Out of the corner of his eye, Hagoromo observed the two people passing by.
Although they had made some effort to disguise themselves, he had encountered one of them before. From certain subtle traits, he was still able to identify who she was.
Persistence was rewarded, and the gods favored those who ate melon in peace. When he had deliberately gone searching for intelligence, Hagoromo had found nothing of value. Yet when he was idle and unintentional—
Something big had surfaced.
The scent of an international conspiracy was already in the air.
At present, Sunagakure was still officially at war with Kirigakure. And yet, at such a time, a well-known shinobi of Sunagakure was openly walking within the Land of Water.
That fact alone carried enormous implications.
What was Sunagakure planning behind the scenes?
Or was it something else entirely?
His thoughts raced, branching in countless directions. But regardless of whether his guesses were correct or not, they were still only guesses.
Which meant—
He had to follow them.
That said, Hagoromo didn't immediately give chase. If he rushed after them the moment they passed by, his intent would be far too obvious. Even a stalker wouldn't be that crude.
At the very least, he couldn't openly announce, "Yes, I'm tailing you."
So on the surface, Hagoromo remained calm, continuing to eat his watermelon without a hint of urgency. Only after the two figures had completely disappeared from the road—and he had finished the fruit in his hands—did he finally move.
"Uncle, I'll leave the money here."
Hagoromo was a conscientious customer who paid for his watermelon. After setting down the money, he stood up beneath the roadside awning, stretched lazily, then leaned forward and shielded his eyes as he glanced up at the blazing sun.
With a displeased frown, he finally trudged off.
The weather was unbearably hot. At roughly eighty-two percent "wilted," Hagoromo dragged his feet away.
And the direction he took—
Was precisely the direction the two of them had gone.
Though he looked sluggish and unmotivated, Hagoromo's maximum tailing mode had already activated.
He followed the two shinobi from several kilometers back, doing nothing more than ensuring he neither lost them nor allowed himself to be discovered.
It was broad daylight. Rash action was impossible. He could only wait patiently for an opportunity.
In truth, Hagoromo's ability to recognize people was exceptionally sharp—several orders of magnitude better than a certain silver-haired, blue-beast-level face-blind shinobi. When necessary, he could even record a person's unique bioelectric signature to ensure he would never mistake them if they appeared before him again.
Though the principles differed, the method and effect were similar to the Uzumaki Clan's unique chakra-sensing and identification abilities.
Of course, in the shinobi world, the Uzumaki were far more advanced. Whether in accuracy or range, they surpassed Hagoromo by a vast margin.
He needed someone to enter a certain distance before he could clearly identify or sense them.
The Sunagakure shinobi walking alongside the Kirigakure ninja couldn't exactly be called a close acquaintance. They had only met once—and their brief clash back then had ended inconclusively.
Still, her identity was unmistakable.
A famous female shinobi of Sunagakure.
In other words—
Pakura of the Scorch Release, the Hero of Sunagakure.
Hagoromo had encountered her two years ago in the Land of Rain. Their battle had been interrupted by the Akatsuki's founding trio, forcing Hagoromo's team to withdraw.
As for Pakura, once Hagoromo and the others retreated, she had wisely chosen to do the same. Had she stubbornly attacked Nagato and the others at that time, she would likely be dead by now.
Naturally, Hagoromo hadn't just learned that Pakura was still alive today.
In fact, not long ago, he'd received intelligence stating that she had been highly active during the fighting between Sunagakure and Iwagakure.
So what surprised him wasn't her survival—
But her appearance here.
Now.
Together with Kirigakure shinobi.
What did that signify?
Hagoromo immediately recalled the appearance of the Iwagakure jinchūriki, Rōshi, during the earlier Byakugan recovery mission.
Recently, Kirigakure seemed remarkably active in forging external connections.
Judging from appearances alone, Pakura was most likely acting as a Sunagakure envoy to the Land of Water.
Then what were the two sides aiming for?
Peace…?
It seemed that Sunagakure wasn't the only village eager to withdraw from the war. Kirigakure, too, had already begun diplomatic maneuvering.
Although the grudges between the Five Great Villages ran deep—and Kirigakure and Sunagakure were no exception—their direct clashes in this war had largely occurred in the early and middle stages.
In the later stages, the two were technically still at war, but actual large-scale engagements had been rare—especially after Sunagakure surrendered to Konoha.
From Hagoromo's perspective, peace between the two villages wasn't impossible.
But would such peace benefit Konoha?
With one fewer enemy, Kirigakure would be able to concentrate more of its strength against Konoha—clearly unfavorable.
Hagoromo had already begun contemplating the possibility of assassinating Pakura to sabotage peace talks.
If a Sunagakure envoy died within the Land of Water, mutual distrust would skyrocket. Peace would be impossible.
In reality, however, Hagoromo was overthinking it.
What followed would far exceed his expectations.
Hagoromo's tailing continued from afternoon into evening. Once the sun set, the coastal environment of the Land of Water turned cold rapidly, and thick mist began to roll in.
As he followed closely behind, the terrain gradually shifted. The flat land gave way to rolling hills and uneven mountains.
With the terrain providing cover, Hagoromo no longer needed to keep such a wide distance. He accelerated, closing in on Pakura's group.
Moving silently, he could even hear their conversation.
When they entered a mountain valley, Hagoromo reached the entrance—
And stopped.
He hesitated.
The mist here was far denser. It should have aided his pursuit. And yet, for reasons he couldn't explain, Hagoromo felt a deep sense of unease.
Acting on instinct, he reached into the ninja pouch hidden beneath his loose clothing and took out a small transparent vial.
He opened it, dipped a finger into the clear liquid, rubbed it between two fingers, then extended his hand into the mist.
Almost instantly, the liquid turned black.
Poison.
Toxic gas was mixed into the mist—odorless and indistinguishable. This was clearly a Kirigakure trap.
Pakura had walked straight into it.
But Hagoromo's instincts had saved him.
Why?
If Pakura was truly a Sunagakure envoy, why would Kirigakure attempt to poison her?
As these thoughts crossed his mind, Hagoromo pocketed the vial, then pulled out several antidote pills of different colors and swallowed them in one go.
Carefully regulating his breathing, he entered the valley anyway—accepting the risk.
"Sorry to trouble you with guiding me. I do know the route myself."
"Not at all, Lady Pakura. It's an honor to guide a shinobi of your caliber."
Their exchange sounded friendly—perfectly natural.
Deceptively so.
Because the one following behind them knew the truth:
Every word of it was false.
PS: I've been releasing chapters daily . Honestly, it hurts seeing almost no support on Patreon after all that work.If you're enjoying the fic, even a little, supporting me would mean a lot. It helps a student stay independent .
complete fic (all chapters ) are already up on Patreon → patreon.com/Chakraflow789
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Chakraflow789