Meanwhile, on the other side, in the forest near the cliff by the maternity ward.
"How is it, Inoichi?"
A figure moving through the forest silently came to a stop somewhere among the trees, landing soundlessly on a branch. The moment he steadied himself, he looked back and spoke.
Tap...
Tap...
Just as he turned and spoke, two figures silently landed on the branch behind him, their feet settling without a sound.
"No. There's no response here. Not even the slightest Chakra signature."
As the two figures landed, one of them shook his head and spoke.
"Is that so? Then are we searching in the wrong direction?"
The first figure nodded, speaking with a faint sigh.
"It should be somewhere around here. That lake we passed earlier wasn't there before. It was probably where Chiba fought that intruder. With Water Release that powerful, Chiba is likely the only one in the village capable of it at this stage."
Before the first figure could respond, the other spoke first.
Though he had landed without a sound, this man was broad and stout, with a decidedly plump build. He was Akimichi Choza, the current head of the Akimichi Clan, one of Konoha's Ino-Shika-Cho.
The figure who had shaken his head beside him was none other than Yamanaka Inoichi, the current head of the Yamanaka Clan in the Ino-Shika-Cho unit.
As for the man who had spoken first, he was naturally Nara Shikaku, the leader of the Nara Clan within the Ino-Shika-Cho unit and Konoha's chief strategist.
"Mm... He should be somewhere nearby. But we also have to consider the possibility that the battlefield shifted, or that Chiba was defeated, captured, and taken out of this area. It would be best to widen the search."
Hearing his two close friends, Nara Shikaku nodded.