every jonin was swamped with work right now. Pulling one away was a problem.
Kakashi saw his concern. "I don't need a jonin. Just let Takahashi assist us."
Hearing this, the Third Hokage's expression was a mix of 'that's absurd' and 'that makes sense.'
"Alright. But you must discuss it with Guy first. Takahashi is his student, after all."
Kakashi smiled faintly. That part was easy. He had a thousand ways to get Might Guy to lend him Takahashi. They were old friends.
Takahashi looked at the damage on the streets and decided to help with the cleanup.
To be honest, he didn't have deep feelings for Konoha. In this dog-eat-dog world, attachments were fragile. As an orphan here, he lacked a sense of belonging.
Only when he was with Hinata did his heart feel settled. But seeing the devastation around him, he still felt a pang of something hidden in his chest.
His body was incredibly strong now. The Super-Soldier Serum was powerful. He could lift hundreds of pounds by himself without breaking a sweat, stunning the people around him.
After about an hour of work, a familiar voice called from behind.
"Takahashi! I heard what you did. Saving the Third Hokage... that's amazing! But now, there's another very youthful task that needs your help!"
It started fine, but then it got worse. He turned to see a figure he'd rather avoid. Kakashi greeted him with a calm look.
Takahashi was speechless. Wow. Kakashi learned from his teacher, just skipping the formalities.
Reluctantly, he walked over. "Kakashi-sensei. You're here about Sasuke, right?"
Might Guy praised him without restraint. "You guessed it! Your intuition is sharp! So I don't need to explain further."
"Can I say no?"
"Probably not. It's an order from the Hokage."
So Takahashi packed his gear and soon found himself in the woods outside Konoha with Kakashi and the others.
Ever since his cold comment earlier, Naruto had been hostile, completely ignoring him.
Takahashi didn't care. To be honest, he actually liked this team setup.
Kakashi was strong. In terms of overall ability, few ninja could compare. So Takahashi didn't need to worry about him.
Naruto was the same. With the Nine-Tails inside him, he was practically unkillable. No worries there.
As for Sakura... for some reason, Takahashi disliked her. He found her annoying. He wouldn't care if she lived or died. This kind of team was very low-maintenance for him.
In contrast, a team like Guy's gave him a headache. The 'leave no one behind' philosophy was a bit of a burden.
They pushed forward, encountering constant ambushes from stragglers.
Orochimaru was no fool. He knew Konoha's strength. Having escaped, he knew they'd pursue. He knew the Anbu's skill. He'd left many traps and ambushes along the way to slow them down.
The leftover Sound ninja were wiped out quickly. But then, three figures cloaked in darkness blocked their path. They were Orochimaru's elite guards. Seeing the famous Copy Ninja, they didn't dare let their guard down for a second.
Kakashi assessed the three. One was clearly a power type. The one who looked like a spider was likely long-range. The woman with the flute was probably support or disruption. A perfect team to stall.
He glanced at Takahashi. A handless Orochimaru was definitely no match for this kid. With that strength and terrifying speed, even Kakashi would find him a headache.
But he still asked, "Can I trust you with this?"
Naruto, full of passion, thumped his chest. "I'll definitely bring that bastard Sasuke back and punch some sense into him!"
Takahashi, however, was not impressed. He said flatly, "You can choose not to believe me."
Faced with this uncooperative attitude, Kakashi felt helpless. Takahashi had a cynicism that didn't match his age and was stubborn as a mule. There was no dealing with it.
"Then I'll leave the rest to you," Kakashi said. "I'll hold these three here. You keep moving forward."
Takahashi was the type to go along if asked nicely, but he resisted if threatened. This was an acceptable arrangement.
The three of them chased out of the forest and into a large clearing. A white-haired boy stood in the middle, as if waiting for them.
His eyes were empty, as if looking at corpses.
"So you're the pursuers Lord Orochimaru mentioned," the boy said. "It seems Konoha is truly desperate, sending a few brats. How disappointing."
This was Kimimaro, Orochimaru's most promising vessel, blessed with the powerful Shikotsumyaku Kekkei Genkai. A super-genius who could assassinate Kage-level targets even as a child.
A pity he was terminally ill. In Takahashi's view, it was a case of being too perfect, making heaven jealous.
He was also a victim of not having the protagonist's plot armor. From a personal standpoint, Takahashi didn't hate Kimimaro. He could only sigh at the tragedy.
He warned Sakura and Naruto, "Be careful. This guy is very strong."
Naruto just snorted at Takahashi's warning. "Don't call others strong just because you're scared."
Hearing this, Kimimaro's gaze locked onto Naruto.