Near noon, in a forest deep within the Land of Grass, on the side bordering the Land of Earth.
"Tap!"
"Tap tap tap!"
In the dim forest, a black shadow raced across the branches. In the blink of an eye, it had already passed several meters away.
The direction should be right.
Wind howled past his ears as Chiba sped through the trees. He tucked the detailed regional map in his hand into the Ninja Tool Pouch at his waist, confirming his route. This forest was the second-to-last landmark before the destination he had marked.
Now, all he needed to do was leave this forest, cross a rather wide river, and travel northwest for another hour or two. Then he would reach that bamboo grove. According to his memories, when Rin was abducted and Obito and Kakashi went to rescue her, it should have been near dusk, or perhaps even night. Time-wise, he could make it in easily.
Even if the destination he had marked was not where fate would unfold, he still had enough time to search the bamboo grove and its surroundings to find the exact location.
After estimating the time, Chiba glanced at the bloodstained Kunai in his right hand, his brow knitting slightly.
He had not expected Iwa, after mobilizing over ten thousand men, to still have scattered deployments here.
That thought surfaced in his mind as he looked at it.
Over the past two or three hours of travel, his journey had not been entirely smooth. Along the way, especially after entering the interior of the Land of Grass, he had intermittently encountered several Iwa squads: reconnaissance teams, sentry teams, and teams carrying out solo assignments. Each squad had between two and three members.
However, they had all been Elite Chunin or near-Jonin-level ninja. To