A shadow watched from between the trees... For a brief moment, Yamato felt someone's gaze on him and frowned. It could very well have been his imagination, but he decided to keep that feeling in mind for later.
Eight hours had already passed since the team departed, and they were about to reach the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Waterfalls.
"Sensei, how are we going to conduct this investigation?" Ino asked.
"The first thing we'll do is ask questions. We'll choose people who are likely to know something and ask them questions that may seem trivial at first."
Crossing his arms, Yamato continued:
"After that, we'll investigate the surrounding area for clues that can provide us with more information. In the end, we'll gather all the information and organize it."
'Seriously? This mission is B-rank?' Ino thought. Although it was strange for such an easy investigation mission to have such a high rank, she decided not to think too much about it. The easier, the better.
'This is so difficult.'
Hinata sighed. Every day, she tried to become a better version of herself so she could become someone strong and reliable, but as time passed, she realized that changing the way she was wasn't going to be easy.
'Toru-kun is so strong and always has a solution for everything. When will I even be half as good as him?'
Disappointed by her tendency to compare herself to others, she shook her head.
Minutes passed, and they were still a little ways away from reaching the first village.
Toru thought about how he should conduct his investigation. There were different methods, some stranger than others, but ironically, the strangest methods were often the most effective.
'Investigation... I'll stick to the methods Yamato-sensei uses. He's an experienced Jounin, so there shouldn't be any problems with that.'
He walked alongside Hinata, unaware that she was shyly watching him, and continued to lose himself in his own thoughts.
'Still, according to what Yamato-sensei told us, the village we're heading to is only five years old. Villages can appear out of nowhere, but it's still strange...'
Putting his hands into his pockets, Toru quickened his pace slightly.
"That's..." Ino said, making everyone look ahead.
In front of them stood a large red wooden torii gate. It looked like a portal capable of transporting you to another world, but it turned out to be much simpler than that. Just a piece of wood driven into the ground...
"We're here," Yamato said.
Ino sighed in relief, but in less than a second, the atmosphere changed completely. The old-fashioned houses and the clothing worn by the people made Hinata's eyes widen in surprise.
'It's so beautiful,' Hinata thought as she looked at the dresses worn by the women; yukatas, kimonos, and things like that.
The women's clothes were decorated with beautiful flowers of different shapes and colors. Even Ino was surprised.
"We can't waste any time," Yamato said, handing each of his students a scroll.
"What's this?" Ino asked.
"Before we begin the investigation, read the contents of the scroll. That way, you'll know what you need to ask the people in this village."
Curious, each of them opened their scroll.
The contents contained information about the disappearances. There were names and descriptions of the missing people, along with a detailed explanation of how to start a friendly conversation with someone.
When they finished reading, they didn't know what to think. It sounded more serious than they had expected.
Yamato cleared his throat.
"For the investigation to be successful, you need to make sure you're respectful. We don't want to cause any trouble in this village."
"Who are you?"
Interrupting Yamato, a man's voice rang out. Everyone looked at a brown-haired man who had a white bandage covering one of his eyes. He wore a strange combination of a yukata and a shinobi military uniform.
For a second, Ino and Hinata looked at the man with fear, as he carried a large spear in one hand.
It was a massive weapon with a golden tip that gleamed beneath the sunlight. The base had silver-colored details, along with a black cloth tied near the spearhead.
"We're shinobi from Konohagakure. We were sent here to conduct an investigation."
Keeping a neutral expression, Yamato approached the man. The mysterious man said:
"Shinobi from Konohagakure? Wait here. I'll call the village leader," he said as his body flashed into a cloud of smoke and disappeared.
Toru watched this with a hint of curiosity and suspicion. Not only was that man strange; the people in general were strange.
"Who was that guy?" Ino asked.
"He's most likely one of the people who protect this village," Yamato replied.
Several minutes passed, and they were still waiting at the entrance of the village.
'How long are they going to take? I just want to finish this boring mission and go home,' Ino thought.
A long time had already passed, and it was visible in the sky, which had taken on reddish hues.
'Are they deliberately wasting our time?' Toru thought. Although it could be considered a paranoid thought, there was some logic behind it, even if it was a bit of a stretch.
"Ara~ Are we having visitors?"
A woman's voice rang out. Everyone turned their eyes toward a beautiful silver-haired woman with blood-red eyes and a beautiful black yukata.
For a second, Yamato looked at the woman, and the only thing he could think about was how beautiful she was.
"So you're shinobi from Konohagakure no Sato," the woman said.
"That's right. My name is Yamato. My students and I were sent here to conduct an investigation," Yamato replied with the seriousness of an experienced shinobi.
"Hm... I see. My name is Kuchikase Miroku. I'm the one in charge of this village," she said, spreading her arms as if she wanted to present the village to them.
Then, becoming a little more serious, she continued:
"I'm aware of the recent investigations. It's... terrifying, what's happening. With everything that has come to light, I'm afraid something bad might happen to my people."
"That's why we were sent here. We'll find the reason behind the disappearances, and to do that, we'll need your permission to question some of the villagers," Yamato said.
Miroku looked at the ground and sighed.
"I understand. That seems reasonable. You may do so. However, I also suggest that you stay the night. Since you're practically my guests, you can stay at the village inn."
Yamato thought for a second.
Staying in the village wasn't necessary. After all, he had a jutsu that allowed him to build shelters, but even so, he felt that refusing the village leader's kindness would be rude.
"Thank you for your kindness. We'd be happy to accept," the sensei said.
Ino smiled at the good news.
'So we're staying at an inn tonight... I suppose that's good. I'm already tired of sleeping on the ground. My back hurts!'
—Minutes Later—
Minutes after Miroku left alongside a man who had both eyes covered with bandages, Yamato took the opportunity to begin the mission, assigning an area to each of his students.
Toru was looking for people to question and didn't take long to find someone who seemed promising: a woman who looked to be no older than twenty.
"Sorry to bother you, but could I ask you a few questions?"
The woman looked at Toru but didn't answer until several seconds later.
"Oh, hello! I didn't see you there. Questions, you say?" She tilted her head slightly, confused.
"Uh... yes. Could you tell me what you know about the disappearances?"
The woman took several seconds to answer.
"Disappearances? I'm sorry, kid. I don't know anything about that."
"I understand..."
Nothing...
A few seconds after Toru finished speaking with the woman, his eyes caught sight of the man who had been with Miroku. He stopped for a moment to think.
The man had a black blindfold completely covering his eyes and strange rings with spikes around his hands. He was standing in front of the largest house in the village, which seemed strange to Toru.
'Should I?' he thought as he approached the man.
"Uh... Can I ask you a few questions?"
The man turned his head toward where Toru was standing. A slight sigh escaped his mouth before he answered.
"About the disappearances?"
"Yes, it's about that."
"Hmm... The little I know is that the area where the disappearances have been occurring is on the border of the Land of Fire, near this village."
'That's information we already have,' Toru thought.
"Is that all you know? Nothing else?"
"That's all I know, kid."
"I see... Sorry to bother you."
After that, Toru walked away.
—Somewhere—
Miroku watched the sky as it slowly began to darken.
"How many has it been now?" she wondered aloud. It wasn't the first time Konoha had sent an investigation team.
"I don't know, Miroku-sama. I've already lost count," said the man with the spear.
"Hmm... Seems like your memory is failing you, Yasuo-san," Miroku said with a smile.
"Either way, it doesn't matter. We'll take care of them tonight."