Nara Kazuki decided to test his newly acquired Shadow Flow Mastery skill—but to avoid attention, he tried it discreetly during a break.
He'd nearly drained his chakra when he triggered the ability. In less than a blink, he swapped places with his shadow clone, reappearing deep in a small grove. The speed was instantaneous.
This ability was a life-saver. Even outside war, it was invaluable—he could use it to refill chakra and resume ninjutsu training, drastically cutting recovery time. The only limitation: once per day.
Still, that was more than enough.
He could cast a single clone and keep it in reserve. If he faced an enemy's wide-area jutsu or some near-inescapable technique, he could activate the swap and be out instantly.
Even better, if a clone got dispersed in battle, Kazuki could just summon a new one and prep another escape.
"The only real threats are control-type jutsu, instant-kill techniques... and the Fourth Hokage," Kazuki muttered, thinking hard. This jutsu was dangerously close to being a second Kamui.
Of course, if the Fourth left a Flying Thunder God seal on him, Kazuki would still be in danger. But really—how likely was he to fight Minato Namikaze? He was a proud, loyal heir of the Nara clan.
Kazuki still intended to choose the Sage Mode affinity upgrade if he unlocked a rewind opportunity. Senjutsu was too powerful to ignore.
The only downside to this new ability was that the chakra refill effect only worked once per day. Otherwise? He'd be unstoppable. Hide nearby with a clone, fight until low, swap, rinse, repeat. The cost to defeat him would be absurd.
That limitation? Yeah. Fair enough.
When the squad arrived at the border of the Land of Rivers, tension naturally crept in.
This was neutral territory. Other ninja villages might show up.
The convoy paused. Fox went ahead to a strategy meeting. A few minutes later, he returned and glanced pointedly at Kakashi, then ordered their unit to fall back 800 meters.
The rest of the convoy continued forward with the prisoners, maintaining distance.
Kazuki narrowed his eyes. "Captain... Is the one leading Sunagakure's delegation... Chiyo?"
Fox gave him a knowing smirk. "Oh? What makes you think that?"
"Just a hunch," Kazuki shrugged. "But you looked at Kakashi. Then had us fall back."
Fox smiled and confirmed, "Yes. It's Chiyo."
Kazuki nodded. "That explains it."
Kakashi blinked, clearly puzzled.
Kazuki added, "Chiyo's family was killed by your father—Sakumo Hatake."
Chiyo's grudge was infamous. In the future, when she reappeared in canon, she attacked Kakashi on sight because he resembled the White Fang.
She'd calmed over time, but at this point, who knew how far her hatred ran? Kakashi's ANBU mask might not be enough to hide his identity.
Fox had them fall back not only as a rear guard, but also to prevent any conflict from Chiyo recognizing him.
Though the true motive was political, the group still stayed vigilant. Kazuki, ever curious, used the downtime to practice his Shadow Imitation Technique, sending shadows creeping outward like probing tendrils.
A crude scouting method, but effective at short range.
Suddenly, Fox raised a hand.
Kazuki and Kakashi instantly took cover.
Fox squinted into the distance—watching.
The three of them crept forward.
In the distance, Kazuki spotted six figures slinking through the terrain, clearly trying to stay hidden.
"..." Kazuki fell silent.
Enemy ninja. Definitely not from their side.
Those six were trailing the main Konoha convoy.
And they—Kazuki, Fox, and Kakashi—were now tailing them.
How to act? That was the question.
Looping around to warn the main force? Possible—but dangerous. A long detour might get them spotted.
In the end, Kakashi was sent ahead. Fast, stealthy, and battle-hardened, he was perfect for the job.
Fox stayed behind with Kazuki. They'd shadow the six enemy ninjas.
As they advanced, Fox would pause now and then to coach Kazuki on proper stealth technique.
Kazuki wasn't bad—but compared to veterans, he was still green. Fortunately, he was a fast learner.
Suddenly, the six ahead began to pick up speed.
Fox and Kazuki mirrored them.
Then—the ground shook.
Kazuki split off a Shadow Clone, following Fox as they slipped closer to the battlefield.
In the clearing, the six unknown ninja were already fighting Konoha ANBU.
Kazuki's eyes scanned the enemy... then locked on a muscular brute, agile and strong.
Cloud Village. That guy had to be Kumogakure.
But Kazuki didn't target him.
He focused on the support shinobi, further back, mid-hand seal.
Kazuki's own seals flashed with incredible speed—his signature buff at work.
A roaring Great Fireball Technique erupted from his lips, ripping toward the hidden caster.
Simultaneously, his shadow writhed along the ground like a hungry beast, seeking to bind.
Fox struck too—launching a Wind Release technique that howled through the chaos.
The real battle had begun.