After graduation, Kakashi had been busy with various tasks. After the war broke out, I had been running behind the Ninja Gate in the ninja world. Kakashi's experience as a ninja was extremely rich; otherwise, he would not have been promoted to jōnin by the village at the age of twelve.
It was obviously very difficult to find Kakashi, who was now lurking in the Land of Water.
What's more, only Sarutobi Asuma and Yūhi Kurenai were available at the moment, and neither of them were sensory-type ninjas. Especially for Chao Yanqian it was impossible to tell them that he was looking for Kakashi's whereabouts.
After running outside for more than three hours, Chao Yanqian found several places suitable for hiding and left behind Flying Thunder God seals.
With these hiding spots like a cunning rabbit with three burrows even if the original location was discovered by Kirigakure's ninja, Chao Yanqian could escape in time.
With safety guaranteed and the sky getting dark, Chao Yanqian returned to the cave he had originally chosen as his hideout.
Sarutobi Asuma and Yūhi Kurenai had returned a bit earlier. Upon seeing Chao Yanqian, both of them looked visibly relieved.
Chao Yanqian did not let his guard down just because he saw his comrades. He asked, "Why are you here?"
Sarutobi Asuma shrugged and said, "We're on a mission. What about you?"
In enemy territory, whenever you are separated from comrades, you must confirm identities upon regrouping using a secret signal. Chao Yanqian and Sarutobi Asuma's exchange of words was just a distraction; the real signal was Asuma's shrug.
A shrug meant there was no danger and communication was safe. Scratching the head, on the other hand, meant there was danger and an immediate evacuation was necessary.
These gestures were natural habits for certain people, and hard to notice if you weren't aware.
"Me too," Chao Yanqian replied, also shrugging.
After the code matched, Chao Yanqian entered the cave, sat down, and asked, "Did you find anything?"
"No. Not even any sign of the others from the village. But we did encounter a group of Kirigakure. Originally, Hong and I planned to follow them to find their village, but there was a jōnin among them, so we didn't act rashly," said Sarutobi Asuma.
"Kirigakure has even dispatched jōnin? Looks like our comrades from the village have already started taking action," said Chao Yanqian.
"What about you? Did you find anything?" Yūhi Kurenai asked.
He shook his head and replied, "Same as you no signs. But I've placed Flying Thunder God marks in a few hidden spots. Even if the mist closes in on us here, I can use them to get us out."
"That way, our team's safety is secured," Kurenai said, visibly pleased.
"Even so, we can't be careless," Chao Yanqian said seriously. "In combat, the timing can shift rapidly. If you're not careful, you might lose your life."
"Chao Yanqian, I think tracking a Kirigakure squad to locate their village is a good plan," suggested Sarutobi Asuma.
"We can try," Chao Yanqian said. "But without any sensory-type ninja among the three of us, we must be extra cautious. I don't want to expose the Flying Thunder God Technique just as we enter the Land of Water. If Kirigakure learns I can use it, they'll surely be prepared."
"Agreed."
"The three of us will take turns keeping watch. Let's get some rest," said Chao Yanqian.
…
The night passed uneventfully. Early the next morning, after eating dry rations, the three began preparations for the next phase.
Tracking a Kirigakure patrol is no simple task.
First, they had to determine the strength of the target and confirm that no sensory-type ninja were among them. Next, they needed to figure out the patrol shift schedule and learn their rotation patterns. Finally, if possible, it would be ideal to uncover any secret signals used between patrols so they could impersonate them using the Transformation Jutsu if needed.
Chao Yanqian, Sarutobi Asuma, and Yūhi Kurenai were all elite ninjas trained by Konoha. It didn't take long for them to gather this level of intelligence.
After observing multiple patrols, Chao Yanqian finally locked onto a target.
The patrol team consisted of four members two chūnin and two genin and had no sensory-type ninja. Due to the "Blood Mist" education system, the four didn't trust one another. Even during missions, they were suspicious of each other and spoke sarcastically.
Learning the shift schedule of the patrol teams took time. The three ninjas from Konoha remained well hidden. By the early morning of the next day, they confirmed the patrol shift times:
Three in the afternoon and three in the morning.
The three regrouped in the cave once more.
"Now that we have the patrol information, the next step is to follow them to locate Kirigakure," said Chao Yanqian, the team leader. "I suggest we flank them from different directions, maintaining some distance. If spotted, we use explosive tags to signal each other."
"I agree," said Kurenai.
"No problem," added Sarutobi Asuma.
Tracking a ninja without being noticed is always risky. But if the three tracked separately, even if one was discovered, the enemy wouldn't necessarily act immediately.
Ninjas usually travel in groups. The enemy would likely attempt to bait out any comrades before launching an ambush.
In such a case, if either Kurenai or Asuma were discovered, Chao Yanqian could rescue them immediately, while the others could continue the pursuit.
Two days later, their selected patrol squad finally appeared. Near 3 a.m., Chao Yanqian, Sarutobi Asuma, and Yūhi Kurenai each took up positions around the target squad, maintaining a safe distance. Once the patrol shift occurred, they began their pursuit.
At exactly three in the morning, the replacement team from Kirigakure arrived. After the shift change, the target team began heading back toward the village.
As soon as they moved, Chao Yanqian's group began trailing them.
The four Kirigakure ninjas were not of high quality. While the Blood Mist system bred selfish and brutal fighters, it also fostered deep mistrust. Even on missions, they guarded against one another and barely paid attention to their surroundings.
If they had spent less energy on suspicion and more on awareness, they might have sensed something wrong. But their mission was already complete, and they were more focused on collecting their reward than remaining vigilant.
Even if Konoha shinobi were nearby, that would be another patrol's problem.
Chao Yanqian had expected the tracking to go smoothly. But even the most careful plans have flaws. A sudden explosion from a detonating tag in the distance pulled Chao Yanqian back to the moment.
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