After Ryūsetsuna left, the Konoha reconnaissance squad immediately put some distance between themselves and Kusagakure, retreating to a relatively safe location.
Night fell.
They didn't light a campfire to keep warm. Instead, they hid in a small grove and endured the bitter night chill.
Yakumo, with her Red Dragon Eye, kept watch over their surroundings, scrutinizing everything for potential threats.
In the woods.
Tsunade and Kakashi spoke in hushed voices.
"The best outcome for now would be to capture an Akatsuki Organization member and get information about the organization from them," Kakashi said.
Tsunade paused to consider this. "From the information we've gathered so far, the Akatsuki Organization has between fifteen and twenty-five members. Almost all of them are as strong as elite Jonin, and some have even reached the level of the Five Kage. We can't be too cautious when dealing with people like that. So this time, we'd better not act rashly. We should focus on completing our reconnaissance mission."
"Understood!"
Kakashi nodded.
Although he had a vague sense that there were problems within the Akatsuki Organization, and that they shouldn't simply treat every member who had ever appeared as part of a single, unified group, he couldn't afford to be wrong.
So he didn't press the matter. He accepted Tsunade's more cautious approach instead.
Shizune hurried over and spoke in a low voice. "Lord Tsunade, we just received a message from the village. Lord Hokage has invited the other four Kage, and the Joint Force is gathering quickly. He instructed us not to act rashly and to focus on collecting intelligence."
Tsunade nodded. "Reply to the village that we'll carry out the mission exactly as instructed."
Shinji, leaning against a large tree nearby, watched in silence.
He had little say in the squad's decisions, and the others