Hagoromo observed the passing duo through his peripheral vision. Although the latter had undergone a certain degree of disguise, having encountered her before, he could still identify her from certain characteristic traits.
Hard work pays off, and the heavens reward the melon-eater. When Hagoromo actively tried to conduct operations, he found no meaningful intel. Yet, when he was just idling away the time, he stumbled upon a major situation.
It seemed he had reaped a harvest after all. Right now, Hagoromo could smell the scent of international conspiracy.
Currently, the Hidden Sand and the Hidden Mist were still technically in a state of war. For a highly renowned ninja of the Sand to openly appear in the Land of Water... this action alone was enough to convey a massive amount of information.
Was the Hidden Sand planning some behind-the-scenes machinations again? Or perhaps...
A thousand thoughts raced through his mind in an instant, but regardless of whether his deductions were right or wrong, they were ultimately just guesses. Therefore, he had to follow them...
Though he had made up his mind, Hagoromo didn't follow them immediately. If he anxiously scurried after two ninjas right after they passed him, his objective would be far too obvious. Let alone a ninja, even a petty stalker wouldn't be that amateurish.
At the very least, he couldn't make it look like he was wearing a sign saying, "I am tracking you," right?
So outwardly, Hagoromo's expression remained unchanged. He showed not the slightest hint of urgency, continuing to calmly eat his melon until the figures of the two completely disappeared down the road and he had finished his slice. Only then did he begin his move.
"Uncle, the money's on the table."
Hagoromo was an authentic consumer willing to pay for his melon. After setting down the money, he stood up, stretched lazily under the pavilion, poked his head out, and shielded his eyes to squint at the blazing sun above. Only then did he step out, frowning and looking thoroughly reluctant.
The weather was sweltering, Hagoromo dragged his feet as he left the area.
And his heading was the exact direction the two had departed.
Though Hagoromo looked listless and was walking slowly, in reality, his Max Level Tailing skill had instantly activated.
Trailing several hundred meters behind the two ninjas, Hagoromo didn't need to do anything else. As long as he could follow them from a distance, not lose their trail, and remain undetected, that was enough.
In truth, Hagoromo's ability to identify people was quite strong, tens of millions of times better than a certain face-blind Blue Beast. When necessary, he could even record a person's unique bio-electrical signature, ensuring he wouldn't overlook them if they appeared before him again.
Although the underlying principles were vastly different, the method and effect were similar to the unique chakra sensing and identification abilities possessed by certain Uzumaki clan members.
However, in the ninja world, the Uzumaki were clearly far more advanced than the Kamishiro in this regard. Setting aside precision, just in terms of sensory range, they could leave Hagoromo eighty streets behind.
He had to wait for the target to come within a specific distance before he could distinguish and sense them.
The Sand ninja trailing behind the Mist ninja couldn't exactly be called an acquaintance of Hagoromo's. They had only crossed paths once and engaged in one inconclusive clash.
The target was also a renowned kunoichi of the Hidden Sand.
Therefore, her identity was glaringly obvious: the Hero of the Hidden Sand, Pakura of the Scorch Style.
Hagoromo's clash with her had occurred over two years ago in the Land of Rain. Because they were interrupted by the Akatsuki, the battle ended inconclusively, and Hagoromo's squad had chosen to retreat directly.
As for Pakura, although it was regrettable, she had also wisely chosen to withdraw after Hagoromo's team left... If she had stubbornly chosen to attack Nagato and the others back then, she would have undoubtedly been killed off right there and then.
Of course, Hagoromo didn't just find out Pakura was still alive. In fact, he had heard news about her recently.
During the previous battles between the Sand and the Stone, Konoha had received intelligence detailing Pakura's highly active role in the war.
So what surprised Hagoromo wasn't that she was alive, but that she was appearing here, at this specific time, and associating with a Hidden Mist ninja.
What did this signify?
Hagoromo's thoughts returned to the appearance of the Hidden Stone's Roshi during his previous Byakugan retrieval mission... It seemed the Hidden Mist had been aggressively pursuing foreign relations over the past few months.
Judging solely by surface appearances, Pakura must be in the Land of Water right now acting as an envoy for the Hidden Sand.
Then what was the goal of both parties? Peace? ...It seemed the Sand wasn't the only one desperate to exit the war; the Mist had long since begun diplomatic maneuvers as well.
Although the grudges between any two of the Five Great Nations ran deep—and the Mist and Sand were no exception—in this current war, their major clashes had occurred during the early and middle stages. In the later stages, they were merely nominally in a state of war; actual combat operations were rare, especially after the Sand surrendered to Konoha.
Therefore, in Hagoromo's view, a peace treaty wasn't impossible.
Was peace between the two beneficial for Konoha? From the perspective that the Mist could concentrate its forces against Konoha after eliminating one enemy front, it was detrimental. Hagoromo was already considering the possibility of assassinating Pakura to sabotage the peace between the two nations.
If Pakura, acting as an envoy, died in the Land of Water, the mutual distrust between the two sides would undoubtedly intensify, making peace impossible, right?
In truth, Hagoromo was overthinking things again. The subsequent developments completely exceeded his expectations.
Hagoromo's tailing lasted from the afternoon all the way into the evening. After the sun went down, the coastal environment caused the Land of Water's temperature to plummet instantly, and a thick mist began to roll in.
Following closely behind, the terrain surrounding Pakura and her guide was no longer flat; it began to rise and fall into mountainous ridges. Because of this, Hagoromo didn't have to hang back so far. Utilizing the terrain for cover, he accelerated, closing the distance between himself and Pakura's group.
Approaching silently, Hagoromo was soon close enough to hear their conversation.
When they entered a valley, Hagoromo stopped at the entrance, hesitating to follow them directly inside.
He paused.
The mist here was even thicker, which should have made his tailing easier, but for some reason, Hagoromo instinctively felt something was wrong.
Prompted by a thought, Hagoromo reached into the ninja pouch hidden beneath his oversized clothes and pulled out a small, transparent vial. He opened the vial, dipped his index finger into the clear liquid inside, rubbed two fingers together to spread the liquid evenly, and then...
Finally, he thrust his finger into the mist before him. Almost instantly, the liquid on his finger turned stark black.
This proved there was poison in the mist... The toxic gas was mixed perfectly with the natural mist, rendering it indistinguishable and leaving no obvious scent. This was clearly a Hidden Mist trap. Pakura had been fooled, but Hagoromo's intuition had saved him.
What's going on? She's clearly a Hidden Sand envoy, yet the Hidden Mist is trying to poison her?
As he pondered this, Hagoromo sealed the transparent vial, put it away, and pulled out several differently colored antidote pills. He tossed them all into his mouth and swallowed them in one gulp.
Then, controlling his breathing as much as possible, he braved the risk and entered the valley.
...
"I'm really troubling you, making you guide the way. I actually know the route myself."
"No, no, Lady Pakura. It is an honor to guide a ninja of your caliber."
The conversation between the two sounded harmonious and highly deceptive, but the stalker behind them knew it was all a lie.
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