Chapter 211 Long Time No See

The five-member Konoha pursuit team was moving quickly. They had left the village some time ago.

Their figures darted through the shadows of the dense trees. Kakashi, following Pakkun, led at the front of the group. He glanced back, his eyes passing over Jiraiya, who was guarding the rear, and then settled on the three Genin in the middle.

'Although Naruto and Sasuke had made great progress during the Chunin Exams, and even Sakura had shown determination by cutting her hair to signify her resolve, the three of them were still the weakest link in this mission.'

'Hattori had held his own in the battle against Orochimaru. Facing an enemy like him with Genin on the team was very dangerous. But fortunately, Jiraiya-sama was also here...' Kakashi thought.

Sasuke, with a few leaps, nearly surpassed Kakashi's position, and the weakest among them, Sakura, followed silently, keeping pace with the others.

'However, bringing them along for this mission is still the right choice.'

Pakkun, who was tracking the scent, exchanged a few words with Kakashi. Kakashi nodded and then relayed the information to everyone, "For some reason unknown, Hattori seems not to have gone far from the village. Everyone... prepare for battle."

The hearts of the three students sank. Hearing this, Jiraiya, who was calmly trailing at the rear, said, "He might be having difficulty speeding up because his Chakra was heavily depleted after fighting Orochimaru..."

"It's very likely," Kakashi replied.

Naruto, leaping down from a tree, clenched his teeth, "Just right!"

The trees in front were a little further away, so he stretched out his hand to support himself and threw him up, "Since Hattori-sensei doesn't have much chakra left, we'll just knock him down and bring him back quickly!"

"Naruto, remember to ask questions first before you start fighting." Sasuke reminded him in a cool tone.

"I know."

Jiraiya, noticing Naruto's eager expression, chuckled disdainfully, "Kid, your Hattori-sensei isn't that easy to handle. Even with low Chakra, if he really is a member of the Akatsuki, as Orochimaru claims... Haha, you will still need me, the Great Toad Sage, to take him down."

This blatant provocation annoyed Naruto. His refusal to back down had driven him to defeat powerful opponents throughout the Chunin Exams. Just as he was about to retort, Kakashi spoke up, "Naruto, don't be careless. After Hattori escaped from the village, we didn't encounter any obstacles or traps along the way. The other party must be full of confidence, and considering his slow departure speed..."

Although the determination of the three students was firm, Kakashi knew it is not advisable to act recklessly and impulsively. Kakashi them reminded his students and also analyzed the situation, "Given that Hattori is a member of a certain organization, we can't rule out the possibility of someone coming to help him."

"Exactly. That 'Akatsuki' is not a simple organization..." Jiraiya added in a more serious tone, following up on Kakashi's words, "Naruto, and you other two brats, you might not realize the danger of the mission you're on."

The reputation of the one of the Legendary Sannin is still very attractive to Sasuke and Sakura. The two endured and continued to hear, "As far as I know, Akatsuki is an independent organization not affiliated with any country. While they have few members, each one is an S-Rank Missing-nin from various nations. I don't need to elaborate on their strength, do I?"

The mention of 'S-rank Missing-nin' caused everyone to pause.

"And also..." Jiraiya shot a secret glance at Sasuke, but decided not to continue further.

"Who cares if they're S-Rank or whatever rank!" The simple-minded Naruto was completely unmoved, breaking the stiff atmosphere and completely disregarded Jiraiya's authority, "If Hattori-sensei doesn't explain himself properly this time, he can't blame me for punching him in the face... Ero-Sennin, you can handle those helpers, right?"

"..."

Jiraiya didn't respond, as he was completely baffled by Naruto's logic, 'Could you please stop mixing your hot-bloodedness and cleverness so naturally?'

At the very front, Pakkun's nose twitched suddenly, and he barked.

Kakashi's eye sharpened, and he signaled to the team with a hand gesture, "Stay alert, we're almost there!"

His words cut off, and everyone immediately tensed up. The silence of the deep night intensified, weighing heavily in the air and making itself distinctly felt.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura had different expressions on their faces, wondering if were they finally about to face their teaching assistant again.

A few seconds later, Pakkun's eyes flashed with confusion. He sensed something through the smell, then glanced back at Kakashi. After a moment's hesitation, he said, "It seems… there is more than one person."

…

Logan focused his attention ahead, feeling a tinge of nervousness for some unknown reason at the thought of meeting Itachi as an Akatsuki's member.

Clumsily climbing up the towering trees, he pushed through the dense foliage until the shadows of the trees thinned out, revealing the pure, boundless moonlight. In the distance, he spotted two figures wearing Akatsuki's signature black cloaks with red clouds.

'Come to think of it, I still had my Akatsuki cloak at my home in Konoha. When the time comes and my house is 'ransacked' due to my defection, they will definitely be found.' With a sigh, Logan dropped down to the ground and approached the two who had come to meet him.

"Yo, looks like someone has bad legs. We're here to pick you up."

Kisame teased as soon as they were within speaking distance, "Quite the grand welcome, huh? The leader even ordered us to come fetch you."

Kisame's immediate taunting as soon as they met did not sit well with Logan, so he didn't hold back either, "Shark face, watch what you say. Otherwise, I might end up pressing your face into a tree trunk again, just like old times."

Logan was referring to the time they fought in Amegakure, where he pressed his Lightning Release Amplification surpassed its limits, slamming Kisame's head into a tree. Kisame still remembered that humiliating moment, and it was clear he couldn't match Logan in a trash-talking battle. Furious, he started to lower his giant sword.

"Kisame, don't forget the mission." Itachi said coldly, his deep black eyes locking onto Logan.

"Tch." Kisame restrained himself at Itachi's reminder and grumbled unhappily, "Raiden Hattori, just wait until we're out of the Land of Fire. Then try talking like that."

Ignoring Kisame, Logan met Itachi's gaze. The three of them stood still in the sparse moonlit forest. Whether it was the atmosphere or the quiet night, the two nodded at each other, "Long time no see, Itachi."

Itachi, who was wearing black cloak with red clouds, was very different from what the one he had parted with four years ago, "Long time no see, senpai."

"Well, you've become even more handsome." The conversation was a bit awkward, so Logan patted Itachi's shoulder and praised.

"..." Itachi was unsure how to respond to that. As he looked at the familiar person in front of him, whose strange way of speaking hadn't changed a bit, he realized it truly had been a long time. Any relationship would naturally grow distant and awkward after a long separation, but after just a short while with Logan, Itachi felt something familiar rekindling.

Having walked alone for so long, he appreciated the sudden closeness. A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, "You too, senpai."

"Haha, of course." Logan shamelessly agreed immediately, "Look, my appearance hasn't aged at all in the past few years. Tsk tsk, I'm just naturally good-looking..."

Kisame couldn't take it anymore and said, "I get it, I know you two are old friends catching up, but I hate to interrupt."

"Raiden Hattori, you... seem to have a lot of tails following you."