"If Kakashi and the others caused chaos, and Suna's forces tightened security around their secret plan, what should we do?" Keita Hyūga asked.
He took out the special kunai that Minato Namikaze had given him, shook it slightly, and explained to Asakusa: "If Captain Minato had succeeded, he would have returned by now. But it has been two hours, and there's still no movement from Sunagakure. That means Captain Minato hasn't been able to complete the mission yet, so Kakashi and the others must create a diversion to open up an opportunity. As for the situation you mentioned, I have no control over human actions!"
"I see!" Keita Hyūga nodded, then formed a hand seal on his chest and activated his Byakugan.
"At ten o'clock, five hundred meters ahead, there's a group of Suna patrols!" Keita Hyūga whispered.
"Take them out!" Chao Yanqian ordered.
He flickered behind a Suna-nin, swiftly drawing his kunai and thrusting it toward the enemy's heart.
"Enemy attack!"
The Suna-nin was highly vigilant. While shouting a loud warning, he shifted just enough to evade the fatal strike, causing the kunai to pierce only his left shoulder.
A throat strike would have been the deadliest, but unfortunately,Chao Yanqian's height at his current age didn't allow for such an attack.
"It's not over yet!" Chao Yanqian growled, following up with a spinning kick to the Suna-nin's waist.
Boom!
The Suna-nin was sent flying three meters away, landing harshly on the ground before skidding another two meters and coughing up blood.
"Damn… this kid is strong."
I might have hit too hard... That strike enhanced by chakra flow must have increased the impact more than expected!
"It's Konoha's shinobi!"
Whoosh!
A signal flare shot into the night sky, standing out against the darkness.
While attention was drawn to the signal, Keita Hyūga launched his own attack.
Eight Trigrams—Thirty-Six Palms!
"A Gentle Fist user? Byakugan? You must be from the Hyūga clan!"
Another Suna-nin fell, and with the combined assault from Chao Yanqian and Keita Hyūga, the remaining enemies were quickly overwhelmed.
However, reinforcements soon arrived—several more Suna patrol squads rushed in, their numbers growing.
Using Keita Hyūga's Byakugan, Chao Yanqian and Keita maneuvered skillfully to evade the front-line pursuers. But more and more Suna-nin joined the chase. Within minutes, nearly thirty enemy shinobi had gathered.
Luckily, there were no elite jōnin among them. Otherwise, they would have been easily overwhelmed and eliminated.
Then again, why would a jōnin be assigned to a routine patrol mission?
For now, they were still safe, but this was Wind Country—enemy territory. Before long, Sunagakure's forces would organize a full-scale sweep to encircle them. Even with Keita Hyūga's Byakugan, escaping would become almost impossible.
Their only hope was that Minato Namikaze would arrive in time to assist.
"No, two more squads from Suna are approaching!" Keita Hyūga shouted urgently.
"Head toward the Land of Rain!" Chao Yanqian ordered. "If we can make it across the border, even if Captain Minato doesn't reach us in time, we'll still have a chance to escape!"
"Understood!"
Glancing at the pursuers, Chao Yanqian felt a sense of urgency. If this kept up, he would never have the chance to complete the task assigned to him by Orochimaru.
What should I do?
His gaze shifted toward Keita Hyūga. A thought suddenly crossed his mind.
If they split up, the Suna forces would prioritize chasing Keita Hyūga because of his Byakugan. That would allow Chao Yanqian to escape unnoticed.
As this idea formed in his mind, a realization struck him.
Why did Orochimaru pair his team with Minato Namikaze's squad for this mission? Their team had barely contributed anything. Any other group could have filled their role.
But if the mission had a hidden objective?
Keita Hyūga's Byakugan could serve as the perfect distraction, drawing Suna's forces away and creating an opening for Chao Yanqian to complete Orochimaru's secret mission.
Minato's team was responsible for securing intel on Suna's classified plans, while Chao Yanqian's team had another purpose—using Keita Hyūga as bait so that Chao Yanqian could slip through.
If that was the case, then in this entire mission, Keita Hyūga was the only expendable one. Everyone else had a chance to survive.
After all, Chao Yanqian still had Minato's special kunai in his possession…
Sacrificing a Hyūga branch member with no remarkable talent in exchange for an intelligence asset Konoha had secretly planted in Suna for years—wasn't that a fair trade?
And why wasn't Minato assigned to meet Konoha's undercover agent?
If an unknown shinobi made contact and got exposed, they would be killed to erase any connection. But if Minato Namikaze met the informant, even an elite Suna spy wouldn't stand a chance against him. Moreover, Minato's name was too well-known. Any Suna-nin secretly meeting him would immediately become a suspect.
"So… what should I choose?" Chao Yanqian asked himself.
Abandon his teammate of over two years to fulfill the village's classified mission? Or reject the mission and stand by his comrade, hoping for Minato's rescue?
A difficult decision.
Konoha's White Fang, Sakumo Hatake, made his choice long before Asakusa—he chose his teammate over the mission, and it cost him his life.
At first, Chao Yanqian believed he would abandon Keita Hyūga without hesitation. Completing the mission would earn him the village's trust and help him advance his goals.
But when the words "Let's split up" reached his lips, he found himself unable to say them.
Two years, dozens of missions—he, Keita Hyūga, and Hoshinohara had supported each other through countless battles.
To simply discard his comrade like this...
A saying crossed his mind: Life is full of choices—some forced, some willing, some painful, and some unforgettable.
When faced with a choice, one must understand themselves, their heart, and what they truly desire.