Chapter 85
At the same time that Haruto Saito unexpectedly encountered Tsunade and the others,
More than twenty kilometers southeast of the valley, within the forest battlefield that had been shrouded in thick fog the previous night.
The scorched battleground still emitted wisps of smoke, the faint scent of blood lingering in the air. The scene was one of utter devastation, with wreckage strewn everywhere.
A ninja hound with sleek, jet-black fur leaped through the forest, moving swiftly towards the corpse of a Hyuga elite Chunin. It sniffed around the body, its movements methodical. Accompanying the hound were two enigmatic figures, their presence cold and foreboding.
They were Konoha's Root ANBU members—Oni Seven and Yama-Ka!
Up until that night, the Hyuga clan had been tracking Haruto Saito, along with Uchiha Mikoto and the others. Meanwhile, Oni Seven and Yama-Ka had been tailing the Hyuga ninjas from a distance.
To avoid being detected by the Hyuga's Byakugan, they never strayed too far but maintained a safe distance of several kilometers, relying on their summoned ninja hounds to track their targets. The hounds, trained by the Root organization, possessed exceptional tracking abilities. Their sense of smell was keen enough to pick out a specific scent even amidst the chaos of a battlefield.
Oni Seven and Yama-Ka searched the forest thoroughly, confirming the presence of both Hyuga and Sand Village ninja corpses. However, there were no Uchiha bodies. In fact, they already knew that the three Uchiha ninjas were on their way back to Konoha, as the previous night, the trio had passed near Oni Seven and Yama-Ka's hiding spot when they left.
Still, they cared little for the fates of the Hyuga or Uchiha ninjas. Their sole concern was Haruto Saito.
"Mutual destruction," Oni Seven muttered coldly after completing the investigation. "Neither the Hyuga nor these foreign ninjas gained any advantage. But it looks like the Uchiha trio and that little brat managed to escape."
He turned his gaze toward the northwest and asked, "How far is he from us now?"