I'm in Konoha, and I have ten skill slots.

Shikamaru said it with absolute certainty.

"Why?" Neji didn't think so. If it were him, he would have done the same!

"Because it's unnecessary. Sasuke has defected to Konoha, which currently lacks powerful ninjas. Who can say they are 100% capable of defeating Sasuke!"

"You all saw what happened in the Chunin Exams. Don't you know how strong Sasuke really is?!"

As he spoke, Shikamaru looked in that direction and said, "Even against a Jonin, Sasuke is confident he can defeat him, so does he really need to resort to these tricks?"

"Furthermore, Orochimaru's side will send people to meet Sasuke, so with more manpower, Sasuke has even less to worry about."

"So what they need to do is leave the Land of Fire as quickly as possible!"

"And this is the fastest way to leave the Land of Fire!"

As he spoke, Shikamaru turned around and said, "In addition, Shino has also confirmed this direction, so I said this direction is correct!"

After hearing this explanation, Neji paused for a moment, realizing that it made some sense.

"Let's speed up now, I know a few routes that will get us even faster!"

As he spoke, Shikamaru turned at a fork in the road and headed right!

Although Sasuke is fast, he probably doesn't know these routes. A straight line on a map can't be walked in reality.

Therefore, they had to take detours to avoid obstacles. Sasuke mostly took the main road, while Shikamaru took shortcuts.

In this way, although Sasuke left first, Shikamaru and the others gradually closed the distance between themselves and Sasuke.

In addition, Sasuke seems to have some concerns and always conserves enough energy to deal with any battles that may occur at any time.

So every three hours, he would stop and rest.

Shikamaru and the others slowed down, but distributed their energy evenly. After all, for such a long distance, distributing energy evenly and maintaining a moderate pace was the fastest way to move forward.

The pursuit lasted a full eight hours.

By the time those eight hours were up, it was already daylight.

At daybreak.

Suddenly Ino spoke up, "I sensed it, Sasuke's chakra!"

Ino was being supported by Choji. If it weren't for Choji, she would have given up long ago. Fortunately, she finally sensed Sasuke's chakra.

This means that Sasuke is no more than 500 meters away from them in diameter!

"Everyone, give it your all and speed up to catch up with Sasuke!"

Neji was very excited.

We finally caught up with the mission target.

However, Shikamaru suddenly spoke up, "No! Everyone stop and start resting. Ino, you continue sensing Sasuke's chakra. Once they start moving, we need to move too, maintaining a safe distance from them!"

"Why?" Neji looked at Shikamaru.

Do you still have the strength to fight?

Neji was stunned for a moment. Indeed, after eight hours of running, he was exhausted. Even if he rushed up now, he could only watch helplessly as Sasuke slipped away.

They might even get killed by the other side.

After resting for a full half hour, the group did not recover much of their strength.

Compared to Sasuke and the others' mental state, theirs was simply terrible.

They need at least another three or four hours of rest before they can recover to a point where they can fight again.

Just then, Ino suddenly opened her eyes.

Seeing Ino's actions, Shikamaru immediately asked, "What's wrong? Have Sasuke and the others started moving?"

"No!" Ino shook her head, her expression shifting from surprise to confusion, and finally to joy.

"No...no...this is...this is...Shigure's..."

Before he could finish speaking, a cloud suddenly drifted in from the sky.

The clouds stopped right above their heads, completely blocking out the sun.

The moment everyone looked up at the sky, a small black dot fell from the sky.

Everyone stared at the tiny black dot, which seemed to expand and grow larger in their eyes.

suddenly!

A cloud appeared on the ground, as soft as cotton, and steadily caught the people falling from the sky.

Choji, Neji, Lee, Shino, and the others instantly assumed fighting stances.

At that moment, a familiar voice rang out.

"Long time no see, everyone!"

Neji was startled: "That voice is..."

Xiao Li rushed forward: "Shiyu?"

However, at this moment, Ino, who rushed out from the crowd, jumped up and flew fiercely towards Shigure.

Shigure paused for a moment, then opened her arms and caught Ino, who was lunging at her.

The next second, the two of them fell directly into the soft, fluffy cloud fog.

"Shigure...you..."

Ino was now so moved by her tears that she could no longer speak coherently.

Shigure patted Ino on the head.

"It's fine!"

Looking at Ino, Shigure already knew that this girl probably already knew about his departure from Konoha!

Without a doubt, Shikamaru must have told her. However, as part of the Shikamaru-Shika-Cho trio, Shikamaru wouldn't tell anyone else, but he couldn't possibly keep it from Ino either. Besides, Ino possesses her family's secret technique, so she would find out sooner or later.

Shiyu slowly sat up, looking at the crowd in the distance.

"I didn't expect we'd meet so soon!"

"Shigure...you..."

Neji and the others stared blankly at Shigure. They didn't know that Shigure had left Konoha, but they weren't blind.

Shigure is now wearing the headband of a Hidden Mist ninja!

Chapter 197 The Pursuit and Meeting with Sasuke

All eyes were focused on the headband on Shigure's forehead.

Shi Yu raised her hand and touched her headband, then calmly asked, "What's wrong? Is there something wrong with my headband?"

Bai and Changshilang had just landed behind him.

Shigure turned to look at the two of them and asked, "Was my headband not on properly?"

The two shook their heads.

"Shigure, you..." Shikamaru opened his mouth as if to say something, but he didn't know how to start.

Neji: "Why are you wearing the Kirigakure headband?"

Shigure glanced at Neji and said, "Shouldn't Kirigakure ninjas wear Kirigakure headbands?"

"You've also betrayed Konoha?" Neji's expression turned somewhat grim.

Shigure didn't answer the question, but Shikamaru interrupted Neji, saying, "If he were also a rogue ninja, the village would have issued a mission to capture him long ago!"

Upon hearing this, the others were also taken aback. Yes!

If Shigure were a rogue ninja, the village would have issued a mission to capture him long ago, so why is it like this now?

"But! If you weren't a defector, why... are you a ninja from Kirigakure!"

Xiao Li asked.

Ino: "Alright, stop asking. How are you doing in Kirigakure, Shigure-kun?"

Shi Yu nodded. "Not bad! If nothing unexpected happens, I'll probably become the next Kage!"

These words left Neji and the others even more confused. How could a Konoha ninja become the next Kage?

Is it really possible for Kirigakure to do such a thing?

"Alright, let's not talk about me now! Let's talk about the mission!"

Shigure looked at Shikamaru and put Ino down from his arms.

"Ino has sensed Sasuke's location. Sasuke is currently within 500 meters of us in a straight line!"

“However, it seems the other side has ninja backup. I was planning to rest first before making my move, but now that you've arrived…”

Looking at Shigure, now that Shigure has arrived, all the previous plans and ideas seem unnecessary.

After all, in the face of absolute power, all schemes and tricks are useless.