After parting with Tsunade, Sora found a quiet place and began to carefully plan his next move.
'Root ninja... Danzo's reach extends throughout the ninja world, but precisely finding lone ones suitable for targeting is not easy.'
Sora leaned against a tree trunk, rapidly filtering through original work information and the current situation in his mind.
It was now the third year of the Third Great Ninja War. The most intense battlefields were undoubtedly the seesaw battle between Konoha and Iwagakure around the Land of Rain, and the front line against Kumogakure to the northeast.
These places were a mixed bag, crowded with ninja from various forces. It was highly likely Root members were active there, carrying out various shady missions.
However, there were also too many eyes and many powerful individuals there. The risk of taking action was extremely high, making it easy to be detected by a third party or to run into a tough opponent.
'Besides the front lines, Root definitely has secret bases and operational squads within the Land of Fire and in some surrounding small nations.'
Sora recalled the two Root bases he had previously discovered, one in the Forest of Death and one downstream of the Naka River.
But compared to the front lines, the drawback of these two locations was that they required long stakeouts, making it inefficient.
Moreover, being close to Konoha meant that if any commotion occurred, it could easily invite trouble.
'It seems, relying solely on myself to try my luck one by one wastes too much time. I need a two pronged approach.'
Sora quickly made a decision.
On one hand, use a large army of shadow clones for wide net scouting and stakeouts.
On the other hand, leverage the power of the underworld. The Bounty Exchange.
Thinking of this, Sora did not hesitate further.
He quickly formed hand seals and uttered in a low voice,
"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique."
Poof. Poof. Poof.
Accompanied by the consumption of a large amount of Dragon Vein chakra, twenty shadow clones instantly appeared around him.
"Mission objective: Search for Root ninja, with a focus on the Land of Fire and surrounding small nations. Upon discovering a suitable target, do not act rashly. Prioritize transmitting information back."
"Understood." x20
The twenty shadow clones responded in unison, then transformed into blurred black shadows, speeding off in all directions and instantly disappearing into the dense forest.
After sending out the shadow clones, Sora's main body also immediately took action.
He put the "Vermilion Bird" mask back on and changed into black robes.
'Time to try my luck at the Bounty Exchange.'
With a flicker of his figure, Sora also left the spot, heading at full speed towards the nearest Bounty Exchange branch within the Land of Fire.
...
Land of Fire, Abandoned Mine Bounty Exchange.
Sora walked straight to the mission posting counter.
A thin, shriveled old man with muddy eyes sat behind the counter. Without looking up, he asked in a hoarse voice,
"Posting or accepting?"
Sora replied hoarsely,
"Posting."
"Content, reward."
"Collect intelligence on the movements of Konoha's 'Root' members. Requirement: Provide the target's accurate location, squad size, and approximate strength assessment. Upon confirmation of validity, payment will range from five hundred thousand to three million ryo depending on the intelligence value."
He deliberately obscured the intent of "hunting," only stating it was for collecting movement intelligence, which was a relatively common mission type at the Bounty Exchange.
As expected, the thin old man showed no ripple in his muddy eyes upon hearing this. It was as if he hadn't heard a mission targeting one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, but something ordinary about stray cats and dogs.
He merely recorded on the scroll in front of him and asked simultaneously,
"Time limit?"
"The sooner the better, effective long term." Sora answered.
"Acceptable. Handling fee, one hundred thousand ryo." The old man finished recording and extended his hand.
Sora neatly counted out one hundred thousand ryo in notes and placed them on the counter.
The old man deftly put the money away and handed over a simple wooden token carved with a number.
"This is the mission proof. Messages will be signaled through vibrations from the sealing formula on it. You come here to confirm and receive the specific information."
"Understood."
Sora took the token and put it in his pocket without looking at it.
The entire process went more smoothly than imagined. As he anticipated, the Bounty Exchange truly did not care who the mission target was. After all, as long as there was money to be made, they dared to put a bounty on the head of the Hokage's son "Thirty Five Million," let alone just gathering intelligence on Root members' movements.
Afterwards, Sora traveled to two other larger Bounty Exchange branches within the Land of Fire. Using the same method and reward, he posted missions with identical content.
By the time he finished all this, the sky had completely darkened.
Sora chose to stay in the town where the last Bounty Exchange was located, checking into an inconspicuous small inn.
Next came the patient waiting.
...
Time passed day by day.
The wooden tokens from the Bounty Exchange remained inactive. Clearly, obtaining information on Root members' movements was not that easy either.
The twenty shadow clones he sent out also had no information to relay back.
However, Sora was not anxious. He had enough patience.
...
The afternoon of the third day.
Sora was sitting cross legged on the bed, reviewing sealing technique scrolls obtained from the Anbu.
Suddenly...
Buzz.
The wooden token from the first Bounty Exchange in his pocket transmitted a faint vibration.
Sora's eyes snapped open, a gleam of light flashing within them.
A message had arrived.
He immediately got up, quickly left the inn, and once again infiltrated that Abandoned Mine Bounty Exchange.
After showing the token, the thin old man silently handed over a small note.
Sora took the note and unfolded it. There were only a few short lines:
"Target: Suspected Root squad, three persons. Location: Approximately thirty ri southeast of Kikyō Castle. Note: Perceived cold, sinister chakra. Appears to have injured personnel."
Kikyō Castle. That was the location of the Battle of Kikyō Mountain. It was not surprising for Root to be active there.
A three person squad, with injured personnel... This was a heaven sent opportunity.
After handing the mission payment to the thin old man, Sora left the Bounty Exchange and created one shadow clone, sending it towards the direction of Kikyō Castle for preliminary reconnaissance.
However, good things come in pairs.
Less than half an hour after the shadow clone left.
Sora's figure suddenly jolted.
A massive stream of information mixed with a key scene rushed into his mind.
Another shadow clone, sent to stake out a surrounding small nation, had voluntarily dispelled itself.
In the memory scene...
Three figures wearing grey combat attire and animal masks on their faces were silently moving through dense woods, heading towards a remote valley at the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Bears.
Their mask styles were exactly the same as the squad Yamato was in, which he had seen outside the Forest of Death base.
The location information was also clearly imprinted in Sora's mind.
'Finally... the wait is over.'
A cold arc curled at the corner of Sora's mouth.
The hunt, could begin.
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