"Time is of the essence. Let's report to the Hokage quickly," Aburame Shibi urged.
He glanced toward the horizon, where Shukaku's colossal silhouette was still faintly visible amidst the dust and destruction.
Ogawa Tomohiro hesitated. "But there are other Konoha Ninjas nearby. Moreover, the village doesn't even know there's a Tailed Beast here yet! Reinforcements and supplies will still take this route; we must warn them."
Shibi raised his hand. A massive swarm of insects poured out of his sleeve, taking to the sky and scattering in all directions.
"The insects will deliver the news. Don't worry."
With that handled, the three shinobi turned and began sprinting toward the front lines.
Just seconds after they left, Mishu emerged from the tree line and spotted their retreating backs.
One has the Uchiha fan symbol on his back—thank God he's not dead. One is an insect-user, likely from the Aburame Clan. And the other is wearing a green vest, probably a Konoha Jonin.
Mishu did the math in his head.
Hmm, with this combination of strength, I reckon it'll be a hard fight. I'll shadow them for now and notify Chisuke to meet me tonight. With the two of us coordinating, we might just be able to seize that Sharingan.
And so, Mishu began his silent pursuit.
Because the Sharingan's visual insight was absolute and the Aburame Clan's insects were perfect scouts, Mishu had to keep an extreme distance from his targets.
That night, the three Konoha Ninjas did not stop to rest, which meant Mishu couldn't rest either. He only managed to slip into the dream world for a brief moment at the appointed time to contact Chisuke.
"Beside the Sharingan user, there's a Konoha Jonin and an Aburame Clan ninja. They seem quite formidable," Mishu reported hastily. "I'm tracking them right now, so hurry over!"
Chisuke nodded, taking note of the location. "Alright, I'll rendezvous with you immediately. Be careful; that Aburame ninja escaped from Shukaku's grasp, so he's not weak. Don't get discovered."
"They haven't rested, and I can't stay here long. I'm leaving now."
After exchanging the crucial intel, Mishu was the first to vanish from the dreamscape, snapping back to reality to continue his tracking. Soon after, Chisuke logged off as well, leaving Kyosuke, Ooka Shin, and Kiichiro behind in the dream.
Kiichiro let out a dramatically exaggerated sigh. "Wow, seeing their serious expressions just now, I didn't even dare to breathe too loudly for fear of distracting them! Still, if we can get that Sharingan, I can finally start my research."
Ooka Shin looked sideways at the eager scientist and poured a bucket of cold water on his dreams. "Hey, hey. Even if we get the Sharingan, you can't research it right now."
Kyosuke nodded in agreement.
"Kiichiro, your current research level is practically Level 0," Kyosuke pointed out. "You need to study basic knowledge first and experiment on simple things to raise your level before tackling the high-tier stuff. If you research the Sharingan and fail, that's a minor issue. But if you damage the Sharingan... that would be a massive tragedy."
"Hmph, I'm very reliable!" Kiichiro shot back. "Unlike some people who planned for days to coordinate a master strike with Chisuke, only to get drafted! Hehehe, now he has to go bake in the desert sun. Serves him right!"
Hearing Kiichiro's vicious teasing, Kyosuke wanted to argue back, but the painful truth stole his words. He just sighed heavily.
"Yeah, we'll be in the Land of Wind in a few days. When the scorching sun is directly overhead and the blinding sandstorms are ravaging my body, my handsome face will drop from a perfect 100 to a 99."
Seeing Kyosuke's dejected expression, Ooka Shin had initially thought he was going to say something profound. Realizing Kyosuke was just being his usual shameless self, Shin scoffed.
"Bah! Stop talking nonsense and let's get down to business!"
For the remainder of the meeting, the trio exchanged information, Ninjutsu theory, and research notes before finally adjourning.
The next evening, just as Aburame Shibi's trio was finally preparing to rest for a moment, they suddenly encountered a large group of Konoha Ninjas.
