Seeing so many Hyuga clan ninjas before him, Kakashi was momentarily stunned.
Regarding Sasuke's sudden defection, Kakashi was indeed somewhat surprised, yet also felt a sense of inevitability.
Deep down, Kakashi had long had a premonition that one day Sasuke would leave the Leaf, but he never expected that this premonition would actually come true.
What truly caught Kakashi off guard was that Hyuga Neji would also defect.
This was a genius on the same level as Uchiha Sasuke!
Kakashi turned his head and glanced at Might Guy beside him. Guy, who had always maintained boundless energy, was now somewhat silent.
Or rather, ever since he heard Lady Tsunade announce the news of Neji's defection, Guy had suddenly fallen silent.
"Guy, you..."
Kakashi's lips parted, wanting to say something, but for a moment, he found he didn't know how to comfort Guy.
After all, their situations were now quite similar.
However, the sound of Kakashi's voice also broke the silence that Guy had been maintaining.
"I don't know what happened, but no matter what, Neji is my student. As his teacher, I will definitely bring Neji back!"
A brilliant smile resurfaced on Guy's face, though his voice carried a solemn tone.
At the same time, Guy gave a thumbs up, revealing his flashing teeth, and said to Kakashi:
"Kakashi, you must bring Sasuke back too! This is our new challenge: let's see who can bring their student back to the Leaf first!"
Kakashi didn't speak; he just nodded gently.
"Lord Kakashi, Lord Guy, we should set off now!"
Two team captains stepped out from among the many Hyuga ninjas, addressing Kakashi and Guy respectively.
Kakashi nodded, formed hand seals, and pressed his hands directly against the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Poof! Poof!
As two clouds of white smoke dispersed, two nin-dogs that weren't particularly large were summoned by Kakashi.
Kakashi took out the forehead protectors belonging to Sasuke and Neji that Tsunade had tossed to him, and held them to the noses of the two nin-dogs to sniff.
"Pakkun, you've seen Sasuke before, so you know which forehead protector is his, right?"
Kakashi looked at one of the nin-dogs and spoke softly.
A contemplative, almost human-like expression appeared on Pakkun's face. After a while, he pointed at one of the forehead protectors.
Kakashi's eyes lit up. He threw the other forehead protector to Guy and said to the other nin-dog:
"Pakkun will assist me for now. You assist Guy and help him find the person on that forehead protector."
The nin-dog nodded, leaped up, and landed on Guy's shoulder.
A smile appeared on Guy's face as he gave a thumbs up to the nin-dog on his shoulder.
"I'll be counting on you."
On the other side, seeing this scene, the faces of the Hyuga ninjas revealed dissatisfaction.
Kakashi's actions seemed to imply that he didn't trust their abilities.
"When Guy and I came out, we discussed this. We both suspect that Sasuke and Neji didn't go in the same direction, so we plan to use the nin-dogs to confirm whether the two of them left the Leaf together or separately?"
Kakashi noticed the change in the expressions of the Hyuga clan members and hurriedly explained.
It was best not to offend a major clan like the Hyuga.
Hearing Kakashi's words, the expressions of the Hyuga group eased slightly.
"Move out!"
Guy's voice rang in everyone's ears.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Accompanied by the sound of breaking air, everyone present turned into afterimages and vanished, leaping towards the main gate of the Leaf.
Hokage's Office.
Watching Kakashi and the others leave, a look of worry flashed across Jiraiya's face. For some reason, he felt an incessant sense of unease in his heart.
At this moment, Naruto and Lee exchanged a glance and carefully moved toward the door. Just as they were about to reach it, Tsunade flashed in front of them, reaching out to grab both Naruto and Lee by the collars.
"If you two can't sleep tonight, just wait here honestly for news."
Tsunade looked at Naruto and Lee with a cold sneer.
"Should we report this news to Lord Hashirama?" Jiraiya's voice came from the side.
"No need. These two definitely haven't left the Land of Fire yet. In that case, Kakashi and Might Guy should be able to catch up to them and bring them back."
Tsunade shook her head and replied casually.
Outside the Leaf Village Gate.
"As expected, they didn't go in the same direction."
Kakashi looked at Pakkun and spoke solemnly.
"In that case, let's split up. They shouldn't have gone far yet."
Guy looked in the direction indicated by the other nin-dog.
After determining the directions Neji and Sasuke had taken, Kakashi and Guy set off in pursuit of them. Meanwhile, the group of Hyuga ninjas also split into two parts, following Guy and Kakashi respectively.
Kakashi weaved rapidly through the forest, glancing back at the two Hyuga ninjas following closely behind him, his eyelids twitching involuntarily.
It was worth noting that the Hyuga clan had dispatched nearly twenty ninjas this time. Apart from the two Hyuga ninjas behind him, the rest had all gone in Neji's direction.
Kakashi took a gentle breath. Thinking about it carefully, this was to be expected.
The Hyuga clan members were originally here to chase Neji. Sending two people to assist him was already considered quite good.
In a dense forest.
Ragged breathing sounds slowly drifted from one direction.
Neji reached out to support a large tree, gasping heavily for air.
By now, Neji's clothes were already soaked with sweat. Ever since leaving the Leaf, Neji hadn't stopped once, heading straight in the direction of the Hidden Mist Village.
Neji didn't dare to rest at all right now. Although he hadn't been discovered by Leaf ninjas when he left, Tenten was lying unconscious on the ground.
Due to the tight schedule, he hadn't found a place to settle Tenten, which meant she could be discovered by other ninjas at any moment.
Once discovered, his defection from the Leaf would be exposed!
Therefore, Neji didn't dare to slack off in the slightest.
He was different from Sasuke. If Sasuke were caught, his life wouldn't be in danger, but it wasn't the same for him.
If he were caught, the best outcome Neji could face would likely be life imprisonment, but the greater possibility was death.
Taking another deep breath, Neji moved his feet and leaped rapidly forward.
At the same time, a thought crossed Neji's mind. Veins bulged around his eyes as he activated the Byakugan, carefully observing his surroundings.
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