Clue

"Mist Village? That's certainly possible," Shisui Uchiha also chimed in, having heard about the Mist's policies.

"We'll need to investigate to understand the specific situation..." Kakashi agreed, finding merit in the idea.

If it were a rogue ninja from the Mist seeking revenge, it wasn't impossible for them to have done such a thing.

After all, the Mist's cruel policies were indeed quite messed up...

Yei recalled the attack he'd faced on his way back from the border outpost and said calmly, "I hope it's not those extremists blinded by hatred. Those individuals are still regular ninja from other villages, and if mishandled, it could indeed escalate the situation..."

There were such extremists among the major ninja villages, and Yei had encountered one before.

They were blinded by hatred and had no desire for peace in the ninja world.

Dealing with such people was quite troublesome. A single oversight, a missed trace, could turn a small-scale conflict into a war between the major ninja villages!

This was why the major ninja villages had recalled most of their ninja, to minimize the chances of such an event.

"We don't have enough information yet. We should head to the border and investigate as soon as possible," Kakashi, as the leading Jonin, had the final say. Guessing here was a waste of time with insufficient intel; it was better to head to the border and investigate.

"Mm." The other three nodded, quickening their pace.

Indeed, there wasn't much information yet, and pointless speculation here wasn't necessary. They needed to investigate the situation clearly before making any decisions!

As Yei walked, he pondered other matters: At this stage, Yagura Karatachi, the Fourth Mizukage, shouldn't be controlled by Obito yet... Nor have I heard of him becoming the new Jinchuriki of the Three-Tails... Is the information being well-sealed, or has the Three-Tails not revived yet?

The Three-Tails had died along with Rin Nohara.

However, as Tailed Beasts, they were immortal. Given time, they would "revive" again from somewhere in the ninja world.

And currently, there was no news of Yagura Karatachi, the Fourth Mizukage, being the Jinchuriki of the Three-Tails.

There were only two possible explanations.

One was that Yagura Karatachi's situation was being well-sealed, and no information had leaked out.

The second was... the Three-Tails had not revived yet...

Yei had his own thoughts about Tailed Beasts.

After learning that the energy within his [Hollow Mask] had a similar nature to Tailed Beast Chakra, he had been wondering if there was a possibility – could Tailed Beast Chakra recharge the [Hollow Mask] and make it usable again?

If so, it would undoubtedly be a powerful weapon!

Yei deeply understood the power of the [Hollow Mask]; it was a formidable technique that could directly defeat the Third Raikage!

If it could be used again, it would provide him with more means of survival in the dangerous future ahead!

The group moved swiftly, and within a few days, the four-person squad soon arrived at the border between the two countries.

The Konoha border outpost located here has already been destroyed, reduced to ruins.

"How tragic, were all the people inside annihilated?" Kakashi saw the bodies of Konoha shinobi lying on the ground, a flicker of anger flashing across his face.

"Who could have done this? To be so inhumane!" Asuma's expression was also grim. As a fellow Konoha shinobi, seeing the death of comrades inevitably stirred anger.

"Damn it!" Shisui Uchiha also slammed his thigh, his face dark.

Although he had already learned from the Fourth Hokage that the border outpost here had been destroyed, seeing it with his own eyes still filled him with immense rage!

Unlike other members of the Uchiha Clan, Shisui Uchiha had a relatively gentle personality and lacked the arrogance and coldness typical of the Uchiha.

He valued the village more than his own clan, which was quite unusual among the Uchiha.

Kakashi looked at Yei and asked, "Did you find anything?"

Yei possessed the Byakugan kekkei genkai, so he might discover some clues.

Yei activated his Byakugan and scanned the surroundings, then shook his head, "Their methods were very clean and efficient, almost a one-hit kill, and there weren't many traces left. They must have cleaned up before leaving!"

This border outpost must have experienced a battle. All the Konoha shinobi inside were killed, leaving only the traces of battle and the corpses of Konoha shinobi.

The enemy's methods were swift and decisive, and they were experienced, handling everything cleanly. Yei couldn't find anything useful.

Hearing this, the other three's expressions turned grim.

After thinking for a moment, Kakashi formed hand seals, slammed his hand on the ground, and shouted, "Summoning Technique!"

With a 'poof,' white smoke rose, and then several Ninja Hounds appeared on the scene.

"Pakkun, I'm counting on you. See if there's any special scent here," Kakashi said to one of the small Ninja Hounds.

"Understood." The Ninja Hound named Pakkun nodded. Under its command, the Ninja Hounds scattered.

Before long, the Ninja Hounds returned.

Pakkun, the leader, shook his head and said, "Several days have passed, and the scent has mostly dissipated. Moreover, among the shinobi who fought, there might have been Water Style users who washed away the scent. Even if any remains, it's basically just the smell of blood..."

"Alright, you can go back now." Kakashi dispelled the summoning jutsu and shook his head at his three teammates, "The scents here are too mixed. My Ninja Hounds can't distinguish anything useful."

Looking at the sky, which was already dim, Kakashi said, "Tomorrow, we'll start searching the surroundings with the border outpost as the center. If anyone left from another direction, we might find some clues. I'll be counting on you again tomorrow, Yei."

"Okay," Yei nodded.

"Let's bury the bodies of these comrades first. We shouldn't let them lie exposed in the wilderness..." Kakashi scanned the surroundings, his voice low.

The others nodded and gathered the bodies of all the fallen Konoha shinobi. Finally, Kakashi used Earth Style jutsu to bury them on the spot.

Kakashi looked at the three and said, "Let's leave here for now, rest, and then start investigating the vicinity."

The three nodded.

They rested at a place not far from here. The continuous travel had also made them somewhat tired, which would affect any potential battle that might break out. They decided to rest for a night before proceeding.

In the morning, the four, having rested sufficiently, began their search, using the border outpost as their center.

It was at this time that Yei's Byakugan came into play. Within the Byakugan's vision, Yei could find many things that ordinary people could not.

Not far from the border outpost, at a certain location, Yei discovered a hidden tree hollow. Inside, there were many blood-stained bandages and some uncleared items...

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