Leading them was none other than the pale, serpentine Sannin: Orochimaru.
Back on the front lines, after confirming that the One-Tails Jinchuriki was absent from the Sand camp, the Hokage had decisively dispatched Orochimaru and an elite strike force to eliminate Chisuke.
"Lord Orochimaru! The One-Tails Jinchuriki appeared near Elephant Head Mountain, and our supply line has been completely disrupted," Ogawa reported immediately upon meeting them.
Orochimaru nodded silently. His golden, snake-like eyes didn't look at Ogawa, but instead gazed up into the dimming sky.
Floating quietly above them was a single, eerie eyeball made entirely of sand, watching the situation unfold below.
"Byakugan, activate!"
Behind Orochimaru, a ninja from the Hyuga Clan flared their Dojutsu, veins bulging around their eyes as they scanned the surroundings. He immediately pointed a finger into the distance.
"There!"
Mishu, realizing through his sand eyeball that he had been made, immediately canceled his scouting Ninjutsu and turned to run.
While fleeing, Mishu rapidly transformed his appearance into Rukawa Kaede, slapped on a mask, and tied a Sand Ninja Headband around his forehead, layering his disguises to protect his true identity.
My god! Orochimaru, the Ino-Shika-Cho formation, and a hundred formidable-looking Konoha Ninjas?! They're here to catch Chisuke!
Heavenly spirits, please! Let Orochimaru remember his actual mission and go catch the Jinchuriki! Don't pay any attention to me!
But how did they react so quickly? It shouldn't be possible. Did they use Summoning Jutsu to relay messages? No, if they had that ability, those three guys I was tracking wouldn't have been sprinting so desperately!
Under the crushing tension, Mishu's brain was running like a high-speed motor, rapidly churning through possibilities.
To increase his chances of escape, Mishu aggressively spammed the Shadow Clone Jutsu, intending to use a dozen fakes to lead the pursuers astray.
"Lord Orochimaru, the target has used a large number of Shadow Clones! They are fleeing in all directions."
Hearing the Hyuga's report, Orochimaru offered a dark, sinister smile.
"Disperse and pursue. We cannot let this scout deliver his message back to the Sand."
Clearly, Orochimaru had mistaken Mishu for a high-value Sand Ninja spy.
The Konoha forces instantly split into small hunter-killer squads and began hunting down Mishu's clones.
Because Aburame Shibi's insects provided flawless communication, the Konoha squads coordinated perfectly. Whenever a squad eliminated a clone, they would immediately vector toward Orochimaru to tighten the net.
Chisuke's tricks were useless. Mishu used Shadow Clones twice more, but couldn't shake the enemy. Worse, he was constantly under harassment from the insects in the sky, forcing his speed to drop significantly.
Consequently, as the sky turned pitch black, Mishu was finally cornered by a squad of Konoha Ninjas.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Seeing a massive wave of insects dive-bombing him from above, Mishu was forced to stop and spit out a massive fireball to clear the air.
However, the insects were terrifyingly nimble. Upon seeing the flames, they instantly dispersed, meaning the Great Fireball only incinerated half the swarm.
"Secret Technique: Shadow Possession Jutsu!"
On the ground, two shadows slithered toward Mishu's feet like striking vipers, one from the left and one from the right.
It's happening again! It's exactly like this again! Mishu wailed internally as he leaped backward to dodge the creeping shadows.
Last time I was chased like a dog by Cloud Ninjas, and now I'm being hunted by Konoha Ninjas! What is so attractive about me?! I'll change, okay? Just stop chasing me!
Thinking of his past trauma and his present nightmare, Mishu's heart filled with sheer grief and utter indignation.
Last time was Kiichiro's fault, and this time is because of Chisuke! I'm just the jungler of the team, and I get completely screwed over by my teammates every single time! I am NEVER coordinating a mission with them ever again!