In the dense forest, more than a dozen figures were hurrying along.
Their formation was a standard escort formation.
Two people led the way, with three on each flank and five in the rear.
The thirteen of them formed a tight protective circle around the person in the center.
The person being protected was tall and thin. He was Shimura Daisuke, who had left the village for the Feudal Lord's Mansion to attend the Harvest Festival.
Don't run into them, please don't run into them...
Though he was heavily guarded, Shimura Daisuke still felt uneasy.
And that unease grew stronger the farther they traveled from Konoha.
He warily watched his surroundings. At the slightest movement, he tensed up. Before he knew it, cold sweat had soaked his back.
Rustle!
The leaves of a tree to their left shook violently, as though something were hiding within its dense foliage.
His body instantly tensed as he focused his guard on the tree.
Whoosh!
An elite ninja from Root flicked his right hand, sending four shuriken flying toward the tree and into its thick leaves.
"Eek—"
A monkey screamed as it fell from the tree, a shuriken lodged in its body.
It hit the ground, rolled a few times, and stopped moving.
"It's a monkey."
After confirming that it was only a monkey, Shimura Daisuke sighed in relief and waved his hand, signaling them to continue.
After they left, a human face slowly emerged on the trunk of a tree, embedded in the bark like a wooden carving.
It was an extremely pale face, with grayish-green hair and yellow eyes that looked inhuman.
This was one of White Zetsu's many clones.
The matter of someone impersonating him to wipe out a village had greatly angered Uchiha Obito, who was far away in Kirigakure.