After saying goodbye to the now-docile bear, Kaida, Itachi, and Kabuto moved swiftly through the dense forest.
"Quite a nice way to arrange food and a place to stay for the next three days, Kaida. That area was perfectly fine for it," Kabuto said.
"I am especially amused by how intelligent that bear was," Kaida said.
"It is quite normal, actually. Without intelligence, how do you think they wield their chakra? Once they start using chakra, their intelligence grows, and once it grows, they use chakra better, creating something like a loop. That bear is in the initial phase of that loop, while some of the summoning animals are at the later part," Itachi explained.
"Thank you for the explanation, Sensei," Kaida said seriously.
"Hahaha," Kabuto laughed at that.
"Enough! We are about to leave the forest, Kaida."
Kaida, becoming serious once again, made three shadow clones to be safe from lightning. Then three of them started moving, their senses alert and Sharingan activated as they navigated toward their next destination: a small mountain that rose like a jagged tooth from the rocky terrain of Lightning Valley. Unlike the previous cave, this one was in plain sight, with a flat plain all around the mountain.
"That last one took longer than expected," Itachi said.
"Let's just hope no one has taken that scroll by now," Kabuto said.
"Your hope may get shattered; I can see traces of someone going along this path," Itachi said. Kaida, following Itachi's gaze, also found traces of some movement in the area. Though it would have been invisible to others, with the Sharingan, the traces were almost clear.
"They are still fresh; we may catch up if we speed up," Kaida said.
"Let's go," Itachi said and disappeared from his position.
---
As they approached the base of the mountain, the air seemed to hum with tension. The rocky terrain gave way to a narrow path flanked by steep cliffs. At the mountain's peak, a small cave entrance was visible. The scroll they needed was hidden inside, but they weren't the only ones aiming for it.
At the mountain's base stood three figures facing toward them. Kaida and his team didn't even try to hide their movement toward the base, due to which Sunagakure's team found out about them before they reached there, losing a chance for an ambush altogether. But it was not their goal from the start anyway.
The Sunagakure team consisted of three trained and talented ninja:
1. *Shima*: The team leader, a tall and lean kunoichi with sharp features and even sharper eyes. She wielded a deadly scimitar and was known for her wind-style jutsu, the main damage dealer of the team.
2. *Tama*: A broad-shouldered ninja with a quiet demeanor. He specialized in earth-style techniques, using them to create barriers and fortify their positions. He was the tank of the team.
3. *Kuro*: The smallest and youngest of the group, but by no means the weakest. He had an affinity for bug-based jutsu, manipulating swarms of desert insects that could be used for defense and overwhelm opponents. One could say they were an inferior version of Aburame clan techniques.
"We knew you'd come," Shima said, her voice cutting through the air like her wind jutsu.
"Since we reached here first, why don't we do this in a civil way, and we take the scroll?" she continued.
"Sorry, we don't have an option; we need that scroll. But if you go away now, we will not pursue you guys," Kaida said.
Kuro smirked. "Why don't we find out who will actually run?"
Without warning, he unleashed a wave of buzzing insects from his sleeves, all of them brown-colored beetles, sending them swarming toward Kaida, Kabuto, and Itachi. The insects were fast, homing in on their targets with unsettling precision.
With both Kaida's and Itachi's Sharingan already activated, they had long predicted this attack after seeing the insects in Kuro's sleeves.
With kunai in their hands, they struck one beetle after another, but those were not enough to kill the beetles. The most impressive quality of these beetles was not their offense but their defense; the reason he used them at the start was to distract Konoha's team.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Shima appeared behind Kaida and Itachi and used Wind Blade Jutsu from a distance.
"Kaida handles her; I will take care of the beetles," Itachi said.
Meanwhile, Kabuto had vanished underground using his Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole Technique. Tama, anticipating this, slammed his hands on the ground, causing the earth to quake and rumble beneath him. Spikes of stone shot up from the ground, aiming to pierce Kabuto's hidden form. But before they could hit their mark, Kabuto emerged from behind him, catching Tama off guard.
"Earth Style won't save you," Kabuto said, his chakra scalpel forming in his hand as he delivered a precise strike to Tama's shoulder, disrupting his movements.
On the other side of the battlefield, Itachi completed his hand signs. "Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" Small, fast-moving fireballs shot out from Itachi's mouth, each one homing in on Kuro's swarming insects. The flames tore through the swarm, burning away his beetles, which were somehow tanking the kunai strikes, falling in bulk after being burnt to a crisp. Kuro's face twisted in frustration as his companions, whom he had cared for long, were dying in masses.
Kaida, now fully engaged with Shima, found an opening. With a swift movement, he grabbed her scimitar mid-swing, stopping it with his gauntlet-clad hand. Her eyes widened as he twisted the blade from her grasp and delivered a powerful kick to her midsection, sending her flying backward into a tree.
"It's over," Kaida said, standing tall as Shima struggled to her feet, her expression one of disbelief.
Kabuto had already subdued Tama, who lay immobilized by Kabuto's chakra scalpel. Itachi, ever calm and composed, stepped forward toward Kuro, whose insect swarm had been reduced to smoldering ash.
"We... can't lose..." Shima muttered, but her body was already aching from the kick she received.
"You already have," Itachi said, his voice cool but not unkind. "Now leave."
The Sunagakure team, battered and beaten, had no choice but to retreat. Shima's scowl burned into Kaida as she was dragged away by her teammates, but none of them dared to argue. They had been thoroughly defeated.
---
With the Sunagakure team gone, Kaida, Itachi, and Kabuto entered the small cave and retrieved the third and last scroll. Itachi tucked it away, and the trio began their trek back through the forest.
As they approached the clearing where they had left the bear, Kaida was the first to notice something off. The bear was there, sitting proudly next to a large deer it had hunted and brought back as a "gift" for them.
Kaida chuckled and patted the bear's head. "You've been busy, huh?"
The bear licked Kaida's face in response, clearly pleased with itself.
"Good job; now go take some rest. We will call you when food is ready," Kaida said, but the bear pointed at the deer carcass, as if saying, 'What do you mean food is right here, completely ready?'
"Wait and see," Kaida somehow understood the bear's intention and replied.