Judging by the time Squad Hagoromo spent relative to the distance they covered, the ratio seemed wildly disproportionate. But this was enemy territory; every step forward required an extra measure of caution.
Consequently, it took them three days and four nights to cover a mere 50 kilometers and approach their target.
On the fourth day, whether the heavens were trying to help or simply stir up trouble, the rain finally stopped.
This change in weather was a double-edged sword. The advantage was that visibility improved significantly, which benefited the squad's long-range reconnaissance. The disadvantage was equal; the lighting conditions were the same for both sides, making it much easier for the enemy to spot them.
Furthermore, the convenience of the rain constantly washing away their tracks was gone. Instead, the post-rain mud was a liability—it held footprints perfectly, making them easy to track and discover.
The first issue could be overcome with tighter concealment, but the second was a major hurdle.
From the perspective of mission value, the task had to be carried out regardless of the risk. From the perspective of "life is precious," Squad Hagoromo halted three kilometers away from the enemy base. They wouldn't, and couldn't, go any further.
Given the density of the enemy and their unpredictable sensory methods, moving closer would be a suicidal act of walking straight into the lion's den.
However, seeing the enemy's movements from this distance was impossible for Hagoromo alone. Thus, the mission now relied primarily on Aoba Yamashiro.
Aoba was also a ninja capable of Summoning Jutsu, and unlike Hagoromo's flashy beasts, his summon was remarkably inconspicuous: Crows.
"Are you ready? Summoning Jutsu?"
Aoba gave a silent gesture of affirmation.
The squad split into two pairs, hiding in separate large trees. Hagoromo and Aoba were together, responsible for the actual scouting, while Kurenai and Asuma stayed together nearby to handle perimeter security.
To mask the chakra fluctuations of the jutsu, Aoba had performed the summoning much earlier, calling forth a dozen crows that looked no different from ordinary birds. Following their established method, Aoba released the first crow.
Through a combination of Summoning and a simple Possession Jutsu, Aoba projected his consciousness onto the crow, allowing for visual synchronization. The crow would fly over the Hidden Rain base. To avoid suspicion, it wouldn't hover; it would simply pass through or, at most, make a single circle.
Aoba sat with a blank piece of paper on his knees, one hand covering his left eye while the other held a pen, rapidly sketching and recording everything that flashed through the crow's vision.
Multitasking like this would be child's play for someone with Hagoromo's brain capacity, but for a "non-cheating" young ninja like Aoba, it placed a significant mental strain on him. Since one crow could only see so much, multiple passes were required.
To keep the birds from looking suspicious, the flights had to be irregular—patterns like "one flight every thirty minutes" were strictly forbidden.
For efficiency's sake, it would have been better to fly multiple crows at once, but considering Aoba's mental fatigue, they took it slow.
While the process sounded simple, it required the squad to remain stationary for an entire day.
During the final crow's flight, Aoba tried to act out a "thirsty crow looking for water" routine to land inside the base for a closer look. However, as the bird descended, a shuriken whistled out of nowhere. Fortunately, the throw was half-hearted, likely just meant to shoo the bird away—probably a ninja academy student practicing.
Aoba saw it coming just in time and performed a desperate aerial dodge before turning and flying away. The close call almost made him jump out of his skin.
It was a narrow miss. If an ordinary crow gets hit, it just bleeds. If a summoned crow gets hit, it disappears with a loud poof. Any ninja with half a brain would realize a "sneaky summon" was spying on them.
Thankfully, they escaped undetected.
The results were productive. According to Leaf intelligence, this base usually housed 600 to 800 Rain ninjas.
Now, a massive portion of them had vanished; the number was currently under 200. This suggested the Hidden Rain was planning something, and their target likely wasn't the Leaf—otherwise, the numbers would be increasing, not decreasing.
As for what Hanzo of the Salamander was up to, that was a problem for the Leaf high command. For Squad Hagoromo, the intel was a success.
At nightfall, they began their retreat along a predetermined route. The mission was mostly complete; they just needed to get back to the Land of Fire safely. Their pace was faster now, as they were familiar with the terrain and enemy patrol zones from the trip in.
However, as they moved further from the Rain base, Hagoromo noticed something strange. The Rain patrol squads had completely vanished.
What's going on? Hagoromo signaled the squad to be doubly alert.
Two hours later, they skidded to a halt.
"Did you hear that?" Hagoromo whispered.
The others nodded. "We heard it."
In the silence of the night, the crisp clink of kunai and shuriken clashing carried quite far. Someone was fighting ahead, and it was likely the Rain ninjas they had been looking for.
After a few minutes of deliberation, Hagoromo decided to check it out. He wanted to know what was happening, but more importantly, he didn't want to change their evacuation route, and the fight was blocking their path.
They crept forward cautiously. A glow appeared ahead—trees had been ignited by Fire Style. Then, they saw the bodies.
Not one, but a pile.
After confirming no enemies were nearby, Hagoromo knelt to inspect them. The Rain ninjas had died horrific deaths. Their bodies were shriveled and dry, like mummies. Their mouths were stretched wide, forming three hollow pits alongside their empty eye sockets.
After checking several more, the cause was clear. This was the work of a very powerful ninja using a specific type of elemental release.
Hagoromo had seen plenty of death, but he was suddenly startled—not by the corpses, but by his own teammate. It reminded him that as an "outsider," he could never truly compare to the natives when it came to certain... sensibilities.
Kurenai was also inspecting a body. At this age, she wasn't yet the cool, distant woman of the future; she was still in her "cute" phase. In the flickering firelight, she twitched her small nose and blinked her large eyes.
She looked at the mummified corpse and murmured to herself:
"Ah... the aroma of malt~"
The tone was so sweet that Hagoromo's brain automatically filled in the rest: A true connoisseur! Come try some of my home-made "Glazed Ninja"!
He looked at her with wide eyes. Who would want a girl who could say something like that about a grotesque corpse?
Well, someone in the squad probably would.
Regardless, Hagoromo looked at her with newfound respect. Kurenai-chan... you are a true beast.
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