Kakashi had already made his move, but he was quickly discovered.
In the dense forest some distance from him, Hyūga Aya carefully observed the situation using her Byakugan.
Even as she analyzed the battlefield, she focused on restoring her chakra as much as possible. Chakra restoration, even with the aid of pills, always had side effects. While the military ration pill (Bingliangwan) provided only limited recovery with relatively minor drawbacks, prolonged reliance on it would accumulate adverse effects over time.
Not just her—Uchiha Kai and Imai Kenta were also conserving their energy. Since they had a moment to recover, they naturally refrained from overusing stimulants. However, in dire situations, they wouldn't hesitate to ignore the risks.
Uchiha Kai slightly opened his Sharingan eyes. While the dōjutsu granted him formidable battle perception, it couldn't compare to the Hyūga's Byakugan in long-range surveillance.
"What's the situation now?" he asked after a brief pause. "Any idea how they're communicating?"
"Summoning Jutsu," Aya responded swiftly. "They're relaying information using summons. I think our location is about to be compromised."
"Our plan worked, Captain," Kenta said with a grin, scratching his head. "Since Kakashi is surrounded by Iwa-nin, why don't we just go in directly?"
"No! That's—" Nohara Rin protested immediately, but Aya cut her off.
"It's a valid consideration. Hasn't Hatake Kakashi already accounted for this?"
"But… he's our teammate!" Rin's voice wavered with emotion.
"Don't forget our mission, Nohara Chūnin," Aya countered coldly. "Do you want Kakashi to suffer the same fate as his father?"
As the two clashed verbally, Uchiha Kai felt his patience wearing thin. Aya's logic was sound, but underestimating the enemy was dangerous.
The four Iwa-nin stationed ahead seemed minimal, but if they recklessly charged in, they could face unexpected reinforcements. Yet, if they hesitated for too long, the mission could fail.
Just as he was deep in thought, Aya abruptly stiffened. Her face paled, and an instant later, Rin and Kenta reacted similarly.
Though Kai felt nothing, he immediately understood what had happened—one of their clone teams had failed. While he had dissolved his own shadow clone preemptively, the others had theirs wiped out.
"Tch… there's no more time to waste," Kai muttered. "What's Kakashi's situation?"
"Hmph, he's barely hanging on," Aya scoffed. "While we were arguing, he's been burning through chakra at an absurd rate. Even with a Shadow Clone, his depletion shouldn't be this severe—"
"Enough," Kai interrupted. He wasn't about to explain that Kakashi's Sharingan was the reason. "We have no choice. Move now—support Kakashi and break through before reinforcements arrive."
"Damn it," Aya cursed under her breath but had no choice but to comply.
Ignoring her frustration, Kai surged forward. Kenta followed without a word, knowing full well that hesitation could be fatal. Rin, as the team's medic, brought up the rear, ready to provide support.
The four of them moved at high speed, covering the several-hundred-meter distance in seconds.
As they sprinted, Kai activated his Sharingan fully. The world around him seemed to slow down—a sensation he had felt before but had always restrained out of caution. However, with Minato Namikaze's guidance, he had mastered it. There was no reason to hold back now.
Their sudden assault caught the Iwa-nin off guard. Through his Sharingan, Kai could see the momentary shock on their faces.
But hesitation was fatal.
When Kai was still dozens of meters away, chakra surged through his body. Kunai in one hand, his other fingers formed a seal—then, in a blur, he vanished.
"So fast—!"
One Iwa-nin, already startled by their arrival, went pale at Kai's sudden burst of speed. The others quickly regained their composure, but it was too late to react.
Realizing he had no chance to evade, the targeted Iwa-nin lunged forward, seemingly throwing himself onto Kai's kunai—a desperate gamble.
But Kai had already read his movements.
With a swift pivot, his kunai struck only air. Before the enemy could react, Kai vanished again with another Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique).
At that moment, Kakashi seized the opening and retreated toward Kai's position.
"Why are you here?" Kakashi asked, his voice weak. "Did something happen?"
Kai didn't answer immediately. Instead, his eyes landed on the kunai he had thrust into 'empty' space—where blood was now dripping into the dirt.
A moment later, a figure appeared, their camouflage technique failing as they bled out.
"You found him…" Kakashi muttered.
Kai exhaled. "Eat a ration pill. Recover your chakra—we need to end this fast."
The enemy had underestimated them. Stealth techniques like the Iwa-nin's Camouflage Concealment Jutsu were formidable—on any other battlefield. But against the Sharingan and Byakugan, they were rendered useless.
Elsewhere, another Iwa-nin, Ōishi, had been eliminated by Uchiha Obito.
Just as Kai processed their brief victory, Aya and Kenta arrived at their position.
Kai turned toward the remaining Iwa-nin, his expression sharp.
"Nohara Chūnin, take care of Kakashi," he ordered. "Aya, Kenta—we finish this."