Bab 17: Chapter 17: The Hunt Begins
Chapter 17: The Hunt Begins
The sun hung low over Konoha, casting long shadows over the village gates as the team of elite ninjas prepared to leave. The mission had already been briefed, and the goal was simple: find Shinji Uzumaki, a former member of the Uzumaki clan who had gone rogue. His last known location was somewhere outside of the Land of Fire, and the team would have to track him across foreign lands—first to the Land of Tea, where rumors said he had been spotted.
Minato Namikaze, with his calm demeanor and sharp focus, stood at the forefront, his thoughts preoccupied with the battle he had fought against Shinji in the past. Despite barely escaping that encounter, Minato knew that Shinji was dangerous—highly skilled and unpredictable. He couldn't let his guard down this time.
Beside him was Kushina Uzumaki, her posture tense as she looked towards the horizon. She had not seen Shinji in years, not since they were children in Uzushiogakure. The thought of confronting him, let alone bringing him back to Konoha, weighed heavily on her. They shared blood, but that bond had been shattered when the Uzumaki clan was destroyed.
"Ready?" Minato asked, his voice steady but laced with concern.
Kushina nodded but said nothing, her expression unreadable. They had not spoken much about Shinji in recent years. Even though they were from the same clan, their paths had been very different. Now, they had to find him, and it wasn't going to be easy.
The team was small but capable. Besides Minato and Kushina, there was Hizashi Hyūga, his Byakugan already activated and scanning their surroundings, and an Inuzuka tracker named Kaito, his sharp senses an asset for locating Shinji. Along with them, an unnamed Anbu operative flitted through the shadows, his presence barely noticeable, tasked with providing backup if things went awry.
The team moved quickly, silently, and with purpose through the streets of Konoha, out the village gates, and into the wilderness beyond. They needed to make their way to the Land of Tea, but they couldn't do it blindly. They needed information.
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As night fell, the team reached the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Tea. The dense forests and steep mountains loomed in front of them, the path forward uncertain and full of potential danger. The first objective was clear: gather information.
They stopped at a small village at the border—a quiet settlement where travelers often passed through. Kaito, the Inuzuka tracker, sniffed the air and wrinkled his nose. "I can smell the scent of someone passing through recently. It's faint, but I'm sure of it. Could be Shinji."
Minato nodded. "We need to talk to the locals. Find out if anyone's seen anything unusual."
The group dispersed into the village. Minato and Kushina approached a small inn, where travelers and merchants often stayed. The proprietor, a middle-aged man, gave them a wary look as they entered.
"We're looking for someone," Minato said, his voice calm and reassuring. He showed the picture of shinji and asked ," Have you seen anyone matching his description?"
The man's eyes darted to the side, and then he sighed. "Him, huh? Can't say I've seen anyone like that around here lately. But there's a traveler who came through a week ago, acted strange... kept to himself, never really interacted with anyone."
Kushina stepped forward, her voice quiet but insistent. "Could you describe him?"
The innkeeper scratched his chin, thinking. "Tall, maybe six feet, dark red hair... not sure about the details. But he paid in cash, didn't leave a name. If you're looking for him, you should head toward the west. A man like that wouldn't stay in one place for too long."
Minato gave a small nod. "Thank you."
---
With their first lead, the team set off toward the western trail, following the innkeeper's directions. The Land of Tea was a lush, mountainous region, its terrain rough and unforgiving. The deeper they went, the more dangerous it became. The team moved cautiously, with Hizashi using his Byakugan to search for any sign of movement while Kaito sniffed the air for Shinji's scent.
As they progressed through the forest, Kushina remained quiet, her mind racing. She remembered Shinji as a child, a mischievous boy with the same red hair as hers, but that was before everything fell apart. Before the fall of Uzushiogakure. She hadn't seen him since. The fact that he had turned rogue stung, and the uncertainty about his motives gnawed at her.
"Are you alright?" Minato asked softly, noticing the troubled look on her face.
Kushina forced a small smile. "Just thinking about the past."
"We'll find him," Minato reassured her. "And if he's willing to come back to Konoha, we'll make sure he's treated as family."
"I hope so," Kushina whispered. "But I don't know if he's the same person anymore."
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The night fell, and the air grew colder as they neared a dense forest. The team stopped at the edge of a small clearing, where Kaito crouched, his nose to the ground.
"He was here. Definitely Shinji," Kaito muttered, standing up. "He's been moving fast. I can smell the scent, but it's mixed with something else."
Hizashi's Byakugan flared as he scanned the area. "There are traces of chakra. It's faint, but it's his. He's moving east, probably trying to put distance between himself and us."
Minato nodded, motioning for the group to prepare to move out again. "We can't afford to lose him. We'll follow him and take extra precautions. This isn't just a simple search. We don't know what Shinji is capable of now."
The Anbu operative, silent as ever, moved to the front, preparing to scout ahead.
Kushina looked to Minato, her gaze sharp. "Do you think he'll be willing to listen to me?"
Minato met her eyes. "He might. But we can't be sure. You know him better than any of us, but he's also a rogue ninja now. We need to be prepared for anything."
Kushina nodded solemnly. She had no illusions about the challenge ahead. It wasn't just about finding Shinji—it was about understanding what had turned him from a member of the Uzumaki clan into a rogue.
---
As they moved further into the Land of Tea, the forest grew denser, and the signs of Shinji's passage became clearer. He had been here recently, but now he was moving more carefully, as if aware that he was being hunted.
"I can feel it," Kushina muttered, her eyes narrowing as she glanced around. "He knows we're close. This won't be easy."
Minato said nothing but adjusted his headband, his resolve hardening. They had been tracking him for days now, and every step had brought them closer. But the question remained: Would Shinji return to Konoha willingly, or would this hunt end in confrontation?
The team pressed on, their mission far from over.
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(A/N): Do you think they can catch him?
Give some power stones.
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