Aftermath (A Sequel to A Flash to the Future)

Chapter 44 - The Race for Tsunade: Part 3

A figure in a hood cloak hid on top of a building a few blocks away looked at the bar his target had just walked into. He had smirked as he moved a few blocks closer to the building. He had been tracking the Sannin for several weeks before he followed her here. He was about to move a lower ground when he saw two familiar figures stop at the establishment as well. He gritted his teeth.

The spymaster himself had been tracking the woman as well for the past two weeks. He saw him and that orange-wearing kid in Ochauke Machi a little over a week ago. The white haired Sannin had been asking around for the woman at different establishments. He had just been leaving the place when they arrived.

He had to admit that lady could evade like it was going out of style. Before Ochauke Machi, the Sannin was in Takazaki Gai, a small town in the Land of Hot Water. In his departure there, he had noticed that she had spread her tracks into multiple directions. He had to use Kage Bushin to follow all 21 trails to figure out which paths were decoys and which path was the correct path, throwing him off course. He had to admit that the woman was rather creative, considering the fact that that was one of many stunts she pulled to get away from him.

He sighed as he rested on the roof a building not too far or close to the bar. He made sure he kept his chakra hidden so no one could sense him. He didn't know how, but that boy was able to sense him when they arrived to the city a few days ago. It was strange. He was sure he had been hiding his chakra well and he didn't trail too close behind him. Perhaps it was the fact that they were being hunted by 2 S-rank missing nin themselves, blowing his cover.

He sighed as he ran his gloved hand over his face. He had been hired by his employer nearly a month ago to track down this woman collect a debt she owed. He didn't know how the woman got involved with the Yakuza, but apparently the woman owed one of the regional bosses who owned a casino in Uke Machi. From what he gathered, she was indebted to him by the millions and it didn't help that it compounded semi-annually.

In all honesty, he was a little surprised that someone from that organization would even bother to hire someone with shinobi history to hunt this woman when they had their own men. But seeing who this woman was, it was no wonder. To his clients and peers alike, he was known as "the Bloodhound", a professional bounty hunter and mercenary specialized in silent killing, tracking, and intelligence. He is credited with bringing in 74 D-ranked criminals, 87 C-ranked criminals, 33 B-ranked criminals, and 56 A-ranked criminals. He has a total 302 catches, ranging from civilians to high-ranking missing nin and many kills. He well known in the bounty hunting field and was an upscale mercenary.

The bounty hunter toyed with his gloves as he waited. He checked to make sure his concealed weaponry was functioning properly. Three hours later, he finally saw his target exit out of the building with that blond kid behind her. His eyes lingered on the blond child before they returned to the Sannin. He didn't know why, but he felt something of a gravitational pull toward him. Like he was drawn to him. He first felt it when he entered Tanzaku Gai. He wondered what that was about. It had been a while sense he felt anything like that.

He was pulled out of his musings when the boy ran to attack his hunt. Once he was close enough, she quickly dispatched him and sent him flying back with a simple flick to his forehead. He watched the fight with great interest. After a small exchange, the blond boy began to gather chakra that swirled around in a spiraling formation and gathered at a center point in his hand. He then charged at the Sannin who seemed to be taken off guard by the new development.

Before the spiraling ball of chakra could hit her, she pressed her finger into the ground, making it split. The boy was thrown off balance which sent the jutsu crashing into the ground. The boy then flew back, blown away by the clash of the incomplete jutsu and got stuck between the cracked earth.