Moriyue nodded. As expected of an elite who had completed multiple S-rank missions—she was meticulous in everything she did. Better safe than sorry; no news was good news.
"The mission site is near Takigakure, right?"
Moriyue recalled the mission details, but they were simply too brief for him to find any crucial clues.
"That's right..."
Yugito Nii nodded, but for some reason, even though they were practically entering Takigakure, they still had not noticed anything unusual.
"It is strange."
Moriyue rubbed his chin. For some reason, his mind felt a little sluggish. The silent surroundings made him drowsy, but this was no time to sleep.
"Let's go into the village first. The villagers should know something."
Yugito Nii took out several kunai and prepared herself for battle. They were outsiders, after all, and she had no idea what attitude the people here would have toward them.
Moriyue followed suit, drawing the short blade at his waist and remaining alert at all times.
But once again, what they found was beyond their expectations. The village before them... had no one in it at all!
Every house was uniformly dark. It was the middle of the night, so no one lighting lamps was perfectly normal. Besides, not every village had electricity; Takigakure might still use oil lamps.
Yet after knocking on several doors without receiving any response, they had no choice but to push their way inside. They discovered that every room was completely empty. Not a single room had anyone in it.
Yugito Nii touched the ground and seemed to be searching around for something. As a properly trained ninja, she was skilled at gathering intelligence. Moriyue only needed to watch.
"Did you find something?"
Seeing Yugito Nii's thoughtful expression, Moriyue knew she must have discovered something.
"There were signs that