No matter how much Queen of Loulan suspects An Lushan, she cannot deny his contributions to Loulan. Without An Lushan's help, Loulan wouldn't have been able to build so many high-rise buildings, and the economy would be much worse.
It is precisely because of An Lushan's contributions to Loulan that the Queen of Loulan did not directly dismiss and imprison him due to her suspicions, but instead, she invited ninjas to investigate.
"Moreover, please keep your actions discreet, do not expose the purpose, and do not let anyone know that I commissioned you," said the Queen of Loulan.
"There are many people in Loulan who support An Lushan right now. Exposing before evidence is found will lead to dissatisfaction among the populace and officials."
This is one reason why she sought out Konoha ninjas. There are too many people in Loulan supporting An Lushan, making it easy to be exposed.
However, the Queen of Loulan can understand them, as An Lushan indeed brought development to Loulan.
Obito looked at the Queen of Loulan with a face full of surprise. It was the first time he had seen a queen endure such difficulties.
Kazahana Sosetsu, after confirming Kazahana Doto had issues, directly sent subordinates to arrest him, whereas the Queen of Loulan was worried about letting others know.
"No problem," Mokgetsu nodded in understanding.
He could understand the Queen of Loulan a bit. This place is called a small country but is actually just the size of a town, much smaller than Snow Country, and poorly located in a desolate desert with frequent surrounding wars. Life here is indeed tough.
In this situation, it's natural for someone bringing development to Loulan to gain support, but the Queen of Loulan should be glad for her caution. If she dared to act recklessly, she would be the one to die in the end. An Lushan is not only a ninja but also a powerful one.
"Could it be another person like Kazahana Doto, planning to take Loulan for himself?" Obito speculated on the way back.
"It's hard to say before the investigation is clear. Even the Queen of Loulan herself doesn't know," Kakashi shook his head.
They haven't even seen An Lushan, so making baseless assumptions is pointless.
Mokgetsu first found an ordinary inn and then said to Kakashi and the others, "To investigate efficiently, let's temporarily split up. I'll go alone, and you three form a group. We'll regroup to exchange information at the inn in the evening."
With the Byakugan, Mokgetsu could observe the powerful energy beneath Loulan and planned to check the Dragon Vein first.
His perception can't cover the entire Ninja World, but it's not a problem covering all of Loulan. If any disciples are in danger, Mokgetsu can support them using the Flying Thunder God.
To prevent any accidents, Mokgetsu also assigned a Shadow Clone to accompany Kakashi and the others, providing double assurance.
After saying this, Mokgetsu's figure quickly disappeared from the three's sight.
"Let's go; let's first observe the current state of Loulan," Kakashi promptly prepared to begin the investigation without any hesitation.
"Why does it seem like you're the captain?" Obito was not pleased with Kakashi's direct commanding attitude.
"Then you tell us what to do now and why?" Kakashi turned his head to Obito and asked.
Obito's momentum instantly diminished, as Kakashi's question felt like he was taking a test.
With no objections from Obito, the three officially began their investigation.
Due to the Queen of Loulan's request, Kakashi and the others put away their headbands and Chunin waistcoats, dressing as ordinary people while observing Loulan.
"Kakashi, Rin, I seem to have spotted a possibly suspicious person," Obito said, looking at the yellow-haired figure foolishly glancing around in front.
"I spotted him before you did," Kakashi said, slightly frowning at the sight of the Konoha headband.
"Indeed, at first glance, this is someone with problems," Nohara Rin looked in the direction of the two and showed an expression of agreement.
"Be careful, and prepare for combat," Kakashi softly reminded.
In Kakashi's view, the yellow-haired figure in front contained too many suspicious points, only wearing a headband and not a Chunin waistcoat, suggesting he might be a Genin. Why would a Genin appear alone in Loulan?
"It shouldn't be; maybe the person is also a Konoha Ninja," Obito felt deep down that the person should not be bad.
"Not everyone wearing a Konoha headband is a Konoha Ninja," Kakashi said calmly.
Forging ninja headbands is very easy. For a simpler method, there's no need to forge; just use the Transformation Jutsu.
However, Kakashi hadn't yet noticed any traces of Transformation Jutsu usage by the person in front, although this could indicate the person's Transformation Jutsu is extremely proficient.
"Asking would clarify it."
After saying this, Obito gave Kakashi a look, and the two assumed a surrounding combat posture and approached.
"Are you a Konoha Ninja?" Obito asked straightforwardly.
"Isn't that obvious?" Naruto pointed to his headband.
"Could you please show your Ninja Certificate? After all, it's wartime, so please understand," Kakashi said in a low voice.
All official Konoha ninjas possess a certificate, which records not only the ninja's basic information and number of completed missions but also has anti-counterfeit technology.
"Ah, what war? But I think I did bring my certificate," Uzumaki Naruto was a bit bewildered by Kakashi's words, but he understood their point. They were also Konoha ninjas.
So Naruto readily handed his certificate to Kakashi, feeling that the white-haired masked kid in front of him seemed a bit familiar for some reason.