Hinata used Transformation Jutsu to become a huge fat woman weighing over 200 pounds and sneaked into the town.
Hinata became very fat because with this physique, no matter how much she ate, it wouldn't arouse suspicion, perfectly concealing her extraordinary appetite...
The town was indeed somewhat desolate; pedestrians on the main street seemed to be in a hurry, and the few small shops along the roadside didn't have many customers.
The garbage piles by the roadside haven't been cleaned up for a long time, and you can smell the stench even from a distance.
Some ragged homeless orphans used garbage dumps as their base, using sticks to drive away stray cats and dogs that tried to steal their food.
Hinata felt a little sad.
No wonder Orochimaru's Orochimaru are so loyal to him, now that the country has become like this.
Even if Orochimaru treats their lives as worthless, following Orochimaru at least means they won't have to worry about starving to death, and they'll have the chance to learn powerful Ninjutsu and one day become superior people.
Entering the town center, it's like entering a completely different world from the outskirts.
Bright lights and dazzling lights, extravagant and decadent lifestyle.
Taverns, inns, casinos, and teahouses were almost everywhere, and groups of burly men, drunk and swaggering through the streets from time to time.
This town borders the Land of Fire, so it should theoretically be extremely prosperous.
Merchants from the Land of Rice who wish to enter the Land of Fire will stay here for one night.
However, the wealth gap in this town is so severe that it may be inextricably linked to Orochimaru's Otogakure.
Of course, Danzo also has to take the blame!
Hinata walked into a tavern, found a chair at the bar, ordered a drink from the bartender, smelled it, and took a small sip.
The tavern was noisy and smoky, but you could also hear a lot of useful information there.
These people certainly wouldn't talk about the ninjas of the Five Great Shinobi Villages; their conversations would at most consist of things like how a certain gang is doing or how powerful a certain wandering ninja is.
Hinata. Although there was no important information, the appearance of the town gradually and clearly emerged in Hinata's mind.
Three major gangs are entrenched in the town, and they frequently engage in violent clashes, which often result in many innocent civilians being caught in the crossfire.
That's why there are so many homeless orphans in the town.
Because their parents were mostly involved in gang fights.
They either died or disappeared without a trace.
Hinata almost immediately thought of Orochimaru.
Orochimaru's influence is deeply entrenched, with numerous secret bases throughout the Shinobi World.
Although the Otogakure was founded by Orochimaru may not have cared much about Otogakure.
For Orochimaru, the Otogakure was perhaps just a place to obtain funding for his experiments.
The gangsters in this town might be supported by Orochimaru.
The gang provided Orochimaru with experimental subjects, Orochimaru sent people to protect them.
The gang warfare provided a convenient cover for the disappearances and also served as Orochimaru's eyes and ears, allowing him to monitor various parts of the Land of Rice.
Having roughly understood the situation, Hinata paid for the drinks and went to the Hot Spring Inn she had arranged to meet with Shikamaru and the others, where she booked the most luxurious room.
"Call!"
Hinata collapsed onto the bed, deactivated her Transformation Jutsu, and felt as if she had come back to life.
"Ah, that feels so good!"
"Let's go soak in the hot springs first, then come back to sleep..."
"Take a hot spring bath???"
Hinata suddenly realized something: the big fat guy she had transformed into before was actually a man!
Go to the men's hot spring room?
Absolutely not!
After hesitating for a while, Hinata jumped out of the window with a frustrated look on her face, and then transformed into a beautiful woman again, booking a new room.
Hinata was the only one in the women's hot spring room, so Hinata simply deactivated her Transformation Jutsu.
While soaking in the hot spring, Hinata only had her head sticking out, and the steam from the hot spring Hinata face flushed.
"My precious money!"
"Hmph! Orochimaru, if I can't salvage this situation, I'll definitely soak you in a vat of sake."
When you raid the Otogakure dungeon, you should at least get some good loot!
Sensing movement at the door, Hinata quickly swam behind the artificial hill and used her Transformation Jutsu to become a beautiful woman.
'Tap tap tap—'
The sound of slippers on the floor could be heard; someone must have come in.
"Why is there no one here?!"
Judging from her tone, she seemed quite disappointed.
Hinata was somewhat suspicious, so she formed hand Hand Seals and activated her Byakugan.
The newcomer was indeed a woman, but the flow of her Chakra...
It's Transformation Jutsu!
Hinata hid behind the artificial hill and said, enunciating each word clearly, "You! Get! Out! Of! My! Place!"
"Uh... is it Hinata?"
The woman said something, then ran out with hurried footsteps.
Naruto, I'll remember you!
An hour later, Hinata maintained her Transformation Jutsu and returned to the beautiful woman's room. Then she climbed out the window and went to the room the fat man had booked, where she ordered a lot of food from the hotel waiter.
After eating and drinking her fill, Hinata climbed out the window again and returned to the room the beautiful woman had booked...
"Is it easy for me?"
Hinata was speechless. Just to get a decent meal, she had to maintain two different identities.
Huge expenses!
Otherwise, with such a slender figure, it would be astonishing if she could eat the equivalent of dozens of people's meals.
Around 10 p. m., everyone except Ya who had gone out to gather intelligence had returned.
The five of them gathered in Shikamaru's room.
After reverting to her Transformation Jutsu, Hinata her Byakugan to survey the area, then nodded to Shikamaru, indicating that everyone was on her side.
Shikamaru breathed a sigh of relief and spoke first, "Everyone, tell me, what information have you all gathered?"
Naruto and Choji were both clueless when it came to intelligence, and they stammered out a few meaningless words.
Although Rock Lee was single-minded, he had over a year of ninja experience and had managed to gather some useful information.
Shikamaru turned to look at Hinata, Hinata and said, "Let me go first!"
"The local gangs are all connected to Orochimaru. The frequent gang fights are actually a way to create chaos and cover up the mysterious disappearances of people..."
Hinata recounted the information she had overheard in the tavern, adding her own speculations, and thus Hinata a complete chain of interests.
Shikamaru said softly, "The information I've gathered is similar to Hinata's. The local gangs should have some connection with Orochimaru. Now we'll see if Kiba makes any progress."
Hinata thought for a moment and said, "There should be some gains! I've seen the homeless orphans in town, and their attire is similar to Kiba's, so no one should suspect him."
Shikamaru nodded speechlessly and continued, "We can't stay in this town for too long, but the local gang is indeed a lead for our investigation..."
"So I suggested that we split the six of us into two groups."
"I, Kiba, Choji, and I will stay behind to continue investigating the yakuza."
"Hinata, take Naruto and Rock Lee into the Land of Rice to continue the investigation."
"Your Byakugan has a greater advantage in finding the location of the Otogakure. And if you bring Naruto along, you can handle any danger you encounter."
Hinata thought for a moment, nodded, and said, "Okay!"
"Then let's set a three-day limit. If we can't find the location of the Otogakure within three days, let's go back to the village and report back!"