After crossing halfway up the mountain, Hagoromo and the others arrived at the valley where the villagers had always worshipped as their guardian deity.
When you first enter the valley, you can still see remnants of the villagers' previous worship rituals.
"I didn't see it."
Naruto looked around and couldn't help but speak.
"It would be really strange if the Dead Last were still here." Sasuke rolled his eyes when he heard Naruto's words.
Hagoromo looked around; too much time had passed.
The valley was a scene of utter devastation, but no lingering Chakra energy could be sensed.
"Look around and see if there are any traces of that time."
Hagoromo directed Naruto and the others to begin the search, while he examined the surrounding mountain walls.
Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata nodded and began their respective investigations.
Hagoromo then leaped up and walked along the edge of the valley, stopping and starting, until she came to a black mark where lightning had struck.
"Is this where it begins?"
Hagoromo quickly estimated the location and looked down at the opposite cliff face. Soon she discovered a cave entrance hidden in the cliff.
"Teacher!"
Naruto's voice came through, tinged with excitement; he had probably found something.
Following the direction from which the sound came, Hagoromo found the location of Naruto and the others.
Upon seeing Hagoromo, Naruto immediately waved his hands and shouted, "Sensei, look!"
Hagoromo looked at the pool of blood on the ground that had clearly dried and the dark, dilapidated soil nearby, and nodded.
"Teacher, judging from these marks, this chameleon was quite large."
Sasuke's expression wasn't as relaxed as Naruto's. The rumpled soil on the ground indicated that the chameleon was even larger than he had imagined.
Those who can fight against a behemoth of this size are definitely not ordinary ninjas.
Hinata closed her Byakugan and looked at Hagoromo, saying, "Sensei, this is the only place in the entire valley where we can find some traces; the rest are almost completely gone."
"Huh?! But the village chief clearly said he just showed up in their village a few days ago!" Naruto scratched the back of his head and said.
"I think this was left from the first thunder, but it's highly likely that the ninja wasn't captured."
Sasuke shook his head.
Hagoromo Yi looked up at the cave on the cliff, Shadow Clone that had been exploring there was then dispelled.
"Let's go, there's nothing left for us here."
Having learned that there was no trace of the chameleon at the cave, Hagoromo shook her head and said.
The group began searching the valley again towards the village, stopping just before they were close enough to get there.
"Oh no, why isn't it here?"
Naruto was a little discouraged. He had been full of confidence for his first C-rank mission, but things had turned out this way.
Sasuke, standing to the side, wore a thoughtful expression; he was certain that things couldn't just end like this.
The last time the village sent people out was the morning before they arrived.
The middle-aged man had previously mentioned that he hadn't heard any more thunder or heavy rain.
This means that the ninja hasn't been defeated yet.
"Let's go back to that village and learn more about it." There's no need to rush when carrying out this kind of mission.
Seeing this, Naruto and the others had no choice but to follow Hagoromo's footsteps.
As they approached the village, a commotion arose. Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata exchanged a glance and quickly hurried forward.
Hagoromo chuckled softly and followed slowly.
It wasn't until Hagoromo got closer that they gradually heard the villagers talking to Naruto.
"Master Ninja, not long after you left, one of the men our village sent out earlier has returned!"
The middle-aged man looked panicked; the young man's story was simply too unbelievable.
Upon hearing the news, Naruto immediately inquired, while Sasuke, standing beside him, followed up with questions about key information.
Hagoromo stood behind, following Naruto and the others to learn more. This mission itself was intended to train Naruto.
After Naruto finished asking their questions, they all came to Hagoromo's side.
They all chimed in with their own information, while Sasuke looked puzzled.
"Teacher, what that villager who escaped said was really strange."
"What kind of person would kidnap them and then not kill them immediately, but instead tie them up one by one and take them away one day at a time?"
"Could it be that we're going to feed that chameleon?" Naruto squinted and voiced his guess.
"..." Sasuke choked on his words. Although Naruto's words were a bit extreme, there was some truth to them.
"We have the location; we can find out by checking."
Hagoromo then expressed her opinion, stating that no matter how much discussion there is, it needs to be confirmed in practice.
Besides, Naruto does have a rather wild imagination; not everyone is Manda.
"That makes sense!" Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a glance, and after Hinata returned, they ran straight to the location they had just learned about.
Just as they were about to arrive, a bolt of lightning struck straight down into the valley before them.
Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata stopped together; clearly, they had indeed found the ninja.
"I'll go in first to scout ahead, Naruto will provide support from the side, Hinata, you're in charge of checking if there's anyone else around."
Sasuke stated his assignments directly, as Hagoromo had already explained them on the way there.
They will complete this mission independently, while Hagoromo will watch from behind.
Although they didn't know how many people were on the other side, Sasuke was skilled in Lightning Release, making him the best choice to lead the charge.
Hinata nodded and immediately activated her Byakugan to observe.
Naruto opened his mouth, then remembered Hagoromo had always told him: ninjas don't carry out missions out of impulse, so he nodded.
However, he still raised his hand and formed a hand seal. "Shadow Clone Technique!"
"Let my Shadow Clone draw some of your attention, so you can react in advance."
Sasuke smiled and nodded in agreement.
"Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun, all I can see is a fluctuation of Chakra, but..."
Hinata stopped talking, after all, what she saw seemed a bit strange.
"I don't know what that person is doing, but the fluctuations in their Lightning Release Chakra are extremely large."
"Alright, let's begin as agreed."
Sasuke, his eyes fixed on the direction ahead. The three of them leaped onto a nearby tree and quickly ran towards the direction where thunder was still rumbling.
"Damn it! I was just trying to be nice and give you a grand, lavish funeral!"
"You actually thought of running away! Unforgivable!"