With Uzumaki Kousou's powerful sensory abilities, everyone easily slipped past the Grass Ninja one after another. By noon the next day, they had crossed the border of the Land of Grass and entered the Land of Earth.
Without stopping, they traveled through the Land of Earth, skirted the border near the Land of Rain, and entered the Land of Birds before finally stopping to rest.
The Land of Birds lay west of the Land of Rain. Since many migratory birds stopped there during their north-south migrations, it was known as the Land of Birds. Even most of the country's daimyo were named after various kinds of birds.
Only after entering the Land of Birds did everyone finally breathe a sigh of relief. Although they had put on the attire of Iwagakure Ninja in advance and had Uzumaki Kousou's Mind's Eye of the Kagura to detect enemies, allowing them to avoid every ninja, this was still the Land of Earth—the territory of Iwagakure, one of the Five Great Ninja Villages. Once discovered, escaping would be difficult.
They found a small stream in the mountains and washed themselves off before the men gathered to discuss their next move.
"According to the village's intelligence, the Tsuchikage's Son should be stationed in this area of the Land of Bears. Since the Land of Birds is too close to the Land of Rain, Iwagakure is also wary of that Demigod. Given the Tsuchikage's Son's special status, he can't possibly come here to the Land of Birds. That would only provoke the Demigod."
Using a Kunai to draw a map on the ground, Shikaku Nara explained his analysis.
The previous mission scroll contained some intelligence records, and he had based his analysis on them.
"In other words, we have to infiltrate the Land of Bears next."