That evening, Neji went alone to the Crimson Leaf Izakaya.
When Nonō saw that Neji had come specifically to patronize her business, she immediately led him to a private room in the back.
"This sake was brought in from the Land of Rivers."
Nonō smiled as she poured Neji a drink.
Neji took a small sip, then stared out the window expressionlessly.
"Is something troubling you?" Nonō asked.
Neji smiled. "It's nothing."
Nonō watched Neji's eyes and shook her head. "You're not the kind of person who can lie."
Neji said, "I almost forgot—you're the famous Wandering Miko. Nothing gets past you."
Nonō sat beside Neji and spoke softly. "Could anything really be going wrong in the Shinobi World?"
Neji replied calmly, "The Shinobi World isn't as simple as it looks. There's a lot more going on beneath the surface."
There were many things Neji needed to know and no one else.
Telling others would only cause more trouble without helping anyone.
Neji patted Nonō on the shoulder. "All right, bring out some meat. I'm hungry."
"Mm."
Nonō answered and left the room.
Before long, she returned with a plate of braised meat.
Neji picked up his chopsticks and was about to dig in when his brow suddenly furrowed.
"What's wrong?" Nonō asked, confused.
Neji glanced around but saw nothing unusual. Then he poked through the meat with his chopsticks and pulled out a slip of paper.
Nonō's face changed at once. "Neji, I don't know who did this."
Neji gestured for Nonō to be quiet.
He looked at the note. On the front was a map, with a red circle marking a secret base. On the back were the two characters "Jigen."
Neji's eyes lit up.
He'd been worrying that he wouldn't be able to find Ōtsutsuki Isshiki, and