Chapter 82: Turmoil
Hidden Rain Village.
Atop a tower reaching hundreds of meters into the sky.
A young woman stood with pale blue-purple hair styled in a bun, adorned with a light blue paper flower on the right side. Her eyes were a pale amber, her face refined, marked by light purple eyeshadow and a stud beneath her lower lip.
She wore a black cloak embroidered with white-edged red clouds over light purple leggings and a backless top with a ring piercing her navel. The Hidden Rain protector was tied to the right side of her waist.
She looked down over the Hidden Rain from the edge of the tower, appearing exceptionally serene amidst the drifting mist and rain.
Suddenly, her brow furrowed slightly.
Turning back toward the interior of the tower's peak, she approached a gaunt figure pierced with black rods, whose eyes were marked by concentric circles.
"Nagato, someone has infiltrated the village," Konan said.
Just now, she had sensed an aura that did not belong to the Hidden Rain. It seemed there were always those who did not fear death.
Hearing this, Nagato focused his awareness on the Rain Tiger at Will Technique. After a moment, he spoke: "It seems someone capable has cracked my technique. Is it those ninjas again—those who know nothing of true pain?"
"Konan, issue the order. Find them."
"Understood." Konan nodded, leaving a paper clone to tend to Nagato. She stepped out into the open air, slowly unfurling paper wings in the rain, and flew toward the village's administrative center.
Meanwhile, in four different corners of the village, four figures pierced with black rods slowly opened their eyes.
Swish! Swish!
They began patrolling the streets of the Hidden Rain.
"Foreign ninjas have infiltrated. Lead your team to find them; signal immediately upon discovery."
Tonbo Tobitake had been resting while practicing Hayakawa's ninjutsu and physical habits when he suddenly received the order from his superior. This caused him to pause. Was I discovered?
That makes no sense. He had been undercover for so long; if he were to be caught, it would have happened already. Furthermore, he had mimicked Hayakawa's life perfectly. As long as he didn't come face-to-face with Nagato or the others, he was confident he wouldn't be exposed.
"Could it be Shinobu and the others?"
Tonbo frowned. Was it possible those two from Root had pulled some stunt? Thinking back to the report Shinobu gave him earlier, he felt a surge of annoyance. Danzo is such a burden.
It had to be those two subordinates. His own disciple, if nothing else, would never disobey his orders.
Picking up his tools, Tonbo notified Hayakawa's squad and hurried to the assembly point. Since he was currently a Hidden Rain Chunin, he could use the search operation as a cover to figure out exactly what was happening.
Whoosh!
As he moved through the streets, he saw many ninjas in motion, and even civilians helping with the search. Based on Tonbo's perception, the village's cohesion was incredibly high.
Zip!
Just then, he saw a giant bird flying across the sky. Its eyes possessed the concentric ring pattern of the Rinnegan as it soared over the village, its gaze scanning everything below.
"The whole crew is out?" Tonbo thought, recognizing the Summoning Path's creature. Moving further, he spotted several winged dogs patrolling—the multi-headed hounds of the Animal Path.
Tonbo prepared himself to flee at a moment's notice if he was indeed the one being targeted. His main worry was Shinobu—if his team was found, they'd have to retreat early and declare the mission a failure.
Underground, Tobitake Squad.
On the scroll in front of Murakumo, several rats returned from the outside and stepped onto the blank surface.
"What's the situation?" Enkui asked.
Murakumo replied, "The Hidden Rain suddenly launched a large-scale search. It could be an enemy intrusion, or..."
He didn't finish, but the implication was clear: it was highly likely Tonbo Tobitake had been caught spying and was currently on the run.
Mibu Shinobu stared at the two of them. Seeing they didn't appear to be lying, he analyzed the situation. It was very possible his teacher had been spotted. Did Sensei obtain some critical information?
"If the Captain was discovered, he should be bringing the intel back. Since there's no word, he might be in a crisis. We should go look for him," Murakumo suggested.
The intelligence Tonbo held was vital; if it triggered a village-wide search, it had to be massive. Reporting this to Lord Danzo was the priority.
"Wait. If Captain isn't in danger, our movement will only cause him more trouble. I believe we should stay put," Mibu Shinobu stated.
He recalled his teacher's methods. Tonbo wouldn't be found that easily, and even if he were, he wouldn't be caught so simply. As a Chunin, Shinobu was now a qualified leader, and his judgment was sound. If he were the captain, he would want his teammates to stay hidden rather than risk exposure by searching for him.
Enkui and Murakumo exchanged a look. They thought of another possibility: the intel they sent to Lord Danzo long ago might have already allowed him to crack the Rain's sensory technique. The people being hunted now might very well be other agents sent by Danzo.
Thud!
Puchi!
A kunai whistled through the air, piercing the chest of a ninja wearing a Rain village rain-cloak.
Konan's figure slowly descended from the sky. She pulled back the cloak to reveal a stranger. There was no protector, and the body carried nothing but standard tools. The brain had also been self-destructed.
Seeing these familiar methods, a flash of anger crossed Konan's face.
Konoha ninjas.
This wasn't the first time they had used such tactics; they couldn't hide it from her. Furthermore, back then, Yahiko had been led to his death because of the deceptions of people like this.
"Lady Angel!" At that moment, several Rain ninjas landed around her, looking at Konan with pure reverence.
So impressive... She found a spy so quickly. As expected of God's messenger.
Konan spoke coldly: "This is only one of them. Others have infiltrated as well. Do not let a single suspicious person escape."
With that, she flew away under their worshipful gazes.
Swish!
Tonbo Tobitake arrived with his squad members. Looking at the corpse on the ground, his brow furrowed.
"Captain Hayakawa, Lady Angel is truly amazing. She's dealt with another enemy coveting our village," a boy around twelve years old behind him said, his voice full of admiration. The other two echoed the sentiment.
Tonbo feigned a nod. "Naturally. Lady Angel is the messenger of God; it's no surprise she can do this."
Internally, however, he was cursing a thousand times over. In his perception, although the corpse lacked visual clues, the residual chakra and the suicide method—combined with his own situation—made it clear: this was definitely one of Danzo's men.
Truly a burden. As much as Danzo contributed to Konoha, his destructive tendencies were far worse. He truly deserved his reputation as a man beyond redemption. Most importantly, he had ruined Tonbo's plan.
Despite having expected this, Tonbo was still thoroughly disgusted.
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