Chasing Stars

"Mao, take the Konoha people to the Training Ground." Red Star instructed, then said apologetically, "I'm swamped with affairs, so I won't be able to personally escort you all."

"It's fine." Kushina waved her hand, indicating she didn't mind.

Mao rose and reluctantly responded, "Yes."

Once everyone had left, Red Star estimated they were far enough away, revealed a sinister smile, and called out, "Night Hawk, Four Aspects!"

Two people entered from the back door and stood before Red Star, one fat and bald, the other thin with medium-length hair.

Red Star looked at the two and said, "The opportunity has come, prepare to begin the plan!"

The plump Four Aspects hesitated and asked, "Red Star, do we really have to go this far?"

"Of course, as long as that person exists, my ambition will never be realized!" Red Star's expression was somewhat deranged. "Alright, this is the best opportunity, we have no way back. Go prepare quickly."

Night Hawk and Four Aspects exchanged a glance: "Yes!"

...

Despite his reluctance, Mao obediently led everyone to a crater several hundred meters in diameter.

Hinata and Sakura exclaimed, "How magnificent!"

Naruto was also seeing a crater in person for the first time, but he wasn't too surprised. He felt this size wasn't even enough for Pain to carry back.

Mao pointed to the building in the middle of the crater and said, "That is the Training Ground. The 'Star' is enshrined inside. My companions are currently training there."

Mao signaled everyone to stop and faced them, saying, "I'll say this upfront, even with you, I don't fully trust you. You'd better not make any suspicious moves."

Everyone else remained silent, but Kiba's short temper couldn't be contained. He stepped forward, grabbed Mao's collar, and roared, "You bastard, give it a rest! We came to protect that Star thing because you asked us to!"

Mao pried Kiba's hand off, unwilling to be outdone: "That may be so, but maybe you're the ones after the 'Star'. I won't trust outsiders so easily!"

Naruto interrupted their quarrel, pointed to the Training Ground, and asked, "Don't your companions close the door when they train?"

"What?" Mao looked at the open door, a bad feeling rising in his heart, and he quickly ran over.

Everyone followed, only to see the young boys and girls in the house sprawled all over the ground. The 'Star' that should have been enshrined on the central shelf was gone.

"Hokuto!" Mao shouted, picking up a girl. Sakura immediately followed, wanting to help examine her.

"Don't come over!" Mao only cared about his companions and rudely pushed Sakura away.

Before Sakura could say anything, Sasuke's Lightning Blade was already on Mao's neck, his eyes coldly staring at him.

Kushina suddenly thought this blockhead Sasuke might still be salvageable, but she knew the matter at hand was more important.

She first pulled Sasuke away, letting him put his sword away, then said to Mao, "Don't get excited, Sakura is a very skilled medical ninja, she just wants to help examine the injured."

Mao bit his lip, saying nothing more.

With the injured before them, Sakura put her feelings aside and carefully examined their bodies.

After a while, Sakura frowned and said, "Their bodies all have varying degrees of damage, but it wasn't caused by an attack, it's more like an illness."

Kushina asked in confusion, "Illness?"

Sakura nodded and continued, "It seems to be caused by the Chakra within their bodies being too active, and they can't control it, especially this person's condition is the most serious."

"Jian Xin? How is he?" Mao asked anxiously.

Sakura didn't hold a grudge and patiently explained, "His name is Jian Xin? His body is under too much strain. If this continues, it won't be long before he loses the ability to move, and then... he will die."

Mao asked hopefully, "Can he be cured?"

Sakura replied, "Jian Xin's condition is too serious, and my abilities are not enough to handle it. But Master Tsunade will definitely have a way."

At this moment, the girl Hokuto, who was being held by Mao, woke up and said guiltily, "I'm sorry, Mao-kun, we couldn't protect the 'Star'..."

Mao assured her, "Don't worry, I will get the 'Star' back soon!"

Kakashi had already surveyed the entire scene and found no traces of a fierce battle. These children must have been subdued in an instant. Was it a Genjutsu or something?

As for Naruto, he could remember the Peacock Mystical Method because it was cool and practical, and the rest was just that the village chief didn't seem like a good person.

Kakashi looked at the empty shelf and asked, "Little girl, did you see the intruder's features?"

Hokuto tried hard to recall and said, "Only one person came in, wearing a mask."

Kakashi pressed, "Then what does that 'Star' look like?"

Mao hesitated for a moment, but still answered, "It's about the size of a fist, dark purple, with a faint glow."

So it's a radioactive meteorite. Using that thing for training, it's no wonder they get sick. If they're lucky, maybe they can become the Fantastic Four?

Seeing that there were no more clues, and Kagura Shingan hadn't detected any suspicious Chakra, Kushina called out, "Kiba, Akamaru!"

Kiba touched his nose and said, "Got it, I've already identified the scent besides us."

Akamaru wagged its tail and "woofed" to indicate that it had too.

"Good job!" Kushina praised, and said, "Then Team 8 will go with me to chase, Kakashi, you stay and help Mao treat the wounded first, then explain the situation to the client and see if he has any clues. Decide on the subsequent actions yourself."

"Understood."

After assigning the tasks, Kushina set off with Hinata, Kiba, and Shino to chase the Star.

Naruto and the others helped carry the patients to the infirmary, and then went with Mao to see Red Star.

"What? The 'Star' was stolen?" Red Star said in shock. His plan didn't include actually losing the 'Star'.

"I'm very sorry, the 'Star' was gone before we arrived," Kakashi apologized immediately. Although it wasn't their fault, strictly speaking, it was stolen during the mission.

Kakashi looked at Red Star's constantly changing expression and said, "We will be responsible for retrieving it. Do you have any clues?"

Red Star finally calmed down and said, "The only person I can think of who could sneak in and steal the 'Star' so silently is a rogue ninja from our village. She defected because she was unwilling to obey the Third Star Shadow. I didn't expect her to be eyeing the 'Star'."

Kakashi pressed, "Then is there any more detailed information?"

Red Star said, "I only know that she has been hiding in the dense forest opposite Hell Valley. Because the forest area is too large, it is easy to get lost, and we have not been able to catch her."

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