Traces and Clues

She paused briefly at the fork in the road, then strode briskly toward the next street.

Finding no suspicious individuals, she treated the journey as a sightseeing trip.

The buildings, with their exotic flair, the clean and dry alleyways, and the brightly colored facades, make for a pleasant cultural landscape.

Of course, Sakura's appreciation only goes this far. If she looked any further, she wouldn't be thinking about anything poetic or picturesque; instead, she'd be wondering if this style of architecture was suitable for ninjas' travel and combat—the kind of mundane, trivial matters that lead to trouble...

After all, the embarrassing incident of nearly demolishing someone's house while using the Body Flicker Technique on the rooftop was still haunting her memory...

"The houses here are mostly flat-roofed. This structure is good at collecting rainwater and is more sturdy than tiled roofs. It is also convenient for using Body Flicker Technique." This was what she was thinking as she stopped at the fork in the road. The roofs of the Land of Fire are mostly pointed with eaves, which is good for drainage; the completely opposite architectural styles of the two countries reflect their drastically different climates.

In the cities of the Land of Fire, due to the heavy rainfall, drainage is a major problem. The exterior walls of buildings are covered with various water pipes, which look messy and tangled. During summer downpours, the streets are prone to flooding.

In contrast, the architecture of the Land of Wind is much cleaner and more streamlined; even ordinary cities have a unique, clean and bright style.

Aside from the architecture, the pedestrians also have a different style and feel compared to the Land of Fire.

Sakura has visited several countries.

The ordinary people of the Land of Fire, especially Konoha, are full of vitality, always walking hurriedly as if they are in a hurry; the people of the Land of Waves and the Land of Snow, before Sakura's mission was completed, were dejected, with their heads hanging low and their steps lifeless, but after defeating Gato Kazahana Dōtō, their footsteps were filled with a joyful and vibrant atmosphere of life.

The Land of Wind is a completely different place.

People walking on the street, regardless of gender, all like to wear headscarves and veils, and a simple white fitted robe. Their pace is slow and steady, revealing a gentle and refined temperament.

After all, they are citizens of a great nation, and are more composed and unhurried, which is fundamentally different from the mentality of ordinary people who live in constant uncertainty.

However, there are also significant differences between major powers.

The disparity in national power between the Land of Fire Land of Wind is also clearly reflected in the temperament of their people.

However, Sakura Haruno viewed the buildings and people here as scenery.

The people of the town also looked at her with curiosity, regarding her as another sight on the street.

People who have lived here for a long time generally know each other. Strangers who walk in naturally attract a lot of attention.

Although Sakura changed into the local clothing, she couldn't quite capture the local people's demeanor.

The light and graceful movement in her steps was a habit ingrained in her bones, and she couldn't change it in a short time.

The light veil fluttering beneath the brim of her hat obscured her face, revealing only her clear, bright eyes. Behind the semi-transparent veil, the girl's pretty features were faintly visible.

It was as if an elf had stumbled into the city's tranquil, still life.

Just like a poem says, the bright moon adorns your window, and you adorn someone else's dream.

Sakura's gaze swept across the crowd with a scrutinizing look.

When she stares intently at others, her eyes hold a hint of suspicion, and her probing gaze exudes a formidable aura.

Those who meet her gaze feel an intimidating, unapproachable sharpness, a chill run down their spines, and unconsciously shrink back.

Then I realized she wasn't as weak as she seemed; she was actually someone not to be trifled with. Perhaps she was a samurai, or maybe a ninja.

In short, to use a common saying, she's a rose with thorns; although Sakura would definitely object to being described that way—she's not a delicate flower at all.

So it's a bit of a shame that there wasn't a scene where the lord's son or the daimyo's child forcibly abducted a woman in the street; perhaps such things do happen among ordinary people, but it's impossible for such things to happen to a ninja. No matter how absurd and ignorant a spoiled brat is, he wouldn't joke with his own life.

Sakura deliberately released a slight amount of murderous intent.

This is another way to test suspicious individuals: anyone who dares to make eye contact with her for more than one glance, even if they don't Chakra, is worth suspecting.

It's very likely they're a spy or someone with a special identity.

Of course, it could also be trembling.

However, this city seemed to be an extremely ordinary one, without any underground organizations, spies, or undercover agents, and certainly no special enthusiasts. Those who secretly watched her were merely curious and amazed that such a remarkable and talented person could exist in the city.

She turned several streets but found nothing suspicious. By the time she rejoined her teammates at midday, Sakura had found nothing.

She spread her hands and said, "Everything is normal on my end, I haven't found anything."

Shino then turned his gaze to Terumi, who also shook her head. "Aside from a human trafficker who was following me, I haven't found anything else. I used Genjutsu to interrogate him, and the local yakuza organizations haven't found any suspicious individuals either."

"It seems there's no problem here, and I haven't found anything either," Shino said. Like Terumi Sakura Haruno, he had also changed into the local clothing, disguising himself as a middle-aged man. However, his ninja-like competence was still immediately apparent. Like Sakura, he was also a bad example of someone who didn't quite manage to disguise himself properly.

He pulled out a map and gestured a few times. "Let's go then, there are still many places to check!"

"By the way, Yuzuki, just so you know, next time you encounter human traffickers, don't hold back, just kill them."

A thorough search was conducted, covering the entire area of Land of Wind. The traps that the Sunagakure might have set up were not found, which suggests that they have indeed obediently submitted to Konoha.

They did discover quite a few other suspicious individuals.

Because each team was equipped with Genjutsu ninjas, interrogation became much easier; a powerful Genjutsu spell was enough to make these suspicious individuals confess everything.

Most of them were spies from other countries and ninja villages. Apart from regularly collecting and transmitting intelligence, they didn't know much else. This kind of single-line intelligence network couldn't be traced and uprooted.

These people then contacted the Sand shinobi and handed the matter over to them.

They also uncovered Orochimaru's spy. Unfortunately, the Anbu wasn't cautious enough when they discovered him and failed to subdue the spy immediately. He committed suicide with a highly venomous snake hidden on his body, and they obtained no valuable intelligence.

The only certainty is that Orochimaru likely had a base in one of the surrounding countries—such as the Land of Rivers.

This guy hasn't shown his face since he was spotted during the last Sasuke operation; he's as slippery as an eel.

The proverb "a cunning rabbit has three burrows" perfectly describes this snake; no one knows exactly how many bases he has built. Konoha can't find him, and judging from Akatsuki's recent calm, this mysterious organization has also failed to catch Orochimaru.

However, the people of Konoha didn't pay much attention. Orochimaru was now a defeated fugitive, and as long as Konoha remained vigilant, Orochimaru, with so many of his subordinates lost, would not be able to replicate his miracle of successfully ambushing the Kazekage.

However, there was another person who made the Konoha ninjas feel as if they were facing a formidable enemy.

Kakashi's team discovered a missing-nin whose mind was being controlled by Genjutsu in a certain city.

After using his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, Kakashi obtained information from the missing-nin—

He was a subordinate of one of the members of Akatsuki.

(Guaranteed minimum/, Bonus chapter 0/1.)

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(Sorry, only three chapters today. I need to organize the remaining chapters. I'll update four more tomorrow! Also, some unfortunate news: due to writer's block these past two days, my drafts are almost exhausted!)